ASIA – Pilgrims of Hope in Asia: the Missionary Congress of the Churches of the Continent

Penang – An Asian missionary congress entitled “The Great Pilgrimage of Hope” will take place in Penang, Malaysia, from November 27 to 30. It is organized by the Office for Evangelization of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences and the Pontifical Mission Societies. More than 900 delegates from all Catholic communities across the continent, including 10 cardinals, over 100 bishops, 150 priests, 75 religious sisters, and more than 500 lay people, will explore the theme, starting with a passage from the Gospel of Matthew: Journeying Together as Peoples of Asia, “…and they went a different way” .
“We will ask ourselves which path is the right one for the future of the Church in Asia,” Father Basel Fernando, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Sri Lanka and one of the delegates at the congress, told Fides.
In the presence of civil authorities and following a welcome address by Bishop George Palliparambil SDB, President of the FABC’s Office for Evangelization, the opening address on November 27 will be given by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, and will address the theme “Walking a Different Path as Renewed Pilgrims of Hope.” On November 28, Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching, President of the Malaysian Bishops’ Conference, will give a talk on “Moving Forward Together as the Peoples of Asia.” The methodology underlying the congress work is the “Conversations in the spirit,” which was already tested at the assemblies of the World Synod. Participants attend a series of seminars and study groups on specific topics, such as: The significance of digital media and artificial intelligence; The experience of the “Alpha” network of young people as an instrument for sharing the Gospel; Living as a Christian in a pluralistic community; Christian concepts of peace, reconciliation, and resilience in the multireligious context of Asia; Integral ecology according to Laudato Si’; The “feminine genius” to reflect the love and life of God; A synodal Church on mission: walking together as a community.
On the third day, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop of Kalookan and Vice President of the FABC and President of the Philippine Episcopal Conference, will give a talk entitled “Living and Sharing the Story of Jesus: Journeying Toward 2033 as Peoples of Asia,” followed by a panel discussion with various church experiences, including the Alpha, Asia, Jesus Youth Missionary Volunteers, and Shalom World.
Within the framework of the study groups, under the title “Creative Boundaries of Evangelization: From Music to Digital Innovation,” the television series “The Chosen” will be discussed as a missionary tool. Other topics include: mentoring and training young people for missionary work; the workplace as a missionary environment; gender identity: a Catholic perspective; and the Global Prayer Initiative, a new tool for missionary disciples.
“Creative Boundaries of Evangelization: From Music to Digital Innovation” and “However, the television series ‘The Chosen’ can be used as a missionary tool.” Following the speech “Be pilgrims of hope” by Christopher Prowse, Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Australia, President of the Commission for the Evangelization of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, a concluding panel discussion with all the speakers who addressed the audience during the event will draw conclusions, guidelines, and proposals for the future of the Church’s mission in Asia.

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