Pope to Bishops in Thailand: Holy
Spirit is the protagonist of mission
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| Pope Francis gestures during his address to Bishops (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis addresses the Bishops of Thailand and of the
Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) at the Shrine of Blessed
Nicholas Bunkerd Kitbamrung in Bangkok.
By Vatican News
The Pope began his discourse to the Bishops by placing their
meeting under the “watchful gaze” of Blessed Nicholas Bunkerd, “so that his
example may inspire us with a great zeal for evangelization in all the local
Churches of Asia.”
Blessed Nicholas Bunkerd Kitbamrung
Blessed Nicholas was sent as a missionary priest to northern
Thailand in 1930 where he trained seminarians and worked to bring lapsed
Catholics back to the faith. At a time of anti-Christian sentiment during World
War II, he was arrested for “antipatriotic” acts and sentenced to 15 years in
prison. He continued his missionary work there, baptizing 68 of his fellow
prisoners. He died of tuberculosis in the prison hospital in 1944 at the age of
49.
50th Anniversary of the FABC
Pope Francis noted that 2020 will mark the fiftieth
anniversary of the foundation of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.
“This is a fitting occasion to revisit those ‘shrines’ where the missionary
roots that left their mark on these lands are preserved”, he said, and “to
welcome with parrhesia a future that you yourselves must help
develop and create.” In this way, the Pope continued, “both the Church and
society in Asia will benefit from a renewed and shared evangelical outreach.”
A multicultural and multi-religious continent
Pope Francis described Asia as a “multicultural and
multi-religious continent” where rapid technological advancements can open up
immense possibilities, “but can also result in the growth of consumerism and
materialism”. He listed specific areas of concern: “the scourge of drugs and
human trafficking”, caring for migrants and refugees, the exploitation
experienced by many workers, “as well as economic and social inequality between
rich and poor.”
Memory of first missionaries
Pope Francis recalled the first missionaries: their
“courage, joy and extraordinary stamina can help us take stock of our present
situation and mission from a much broader and more transformative perspective”,
he said. That memory frees us from the belief that “times past were better for
the proclamation of the Gospel.” It also helps us “to avoid taking refuge in
fruitless discussions that end up making us turn in on ourselves, paralyzing
any kind of action”, he said.
The power of the Holy Spirit
The Pope continued his discourse to the Bishops, reminding
them it is the Holy Spirit “who arrives in advance of missionaries and remains
with them.” The power of the Holy Spirit sustained countless missionaries “not
to discount any land, people, culture or situation”, continued Pope Francis.
“They were bold and courageous because they knew the Gospel is a gift to be
shared with and for everyone.” Mission, he said, means cultivating a sense of smell:
“Mission calls for a paternal and maternal concern, because the sheep is only
lost when the shepherd gives it up for lost, and not before.”
The Church is a witness by vocation
Pope Francis said we need to let ourselves be “transformed”
by the Gospel: purified by the Lord, the Church becomes a “witness by vocation…
unafraid to take to the streets and come face to face with the lives of the
people entrusted to her care.” The Pope told the Bishops, who are a minority in
many of their countries, that we can learn from them: they have not allowed
themselves to be “corrupted by an inferiority complex”, he said, “or the
complaint that you are not given due recognition.”
Mission is passion for Christ and His people
We are not the ones in charge of the mission, insisted Pope
Francis. The Holy Spirit is the true protagonist. “We have been transformed by
the Spirit in order to transform wherever we are placed.” Mission is “a passion
for Jesus Christ and a passion for His people”, he said.
Servants not managers
“We too are part of this people”, continued the Pope, “we
were chosen to be servants, not masters or managers.” This means “we are to
accompany those whom we serve with patience and kindness, listening to them,
respecting their dignity, always promoting and valuing their apostolic
initiatives.” The Pope reminded the Bishops many of their lands were
evangelized by lay faithful who spoke “the dialect of their people, a simple
and direct exercise of inculturation, neither theoretical nor ideological, but
the fruit of their zeal to share Christ.”
Bishops and their priests
The Pope encouraged the Bishops always to keep the door open
for their priests. “The closest neighbor of the bishop is the priest”, he said.
“Be close to your priests, listen to them and seek to accompany them in every
situation, especially when you see that they are discouraged or apathetic,
which is the worst of the devil’s temptations. Do so not as judges but as
fathers, not as managers who deploy them, but as true elder brothers”, he
added.
Looking to the future
Pope Francis concluded his address to the Bishops
acknowledging the many issues they have to confront within their communities.
“Let us look to the future in the certainty that we do not journey alone”, he
said: “the Lord is there, waiting for us, and inviting us to recognize Him
above all in the breaking of the bread.”
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