An Award of Recognition for his services to the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) will be given by 9th FABC Plenary Assembly to Fr. Catalino Arevalo on Sunday, August 16.
The Jesuit priest was actively involved in the foundation and development of the Federation, since its beginning in 1970 in Manila. He has served as main theological adviser to the Federation, and chaired the body’s “Theological Advisory Commission” (TAC) from its beginning in 1985 up to 1995.
The “Father of Asian Theology,” as the award citation reads, Fr. Arevalo is the main author of the final document of the first FABC Plenary Assembly in 1974 in Taipei, which has helped to set the theological orientation of the Federation.
In 1998, Fr. Arevalo received a doctorate honoris causa in Humanities from the Ateneo de Manila University. Jaime Cardinal Sin called Fr. Arevalo the “Dean of all Filipino Theologians and Godfather of hundreds of Priests,” when he conferred the Vatican Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award on him in 1997. 150809