Cardinal Oswald Gracias called on Asia’s bishops to “become bridge builders—to become bridges ourselves.”
“We are called to connect people, bring them closer together, reconcile differences, resolve conflicts, and help build peace in the world,” Cardinal Gracias preached at the opening Mass of the plenary assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC). “This is evangelization. This is building the Kingdom of God.”
Pope Leo XIV appointed Cardinal Gracias, the retired archbishop of Mumbai, as his special envoy for the occasion. The plenary assembly, which is taking place in Jakarta, is the twelfth such gathering of Asia’s bishops since 1970; the assembly’s theme is “The Call to Synodal Conversion and the Mission to Be Bridges and Bridge-Builders in Asia.”