EDITORIAL From the shepherds to today, the Christmas of those who are not taken into account

Director of greets our readers: “Beyond the logic of politics, whoever loves Jesus leaves an imprint on the world. And that is how the announcement of that night in Bethlehem has reached us. And for this reason, in this year so difficult, we can say to each other: Merry Christmas!

In my first years of mission in Cambodia, a friend who worked in the field of international cooperation asked me: “How does it feel to be part of a Church that has no say in society?” “It’s all the same to me,” I replied. “I am here so that the name of Jesus is announced and so that whoever wants to can get closer to know him. Everything else is accessory.”

In the month of October, the Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences He referred precisely to the social and political relevance of the Church. And she expressed very well the style and way of being of the Church in this context, being a minority. On the continent, only 2% of the population is Catholic. A condition that is not a reason for fear but rather, on the contrary, becomes a stimulus for the Gospel to be proclaimed everywhere and in any situation.

In Cambodia, university students and high school students moved me: they asked to become Catholics, with a three-year catechumenate. And they made this decision without the support of their families and even when society and their friends labeled them “traitors to the homeland.” It was a brave decision, and they didn’t want to give it up. They had found Christ in community and in charity, and He had become important to them. These young people converted and announced the Gospel to their friends and fellow students in church on Sundays, where the liturgy lived with joy opened true paths of conversion.

The value of Christianity does not lie in its power, but in Christ. It is significant because it leads to Christ, it makes people know him and then their life becomes more beautiful and meaningful. “The parables of the Kingdom reveal to us that God acts through the little ones. Although the Church in Asia is on the margins, this does not prevent it from living its mission,” he recalled. Cardinal Luis Antonio Taglepro-prefect of the Department for Evangelization, during the ceremony in Bangkok.

This is what we try to tell every day here, in , with our reports and our perspective on everything that happens in this great continent. And it is a story that many people are closely following – in all parts of the world, as attested by the hundreds of friends who have subscribed to our newsletters during this year 2022.

It grows and will continue to grow in 2023, when this agency will be present on the Internet for 20 years in November, a work promoted by PIME missionaries. And we will continue to be what we are: a small voice at the service of those who -too often- find no other space in current news.

The announcement of the birth of Jesus started from humble people like the shepherds. And today, in Asia, the Gospel is guarded by communities that are not taken into account in political life. But the world leaves an imprint who loves Jesus. For this reason, the announcement of a few pastors has reached us and today we can say to each other: Merry Christmas!