Background
Tan was born on April 5, 1940, in Yong Peng, Johor state of migrants from Fujian province, China.
Tan was born on April 5, 1940, in Yong Peng, Johor state of migrants from Fujian province, China.
In 1971, he was ordained a priest and began doctoral studies at Ecole des Hautes Etudes in France. His doctoral dissertation on the thoughts of Mao Zedong, founder of China"s communist party, was submitted in French and earned him a doctorate cum laude. Bishop Tan is fluent in English, French, Italian, Malay and Mandarin, as well as other Chinese dialects.
He was also the president of the Catholic Bishops" Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei from the year 2011 to 2012. Back in Malaysia, he helped establish the Catholic Research Centre in Malaysia in 1977 to help keep Catholics informed about Church teachings on ethics and social issues, as well as on political, social and economic developments in Malaysia. Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Malacca-Johor on February
13, 2003.
His episcopal ordination was on May 15, 2003. In January 2011 he became the president of the Catholic Bishops" Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Pope Francis accepted Bishop Tan"s resignation from office (due to reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75) on November 19, 2015.
Pope Francis appointed Bishop Anthony Bernard Paul to succeed him.
