Meeting between 220 members of various religions, drawn from 31 countries, organized by the Focolare movement to mark the sixth anniversary of the death of Chiara Lubich, ends today at Castelgandolfo. After 40 years of "bilateral" meetings, a forum brings together the various religions to build bridges of cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
Inaugurated in 1974, the church run by the missionaries of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions has had many important results, such as greater involvement of the laity and missionary work "open to universality." Much more still needs to be done in a place where Catholics are but a thousand out of 500,000.
Eight new Thai missionaries receive a crucifix, symbol of a highly meaningful task. The archbishop of Bangkok gives 24 lay people a diploma to mark their participation in a missionary training course.
World Mission Day in the small Church of Thailand (0.46% of the population) celebrates the sending abroad of its first ten missionaries. They will work among the needy of the poorest countries of Asia. Thai Bishop: "It is wonderful to see that we too are begining to leave our country to proclaim the Good News”.
From the time the first priest set foot on Thai soil in the mid-1600s to today’s educational and welfare facilities, the Missions’ long history is an invitation for the future, to continue its dialogue with Buddhism and to push the Thai Church to fulfill its universal mission. Today 23 of its members still call Thailand home.
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