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Charles Maung Bo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Burmese name, the given name is Charles Maung Bo. There is no family name.
His Eminence

Charles Maung Bo

S.D.B
Cardinal
Archbishop of Yangon
Cardinal Bo in India.
Native name
ချားလ်မောင်ဘို
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseYangon
SeeYangon
Appointed15 May 2003
Installed7 June 2003
PredecessorGabriel Thohey Mahn-Gaby
Previous post(s)Bishop of Pathein (1996–2003)
Orders
Ordination9 April 1976
Consecration16 December 1990
by Alphonse U Than Aung
Created cardinal14 February 2015
by Pope Francis
Personal details
Born
Charles Maung Bo

(1948-10-29) 29 October 1948 (age 76)
Monhla Village, Shwebo District, Sagaing Region, Myanmar
NationalityBurmese
ResidenceYangon, Myanmar
Parents
  • John Bo
  • Juliana Aye Tin
Alma materNazareth Aspirantate
MottoOmnia possum in eo
('I can do all things in Him', Philippians 4:13)
Ordination history of
Charles Maung Bo
History
Priestly ordination
Date9 April 1976
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorAlphonse U Than Aung
Co-consecratorsAbraham Tran
Paul Zingtung Grawng
Date16 December 1990
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope Francis
Date14 February 2015
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Charles Maung Bo as principal consecrator
Lucius Hre Kung2 February 2014
John Saw Yaw Han12 April 2015
Styles of
Charles Maung Bo
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal

Charles Maung Bo (Burmese: ချားလ်မောင်ဘို, [t͡ɕʰál màʊɴ bò]; born 29 October 1948) is a Burmese Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Yangon since 7 June 2003. He was created a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015.

Early life and education

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Bo was born on 29 October 1948, in Monhla Village, Shwebo District, Sagaing Region, Myanmar to parents John and Juliana Aye Tin.[1] Bo was baptized with the name Charles, as St. Charles Borromeo is his patron saint.[2] Bo's father, a farmer, died when he was two. Thereafter, his local parish priest, Don Luwi, taught him the catechism between the ages of five and seven. He was sent to a Salesian-run boarding school in Mandalay, learning philosophy and theology from Father Giacomin Fortuanto.[3] From 1962 to 1976, Bo studied at the Nazareth Aspirantate, a Salesian seminary, in Anisakan village, near Maymyo (now Pyin Oo Lwin).[1]

Career

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Bo was ordained a priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco order on 9 April 1976. He was appointed as prefect of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lashio in 1986. Four years later, he was consecrated as the first Bishop of Lashio, preaching homilies in the local Kachin dialect, Maru. Bo also founded a new religious order, the Congregation of St. Paul's Brothers and Sisters, in 1990, dedicated to having "one vision of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who have not heard of him."[4] In 1996, he was transferred to the Diocese of Pathein. On 17 March 2001, Pope John Paul II named him a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.[5]

On 24 May 2003, Pope John Paul named Bo Archbishop of Yangon.[6] On 17 January 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named him a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture.[7]

On 4 January 2015, Pope Francis announced that he would make Bo a cardinal on 14 February of the same year.[8] At that ceremony, he was assigned the titular church of Sant’Ireneo a Centocelle[9]

In April 2015 Pope Francis named him a member of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and the Pontifical Council for Culture, and in July 2016 a member of the Secretariat for Communications.[10][11]

In July 2018, Francis named him a delegate to the Synod of Bishops on youth, faith, and vocational discernment.[12]

He was elected to a three-year term as head of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) in the fall of 2018.[13]

Views

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Bo maintained a close relationship with both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. In particular, Bo endorsed Francis' Synod on Synodality, describing it as "a long march of hope for all humanity," and that the synod had "energized us to return to the great days of evangelization by the Apostles."[14] Bo also concurred with Francis' calls for a more merciful emphasis and a renewed focus on the effects of climate change, noting that climate change is "an atom bomb waiting to explode" that has "devastated communities and the livelihoods of millions, threatening to slip away from the next generation."[15]

Bo has been strongly critical of the Chinese Communist Party, accusing it of negligence under the COVID-19 Pandemic and ongoing human rights abuses, but refrained from overtly criticizing the 2018 Vatican-China Accords, which allowed the pope to appoint and veto bishops approved by the CCP.[16]

He has been an active voice for the promotion of inter-faith dialogue and religious freedom, as well as the need to combat hate speech and the incitement of violence. In particular, Bo has spoken out on the need to protect the human rights of the Rohingya people, noting that "the plight of the Rohingyas is an appalling scar on the conscience of my country. They are among the most marginalized, dehumanized, and persecuted people in the world."[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Biography of Archbishop Charles Bo". Archdiocese of Yangon. 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  2. ^ "Cardinal Charles Bo". College of Cardinals Report. 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  3. ^ Mudditt, Jessica (17 December 2012). "The spirit of Christmas". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Cardinal Charles Bo". College of Cardinals Report. 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  5. ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 17.03.2001" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 17 March 2001. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 24.05.2003" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 24 May 2003. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 17.01.2009" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 17 January 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Annuncio di Concistoro per la creazione di nuovi Cardinali". Vatican News Network. 4 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  9. ^ "Consistory: list of titular church assignments". Vatican Radio. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  10. ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 13.04.2015" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  11. ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 13.07.2016" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 14.07.2018" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  13. ^ Sainsbury, Michael (12 January 2019). "Myanmar cardinal to focus on peacebuilding as he takes over helm of FABC". Crux. Catholic News Service. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Cardinal Bo: Synod on Synodality is 'a long march of hope for all humanity'". Catholic News Agency. October 23, 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  15. ^ "Cardinal Bo warns of Environmental Holocaust". Missionaries of La Salette. 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Cardinal Charles Bo". College of Cardinals Report. 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Cardinal Charles Bo of Burma Visits the UK". David Alton. May 4, 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Lashio
1986–1996 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Pathein
1996–2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Yangon
2003 – present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
titular church established
 Cardinal Priest of Sant’Ireneo a Centocelle
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