ASIA/VIETNAM - REV. FATHER ANTOINE VU HUY CHUONG APPOINTED BISHOP OF HUNG HOA

Vatican City (Fides Service) – The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has (6 July 2003) appointed Bishop of Hung Hoa (Vietnam) Rev. Father Antoine Vu Huy Chuong professor of dogmatic theology at Can Tho inter-diocesan major seminary.
The Bishop elect, Rev. Antoine Vu Huy Chuong was born on 14 September 1944 at Ben Thon, Thach That, province of Ha Tay, diocese of Hung Hoa. In 1954 when the country was divided like millions of other Catholics from the north he took refuge in the south. In 1956 he entered St Francis Xavier minor seminary in Bui Chu archdiocese of Saigon and then studied philosophy and theology at Pius X seminary in Dalat. He was ordained a priest on 18 December 1971 in Saigon for the diocese of Can Tho.
He has been: professor and spiritual director at Thanh Qui seminary, Can Tho; parish priest; vice rector for the theology section at Can Tho seminary; parish priest at Cai Rang mission; administrator and head writer for diocesan bulletin Dong Huong. Presently he is professor and vice rector at the major seminary of Can Tho.
The diocese of Hung Hoa was created on 24 November 1960 a suffragan of Hanoi. With its area of 54,351 sq. km, covering 9 civil provinces, it is the largest diocese in Vietnam. It has a population of 7,145,000 of whom 192,000 are Catholics, gathered in 76 parishes looked after by 17 diocesan priests, 7 deacons, assisted by 97 Sisters, Lovers of the Cross, 21 consecrated lay women of the Sacred Heart Secular Institute, 1,762 catechists. There are 30 major seminarians and 102 pre-seminarians. (Fides Service 1/9/2003 EM lines 24 Words: 288)