On December 2, 2018 Fr Arturo Sosa SJ, arrived in Ho Chi Minh City. It was his first visit to Vietnam. Fr Provincial Vincent Pham Van Mam SJ and the Vietnamese Jesuits warmly welcomed Fr General, accompanied by Regional Assistant for Western Europe Fr Victor Assouad SJ, and outgoing Regional Assistant for Asia Pacific Fr Daniel Huang SJ. Later on that day, Fr General visited Fr Pham Huu Lai SJ, who was Superior of the Jesuits in Vietnam during the underground days and was ordained in secret and imprisoned for 10 years. After prison, Fr Lai worked as a goat farmer while secretly training people in catechism. It was a touching moment to see Fr General receive a blessing from frail Fr Lai in his bed.
Addressing the Jesuits of the Vietnamese Province, Fr General said: “I am glad to finally visit this young and promising province, to learn more about the province, its communities and its works, so that I can support the province better.”
On December 3, feast of St Francis Xavier, Fr General concelebrated in the presbyteral ordination of six Vietnamese Jesuits: Fr Francis Xavier Hoang Khac Luan SJ, Fr Peter Le Hoang Nam SJ, Fr Philip Tran Thanh Minh SJ, Fr Peter Nguyen Duc Thang SJ, Fr Anthony Nguyen Ngoc Triem SJ and Fr Peter Pham Cong Tung SJ. Fr General’s message to them: “to be priests like St Francis Xavier”.
On December 4, Fr General also presided the final vows of Fr Anthony Nguyen Cao Thang SJ, Fr Paul Nguyen Thai Son SJ and Fr Andrew Pham Hoa Lac SJ.
In Vietnam, around 70 per cent of Jesuits are in formation and much of Fr General’s activities during the visit reflected this youthful profile. At the Sacred Heart Novitiate, he engaged in lively conversation with 34 novices. He blessed the new candidate house located in the compound of St Michael, a Jesuit-run church. Fr Dominic Nguyen Quoc Kinh SJ along with 90 candidates welcomed Fr General and his delegation with a lion dance, songs and a short dramatisation of the protomartyr of Vietnam, Blessed Andrew Phu Yen, companion of Fr Alexandre de Rhodes SJ. Fr General also met with the formands and told them: “You are not just the future of the Society but the present.”