the "New Frontier"
of the Catholic Church
Asia, birthplace of Christianity and cradle of many major world religions, is threatened by a new creed: consumerism. Will Asia’s Princes of the Church increase their flocks and intensify evangelization for this millennium?

BY MINNIE SANTANGELO

Asia is the new frontier for the Church of the third millennium. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger noted at a recent Vatican press conference that a primary challenge for the Church in the coming millennium will be to reach the Asian soul. This will not be an easy task. The continent is home to many ancient religions and to deep-rooted non-Christian cultures. But Pope John Paul II is with the Asian continent in his prayers and in his plans. In his Apostolic letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, the Pope launched his proposal for a Special Synod for Asia to prepare for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. The Pope suggested two main themes for the Synod: Jesus Christ the Savior, and His mission of love and service in Asia.
If we study Asia from the point of view of the Bishops’ Synod, we see a vast area from the Middle East and Persian Gulf in the West to Siberia, China, Japan, and Korea in the East, with India, Vietnam and the Philippines to the south. This vast part of the world has been the mother of many nations and peoples, and the cradle of the world’s major religions: the monotheistic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam in Western Asia; mystic religions — Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism in Southern Asia and Taoism and Shintoism in Eastern Asia; and the civic religion of Confucianism in China. The practices of contemplation, detachment and meditation which mark these religions are the outcome of a long search for the meaning and destiny of the universe and mankind. Mother Theresa of Calcutta and her Missionaries of Charity in their white and blue saris also began their work in Asia.
Jesus was born in Asia, lived, and preached His message here, and from here He sent His disciples to the rest of the world. The history of evangelization began in Jerusalem. Saints Peter and Paul, John, Thomas and other disciples spread the Gospel throughout the continent; the Asian Churches in Jerusalem and Antioch were the first to be established. Some of the first important Church Councils took place in Asia; several Doctors of the Church were of Asian origin; our most ancient liturgical traditions are from here. According to tradition, the Apostle Bartholomew preached the Gospel in North-West India while Saint Thomas established the Church of Malabar in South India (about 50 AD). Between the IV and VII centuries AD, courageous missionaries brought Jesus’ words to Turkistan, Mongolia and China. Between 1560 and 1640 Franciscans, Jesuits, Dominicans and other Christian orders established their presence in Asia.
Yet, though Asia is the homeland of Christianity and many Asians seek a deep spiritual life, Asian Christians are still a minority: more than two-thirds of the world’s people live in Asia, but only 5% of these are Christians. After centuries of missionary evangelization, Christianity is still seen by many as a "foreign" religion on this continent. Many missionaries have found that a special language is needed to explain the Christian message here. And special attention must be paid to dialogue with Asia’s ancient religions, which are deeply rooted among the people and form the basis of their culture.
Another challenge is the fast-growing economic, technological and commercial development of the continent. This "progress" results in a widening gap between the rich and poor, as well as a rampant consumerism, which tempts the people away from the spiritual quest. While reshaping itself to better cope with the needs of Asian peoples, the Church in Asia must remain true to the words and spirit of the Gospels, to bring Christ’s authentic message to the Asian soul.
In Asia the Church meets up with different social, economic and political realities; some countries, like Taiwan and Japan are industrialized and democratic, while others face poverty and malnutrition. Human rights are many times at stake, and religious freedom is denied in some countries. The new diocese created last December 28 in East Timor is a sign of Church recognition of Timorese Catholics’ struggle for their religious identity and political rights. The recent excommunication of Father Tissa Balasuriya of Sri Lanka raises questions concerning the most effective means of inculturation and interreligious dialogue in Asia.
In South Korea, for instance, Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou Hwan of Seoul recently backed the Trade Unions against a contested law passed by the government. In the field of interreligious dialogue, a prominent position is held by Cardinal Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi of Tokyo. As a Christian in a Shintoist and Buddhist country, the cardinal has first-hand experience, and since April 1996 he is General Secretary of the Japanese Chapter of the UN World Conference on Religion and Peace.
Perhaps the highest profile held among Asian cardinals is that of Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila. Sin became a supporter and symbol in the Philippines protest movement which overthrew the Marcos dictatorship.
Cardinal Ignatius Gong Pin-mei of Shangai (China) is in a particularly difficult situation.Cardinal Gong Pin-mei was made a cardinal in pectore (in other words, in secret) by Pope John Paul II in 1979, and is officially acknowledged only as Apostolic Administrator. That is because the Chinese government has set up its own "patriotic" Catholic Church, which does not owe its allegiance to the Pope in Rome, and appoints its bishops with government, not Vatican, approval. Cardinal John Wu Chengchung of Hong Kong, on the other hand, is determined to hold his ground when the former English colony is reunited with mainland China next July. Many Catholics are already fleeing to other more reassuring places, on the basis of Chinese restrictions on religious rights.
In India, Cardinal Anthony Padiyara resigned last December 18. For years he had been the peacemaker in Southern India between two elements in the Church: those who trace their origins to the ancient Syrian Christian liturgy, and those who adhere to local Indian-Christian tradition. The Pope has not appointed a true successor, merely the Apostolic Administrator, Msgr. Varkey Vithayathil.

Minnie Santangelo is a correspondent for the Tokyo-based journal Dharma World
and also writes for the American Catholic weekly Our Sunday Visitor.

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