Pope Francis accepts the resignation of the archbishop of Bangkok
The news was reported on the day Card Kriengsak Kovithavanij, the second cardinal in the history of Thailand, reached the canonical age of 75. Bishop Vira Arpondratana of Chang Mai was appointed apostolic administrator of the Church of the capital.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis today accepted the resignation of Card Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij from the office of Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangkok, the Vatican Press Office reported.
The announcement comes on the day the cardinal turns 75, the age limit set by the Code of Canon Law for all bishops to present their resignation to the pontiff.
Pope Francis has not yet chosen a successor. The archdiocese of Bangkok has been provisionally entrusted to Bishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana of Chang Mai.
Erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam in 1662, the Archdiocese of Bangkok today has over 122,000 members, or 0.9 per cent of the local population, which is mostly Buddhist.
The local Church is divided into 59 parishes, with about 240 priests who carry out their ministry, including diocesan clergy, religious and priests of missionary institutes.
Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij is the second cardinal in the history of the Thai Church, after his predecessor on the See of Bangkok, Archbishop Emeritus Michael Michai Kitbunchu, 95, who led the Church from 1972 to 2009.
Born on 27 June 1949 in Ban Rak, in the Archdiocese of Bangkok, Kriengsak Kovithavanij was ordained a diocesan priest by Archbishop Kitbunchu in 1977.
After serving as rector at the national major seminary of Sampran and parish priest of the cathedral, he was appointed bishop of Nakhon Sawan in 2007 by Benedict XVI.
Two years later he was transferred to Bangkok, taking over from Card Kitbunchu. Pope Francis then raised him to the cardinalship in the consistory of 14 February 2015.
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