The Catholic Peace Weekly reports on the meeting of theologians representing the Asian church and their discussion.
The Theological Committee (OTC) of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) held a meeting at the Seoul Archdiocese on the 5th to share theological prospects with professional theological committee members from Korea and other countries under the theme of 'Prospects for the Present and Future of the Church in Asia'.
The meeting was followed by keynote lectures by the Archbishop of Seoul (head of the Theological Committee) and the bishop from Indonesia (head of the Theological Committee) of Indonesia, followed by Q&A and free discussion by the members of the Theological Committee.
The Archbishop addressed various pastoral and theological issues facing the church and society. He mentioned pastoral care and efforts toward social integration as the number of migrant workers and multicultural families continues to increase in Asia. "The church must put more effort into pastoral and spiritual care for migrants” and said: “Amid the ecological crisis, the church in Asia must pay more attention to the cries of the poor in particular.
Above all, he spoke more strongly about the Asian church's response to the negative trends of modern society. “Emerging Christian groups with fundamentalist inclinations are making efforts to infiltrate the Catholic Church, atheistic science and technology are having a negative impact, and many people are puzzled and confused due to relativistic values, secularism, and obsessive attachment to things in society. They are confused, lose their faith, and turn their backs on the church.” At the same time, he raised his voice that the church needs to be more concerned about how to lead to faith in Jesus Christ and salvation through Christ.
The Archbishop said: “The first step in Asian theology is dialogue and proclamation. It is necessary to look at and interpret the work from within.” In addition, he said, “It is necessary to discern the working of the Holy Spirit within the complex reality of the Asian continent, and the reality and mission of the church within Asia.”
The Bishop from Indonesia continued his lecture by introducing commentary on the Synod method in Germany and mission theology according to the situation in Asia introduced at the FABC 50th anniversary assembly held in Bangkok, Thailand last year. “We must rely on the Holy Tradition and the Holy Scriptures,” said the bishop “because these constitute primarily the sacred heritage of the Word of God.” Because the Church's holy Magisterium has the right to interpret in the Holy Spirit the heritage of the Word of God, and to discover and discern God's Presence and the Holy Spirit. “No matter how noble the mission, the egocentric method of mission to baptize people and make them members of the Church is no longer effective. Agape love, unconditional and self-sacrificing love, is needed. The paradigm of missions must be reconstructed with agape-like love that will lead us to the kingdom of God.”
Meanwhile, the Asian Bishops' Conference Theological Committee held the 2023 regular meeting at the Spiritual Center of Myeongdong Cathedral, the seat of the Seoul Archdiocese, from the 1st to the 6th. At this regular meeting held in Seoul, about 20 members, including bishops' committee members and expert theological committee members, participated, and theologians representing bishops' conferences in each country discussed various theological prospects and tasks.
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