Pope appoints new Archbishop in Mandalay, Myanmar

Pope Francis on Thursday made an appointment in the Church of Myanmar.  He appointed Fr. Marco Tin Win as the Archbishop of Mandalay.  The 59-year old priest, who has been the vicar general of Mandalay, takes over from Archbishop Nicholas Mang Thang, who stepped down the same day, having reached the canonical retirement age of 75 for bishops. 

Fr. Tin Win was born in Mon Hla, district of Shwebo, in the Archdiocese of Mandalay on April 22, 1960, and attended primary and secondary schools in Mon Hla and secondary school in the St. Aloysius Minor Seminary in Pyin Oo Lwin.

In 1979 he entered the St. Joseph's Major Seminary in Yangon, where he completed his philosophical and theological studies. On September 22, 1987, he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Mandalay.

From 1992 to 1997 he studied at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome and obtained a Doctorate in Philosophy.

Since his ordination, Fr. Tin Win has held a number of pastoral and administrative roles, including diocesan director for interreligious dialogue, rector of the Saint Thomas Preparatory Seminary of Mandalay, diocesan bursar, parish priest of the parish of Mary, Help of Christians in Sagaing, and executive secretary of the Episcopal Conference in Yangon. He is currently vicar general, rector of the Cathedral of Mandalay and lecturer in philosophy at Saint Joseph’s Major Seminary in Pyin Oo Lwin.

Cardinal Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, has welcomed the appointment of the new Archbishop of Mandalay as “grace-filled news from our Holy Father”.   Fr. Tin Win “brings to his mission, decades of quality service to Church in Myanmar as professor of Philosophy and as an able administrator, both at the national Bishop Conference and Mandalay Archdiocese,” Card. Bo said in a statement.

“His deep spirituality, his friendship with monks and his efforts at dialogue with religions and culture are the timely gifts he brings to Myanmar.  His simplicity, affability and erudite scholarship will empower the great Archdiocese of Mandalay,” Card. Bo added.