Asia's Churches celebrate the election of Francis I
Rome (AsiaNews) - The Churches of Asia are celebrating the election of the new Pope Francis I. The news has made the rounds of the Asian continent, so much so that most newspapers of all countries open with his picture on the front page. On the other hand, the new bishop of Rome was, in his native country, Argentina, also the ordinary for the Eastern rites. AsiaNews has gathered some testimonies.
Bishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Bishop of Daejeon (South Korea)
I do not personally know Pope Bergoglio, but I gift him all my love and my
prayers, we need a person who lives like St. Francis to help the world today.
It's nice that a Jesuit took the name of Francis. The Holy Spirit is a marvel.
We pray for the Pope and the Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, who has made a great
gesture of the awakening of the Church. The gesture of kneeling before the
people before giving the blessing was beautiful. Korea is waiting for you!
Archbishop Albert D'Souza, secretary of the Bishops' Conference of India
(CBCI)
The Church in India has a heart full of happiness. The ringing of the bells of
St Peter's Basilica sounded the joy of the universal Church. I prayed for a
long time that the Holy Spirit would descend on the College of Cardinals, so
that God would bless the Church with a new pope soon as possible.
Fr. Rafic Greiche, spokesman for the Egyptian Catholic Church
The new Pope comes from a country that has experienced poverty and I am
convinced he will understand the problems and needs of the poorest of the poor
of the world, especially in Africa and Asia.
Archbishop Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio in Damascus (Syria)
In Syria we felt a bit 'suspended during these weeks of Vacant See, because in
this situation of war, the Pope has always been for us a point of reference. He
is the Pope for a billion Catholics, all Christians and for the whole world, so
I can say that here in Syria people feel part of this universal Catholic
Church. I think it was, however, also followed by the entire population.
Especially in these two years of civil war, the Pope has always been listened
to and followed by everyone in this country. When it comes to rebuilding peace
and reconciliation all eyes are focused on the Pope, even those of other religions.
Now we have a new point of reference and we bring our expectations, the prayers
and sufferings of all the Syrian people to him. Card. Bergoglio was ordinary
for the Catholics of the Eastern Rite, so he is very familiar with our reality
in the Middle East.
Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ, director of the Jesuit Prashant for Human Rights,
Justice and Peace (India)
Wonderful news, unbelievable: the election of Pope Francis I will draw the
Catholic world closer together, he will lead the world into a new territory in
the wake of Vatican Council II. He is a pope for justice and peace.
Fr. Anthony Charangat, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Mumbai and editor of
the weekly newspaper The Examiner (India)
The election of Pope Francis I has a strong meaning for the universality of the
Church. It is a step towards reform, overcoming triumphalism and glory. The
choice of the name Francis despite being a Jesuit specifies his desire to embrace
everyone.
Dr. Pascoal Carvalho, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life (India)
The Pope is a tireless defender of the respect for the dignity of every human
being and a staunch defender of the sanctity of human life - from conception to
its natural end - of the right to life against abortion and euthanasia.
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