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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Communion among Bishops, closer relations with the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, insight with regard to the Bishop’s identity and ministry: Asian Bishops at Rome Study Seminar (10-23 September) organised by the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples share their impressions with Fides.
Bishop Joseph Prathan, a Salesian, Bishop of the diocese of Surath Thani in southern Thailand: “I am happy to take part in this meeting because it is an opportunity to meet other bishops from many different countries. I find this experience very enriching. Not only do we bishops come together, we experience communion with the universal Church and learn more about the people who work at Propaganda Fide. Being a ‘missionary bishop’ means living every moment and circumstance in the spirit of the Gospel. In my diocese we are a community of 7,000 Catholics among a population of 9 million. We strive to share with others God’s love for all men and women. This is a gift which only we Christians can offer: we have something to share with them. We had an opportunity for this when my diocese was affected by the tsunami and we were able to witness with our work of solidarity”.
Another Salesian Bishop Mgr Pierre Nguyen Van De, Auxiliary of the diocese of Bui Chu, in Vietnam, told us: “I am very happy to have a chance to understand more profoundly the Bishop’s mission and duties so I may follow Christ wherever he calls. I will do my best to fulfil my mission. The pastoral priority is to evangelise among those who have yet to meet Christ. Our diocese is one of the oldest in the country, it is the area where the first missionaries to Vietnam arrived: now we must carry on their work of proclaiming the Gospel to those whom the Lord places on our path”.
Bishop Norbert Andradi, Bishop of the diocese of Anuradhapura, in Sri Lanka, a member of the congregation of the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate (OMI): “It is wonderful to be here to meet and make friends with the other 98 bishops. The Seminar is an opportunity for sharing experience, and I find this most helpful. The enriching diversity of the world’s continents is very evident. The sight of so many young bishops from Asia, Africa, America and Oceania shows that the Church is ever new, ever young”. Bishop Andradi said being a Catholic bishop in Sri Lanka is not easy especially in a situation of violence and tension. “We have to be builders of reconciliation and peace. We must help put an end to the violence which has destroyed the life of our people for too many years. Faithful to the Gospel builders of peace, as bishop, a member of a missionary religious order, I try to give special attention to the poor, the excluded and the homeless”.
A member of the Mission Society of the Divine Word, Bishop John Hung Shan-chuan, bishop of the diocese of Kiayi, in Taiwan: “I am happy to be here for this encounter with other new bishops and to take advantage of this opportunity for formation which is so important for our new duties. It is an opportunity to get acquainted, to grasp better the sense of our mission and understand more deeply our identity and duties. When I return to my diocese I will work to make this experience bear fruit. Taiwan is a small territory. It is a shame that bishops of mainland China cannot be here with us. This Seminar would be a wonderful experience for them of universal communion among bishops. Let us hope that in the future their participation will be possible. I will make this intention my personal prayer”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 13/9/2006 righe 40 parole 434)
