Bangkok (AsiaNews) - With prayers and special Masses, Thai Catholics followed the election of Pope Francis, who yesterday morning celebrated the inaugural Mass of his pontificate in St. Peter's Square. For the faithful of the Asian nation, the Pope is a "sign and light" and from his very first gestures, they have been able to appreciate his humility, care for the poor, but at the same time, deep rigor in matters of faith. Among the reasons for their joy, the fact that the 266th successor of Peter belongs to the order of the Jesuits and comes from South America, two factors that bear witness to the increasing "universality and mission" of the Church.
Msgr. Louise Chamnien Santisukniran, Thai President of the Episcopal Conference (CBCT), announced that he has sent "through the Apostolic Nuncio" a letter of congratulations to Pope Francis. He will face, says the bishop, the challenges of modernity such as "birth control and homosexual unions." His reputation for "humility and simplicity," as well as living with the poor and the suffering is a model of reference "that I want to imitate."
In the coming days all in all the dioceses in Thailand there will be other Masses and special celebrations. Msgr. Francis Xavier Veera Arpornratna, from the Diocese of Chiang Mai, is happy with a pope "who comes from South America," a fact that represents a "new page in the history of the Church." The prelate admires his wisdom, simplicity and love for the poor and encourages priests and religious to deliver "picture cards of the new Pope to the faithful of the most remote villages."
Sister Anna Rosa Sivori, for 46 years a missionary in Thailand, belongs to the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian). She is Argentinean and a second cousin of Pope Francis. The religious sister is proud of the nationality of the new pope for whom she invokes prayers. "His humility, his simplicity and love for the poor are well known - she says - to the faithful of his archdiocese. I pray to the Holy Spirit to inspire the Pope so he will be able to perform his duties, as the head of the universal Church, to lead in the her in the right direction at a time of serious difficulties and challenges. "
