Pope John Paul II has appointed Monsignor Ignatius Wang as
the first bishop of Asian ancestry in the United States.
"It has become a belief that the Catholic Church is a western church, I
will help correct that," Wang said Friday at a news conference.
Born in Beijing 68 years ago to a traditional Catholic family, Wang was
ordained in Hong Kong in 1959. But, unable to serve in his home country because
of the Communist government, Wang left for Rome. In 1974, he moved to San
Francisco and served as vicar in several parishes.
In 1982, he was appointed pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church, becoming the
first Chinese Catholic pastor in San Francisco. More recently, he has served as
chancellor of the archdiocese.
Wang said he hopes to deal with the church's current challenges, such as
accusations of sexual abuse, as well as dealing with global issues such as
terrorism and world peace.
"(I hope) to bring the light of Christ into our world today," said
Wang, who will be ordained Jan. 30 at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco covers San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin
counties, where an estimated 450,000 Catholics reside.