Archbishop-elect Marco Tin Win (right) watches a Buddhist monk light a peace candle during an interfaith prayer program at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Mandalay, in December 2016. (ucanews.com photo)
Pope Francis has appointed Father Marco Tin Win, vicar general of Mandalay, to be the archdiocese’s new archbishop.
Archbishop-elect Tin Win, 59, succeeds Archbishop Nicholas Mang Thang, who reached the retirement age of 75 for bishops.
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon has welcomed the pope’s announcement, saying Archbishop-elect Tin Win brings decades of quality service to the Myanmar Church to the position.
Cardinal Bo said he has proved to be an able administrator, both for the national bishops' conference and Mandalay Archdiocese.
The cardinal also noted Archbishop-elect Tin Win’s involvement in interfaith initiatives with Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus.
“His deep spirituality, his friendship with monks and his efforts at dialogue with religions and culture are the timely gifts he brings to Myanmar,” Cardinal Bo said in a statement.
“His simplicity, affability and erudite scholarship will empower the great Archdiocese of Mandalay.”
Archbishop-elect Tin Win is also a lecturer of philosophy at St. Joseph Major Seminary in Pyin Oo Lwin and rector of the Sacred Heart Cathedral of Mandalay.
Bishop Raymond Sumlut Gam of Banmaw in Kachin State also welcomed the news, saying he was glad for the Catholics of Mandalay Archdiocese.
“I believe Father Tin Win will be capable of leading the archdiocese through his experiences from various ministries,” Bishop Gam, who is also chairman of Caritas (Karuna) Myanmar, told ucanews.com.
Archbishop-elect Tin Win was born in Mon Hla village, Sagaing division, in Mandalay Archdiocese on April 22, 1960.
He attended primary and secondary schools in his native village and would go on to attend secondary school at St. Aloysius Minor Seminary in Pyin-Oo-Lwin, near Mandalay city.
He entered St. Joseph’s Major Seminary in Yangon in 1979 where he completed his philosophical and theological studies. Ten years later he was ordained a priest.
He studied at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome and obtained a doctorate in philosophy.
As a priest, he has served a number of pastoral and administrative roles including being the rector of St. Thomas Intermediate Seminary, a diocesan bursar, a parish priest of Mary Help of Christians in Sagaing and executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar.
