At the conclusion of the plenary assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences—the twelfth such gathering since 1970—representatives of the continent’s bishops pledged to witness to the Gospel by building bridges.
“A broad consensus emerged that, now more than ever, the Church in Asia is called to be a bridge and a bridge-builder through ongoing synodal conversion, embracing the rich diversity of our cultures and peoples,” the bishops said in their final statement, issued on July 26 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The bishops added:
The challenges we face—polarization, the collapse of global institutions, culture of power, rapid technological change, migration, ecological degradation, shrinking democratic spaces, and widening social and economic inequalities—are not viewed merely as obstacles to overcome. Rather, they are recognized as opportunities for renewed missionary witness, inviting the Church to embody the Gospel more authentically through education, interreligious dialogue, hospitality, care for our common home, and a deeper commitment to human dignity and solidarity.