BANGKOK (UCAN): Asia’s Catholic bishops committed to engage with governments, non-governmental agencies and civil organisations to respond to issues affecting the Church and society in their work for a better Asia.
“We believe that peace and reconciliation is the only way forward. We have envisaged new pathways for our ministry based on mutual listening and genuine discernment,” the bishops said in a statement issued on October 30, at the end of the two-week-long general conference of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences [FABC].
The federation’s first general conference is a part of its golden jubilee celebrations brigning together some 20 cardinals, 120 bishops, 37 priests, eight nuns, and 41 laypeople.
With the theme, Journeying together as Peoples of Asia, general conference sought to reaffirm the FABC’s work over the past 50 years aiming to “revitalise the Church, and envision new pathways of service.”
We believe that peace and reconciliation is the only way forward. We have envisaged new pathways for our ministry based on mutual listening and genuine discernment
One of the paths they identified was “bridge-building” among religions and traditions and also “principled engagement with governments” and non-governmental agencies on issues of human rights, eradication of poverty, human trafficking, care of the earth, and other common concerns.
“The escalating violence and conflicts” in Asia call “for dialogue and reconciliation,” the bishops said without naming any issue or nation in particular.
The bishops committed “to reach out to the peripheries” to respond to “both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”
They also identified the need for “listening to others in genuine dialogue” as a new path to “promote a culture of peace and harmony in collaboration with our brothers and sisters of neighbouring religions and traditions.”
The statement said, “We need to transform ourselves by fostering a culture of reciprocal listening where we listen to each other and all of us listen to the voice of God.”
The dream of young people seeking more significant roles in the Church and society, women seeking ‘an inclusive Church that respects their dignity’ and families looking for support are also challenges for the Church
The bishops also expressed their intention “to improve the way” they form themselves “in faith and accompany our families and communities, especially those in difficulty.”
The statement said that the discussions and deliberations were “inspired by the hope, courage, and determination shown by the Churches in Asia to journey together and work with more dedication for a better Asia.”
What challenges the Church and society in “our multifaceted continent” is the cry for help and justice from “the poor, deprived, and marginalised.” The anguish of refugees, migrants, displaced and indigenous peoples and the exploitation of nature and impacts of climate change are also challenging the Asian people, the bishops said.
The dream of young people seeking more significant roles in the Church and society, women seeking “an inclusive Church that respects their dignity” and families looking for support are also challenges for the Church, the statement said.
The bishops said one of their concerns was the “pain and suffering of some Churches that need to receive relief through our empathy and solidarity.”
They said, “The rising voices of extremism that need to be responded to wisely” and there is an “urgent need for a greater respect for life to be inculcated in society,” without naming any particular issues.
The bishops also noted that the digital revolution in Asia has had both positive and negative impacts on society, saying that is one of their concerns.
The bishops’ statement concluded by assuring the “people of this continent that the Catholic Church in Asia will always work for a better Asia and the good of all our people.”
