Humans

in a digital

revolution

Ekklesia
April to June 2026

Isssue 31  –  2/2026

Humans in a digital revolution

How can we remain fully human amid the digital revolution? This issue explores artificial intelligence, social media and digital culture through Christian anthropology, ethics, education, evangelization and human relationships. It considers both opportunities and risks while seeking a technology that serves humanity. A special section celebrates Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận, whose extraordinary witness reveals the transforming power of hope.

CARDINAL

FRANÇOIS-XAVIER NGUYỄN VĂN THUẬN

The Road of Hope

I have already walked part of the way,
sometimes in joy, sometimes in suffering,
but always carrying an overflowing hope in my heart.
Because God is our Mother, Mary,
has always accompanied me.

If God would allow me to choose,
I would not take any other path than this.

I have always hoped in Him,
and consequently joy and bliss have never left me
and I have known love.

Here is God granting me today
a few moments of intimacy with Him.

I have wanted it for a long time;
I finally start writing some thoughts that come from the heart:
they are the experience of a lifetime.


They are the confidences of a father.


I will not be able to tell you anything totally new.

I would just like to remind you of a few words
that have already been said on other occasions,
certainly, it has come, good counsellor, to your ears, to your heart.

In the whirlwind of today’s life,
be silent within yourself and meditate on these thoughts
that flow from the depths of my soul.

I hope these simple reflections can enlighten you, give you peace
and make you an apostle, a man of prayer and love.

May the Peace and Grace of the Lord
may they always be with you on the path of hope.

A biographical profile of Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên Văn Thuân, whose years of imprisonment, faith, hope, and pastoral witness continue to inspire the Church today.

At the Roots of Hope

In this article, the postulator of the Cause of Beatification of Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên Văn Thuân retraces the essential stages of the life of the Venerable Vietnamese cardinal, highlighting his remarkable virtues, chief among them hope.

Waldery Hilgeman

The Road to Hope

Élisabeth Nguyễn Thị Thu Hồng, sister of Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên Văn Thuân, recalls how his 1,001 prison meditations were written, smuggled out, and eventually published as The Road of Hope, becoming a source of faith for Christians around the world.

Élisabeth Nguyễn Thị Thu Hồng

The Path of Hope

Some excerpts from The Path of Hope, taken from the opening and the last pages of the volume. The numbers prefixed to the last paragraphs date back to the original, which is articulated, as the testimony of Élisabeth Nguyễn Thị Thu Hồng states, into 1001 thoughts

Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyen Văn Thuân

Cardinal Michael Czerny reflects on Venerable Nguyễn Văn Thuận’s witness to Christian hope, justice and peace and his contribution to Catholic social teaching.

Venerable Cardinal Van Thuận:
Promoter of Justice and Peace

Cardinal Michael Czerny reflects on the life and witness of Venerable François-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận, whose faith sustained his commitment to justice, peace and reconciliation through imprisonment and service, and helped shape the Church’s modern social teaching.

Cardinal Michael Czerny S.J.

Witness in every circumstance

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik recalls the faith, humanity, and priestly witness of Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyên Văn Thuân, whose years of imprisonment became a school of the Gospel and a powerful testimony of hope.

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung sik

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle recalls his friendship with Nguyễn Văn Thuận and the serenity, generosity and Christian hope that marked the Vietnamese cardinal’s life.

You were excellent

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle recalls his friendship with Venerable François-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận, from their first meeting in Manila to their final farewell, revealing a man whose serenity, generosity and Christian hope transformed suffering into friendship, encouragement and joy.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle