Phạm Minh Mẫn
| His Eminence Phạm Minh Mẫn | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal, Archbishop of Hồ Chí Minh City | |
| Official portrait, 2003
Official portrait, 2003
| |
| Native name | Gioan Baotixita Phạm Minh Mẫn |
| Church | Catholic |
| Province | Sài Gòn |
| See | Hồ Chí Minh City |
| Appointed | 1 March 1998 |
| Installed | 2 April 1998 |
| Term ended | 22 March 2014 |
| Predecessor | Paul Nguyễn Văn Bình |
| Successor | Paul Bùi Văn Đọc |
| Other post | Cardinal-Priest of San Giustino (2003–2026) |
| Previous post | Coadjutor Bishop of Mỹ Tho (1993–1998) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 25 May 1965 by Jacques Nguyễn Ngọc Quang |
| Consecration | 11 August 1993 by Emmanuel Lê Phong Thuận |
| Created cardinal | 21 October 2003 by John Paul II |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Phạm Minh Mẫn 5 March 1934 Cà Mau, Cochinchina, French Indochina |
| Died | 22 March 2026 (aged 92) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |
| Buried | Chapel of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center of Sài Gòn |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Alma mater | Loyola University of Los Angeles |
| Motto | Sicut Dilexi (As I have loved) (Như Thầy yêu thương) |
| Styles | |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Hồ Chí Minh City |
| Ordination history | |
| History Priestly ordination Ordained by James Nguyễn Ngọc Quang Date 25 May 1965 Episcopal consecration Principal consecrator Emmanuel Lê Phong Thuận Co-consecrators François Xavier Nguyên Quang Sách Joseph Marie Nguyễn Quang Tuyến Date 11 August 1993 Place Saint Quý Major Seminary of Cần Thơ Cardinalate Elevated by Pope John Paul II Date 21 October 2003 | |
| Episcopal succession Bishops consecrated by Phạm Minh Mẫn as principal consecrator Paul Bùi Văn Đọc 20 May 1999 Joseph Vũ Duy Thống 17 August 2001 Pierre Nguyễn Văn Khảm 15 November 2008 | |
Jean-Baptiste Phạm Minh Mẫn (5 March 1934 – 22 March 2026) was a Vietnamese Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City from 1998 to 2014. He also previously served as Coadjutor Bishop of Mỹ Tho from 1993 to 1998. He was created a cardinal in 2003 by Pope John Paul II.
Biography
Early life
Phạm Minh Mẫn was born in Cà Mau, Cochinchina, French Indochina on 5 March 1934. His great-grandfather was an emigrant from Guangdong.[1] He is the eldest son of a family of seven children, the youngest of whom is also a priest of the Diocese of Cần Thơ.[2] One of his sisters settled in Australia, while another sister settled in the United States.[3]
When he was five, his first cousin once removed, Blessed Francis Xavier Trương Bửu Diệp,[4] encouraged him to enroll at Institution Taberd in Saigon, then run by the De La Salle Brothers, the next year, which would make him eligible to attend the minor seminary once he turned ten.[5] Diệp also encouraged Mẫn's mother to let him learn Latin prayers and allow him to become an altar boy.[6]
Education
The family immediately followed Diệp's advice. Mẫn later recalled that he would go alone the next morning to serve as an altar boy when Diệp would celebrate Mass.[7] He went to Taberd and eventually Cù Lao Giêng Minor Seminary until the seminary was burned down during the First Indochina War.[6] He was ordained a priest on 25 May 1965 by Bishop Jacques Nguyễn Ngọc Quang, for the Diocese of Cần Thơ. After studying in the United States at Loyola University of Los Angeles, Mẫn taught at the Saint Quý Minor Seminary until he was appointed rector of the minor seminary in 1974 and of the local major seminary in 1988.[8]
Episcopal career
Mẫn was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Mỹ Tho in 1993 and promoted to Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City in 1998.
In August 1999, he celebrated a Mass at La Vang for the closing of the jubilee year commemorating the 200th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin Mary. The Mass was part of a three-day pilgrimage that was the largest Catholic event in Vietnam, with an estimated three hundred thousand people attending.[9][10]
He was made a cardinal in the consistory of 21 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI. On 7 March 2013, Mẫn was the last of the cardinal electors to arrive to attend the 2013 papal conclave,[11] which elected Pope Francis.
On 28 September 2013, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Paul Bùi Văn Đọc, who had served as the Bishop of Mỹ Tho since 1999, as Coadjutor Archbishop with the right to succeed Mẫn.[12] On 22 March 2014, Pope Francis accepted Mẫn's resignation as archbishop.[13]
Death
Mẫn died at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center of Sài Gòn, on 22 March 2026, at the age of 92. He was surrounded by archdiocesan representatives, family, Archbishop Joseph Nguyễn Năng, and Bishop Joseph Bùi Công Trác. He was also visited by the papal representative to Vietnam, Archbishop Marek Zalewski, shortly before his death.[14]
References
- Back to citation "Vietnamese church aims to foster China, Vatican understanding". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- Back to citation Trần Anh Dũng (2009). THOÁNG NHÌN GIÁO HỘI CÔNG GIÁO VIỆT NAM (1533-2010). Đắc lộ Tùng Thư. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- Back to citation "Cáo phó: Ông Philipphê Phạm Minh Châu". TGP SÀI GÒN. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- Back to citation Bút Cùn 67. "ĐHY GB Phạm Minh Mẫn chia sẻ về Bác Hai Phanxicô Xaviê Trương Bửu Diệp". VietCatholic News. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- Back to citation Lan Chi. "Ðức Hồng y G.B Phạm Minh Mẫn: "25 năm giám mục, sống để yêu thương"". Công Giáo và Dân Tộc. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 "ĐỨC HỒNG Y GIOAN BAOTIXITA PHẠM MINH MẪN – TỔNG GIÁM MỤC SÀI GÒN". Trương Bửu Diệp Foundation. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- Back to citation "Tập san Hahk Yoon phỏng vấn ĐHY GB. Phạm Minh Mẫn". TGP SÀI GÒN. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- Back to citation "Tiểu sử Đức Hồng Y Gioan Baotixita Phạm Minh Mẫn". Tổng Giáo Phận TP.HCM. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- Back to citation "Pilgrims meet for largest Catholic festival in Vietnam". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Associated Press. 15 August 1998. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
- Back to citation "Đại Hội 200 Năm Đức Mẹ La Vang: 300,000 Giáo Dân Về Dự". Việt Bảo Foundation. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- Back to citation Greene, Richard Allen; Smith-Spark, Laura (7 March 2013). "Final cardinal expected in Rome ahead of vote on pope". CNN. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- Back to citation "Rinunce e Nomine, 28.09.2013". Archived from the original on 2 October 2013.
- Back to citation "Vietnamese cardinal praised for living out God's love". 26 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- Back to citation "Những ngày giờ cuối đời của Đức Hồng y Gioan Baotixita Phạm Minh Mẫn". TGP SÀI GÒN. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
External links
- "Pham Minh Mân Card. Jean-Baptiste". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- Biography at catholic-pages.com
- Biography at GCatholic.org