Synod
calls for evangelisation of Asia
George Iype in New Delhi
http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/nov/06iype.htm\
Pope John Paul II this evening promulgated the crucial
Asian Synod document, 'Ecclesia in Asia', that calls upon Church leaders on the continent
to step up conversion and evangelisation and spread Jesus Christ's mission of service and
love.
The document that the Roman pontiff signed and released in New
Delhi's Sacred Heart Cathedral reaffirms the Catholic Church's "ardent affirmation of
faith in Jesus Christ as the only Saviour".
It also calls for "conversion so that the Church in Asia
might become ever more worthy of the graces continually being offered by God". Urging
the bishops "to make greater efforts to spread the gospel of salvation throughout the
length and breath of the human geography of Asia", the Pope said universal salvation
lies only in Jesus Christ.
Issuing a set of guidelines to bishops, theologians and priests
on how to spread the church in Asia, the Pope termed the Synod's exhortation as "the
Magna Carta of evangelisation in the continent in the third millennium". The
guidelines include respect for messengers of love and compassion, adaptation of
disparities, understanding the local culture and meeting the challenges of 'inculturation'.
The
Vatican's head of state said Asian Christians dwell in lands scarred by conflicts that are
at times presented as the effect of religion. "But what a travesty of belief this
is," he exclaimed, adding that such a belief is "unfaithful not only to the
Gospel but also the great insights of the religions of Asia, which in their different ways
teach tolerance and goodness". "People of all religions must emphatically show
that religion and peace go together," he said. "There should also be peace for
religion."
Touching upon controversial issues like conversion, especially in
countries like India, the Pope said the right to freedom of belief and worship should be
respected in every part of the Asian continent. "For if this most basic of rights is
denied, then the whole edifice of human dignity and freedom is shaken," he warned.
The document thus said emphatically that "in parts of Asia explicit proclamation is
forbidden and religious freedom is denied or systematically restricted". But "in
such situations the Church bears witness through taking up her cross, all the while urging
governments to recognise religious freedom as a fundamental human right", it added.
"Christians expend immense energies in practical
charity, and in human promotion and liberation, in obedience to the Lord's command that we
love one another as He has loved us," the document said. It said, "Let no one
fear the Church in Asia" because the Church's ambition is to continue Christ's
mission of service and love. The document also calls for disarmament in Asia, respect for
human rights, dialogue between nations and solidarity between the Church and various other
religions in the continent.
The Pope accepted that Asia suffers greatly from the wound of
divisions among Christians and asked various Christian denominations to work ever harder
"to be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one
mind". He said most of the churches in Asia are comparatively small in number, but
have shown themselves to be second to none in fidelity to Christ and the Gospel even in
times of persecution. "They are churches that have shown the shedding of blood, and
the host of Asian martyrs is surely their greatest glory," he said.
The Roman pontiff said that from such unforgettable martyrs, the
churches of Asia learn the way of love and loving service and that an eminent fruit of
love is justice. "It is surely the work of the Holy Spirit that Asian Christians are
turning more and more to the defence of human dignity and in pursuit of justice," the
Pope said.
The Pope described himself as "a pilgrim to Asia".
"I pay homage to the continent which is the cradle of great religious traditions and
ancient civilisations. How can we not be moved by Asia's ceaseless passion for the
Absolute, for what is beyond our earthly vision," he said.
|