the ‘program’ of the Catholic Churches in Asia

The text containing the reflections of the Assembly of the Episcopal Conferences of the continent, which was held in October in the Thai capital, was officially published today. From the role of women to digital technologies, from large metropolises to transformations that erode the family, “nine emerging challenges in Asian society” were identified to which the Church is called to respond in the light of the Gospel. But also choosing the path of true inculturation.

Milan () – With a virtual event, the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) officially released the “Bangkok Document”. The pastoral plan includes the reflections of the General Conference that last October brought together delegates from the Catholic Churches from all over the continent for the first time on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of this ecclesial body. An event that card. Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon and president of the FABC, described it as a “turning point for the path of the Churches in Asia, a dialogue of solidarity and collegiality” that the document published today aims to translate into the concrete life of the communities, indicating some common paths.

Taking up the biblical image of the story of the Magi, which marked the Bangkok Assembly, the text invites the peoples of Asia to return “by another path”, as the kings of the East did after their encounter with Jesus in Bethlehem. Monsignor Pablo Virgilio David, Archbishop of Kalookan and President of the Philippine Episcopal Conference, today presented in detail the content of the Bangkok Document, at the head of the small commission that in recent months completed the general draft, which was finally approved by the Assembly. The document is articulated in five chapters focused on other verbs that mark the journey of the Magi: “walk together” on the theme of synodality, “observe” the emerging challenges in Asia today, “discern” the responses to these pastoral challenges , “offering gifts” in the relationship of the Churches of Asia with the universal Church, and finally “traveling new paths” in the style of a current pastoral presence on the great continent.

Considering the challenges that currently arise in Asian societies, the document points out nine in particular: the difficult situation of migrants, refugees and indigenous peoples often expelled from their homeland; the family, designated as the foundation of society; gender identity issues; the growing role of women in rapidly changing Asian societies; the relationship between young people and today’s world; the impact of digital technologies; the promotion of an equitable economy in the face of the transformations caused by urbanization and globalization; the climate crisis that threatens our common home; and interreligious dialogue.

In each of these challenges, the document requests that the Churches of the continent undertake pastoral actions: from caring for the family to the leadership of women in ecclesial communities, from a more conscious use of digital technologies to the promotion of bridges of dialogue and reconciliation to overcome the wounds that cross so many parts of Asia. Another commitment in which each local Church is called to carry out is the adaptation of the clergy formation itineraries to the Asian context and culture.

As for the “new paths” to be followed, the Asian Churches specifically indicate five: in evangelization, they hope to move from a paradigm with a dominant model to a truly inculturated approach. The base ecclesial communities themselves, very widespread also in Asia, are invited to widen the margins of the tent, becoming entities that also look beyond their own borders to expand the fraternity between men and women of all confessions. In ecclesial life, a qualitative leap from dialogue to a style of true synodality is suggested. In the proclamation of the Gospel, move from the abstract proclamation to the telling of stories of a faith embodied in life. Finally -as a general style-, the document asks to be willing to get out of the usual paths to be able to address the new pastoral priorities. All this taking as a guide the figures of great missionaries such as Matteo Ricci and Alessandro Valignano, who already in the 16th century had accepted the call to incarnate the faith in a specifically Asian context and culture.

The card. Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, who coordinated the work of the Assembly since the preparatory phase, commented: “This Bangkok Document is a text that we deliver to the Churches of the continent so that they reflect on it, pray and choose their own priorities. I believe which, as it was for the Aparecida Document in Latin America, will be the point of reference for our communities for the next five or ten years, indicating the direction in which to work to be Church in Asia for a better Asia and world. This is the mission that God has assigned us.”