FABC Communication I N F O FEDERATION OF ASIAN BISHOPS’ CONFERENCES - OFFICE OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATION OSC P.O. Box 2036, Manila 1099 Tel: (+63 2) 732 7170, 338 7769 Fax: (+63 2) 732 7171 Email: [email protected]

t Vol. XXVI, No. 1 January 2011 INDIA: BOOK ON CHRISTIANITY LAUNCHED : CATHOLIC JOURNALISTS GATHER TO 'PRAY' Divine Word Father Dominic Emmanuel launched his book FOR THE COUNTRY “Christianity, Hindutva, Conversion and FAQs” at a function in More than 100 Catholic journalists gathered at Canisius College in New Delhi on Jan. 15, celebrating the feast of Saint Arnold Janssen, Jakarta on January 21 for a Holy Mass themed “Pray for Indonesia.” founder of the Divine Word Society. The author says the 171-page In a speech, Apostolic nuncio has urged book aims to dispel “misconceptions” about Christianity held by the participants to promote good values by being closer to Jesus the majority of Indians. It will help those who want to know more Christ. “You should be closer to Jesus so that you may gain about Christianity and the rationale behind the Church’s social spirituality in communication that can enlighten people,” the prelate services in the country, he says. (UCANEWS) said. Telling the journalists to be persistent, the Vatican nuncio said PHILIPPINES: ‘JESUS IN FILM’ SEMINAR the Holy Father has called on all Catholics to use modern methods Some 30 graduate students and seminarians of the Pontifical to spread news. “I hope you can make the Holy Father’s request a University of Santo Tomas in Manila attended a Jesus in Film reality,” he said. The Mass was organized by the Association of seminar conducted by Fr. Peter Malone on January 21. The Sacred Indonesian Catholic Journalists. (UCANEWS) Heart missioner and known author from Australia expounded the : REPRINTS 400 YEAR OLD theme “Jesus and Christ-figures, Sacraments in Film,” showing DICTIONARY AS PROOF OF THE USE OF ‘ALLAH’ WORD video clips from selected Jesus- and Hollywood films dating as far The Catholic Church has reprinted a rare 400 years old Malay- back as 1920s. The two-hour seminar included interaction with the Latin Dictionary, apparently to resolve the more than a year long participants, who were mostly students of the MA Theology dispute about Christian use of the world “Allah.” Church leaders program major in social/pastoral communication (MAT-SPC) of the say the book proves that missionaries have played a key role in the university. Fr. Malone facilitated a similar Faith and Film seminar exchange of knowledge and culture between Europe and the on January 13-15 at the Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA) countries of Southeast Asia 400 years ago. A priest who worked for center in Manila. CFA is run by the Sacred Heart Fathers. 11 years to reprint the dictionary said it is a critical tool to minimize KOREA: CATHOLICS MOURN WRITER’S DEATH the wrong belief that the spread of Christianity in the local Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk of Seoul has expressed languages of Malaysia is a recent phenomenon of the twentieth sadness over the January 22 death of Park Wan-suh, a Catholic century.The Dictionarium Malaicum-Latinum and Latinum- woman novelist and essayist, who delved into post Korean War Malaicum was published for the first time in 1631 in Rome. A single realities. She was 80. Park’s novels criticize materialism and copy of the original still exists, and is kept at the Pontifical oppression against women. She died from gall bladder cancer. “Park Urbanianum University in Rome. (ASIANEWS) was a representative writer and a great Catholic who showed good KOREA: BIBLE WITH ANNOTATIONS PUBLISHED example,” said Father Matthias Hur Young-yup, public relations The Biblical Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of director of Seoul archdiocese. (UCANEWS) Korea (CBCK) has published the Bible with Annotations on INDIA: COMMUNICATION IS AN ATTITUDE, BISHOP SAYS December 25, 2010 five years after the publication of the Korean The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Commission Bible in 2005. The new Bible includes introductions, annotations for Social Communication held its annual national meeting of the and references to help people understand Scripture better. The Chairman Bishops and Secretaries of the 13 regional Bishops’ words are interpreted more clearly by explaining sacred tradition Councils in India at Don Bosco, The Citadal, Chennai, January 3- and the Church’s magisterium. The interpretations are based on La 5. Inaugurating the three-day seminar, Chairman of the CBCI Traduction Oecuménique de la Bible, the French ecumenical Commission for Social Communication Bishop Chacko translation by Catholics and Protestants in 1975-76. According to Thottumarickal svd, highlighted the priorities of the church experts, the new Bible will be helpful for homilies, catechesis and regarding social communication. Communication, he said, is not faith enrichment. (CBCK) only for specialists but for everyone. It should be an attitude of INDIA: APOSTOLIC NUNCIO RELEASES BIBLE IN BRAILLE mind expressed in day-today relationships rather than expertise on Apostolic Nuncio to India Archbishop has technology. He urged the use technologies like mobile phone and released a Bible in Braille language on January 9 to benefit the e-mail more frequently for greater pastoral effectiveness. (CBCI) visually impaired. The nuncio released the first copy of the Tamil inter-confessional version of the New Testament and Psalms during Jesus, the Word Incarnate, reveals the Divine life the 23rd plenary of the Catholic Conference of Bishops in India as communication, sharing. (CBCI) in Chennai. The Institute of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart - Bernard Haering, 1979 of Jesus based in Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu started this project in 2006. (CBCI) KOREA: FILM DOCU ON MISSIONARY PRIEST’S LIFE KOREA: AUDIO BIBLE GOING ONLINE ATTRACTED VIEWERS The Archdiocese of Seoul has announced on January 11 the “Don’t Cry for Me, Sudan,” a documentary film on the life of online audio release of five books of the Old Testament - Exodus, the late Salesian Father John Lee Tae-suk, sdb (1962-2010) has Judges, Ruth, Amos and Zecharaiah - on the archdiocese’s attracted more than 120,000 movie-goers since its release in GoodNews service at Other Old Testament September 2010. Observers say many who watched the film have books will be published as soon as recordings are complete. “Old shared how they were touched in on-line as well as off-line forums. people with weak eyes as well as blind people can now listen to The film showcases the ministry of the first Korean missionary in the Bible. Young people can also listen while they work,” explained war-torn Sudan, Africa where he established a hospital and a Father Patrick Joo Ho-sik, director general of the System and school. In November 2010, the film was shown in Los Angeles, Information Department of Seoul archdiocese. (UCANEWS) USA. It will be shown at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival PHILIPPINES: CATHOLIC JOURNALIST MURDERED to be held in February 2011. (CBCK) Catholic journalist and human rights activist Gerry Ortega was HONG KONG: YOUTH NAME TAGS AND SELF-IMAGE shot to death January 24 in Puerto Princesa on the island of Over 200 young people attended the annual Diocesan Youth Day Palawan. Ortega, 47, is the 142nd journalist murdered in the at Po Chiu Catholic Secondary School, Yau Tong, on 19 December Philippines in the last 25 years. Recently, the Filipino bishops 2010, organized by the Diocesan Youth Commission. The event launched an alarm for the growth of crime and violence, particularly entitled, Who tags me?, encouraged participants to reflect on how against journalists, religious activists, trade unionists and lawyers being labeled can affect lives and how they can find their true who defend the rights of the poor and marginalized. Ortega selves. Father Joseph Ng Shu-shing, one of the organisers, said campaigned to defend the indigenous communities of Palawan, one the choice of the title was influenced by how young people like to of the country’s most beautiful islands. Palawan is in danger of tag and comment on their friends’ photos on the Internet. He said, being devastated by a major mining project allegedly authorized “Some of them are sincere and others are not, as some have a by the central and provincial governments. (ASIANEWS) negative self-image. Therefore, it is important to find one’s true INDIA: ‘DOOT’ STAMP UNVEILED self. Before we can come to know what we can do for God, we The Government of India through its Department of Posts, issued have to know who we are.” (SE) a commemorative postage stamp on Saturday, 15th January to mark INDONESIA: ‘INTERNET ARCHBISHOP’ INSTALLED one hundred years of publication of the Gujarati Catholic Periodical Catholics in Central Java have appreciated the apostolic nuncio ‘DOOT.’ The stamp was unveiled at a public function on Saturday calling their newly installed archbishop of Semarang, the “Internet by the Chief Post Master General of Gujarat at St. Xavier’s School, archbishop of Indonesia.” Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the nuncio, Ahmedabad. ‘DOOT’ with its humble beginnings in Mumbai, today praised the new archbishop for constantly updating his Facebook serves over a large segment of society, across diverse religious and Twitter accounts with news, articles and insights. Archbishop and cultural backgrounds, in different parts of India and abroad. Pujasumarta has three Facebook accounts, two of which are already Launched in 1911, it is the second oldest Gujarati periodical in the full while the other currently has 932 friends. His Twitter has 165 country. (CBCI) followers. At the time of his new appointment, Archbishop PHILIPPINES: BISHOP LAMENTS CHRISTMAS Pujasumarta was bishop of Bandung. (UCANEWS) COMMERCIALIZATION PHILIPPINES: EXPANDS REACH Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani laments over the After eight years of airing Church-based programs in Tarlac and commercialization of Christmas. He told over Nueva Ecija provinces, Radio Maria-Philippines has expanded its Philippines that noisy festivities are the opposite of prayerful coverage to Cagayan and Isabela provinces in Northern Luzon. meditation expected from Christians in remembering Christ’s birth. The radio station has constructed repeater stations in The retired prelate also noted how statues and images of Santa City (101.5 FM) and 102.1 FM in Santiago City. These two Claus are displayed in almost every part of communities while frequencies are part of four frequencies approved by the National traditional Christian symbol of the crèche with Jesus, Mary and Telecommunications Commission. The 101.5 FM Tuguegarao City Mary is already disappearing. (CBCPNEWS) was inaugurated on June 19, 2010 while 102.1 FM Santiago City INDIA: ROSARY EXHIBIT HELD began operations on January 1. Radio Maria-Philippines is part of Some 1,000 rosaries of Catholic layman, Sabu Caiter, were the World Family of Radio Maria network. (CBCPNEWS) displayed at an exhibition held at the Our Lady of Ransom Basilica, + IN MEMORIAM + a popular Marian shrine in Kochi, on November 28. Caiter said he Bishop Michael Bunluen Mansap, retired bishop of Ubon stumbled on this passion by accident. At the funeral of his Ratchathani, died in a Bangkok hospital on December 2, 2010. He grandfather, a rosary was placed on the body. As the coffin was was 81. The late bishop was founder of the Catholic Council of about to be closed, Caiter, who was then 13, took away the rosary. for Development and also the Thai Church’s Justice and “I wanted a remembrance from my grandfather,” he said. He has Peace Commission. He served as secretary of the FABC-Office of been collecting rosaries ever since. (CBCPNEWS) Human Development from 1974 to 1976, the year he was ordained bishop. From 1978 to 1984, he was chairman of the same office. He served in the Executive Board of the FABC-Office of Social Communication from 1992 to 1998, as one of five bishops of that office. Bishop Mansap is fondly remembered as a prayerful person, deeply caring and always smiling. (UCANEWS/OSC)