Kriengsak Kovitvanit


Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovitvanit is Archbishop of Bangkok.

Biography

Born in Bangkok to ethnic Chinese parents, he entered the St Joseph's Minor Seminary in Sam Phran. From 1970 to 1976 he studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, and was ordained as priest on 11 July 1976. He was first assigned to be assistant priest at the Nativity of Mary Church in Ban Pan, and then at the Epiphany Church Koh Yai. In 1979–1981 he served as vice-rector of St Joseph's Minor Seminary in Sam Phran. He went to the Gregorian University in Rome from 1982 till 1983 to specialize in spirituality.
From 1983 to 1989 he was rector of the Holy Family Intermediate Seminary in Nakhon Ratchasima, and then till 1993 under-secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, as well as rector of Lux Mundi National Major Seminary in Sam Phran since 1992. In 2000 he became parish priest at the church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Hua Take, and also since 2001 a special lecturer at Sam Phran major seminary. From 2003 until his appointment as bishop, he was parish priest of the Assumption Cathedral and secretary of the council of priests of the Archdiocese of Bangkok.
On 7 March 2007 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as bishop of Nakhon Sawan, which had been vacant since 2005, when his predecessor Louis Chamniern Santisukniram was made Archbishop of Thare and Nonseng. He was consecrated on 2 June by Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu, whose successor as Archbishop of Bangkok he became on 14 May 2009. Archbishop Kriengsak Kovitvanit was officially installed on 16 August 2009.
On 4 January 2015 it was announced that Pope Francis has appointed him a cardinal. He will eligible to enter a Papal conclave to elect the Pope's successor. He was officially made cardinal on 14 February and at that ceremony, he was appointed Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Addolorata.
In April 2015 he was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. He will hold these memberships until his 80th birthday.