Penang (AsiaNews) - Returning to their countries with a missionary mandate, entrusted to each one with a blessing and a small cross from one of the more than one hundred bishops of Asia present. They were not sent to ‘conquer’ anyone, but to walk alongside the peoples of Asia, as Jesus did with the disciples of Emmaus. And with a new important date marked in the agenda of the Churches of Asia: 2033, the year that will mark two thousand years since the Passion, death and Resurrection of Christ.
Thus ended this morning in Penang, Malaysia, the Great Pilgrimage of Hope, the jubilee event that brought together over 800 delegates from Catholic communities across the continent. It was a great missionary congress, the second in almost twenty years since the first on this continent, held in 2006 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. But above all, it was a synodal moment to reflect together on how not only to recount, but to help others discover the presence of Jesus in Asia today. And in these four days of meetings, which brought together communities with a long history, very young Churches, groups openly persecuted as realities on the front line with the new loneliness of digital metropolises, a picture emerged of a lively Catholicism, convinced that Asia must follow its own path in evangelisation.
Yesterday, Cardinal Pablo Virglio David, Archbishop of Kalookan and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, pointed out some of its features. It was he – on behalf of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, of which he is vice-president – who indicated the date of 2033 as a new common horizon. Not so much for a specific event, but for a perspective: that of the Paschal mystery, which Asia is called to discover as something that concerns it.
The icon is precisely that of the disciples of Emmaus: even today, the Risen One is already walking on the roads of the continent. ‘Jesus walks today in Asia with migrants seeking a new beginning,’ said Cardinal David, "with families devastated by war and poverty, with young people seeking meaning in the digital world, with victims of violence and exploitation, with indigenous peoples defending their sacred lands, with communities recovering from typhoons, earthquakes and floods, with families struggling with addiction, with all those who thirst to be seen, understood and loved."
This is the mystery that the Great Pilgrimage of Hope calls on the Churches of the entire continent to proclaim to all. However, we are aware of the mistakes that the mission has made in the past on this continent. First and foremost in its relationship with local religions and cultures. ‘We continue to suffer the consequences,’ commented Cardinal David. ‘Is it really surprising that China views missionaries with suspicion? Some countries are allergic to the word “mission” for good historical reasons.’ But the real point is that "evangelisation in Asia cannot be shouted about: it is relational, respectful, contemplative. It works in the fertile ground of goodwill, with a genuine offer of friendship without any other motives.‘
Hence the invitation to start afresh from the story of Jesus, to be made present through one's own story. ’Asia is not a continent of great cathedrals, but of great stories. Our cultures value memory, ancestor worship, respect for mystery, profound silence, contemplative listening. We walk barefoot on sacred ground. This makes Asia a particularly suitable terrain for the mission of telling the Gospel.‘
But this requires a certain style: ’On its journey towards 2033,‘ added the Archbishop of Kalookan, ’the Church in Asia must become more synodal, more welcoming, richer in relationships. We are called to tell the story of Jesus in ways that heal divisions, build bridges between religions, lift up the poor and protect our beloved planet. We must show that the story of Jesus is the story of God walking with his people throughout history towards hope."
And this is the task that Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao, Archbishop of Goa and President of the FABC, entrusted to all the delegates returning to their countries in today's closing Mass. ‘This pilgrimage,’ he said, "has reminded us that our mission cannot wait. The hunger for God in Asia is deep. The yearning for justice is real. The thirst for meaning among our young people is intense. Jesus,‘ he added, ’does not ask us to predict the future but to be ready for God's surprising presence. This is the heart of the pilgrimage of hope: learning to recognise God in the most unexpected places: among migrants and refugees, in interreligious friendship, in the dreams of our young people, in the perseverance of the poor, in the wounds of our divided world. And yes, even in the daily duties of our ministries, in families and in communities.‘
’Let us return with new humility,‘ concluded Cardinal Ferrao, ’ready to learn from our people and from one another. Let us return with new courage, ready to proclaim Christ with kindness and joy. Let us return with new companionship, walking with the poor, migrants and women. Young people and all those who seek a place at God's table. Let us return with new hope, aware that God is shaping Asia through us."
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