Pope Francis to visit Thailand
and Japan in November
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| Logos of Pope's Apostolic Journey to Thailand (L) and Japan |
The Holy See Press Office announces Pope Francis’ Apostolic
Journey to Thailand and Japan from 19 to 26 November. He will be the second
Pope to visit these two Asian countries, after Pope John Paul II.
By Isabella Piro
The Pope’s next Apostolic Journey will see him visiting two
Asian countries: the Kingdom of Thailand, from 20 to 23 November, and then
Japan from 23 to 26 November, where he will visit Tokyo, Nagasaki and
Hiroshima. A detailed program of the visit will be announced later.
Thailand
The motto of the first stage of the Apostolic Journey is
"Disciples of Christ, Missionary Disciples", and is a reference to an
important anniversary. 2019 marks the 350th anniversary of the establishment of
the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam, erected in 1669.
This event is represented in the logo prepared for the
visit. Beneath a smiling Pope Francis is a boat that symbolizes evangelization.
Its three sails recall the Trinity. The stylized representation of Our Lady’s
hand supports the vessel. Finally, a golden cross invites the whole Thai
Catholic Church to be a witness to the Good News.
The Asian Continent
In January this year, Pope Francis sent a message to the
meeting of Presidents of the Doctrinal Commissions of the Bishops' Conferences
of Asia, and a delegation of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in
Bangkok. "You are gathered in Asia, a vast and multiform continent, marked
by religious, linguistic and cultural diversity”, wrote the Pope, “in order to
reaffirm our common responsibility for the unity and integrity of the Catholic
faith, as well as to explore new means and methods of witnessing to the Gospel
in the midst of the challenges of our contemporary world".
Japan
The theme of the Apostolic Journey to Japan focuses on the
protection of life and Creation, and is quoted from a phase in “A prayer
for our earth” at the end of the Pope’s Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’,
on caring for our common home. In that document, the Pope encourages us to
respect both the dignity of each person, but also the environment.
This is particularly poignant in a country like Japan where
the nuclear threat, as we read in the description of the motto, "remains a
persistent problem”. Three flames of three different colors characterize the
logo: a red flame recalling the martyrs, the foundation of the Church in Japan,
a blue flame representing the Blessed Virgin Mary who embraces all humanity as
her children, and a green flame symbolizing both the nature of Japan, and the
mission to proclaim the Gospel of hope. A red circle, like a sun, embraces all
life, and symbolizes love.
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