ASIA/THAILAND - “Towards an Improvement in the Pastoral Care of Immigrants and Refugees in Asia, at the Dawn of the Third Millennium”: encounter organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in collaboration with the Bishops' Conference of Thailand

Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) – In order to better analyze the complex phenomenon of human mobility patterns on the Asian continent, the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People and the Thai Bishops' Conference have joined efforts in organizing a conference entitled: “Towards an Improvement in the Pastoral Care of Immigrants and Refugees in Asia, at the Dawn of the Third Millennium,” which will be held in Bangkok, November 6-8.
The conference will be attended by Bishops and pastoral workers from 15 countries. It will offer an opportunity to listen, reflect, and dialogue in order to determine new paths, in continuation from the part, for offering a pastoral activity tailored to the needs of the millions of immigrants and refugees living in Asia.
The program calls for an opening address from the Cardinal of Bangkok, the Apostolic Nuncio of Thailand, and the President of the Thai Bishops' Commission for Social and Pastoral Affairs. The workshops will be introduced by Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, President of the ontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, who will give a talk on the Instruction “Erga migrantes caritas Christi,” offering a positive view of the migration phenomenon and inviting pastoral workers to rediscover and reflect on the Catholic dimension that in its deepest sense is the capacity of the Gospel, in the Church, to bring about universal communion, a unity free from geographic, historical, and cultural barriers.
Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, Secretary of the Dicastery, will also address the Congress, as well as Br. Anthony Rogers, Executive Secretary of the FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences) Office for Human Development, and Dr. Johan Ketelers, Secretary General of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC). There will also be two round-table discussions: one on pastoral experiences for immigrants and another on refugees and victims of human trafficking. The discussions will be carried out by pastoral workers from various Asian countries, with the moderation of the Bishop of Maasin (Philippines) and the Archbishop of Bophal (India). The study groups will meet twice and their reflections, along with the suggestions that emerge over the course of the workshops and the debates will form the basis for the final document. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 3/11/2008)