|
|
 |
|
CNS Story:
|
POPE-ASIA Jun-6-2008 (440 words) xxxi
Pope says Gospel must be shared in ways that resonate with Asian soul
By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Gospel must be presented in Asia in ways that resonate with "the Asian soul" so that it will not be perceived as a foreign import or confused with secular ideals from the West, Pope Benedict XVI said.
"By speaking the truth with love, you can help your fellow citizens to distinguish the wheat of the Gospel from the chaff of materialism and relativism," he said in a June 6 audience with Catholic bishops from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. The bishops were on their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican, a series of consultative meetings made approximately every five years.
The pope said Asia represents fertile ground for evangelization since "the peoples of Asia display an intense yearning for God."
"If the faith is to flourish, however, it needs to strike deep roots in Asian soil, lest it be perceived as a foreign import, alien to the culture and traditions of your people," he said.
The pope gave St. Paul the Apostle as an example of an "outstanding teacher and courageous witness to the truth of the Gospel" in missionary lands. Like St. Paul, the bishops "are called to present the Christian faith in ways that resonate with the 'innate spiritual insight and moral wisdom in the Asian soul' so that people will welcome it and make it their own," he said, quoting Pope John Paul II's 1999 document "Ecclesia in Asia" ("Church in Asia").
But he said it was important the Gospel message was "in no way confused ... with secular principles associated with the Enlightenment."
The Enlightenment's "dictatorship of positivist reason," which tries to exclude God from the public arena, must be resisted while its promotion of human rights and freedom of religion should be welcomed, the pope said.
By fostering the Christian understanding of the universal character of human rights, the bishops would be carrying out "an important task of evangelization, since this teaching forms an essential aspect of the Gospel," he said.
The pope also encouraged them to continue their commitment to interreligious dialogue and proclaim the "unfathomable riches of Christ."
By engaging in open and honest dialogue with Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus -- who make up the majority in their countries -- the bishops can get the Gospel message across to more people and "help to promote a unified vision of the common good," he said.
The pope said he believed that would help promote freedom of religion and social harmony among different ethnic groups, which in turn would foster peace and the common good.
END
Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250
|
|
|
|
