The Dominican Priest was stabbed several times while hearing confessions.

Newsroom (01/31/2022 11:25 AM, Gaudium Press) Vietnamese Dominican priest Joseph Tran Ngoc Thanh, 41, was attacked with a knife while hearing confessions shortly before the celebration of Mass on Saturday evening, January 29. He was hospitalized but did not survive his injuries.

Another Dominican religious who rushed to the scene to stop the attacker also received knife wounds.

Fr. Tran took his vows in 2010 and was ordained eight years later. He served in the diocese of Kontum, working in ethnic villages.

The local community is deeply shocked by the unexpected murder. They were preparing for the Lunar New Year celebrations observed in Vietnam on February 1.

According to Bishop Aloisio Nguyen Hung Vi, “God’s will is mysterious; we cannot fully understand the Lord’s ways. We can only place our brother in the His hands. Fr. Joseph is travelling to eternity and no matter what happened, no one can separate him, or us, from God’s love. When he was attacked, Fr. Joseph was in Christ’s place, dispensing his forgiveness. To die at that moment, ‘in persona Christi,’ must be a grace. Amidst the pain, we also see the beauty and nobility of Priesthood.”

Local police have already arrested the killer, allegedly a drug addict.

Compiled by Gustavo Kralj