FABC

Pope Leo XIV’s video message to the FABC Assembly meeting in Jakarta. The bishops are working on a final document to guide Asian Christians in facing challenges in today's rapidly changing continent. Cardinal Suharyo: “Synodality is also a message to political leaders”.

The synodal discussions at the meeting underway in Jakarta singled out aggressive nationalism and the crisis of the family as some of the problems, while the faith of migrants and new technologies are among the opportunities. Discussions also centred on the cooperation provided by German Catholic organisations as well as the progress towards WYD 2027 in Seoul, which is expected to draw about 500,000 from around the world.

Speaking at the FABC Assembly in Jakarta, Malaysian academic Choong Pui Yee urged Catholic communities to prevent national or ideological identities from prevailing over the common identity as believers in Christ. The secretary of the Catholic Biblical Federation said that synodality must begin again with the Word of God.

The pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation introduced the retreat for participants in the FABC Assembly underway in Jakarta today with a meditation. The members of the committees for the Document and the Final Message were elected. For Cardinal Ferrão, they will offer a practical “vademecum on Synodality in Asia”.

The Mass led by Cardinal Gracias opened the 12th Plenary Assembly. In it the pope's special envoy encouraged delegates to seek new and creative ways of building peace and fraternity across the continent. For Cardinal Ferrao, diversity is not an obstacle but a gift.

FABC leaders held a press conference in Jakarta at the start of the 12th Plenary Assembly. For Cardinal David, Indonesia is a model of unity in diversity, while the Church must overcome clericalism. Cardinal Suharyo calls for joint action “to promote human dignity, solidarity, social justice, and the care of our common home.”  

About 150 Catholic bishops from across the continent will gather tomorrow to elaborate new guidelines for missionary action. Leo XIV named Card Gracias as his delegate. The Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque was pleased that this meeting carries on the spirit of Pope Francis’s visit.

The Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences issued an appeal for dialogue in the face of a war that is spreading from the Middle East. Asia’s Catholic bishops call for an “immediate cessation of hostilities”, urging the “leaders of the great religious traditions present in the region, to witness together to the sacredness of life.” The prelates also call on Christian communities to “Intensify prayer”.

A mandate entrusted to over 800 delegates to make Jesus present through their lives in their own countries brought to a close the Great Pilgrimage of Hope, which saw the Churches of the continent gather in Malaysia. Cardinal David: ‘Evangelisation in Asia cannot be shouted: it is relational, respectful, contemplative.’ Card. Ferrao: ‘The hunger for God is deep. The yearning for justice is real. The thirst for meaning among our young people is intense.’

In Penang, 800 delegates from churches across the continent gathered for a ‘pilgrimage of hope’ in the Jubilee year. Cardinal Tagle: like the Magi, we reject the despair of today's Herods. Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching: ‘We are a minority. But the Lord asks us too not to shut ourselves in our churches and go out to serve our brothers and sisters.’

The First National Safeguarding Conference, themed “Our Mission of Safeguarding: A Journey of Hope and Compassion,” seen as more than a series of lectures and workshops. It became a pilgrimage of conscience, a reckoning with past failures, and a bold step towards ecclesial renewal.

The Marian Centre in Tàpao (Vietnam) recently hosted a meeting of youth ministry leaders, promoted by the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences. Unemployment, identity crises, and cultural pressures are among the main challenges facing the continent's younger generations. The aim is to have a “close, compassionate, and patient” Church that stands by them.