Pope Francis in Thailand,
Japan - in the footsteps of John Paul II
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| Archbishop Paul Tschang In-Nam, Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand, annoucing Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit to Thailand (ANSA) |
Pope Francis is dedicating the 32nd apostolic journey of his
pontificate to Thailand and Japan, 19 to 26 November., 2019. Pope St. John Paul
II visited Japan 38 years ago, and Thailand 35 years ago.
By Robin Gomes
The next apostolic visit of Pope Francis will be his fourth
to Asia, after South Korea in 2014, Sri Lanka and the Philippines the following
year, and Myanmar and Bangladesh in 2017.
The first and the last Pope to set foot on the soil of
Thailand and Japan was Pope Saint John Paul II over 35 years ago.
Japan
St. John Paul II’s 9th foreign visit was an
11-day trip that took him to Pakistan, the Philippines, Guam, Japan and
Anchorage in Alaska in February in 1981.
The Pope, who was 61 then, dedicated 3 days to Japan,
February 23–26, 1981, during which delivered some 18 discourses. Among
his engagements were meetings with the religious, clergy, bishops,
representatives of Christians Churches, the diplomatic corps and young
people.
Hiroshima, Nagasaki
A highlight of the trip was his visit to the cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, devastated by 2 nuclear bombs by the United States on
August 6 and 9 respectively in 1945, triggering Japan’s surrender and the
subsequent end of World War II.
“War is the work of man. War is the destruction of human
life. War is death,” St. John Paul II had resounded in a prophetic voice while
visiting Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial on February 25, 1981.
“Nowhere do these truths impose themselves with as much
force as in this city of Hiroshima, at this Peace Memorial,” he said mentioning
the two cities, adding they were a reminder of how “how man is capable of
incredible destruction”. “Their names will always stand out as the names
of the only cities of our time that have been chosen to warn future generations
about how war can destroy human efforts to create a world of peace.”
The following day, February 26, he visited Nagasaki, where
he met the survivors of the nuclear blast at the Hill of Mercy Hospital.
“What you suffer also inflicted a wound in the heart of
every human being on earth,” he told the victims. “Your life here today
is the most convincing appeal that could be addressed to all men of goodwill,
the most convincing appeal against war and for peace.”
Martyrs
In Nagasaki, St. John Paul II also paid homage to the faith
of Japanese Catholics when he visited the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument
on Nishizaka Hill, built in memory of the Christians who were killed for their
faith in 1597.
The Jesuits were responsible for planting the seeds of
Christianity in Japan, through the missionary efforts of St. Francis Xavier,
one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus along with St. Ignatius of
Loyola. Xavier and the Jesuits landed there in 1549, establishing
several Jesuit communities. A steady stream of Jesuits, mainly
Portuguese, continued to arrive in the country through the 1570s.
As a young Jesuit, Pope Francis dreamt of working as a
missionary in the country, but was unable to realize it due to health reasons
after a part of his lungs was removed due to a serious infection when he was a
teenager.
The schedule of Pope Francis’ Japan visit is still being
planned. He is likely to follow the footsteps of his predecessor,
visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and paying tribute to the Japanese martyrs.
The theme of his Japan visit is “Protect Life”, that focuses
on caring for life and Creation. The theme is particularly relevant to
Japan where the nuclear threat is quite palpable.
Thailand
St. John Paul II visited Thailand for the first time in 1984
during his 21st apostolic visit, which also took him
Fairbanks in Alaska, South Korea, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
In Thailand, he delivered 5 discourses, visited a refugee
camp and met the clergy, religious, laity, government authorities, the
diplomatic corps and the bishops of the country.
350th anniversary
Pope Francis is visiting Thailand, formerly Siam, to mark
the “350th Anniversary of the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam
Mission 1669-2019”. And as the theme is, “Christ’s Disciples, Missionary
Disciples”.
The establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam
formally marked the beginning of the local Church in the country. Through
the past 350 years, it has grown into 11 dioceses today with about 300,000
Catholics.
“I pray that you may grow in holiness and continue to work
in the spread of Christ’s kingdom by fostering solidarity, fraternity and the
desire for goodness, truth and justice in your beloved country,” Pope Francis
had written in a message to the Church in Thailand when it marked the 350th anniversary
on May 18.
And as the theme of the visit suggests, when he is in Thailand
in November, he will encourage Thailand’s Catholics, who make up a little over
1% of the country’s predominantly Buddhist Population, on the path of
missionary discipleship of Christ.
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