Some of the delegates from the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) who joined the FABC 50th General Conference (although not representing JCAP per se) included Bishop Enrique Figaredo SJ of the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang, JCAP consultant and planning expert Christina Kheng, Formation Delegate of the Vietnamese Province Fr Nguyen Hai Tinh SJ, and RAOEN and Ecojesuit Coordinator Fr Pedro Walpole SJ.
“Peace and reconciliation is the only way forward.” This was one of the salient points in the message of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) to the peoples of Asia at the conclusion of their two-week general conference in Bangkok.
The bishops said they had been challenged by the voices of the poor, deprived, and marginalised crying out for help and justice, and have envisaged new pathways based on mutual listening and genuine discernment.
The conference held from 12 to 30 October was part of the 50th anniversary celebration of FABC that drew together about 150 bishops, some priests, religious sisters, and laypeople comprising 17 Episcopal Conferences and two Synods of Oriental Churches.
Considering the theme, Journeying together as peoples of Asia, the participants deliberated in prayer and in a spirit of collaboration new pathways to respond to the emerging social, economic, religious, and political realities of Asia.
These include reaching out to the peripheries, pastoral and ecological conversion, living out the spirit of complementarity and harmony through genuine dialogue, promoting a culture of peace and harmony with our brothers and sisters of neighbouring religions and traditions, and committing to principled engagements with governments, NGOs, and civic organisations on issues of concern.
This story is an excerpt from the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) News story.