Dominican Father Paul Nguyen Thai Hop, who fled his native Vinh to go to the south as a refugee over 50 years ago, has returned home as the new bishop of Vietnam’s most populous diocese.

“We warmly welcome you back to your native diocese after more than half a century away,” Father Francis Xavier Vo Thanh Tam, vicar general of Vinh diocese, told Bishop Hop at his July 23 episcopal ordination.

Retired Bishop Paul Marie Cao Dinh Thuyen of Vinh diocese ordained Bishop Hop before 26 local bishops, 400 priests and 30,000 other Catholics.

Bishop Thuyen, who had introduced Bishop Hop to the Holy See as an episcopal candidate, urged his successor to serve the common good rather than merely govern the local Church.

“You [Bishop Hop] should love all people, especially priests, deacons, poor people, patients, travelers and foreigners,” Bishop Thuyen advised.

“You should also ask local Catholics to cooperate with you in pastoral activities and sympathetically listen to them,” the 83-year-old bishop added.

Joseph Nguyen Ngoc Nhung, 67, told ucanews.com that he hopes the new bishop will pay attention to training priests and Religious and to promoting evangelization work in the 30,783 square-kilometer diocese, the second largest in the north.

A local lay leader added that Bishop Hop should spend time to learn cultures and traditions, as well as to visit local parishes and build good relationships with local people.

Bishop Hop is the sixth Vietnamese bishop of the 164-year-old diocese.

The prelate:

• Was born on Feb. 1, 1945 and accompanied his family to the south during the 1954 exodus.

• Obtained a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, in 1978 and another in moral theology in Brazil in 1994.

• Taught at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome from 1996-2004 and then returned to teach in Vietnam.

• He founded the Paul Nguyen Van Binh Club named after an archbishop.

Source: ucanews.com

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