The Church must be a source of hope, not despair.
This was the message of Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), at the continental assembly of the synod on synodality in Thailand last week.
“The Church has to be at the center of producing hope… and not of despair and sadness,” said the prelate, adding that the Catholic Church in the region should be a “source of hope.”
“We have to be the source of hope because we have the Gospel of life, Gospel of hope and we are the one walking together in solidarity on the path of synodality,” said the archbishop.
The regional meeting brought together representatives from the 17 bishops’ conferences, and two Synods of Bishops, representing the 29 countries of the FABC, said a report on CBCP News.
The delegates constitute six cardinals, five archbishops, 18 bishops, 28 priests, four sisters, and 19 lay persons.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, and some members of the CBCP synodal team attended the gathering.
