Pope appoints pontifical commission, bishop for Myanmar

Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias whom Pope Francis had earlier delegated as his special envoy to the celebrations of 500 years of the Catholic Church in Myanmar (formerly Burma), is leading a pontifical commission composed of two other persons to the event.  On Saturday, Pope Francis appointed Salesian Fr. Mariano Soe Naing, and Fr. Peter Sein Hlaing Oo of Mandalay Archdiocese, both professors at St Joseph’s Major Seminary of Yangon, as members of the Pontifical Mission to the 5th centenary celebrations Nov. 21-23 in Yangon.  The 500-year jubilee celebrations in Myanmar are in fact belated.  The first Catholics arrived in Myanmar in 1511, and the 5th centenary celebrations were to be held in 2011, but the political circumstances and religious liberty situation in the southeastern Asian nation then did not permit such as celebration.   

Meanwhile, Pope Francis on Saturday nominated Bishop Stephen Tjephe as head the Myanma Diocese of Loikaw, where until now he was Auxiliary Bishop and Apostolic Administrator.  The seat of the diocese has been vacant since April 26, when Bishop Sotero Phamo stepped down on health grounds.   Bishop Tjephe, 59, was ordained priest in 1984 and appointed Auxiliary bishop of Loikaw in 2009.