Pope appoints coadjutor bishop to Hong Kong Diocese

Pope Francis on Sunday raised Auxiliary Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung‎ of Hong Kong to the rank of Coadjutor Bishop of the same diocese.  A coadjutor bishop has the right to succession, meaning that on the retirement, death or stepping down of a current bishop, the coadjutor bishop automatically becomes the new bishop without any separate appointment by the Pope.   

Bishop Yeung, who is 71, will succeed Hong Kong Bishop, Card. John Tong Hon, who is 78 years old.    The canonical retirement age of a bishop is 75 but Pope Francis extended Card. Tong's tenure for another three years, until 2017. ‎ 

When the appointment was announced at the end of the closing mass of the Year of Mercy in Hong Kong’s Immaculate Conception cathedral on Sunday, Bishop Yeung knelt in front of Card. Tong and then in front of Card. Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong.  Addressing the faithful, Bishop Yeung confessed to having many defects and thanked Pope Francis for the trust in him.  He also thanked the two cardinals, who had taken him in about 44 years ago when he entered the seminary. He said Card. Zen has always supported him and from him he has learned not to allow difficulties stop him. From Card. Tong he has learned to be kind and magnanimous, full of love for the culture, the people and the Chinese Church. In a society as diverse as that of Hong Kong, he said, the two cardinals are like two big trees, under which he can enjoy a little 'shade. And while obeying the pope's appointment, he cannot help but follow in their footsteps.

Bishop Yeung was born in Shanghai on 1 December 1945 into a Catholic family and arrived in Hong Kong when he was four. He worked in import-export, before entering the seminary in Hong Kong at 26 years of age. He was ordained a priest on June 10, 1978. He completed studies in communication (Syracuse, USA) and in philosophy and education (Harvard, USA). Since August 2003 he has been head of the local Caritas and Vicar General since 2009. He was ordained auxiliary bishop in August 2014.  (Source: Vatican, AsiaNews)