By Fr Lanfranco Fedrigotti, SDB

Taipei, Taiwan, 24 May 2020 -- The members of the Salesian Family in Taiwan were overjoyed yesterday, 23 May 2020, to hear the announcement made in Rome that Pope Francis has chosen Chiayi Bishop Thomas Chung An Zu as the new Archbishop of Taipei. It is as if Mary Help of Christians prepared for them this beautiful gift, on the vigil of her feast.

68-year-old Archbishop Chung is one of the first graduates of the first Salesian School in Taiwan, founded in 1963 in Tainan. Six years ago, Bishop Chung became a Cooperator Salesian, as Bishop of the Chiayi diocese, neighboring on the Tainan diocese.

Chiayi diocese is a small diocese in a region that is special in Taiwan for its agricultural fields and beautiful mountains. Bishop Chung in the past years has taken good pastoral care of a Catholic population composed mainly of farming people and mountain aboriginal tribes. At the same time, Bishop Chung was the head of the Youth Section of the Commission for Evangelization of the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference of Taiwan. In this capacity, he organized the participation of Taiwan youth in the past World Youth Days.

His episcopal motto is: “Deum et hominem amare”. Now, the Taipei Salesian Family in particular, are grateful to Pope Francis for having given them Bishop Thomas Chung as their pastor and look forward to enjoy his wise and loving pastoral care. Deo gratias and Longlive, Archbishop Chung!

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