According to [Union of Catholic Asian News UCA], a Catholic bishop in Taiwan has resigned less than six months after his episcopal ordination citing psychological and physical problems.
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop John Lee Juo-wang of Tainan Diocese in southern Taiwan, the Vatican’s Fides news agency reported on June 19.
The pope also appointed retired Bishop Bosco Lin Chi-nan of Tainan as the diocese's apostolic administrator until a new bishop is appointed, Fides said. Bishop Lee, 54, was ordained on Jan. 1 as the fifth bishop of Tainan. He was the first native bishop to be ordained in three decades.
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According to [Union of Catholic Asian News UCA], in a letter to Catholics in his diocese, he said “psychological and physical problems" led to his resignation. "After long prayer and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I humbly accept that I have a serious health problem. I have chosen to resign for the good of the diocese,” Bishop Lee wrote. The prelate thanked people for their love, affection, and accompaniment and pleaded with them to understand his conditions and to pray for him.
Tainan City is located in the southwest of Taiwan on the rich and fertile Jianan Plain facing the Taiwan Strait. It has an estimated 2 million residents. After serving the diocese for six years, he left for higher studies and obtained a licentiate degree in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome.
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According to [Union of Catholic Asian News UCA], from about 5,000 members in 1949, the Taiwanese Church today has an estimated 300,000 Catholics in one archdiocese and six dioceses, with a significant number being refugees from mainland China. Migrant Catholics, mostly Vietnamese, Filipinos and Indonesians, are estimated to comprise around 100,000.
The Church runs seven large hospitals and about 100 nursing homes that offer standard but affordable healthcare services. Pastoral care to immigrants from various countries form a major part of the Church's services.
