Vatican Conference on Proclaiming Jesus Christ in Asia Today
(31 Aug 10 –RV) A Vatican sponsored Congress for Laity in Asia opens Wednesday in
Seoul Korea.
According to the Pontifical Council for the Laity, organiser
of the 5 day event along with the Bishops of Korea, “the decision to focus on Asia
expresses a missionary concern for a continent that, while rich in ancient traditions,
culture and religions, is now emerging as a key player in an age of immense transformation”.
Above all, this choice manifests the Church’s pastoral attention for Asian
lay Catholics who are called to witness to Jesus Christ in communion with their pastors,
and to proclaim the Gospel of Christ as a universal gift of salvation.
This
Congress is being organized in collaboration with the Lay Commission of the Korean
Catholic Bishops Conference and national councils for the laity. Participants at this
event will consist of the official delegations Salmost all headed by a bishopS from
twenty of the Asian countries that form part of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences
(FABC) together with representatives from the FABC. There will also be thirty-five
delegations representing lay associations, ecclesial movements and new communities
that are recognized by the Holy See and have a significant presence in Asia. All together,
congress participants will total some four hundred people.
The two opening
conferences, “Two thousand years of the Church’s mission in Asia: waves of evangelization,
holiness and martyrdom” and “Jesus Christ, a gift for Asia: prerequisites, tasks and
challenges of evangelizing today”, will serve to set the general framework of the
Congress. The entire afternoon session of the first day will offer the national delegates
the opportunity to share the pastoral concerns of their respective countries and the
different initiatives that they are undertaking. The second day will open with a conference
on “The vocation and mission of the lay faithful in the light of the post-synodal
apostolic exhortation, Christifideles laici” and, after some remarks from the floor,
will be followed by a talk on “Christian formation and lay missionary efforts in Asia”.
A subsequent panel discussion will touch on various themes pertinent to Asia: Christian
initiation and the ongoing formation of the laity; the Christian witness of the laity
in different sectors of society; testimonies of Christian charity at the service of
the poor; the work of ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue; lay efforts in favor
of the inculturation of the Gospel. The following day’s conferences and discussion
will revolve around the theme of religious freedom which is of crucial importance
in Asia. There will also be ample time for deepening reflection on some specific areas
and priorities within the work of evangelization: the renewal of the parish; the pastoral
care of the family; the identity and mission of Catholic schools; the role of women
in the Church and in society; the participation of Catholic laity in politics and
in the workplace.
Lastly, after a conference on “The new season for associations
of lay faithful”, ecclesial movements and new communities will share experiences regarding
their evangelization efforts in Asia. The work of the Congress will draw to a close
the following day with a conference on the active role that the laity are called to
exercise within the mission of the Church as “witnesses of hope for the good of the
people of Asia” and this will be followed by some final concluding remarks. The program
will be further enriched by an exhibition on the Jesuit missionary to Asia, Matteo
Ricci, including the viewing of a documentary film about his life.