Earlier, at 8:00 p.m. on March 22, parishes across the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City simultaneously tolled mourning bells for 10 minutes in tribute to Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man.
According to the official obituary, Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man passed away at 5:22 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, at the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City. He was 92 years old, with 61 years of priesthood, 33 years as a bishop, and 23 years as a cardinal.
The encoffining ceremony for Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man took place at 3:00 p.m. on March 23. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m. on March 27 at the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City.
Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man was born in 1934 in Ca Mau. In 1993, he was ordained as a bishop and subsequently assigned to serve in My Tho. In 1998, Pope John Paul II appointed him as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City.
In 2003, he was elevated to the rank of cardinal, becoming the fifth cardinal of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. To date, six Vietnamese Catholic clerics have been elevated to the College of Cardinals.
He was also among the few Asian cardinals to have participated in two papal conclaves, contributing to the election of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man retired in 2014 in accordance with canon law and continued to lead a life marked by simplicity and humility at the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City. He remains a profound and enduring presence in the hearts of the faithful, serving as an exemplary model for generations of clergy and laity alike.
