Catholics in Osaka not left
out of Pope’s Japan visit
 |
| (File photo) Japanese Catholics from Osaka give Pope Francis a cake,12 December 2018 |
The Catholic faithful of the Archdiocese of Osaka are
eagerly participating in Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey to Japan, according to
a local bishop.
By Devin Watkins – Tokyo, Japan
Pope Francis is not going to the large port city of Osaka
during his 4-day visit to Japan.
But the local faithful will not be left out of the
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Bishop Paulus Toshihiro Sakai, an auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of Osaka, told Vatican Radio that around 1,000 Catholics – out of
the 48,000 registered – are attending the Pope’s Mass in Nagasaki or travelling
to Tokyo.
“All the Catholics of Osaka have looked forward to the
Pope’s visit and want to hear his words in Japan,” said Bishop Sakai.
Strengthening the faith
The demographic makeup of those Catholics is rapidly
changing.
Osaka, as in other parts of Japan, has seen an increasing
influx of migrant workers over the past 2 decades, many of whom are Catholic.
Bishop Sakai gives the example of foreigners coming from
Vietnam.
“Many are young people,” he said, who come “for work in
Japan. Their faith is very strong.”
He said they faithfully attend Mass each Sunday and “sing
very well”.
“I think they are the future of our Church in Japan,” said
Bishop Sakai.
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