Papal Journeys by Antonio Spadaro
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Papal Journeys by Antonio Spadaro Antonio Spadaro SJ The Editor-in-Chief of La Civilta Cattolica, the highly respected and oldest Catholic journal published from Rome. This PDF Book/e-Book carries selected articles from the English edition of La Civilta Cattolica, a publication produced and maintained by Union of Catholic Asian News Ltd. www.ucanews.com www.laciviltacattolica.com Copyright©2021 Union of Catholic Asian News Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. TABLE OF CONTENTS The Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to Thailand and Japan ...................................................................... 1 A People Who Weave Together Their Future: Pope Francis journeys to Romania ............................................21 ‘Let us throw ourselves into history’: Francis in Bulgaria and North Macedonia .................................38 ‘Sentinels of Fraternity in the Night’ The apostolic visit of Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi .....................55 “Today the Church needs to grow in discernment:” Pope Francis meets with Polish Jesuits ....................................68 The Whole World, a Big Family: Pope Francis in Ireland ..........74 Diplomacy and Prophecy: Pope Francis in Myanmar and Bangladesh ...............................86 At the Crossroads of History: Pope Francis’ Conversations with the Jesuits in Myanmar and Bangladesh ........................103 Peace in Colombia: Not an Objective but a Condition. Pope Francis in Colombia ........................................................119 Grace is not an ideology: Pope Francis’ private conversation with some Colombian Jesuits ...........................136 Egypt, Land of Civilizations and Alliances: Francis’ dramatic, therapeutic and prophetic journey ...........145 The Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to Thailand and Japan Antonio Spadaro, SJ 9 December 2019 The trip to Thailand and Japan was the 32nd of Francis’ pontificate and the seventh in 2019. He has now visited 51 countries, 11 in 2019 alone. This trip follows previous Asian journeys to Korea in August 2014 for the Asian Youth Day, to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January 2015, and to Myanmar and Bangladesh at the end of 2017, exactly two years ago. A culture of compassion, fraternity and encounter The papal flight took off from Fiumicino airport on November 19 at around 7 p.m. and after 11 and a half hours landed the following day at 12:30 p.m. in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. The visit follows the invitation made during the private audience between Francis and then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in Rome on September 12, 2013. The motto was significantly: “Christ’s Disciples, Missionary Disciples.” The occasion for the visit of Pope Francis to Bangkok was the 350th anniversary of the apostolate of the Les Missions Étrangères de Paris (Paris Foreign Missions Society) in the Kingdom of Siam. Today, there are about 380,000 Catholics in Thailand, 0.59 percent of the population, out of approximately 69 million inhabitants. They are heirs to this evangelizing tradition and the Church here is structured in 12 dioceses and 436 parishes. At 9 a.m. on November 21, the pontiff went to Government House, the office of the prime minister. The palace, of Italian design, is a harmonious combination 1 ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ of Venetian Gothic architecture, with reminiscences of Byzantine and Thai styles. Francis was welcomed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, with whom he had a private conversation. Then there was a meeting with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps. The prime minister greeted the pope, referring to his “leading role” in the world, “which inspires everyone, beyond their faith and social context of belonging,” on issues of global importance such as social equity, poverty, the environment and peace. In his speech the pope paid homage to Thailand as a country that is a “splendid guardian of age-old spiritual and cultural traditions,” capable of “building harmony and peaceful coexistence between its numerous ethnic groups” and between “different cultures, religious groups, philosophies and ideas.” This reference to the country was projected onto a global dimension: “Our age is marked by a globalization that is all too often viewed in narrowly economic terms, tending to erase the distinguishing features that shape the beauty and soul of our peoples. Yet the experience of a unity that respects and makes room for diversity serves as an inspiration and incentive for all those concerned about the kind of world we wish to leave to our children.”1 Francis then spoke extensively about the phenomenon of migration, “one of the defining signs of our time.” Finally, he referred, as on other occasions during the trip, to “ those women and children of our time, especially those who are wounded, violated and exposed to all forms of exploitation, enslavement, violence and abuse,” urging action to “protect the welfare of our children.” Next, Francis went to the temple Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram, the historic home of the Thai monks and their Supreme Patriarch, built by King Rama V in 1869. Inside, traditional Thai architecture meets that 1. The italics within the quotations of the pope’s speeches are ours. 2 THE APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF POPE FRANCIS TO THAILAND AND JAPAN of the great European Gothic cathedrals, which the king had seen during his travels in Europe. In the middle of a circular courtyard is the Chedi, a 43-metre-high Buddhist monument covered in gold and surmounted by a relic of the Buddha. Patriarch Somdej Phra Maha Muneewong, who has the task of leading the Supreme Council of the Buddhist community, addressed a very warm greeting to the pontiff, saying, among other things: “Your Holiness’ visit today is not that of a new friend but that of a true and confirmed friend of the Thai people.” This was followed by the greeting of the pope, who placed this meeting within the “path of esteem and mutual recognition begun by our predecessors.” He then recalled that, “when we have the opportunity to recognize and esteem one another in spite of our differences, we offer the world a word of hope capable of encouraging and supporting those who increasingly suffer the harmful effects of conflict.” Thanks to academic exchanges and the exercise of “contemplation, mercy and discernment so common to our traditions,” continued the pope, “we will contribute to the formation of a culture of compassion, fraternity and encounter, both here and in other parts of the world.” A private conversation between the pope and the patriarch was planned. It was held in public as an extension of greetings and was accompanied by an exchange of gifts. It should be pointed out that the pope gave the patriarch a copy of the Document on Human Fraternity, signed in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2018, accompanied by the words: “We must work together so that our humanity may be more fraternal.” From the monastery, at 11:15 a.m., the pope moved to St. Louis Hospital, a private non-profit institution founded 120 years ago by the then Archbishop Louis Vey, Apostolic Vicar of the Catholic Mission in Siam. In the Auditorium of the hospital there were about 700 people, including doctors, nurses and service staff of the hospital, but also 3 ANTONIO SPADARO, SJ of other Church care centers. The greeting of the director of the facility was followed by the greeting of the Holy Father, who asked the health workers to open themselves to “a mystical fraternity, a contemplative fraternity, capable of seeing the sacred grandeur of our neighbor.” He affirmed also that a “healing process should rightly be seen as a powerful anointing, capable of restoring human dignity in every situation, a gaze that grants dignity and provides support.” Then Francis went to meet about 40 patients, some of whom came from other care centers. In the afternoon, the pope went to the Amphorn Royal Palace (“Royal See in Heaven”), the main residence of the King of Thailand. Here took place the private visit to King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), who was officially crowned on May 4, 2019.2 The pope was received by His Majesty and Queen Suthida Tidjai. From the royal palace, the pope then moved to the Rajamangala National Stadium around 5:30 p.m. Here at 6 p.m. he celebrated Mass. In his homily he presented the Gospel as a text “interwoven with questions that attempt to unsettle and stir the heart of the disciples, inviting them to set out.” The first missionaries who arrived in Thailand set out on their way in an attempt to respond to the demands of the Gospel. “Without that encounter between the culture of the country and those missionaries,” continued the pope, “Christianity today would have lacked your face; it would have lacked the songs and dances that portray the Thai smile, so typical in these lands.” In his homily, Francis felt the need to remind the Thai Church that the missionary disciple knows that evangelization is “opening doors to live and share the merciful and healing embrace of God the Father, which makes us one family.” And this in particular with the weakest, with “those children, girls and women exposed 2. Cf. M. Kelly, “Thailand” in Civ. Catt. 2019 IV 269-276. 4 THE APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF POPE FRANCIS TO THAILAND AND JAPAN to prostitution and trafficking, disfigured in their most authentic dignity; I think of young people enslaved by drug addiction and a lack of meaning that makes them depressed and destroys their dreams. I think of migrants, deprived of their homes and families, and so many others, who, like them, can feel orphaned, abandoned.” The essential path of inculturation and roots On November 22nd at 9 a.m., Francis went to the Shrine of Blessed Nicolas Bunkerd Kitbamrung, the first Thai martyr priest.