FABC Communication INFO Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences – Office of Social Communication OSC 1916 CTM Bldg. Oroquieta Street Sta. Cruz, Manila 1003 Philippines Tel: (632) 7327170, 3138577 Fax: 7327171 Email: [email protected] INDIA: BISHOP ENCOURAGES CELEBRATION OF HONG KONG: YEAR-LONG CELEBRATION OF COLOR FESTIVAL IN JOY, FREEDOM SAINT’S LIFE KICKS OFF With Indians and Hindus celebrating Holi, a spring festival of The Missionary Society of St. Columban kicks off the year- colors on March 6 Bishop Thomas Dabre of Poona has long celebration of their founder’s 1,400th death anniversary on encouraged the faithful to participate in the celebration, which is March 4 at the China Club in Hong Kong Central. Guests meant to promote spiritual and social harmony. Holi is a Hindu included John Cardinal Tong Hon, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze- holiday celebrated among many Indians, including some kiun, Auxiliary Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, members Christians and Muslims. It is linked to the full moon and of other congregations, representatives of the Irish community, celebrated with everyone throwing brightly dyed powders on friends and well-wishers. St. Columban continues to inspire and each other. It marks the setting aside of differences and grudges remind that intercultural communication and multi-cultural life in a spirit of reconciliation. Observing the celebratory spirit of is possible in today’s world. (SE) Holi, Bishop Dabre said the day “gives a message of joy and PHILIPPINES: SILENCE MAKES ST. JOSEPH ‘MODEL happiness.” “The true joy that emanates from religion (however) OF CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE’ must respect the freedom of others; not impose our likes and Catholic lawyer-preacher Marwil N. Llasos has paid tribute to dislikes on others,” he added. (CNA) St. Joseph, Jesus’ foster father, whose silence, he noted, makes PHILIPPINES: ‘HANDSHAKE PROJECT’ LAUNCHED him a “model of contemplative life.” The professed member of TO COMBAT ISLAMOPHOBIA the Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM)’s Company of St. Dominic A group of young Filipino Muslims has launched in February (CSD) shares St. Joseph’s relationship to Jesus at CSD’s a “social experiment” called the Handshake Project in an monthly recollection in March. The saint’s silence indicates his attempt to eliminate negative feelings towards Muslims “abiding trust and faith in God.” God employs the language of following the deaths of 44 police commandos at the hands of silence in communicating with humans, he added. Moro rebels in Mindanao in January. The group urged people in (CBCPNEWS) the capital Manila to shake hands with Muslims or write BANGLADESH: CATHOLICS REMEMBER LONGEST messages of support on “peace cards.” A botched anti-terrorism SERVING XAVERIAN CATECHIST-MISSIONARY raid in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao province resulted in More than 700 Catholics, including a bishop and 23 priests, the deaths of at least 67 people, including 44 police commemorated Fr. Pio Mattevi with a special Mass on March commandos, on January 25. (UCANEWS) 12 at the Cathedral of Khulna. He died on February 21. Born in KOREA: SMART PHONE APPS TO CURB STUDENT Italy in 1938, Fr. Mattevi belonged to the Pious Society of St. SUICIDE Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions (Xaverian Missionaries). South Korea has developed smartphone apps to help bring For most of his life, he lived in Khulna diocese teaching down its high student suicide rate by warning parents when their catechism. Here was director of the National Social Catechetical children might be at risk. The government-developed apps, Training Center (NSCT). Fr. Mattevi “taught us how to explain which the education ministry hopes to introduce immediately, (communicate) the catechism to children and parishioners, and are programed to detect “suicide-related” words used by to be simple, pious and honest people,” a catechist said. children on social networks, in messages or Internet searches. (ASIANEWS) This would trigger an alert sent to parents on their smartphones. INDONESIA: ASEAN LITERARY FESTIVAL SEEKS TO Education ministry data shows that 878 students took their own CURB EXTREMISM lives between 2009 and 2014, including 118 last year. Hundreds of writers from 10 ASEAN countries (Association (UCANEWS) of South East Asian Nations) joined by other writers from INDIA: MEDIA TRAINING FOR WOMEN HELD Europe, the Americas and Australian gathered March 15-22 in Ambassa Parish in Tripura organized a half day “Media Jakarta for the ASEAN Literary Festival. The participants, Training” seminar on March 15 for more than 70 women adherents of Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and others, agreed leaders. Divine Word Father Ivan D’Silva, svd was main that literature can help build understanding and moderation resource person who touched on subjects like mass media’s while lessening radicalism and extremism. (UCANEWS) reach today, and the unbalanced reporting in our time. He urged participants to critically analyze media. He also encouraged It was in our families that the majority of us learned the them to come out boldly and speak to the media about the religious dimension of communication, which in the case of problems of tribal women. (SIGNIS INDIA) Christianity is permeated with love. – Pope Francis, 49th World Communication Day Message (2015) FABC-OSC Communication INFO April 2015 Vol. 30 No. 4 MYANMAR: THREE PEOPLE CONVICTED FOR INDONESIA: AUTHORITIES SEIZE SCHOOLBOOK ‘INSULTING BUDDHISM’ PRAISING ISLAMIC RADICALISM A court in Myanmar convicted a New Zealand national and The Religious Affairs Ministry banned the distribution of an two Burmese on March 17 for insulting Buddhism, the Islamic religious textbook that contains radical religious Southeast Asian country’s dominant religion. During the trial, notions. Controversial content was found in an exercise book all three had strongly rejected the charges of blasphemy. The for 11th graders in Jombang, East Java. The Minister of controversial case stems from an online advertisement of a bar, Education and Culture gave the order to pull all copies of the owned and managed by the three individuals, showing the textbook and announced an investigation into the case. The Buddha wearing headphones and listening to music amid a government’s quick response prevented it from being background of psychedelic colors. (ASIANEWS) distributed to the country’s schools. (ASIANEWS) PHILIPPINES: BE ‘AGENTS OF PEACE’ ONLINE, HONG KONG: ENGLISH-SPEAKING YOUTH GROW YOUTH URGED STRONGER WITH ADORATION EVENING The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines The Diocesan English Youth (DEY) of Hong Kong has been (CBCP)’s Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY) has invited holding a young adult Eucharistic adoration evening at Our young social media users, to become “agents of peace” by Lady of Mount Carmel parish on the first Tuesday of every actively cultivating a culture of positivity online and offline. month since April 2014. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha of Hong CBCP-ECY executive secretary Fr. Conegundo B. Garganta Kong and Father Jose Cherukara, spiritual director of the DEY, told Church-run Radyo Veritas that the young must do their part joined the March 3 service marking the event’s first anniversary in shaping an environment that is more conducive to peace and attended by around 80 people of all ages. The monthly activity harmony, with no room for extremist ideologies. (CBCPNEWS) came about when DEY was looking for ways to better minister TAIWAN: JESUIT AUTHOR-THEOLOGIAN “FR. ABC” to young English-speaking Catholics. (UCANEWS) DIES PHILIPPINES: NUN RAISES FUNDS FOR MISSION Known author and Jesuit theologian Fr. Aloysius Chang THROUGH ART Berchmans died on March 16. He was 86. “Fr. ABC,” as he was Sister Venus Marie S. Pegar exhibited three paintings at an affectionately called, was born in 1929, entered the Society of exhibition held at the Manila International Peace Center from Jesus in 1947, studied theology in Rome and graduated in 1966. March 14 until mid-April. With the sale proceeds, she will He taught for 41 years in the Faculty of Theology of New support the missions abroad and studies of young women who Taipei City, within Fujen University and retired in 2008. want to take their vows. Her works depict a woman who finds Among the 60 books he authored, “The Inspiration of Scripture” salvation in God. Hers was three of 80 works displayed at the and “Chinese Meditations” have become widely used and exhibit. (ASIANEWS) popular in the Chinese community. “The Inspiration of THAILAND: PASTORING VIETNAMESE CATHOLICS Scripture” presents the basics of Christian revelation, while THRU SOCIAL MEDIA “Chinese meditations” addresses prayer and meditation from the The Pastoral Committee for Vietnamese Migrants in Bangkok culture of the Song Dynasty (14th century), and compares it with works to minister to youth Catholic migrants mainly through the more Western style. (ASIANEWS) social networking. “Thanks to social networking, it has become KOREA: REVISED CATECHISM FOR CATECHUMENS much easier to minister to Vietnamese migrant workers living in RELEASED diaspora,” said committee secretary Fr. Anthony Le Duc, svd. In January, the CBCK Committee for Catechesis published a On March 17-18, some 40 youth Vietnamese leaders attended revised Catechism for Catechumens of Catholic Church in the group’s annual Lenten retreat at Cristina Retreat Center in Korea supplemented with Church’s social doctrine. This revised Nonthaburi province, about 13 miles northwest of Bangkok. catechism is intended to offer catechumens and all faithful more “To give support emotionally and spiritually” is one of the goals concrete criteria to ponder and act on moral and ethical of this activity, Fr. Le Duc said. (UCANEWS) problems in society. The 2014 Autumn General Assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK) has COMMUNICATION OF ‘HIDDEN CHRISTIANS,’ approved the new edition. The Catechism contains 27 chapters PILLAR OF CATHOLIC HISTORY IN JAPAN divided into three parts, namely: (1) Preparation for Catechesis; In his March 20 address to Japan bishops present in Rome for (2) Essential Catechesis; (3) Moment of Purification and their ad limina visit, Pope Francis described what he sees as the Reflection.