Towards a Truly Catholic and a Truly Asian Church: an Asian Wayfaring Theology of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) 1970-2012
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Department of Systematic Theology University of Helsinki Helsinki Towards a Truly Catholic and a Truly Asian Church: An Asian Wayfaring Theology of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) 1970-2012 Jukka Helle Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by due permission of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki in Auditorium XII, on the 23rd of May 2018 at 12 o’clock. FABC Ruby Jubilee Prayer (2012) God ever faithful, we praise you for your abiding presence in our pilgrimage in this land of Asia, hallowed by the life and mission of your Son Jesus Christ. We thank you for the mysterious presence of your Spirit in the depth and breadth of the spiritual quest of our people, in their enduring cultures and values, and in the struggles of the poor. We raise our hearts in gratitude for the gift of the Church in Asia, the little flock you tend with provident care in her mission of proclaiming your Gift, Jesus Christ the Giver of Life. Father, we thank you for the Federation of the Asian Bishops’ Conferences, an instrument of communion you have granted us for the past forty years. Your Spirit accompanied us in our common search for the paths of mission in our continent. As we celebrate your blessing, renew your Church in Asia with a fresh outpouring of your Spirit. Make us grow in greater unity; rekindle the fire of your Spirit to be credible bearers of the Good News of Jesus. Empower us as we “go” on the roads of Asia, that in inter-religious dialogue and cultural harmony, in commitment to the poor and the excluded, we may courageously tell the story of Jesus. May the peoples of Asia, especially the poor, find in Him their liberator. May our world, broken by sin find in Him the Reconciler, and the wounded earth find its Healer. May all recognize Him as the giver of the fullness of Life. Amen. ISBN 978-951-51-4178-1 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-51-4179-8 (PDF) Unigrafia Helsinki 2018 2 Abstract The present study analyses the contextual theology of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) .The FABC can validly be considered as the most authoritative representative of the Catholic Church in Asia since the time of the inception of the FABC, which took place after Pope Paul VI’s 1970 visit to Manila. The method of this study is systematic analysis and critical evaluation of the relevant FABC documents in order to locate the constitutive underpinnings of the theology of the FABC. The sources for this study consist of the most important documents produced by the FABC in the period from 1970 to 2012. The present study argues that the FABC’s contextual theology can best be understood as an interplay between the traditional sources of Catholic faith (Scripture and Tradition) their magisterial interpretation (with special reference to the documents of the Second Vatican Council) and Asian contextual realities (Asian religions, Asian cultures, and Asian socio-political realities, especially the poor). The importance of Vatican II is significant; the FABC could not have come into existence without the reforms and openness introduced by the Council. The FABC’s theological orientations can therefore be described as Asia’s continuing Vatican II. The significance of Vatican II is especially indicated in the FABC documents by means of direct references to several Vatican II documents and in the development of the FABC theology which sees itself as initiated and motivated by the Vatican II documents. The approach of the FABC to theology is primarily inductive; this approach is discussed in Chapter 2, which analyses the concepts of “being Asian” and “Asianness”. The FABC’s clearly expressed goal for the Church in Asia is “to become truly Asian in all things”. In pursuit of this goal, the Asian bishops especially employ the concept of Asianness. In using this broad term, at certain points the FABC can be viewed as representing an essentialist understanding of this concept. On the other hand, in choosing Asianness as an important concept and goal, the FABC belongs to a larger theological trend of emerging Asianness, which can be considered as one of the most significant theological trends today. In the thought of the FABC, one major component of Asianness is the concept of harmony. The FABC argues that harmony is a significant and inherently element in the process of becoming truly Asian. The importance of Asianness for the theology of the FABC is also shown in Chapter 3, which provides an analysis of the concept of truth in the FABC theology. The FABC strives for an Asian understanding of truth, which the FABC argues is universal, practical and non-exclusivist. In this discussion of the understanding of truth the Asian bishops introduce a “wayfaring” aspect into theology, which the bishops claim is a dimension which is significantly present in Asian theology. The concept of wayfaring theology implies a process during which the Church’s understanding of truth and faith will increase. In the opinion of the FABC, the “wayfaring theology” represents a genuine Catholic articulation of faith. This kind of articulation of faith and theology is both truly Asian and truly Catholic. 3 Chapter 4 analyses Asian contextual realities: the religions, cultures, and socio-political realities of Asia, especially the poor. The FABC welcomes all these realities as dialogue partners with the Church. In this dialogue, Asian contextual realities are accepted as theological sources (loci) in addition to the traditional sources of Scripture and Tradition. The dialogue with these contextual realities becomes a mutually enriching process in which both the Church and Asian contextual realities learn from each other and contribute to each other. Regarding the relationship with Asian religions, the FABC represents an understanding of that relationship which can be termed “dialogical fulfilment, in which the Church also can learn from other religions, and the adherents of religions are accepted as co-pilgrims on the way towards the Kingdom of God. In addition, even after the introduction of the Gospel the salvific function of these religions remains. In this understanding the FABC represents a different point of view than that of the Roman Magisterium. However, in the last analysis, an inclusivist undertone remains in the theology of religions of the FABC. The FABC’s understanding of Asian cultures is predominantly positive; at certain points the bishops even evince a kind of cultural romanticism. On the other hand, the bishops also provide critical means for the dialogue between the Gospel and cultures: this dialogue is intended to lead to inculturation. In order for inculturation to be successful, the process of inculturation needs the help of the Paschal Mystery, which means that both the Church and cultures need to be purified by the Gospel of Christ. When the Gospel meets a culture, something “new” is born out of the encounter, but the ”new” essentially grows out of both the Gospel and a culture. This “new” must be faithful to the genuine Catholic tradition and at the same time be relevant and capable of making the Gospel come alive in various Asian contexts. The third important contextual reality for the FABC are the poor of Asia, who are of indispensable help for the Church so that it can truly become an Asian Church. The Church must dialogue with the poor and give up its authoritarianism and also become the Church of the poor -- and even a poor Church. Chapter 5 analyses the ecclesiology of the FABC. In order to become a truly Asian Catholic Church, the Church must adopt an Asian face of Jesus. Presenting Jesus in an Asian way implies using Asian cultural concepts, terms and symbols, and in a manner which resonates with the vision of life of the peoples of Asia. Accepting the Church’s traditional Christological definitions, the FABC strives to present a Jesus who is not a stranger to the Asian continent. An Asian Catholic Church will then do its mission in Asia to (ad) Asian peoples, among (inter) Asian peoples and with (cum) Asian peoples. The title of the present study, Towards a Truly Catholic and a Truly Asian Church : An Asian Wayfaring Theology of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) 1970-2012, reflects the understanding of the Asian Catholic bishops that their theology is a new enterprise marked by a certain experimental character, a certain ambiguity, uncertainty and tenuousness. It is not yet a finished product; rather, it is a pilgrimage. Living and proclaiming the Gospel according to this paradigm, the Asian Church discovers its identity as a truly Catholic and a truly Asian Church. 4 Acknowledgements Had I not arrived in Thailand in July 1995, I might have completed my doctoral dissertation many years ago. However, if that had happened, I would have never come across the fascinating theme of Asian Catholic theology. So, after all, I have no complaints, but rather joy and satisfaction. Along my over 20-year journey on Asian highways and roads less traversed, I have been blessed to have inspiring people as my mentors, guides and friends. Among the most important and inspiring is the late Benedictine father Anscar Chupungco, who first invited me to visit the Paul VI Institute of Liturgy in the southern Philippines, of which Fr. Anscar was the director. It was he, together with the late Thai priest, Fr. Paisal Anamwat, who then invited me to attend the FABC-related Asian Liturgy Forum (ALF). Many times since my first participation at ALF in 2005, I have been the sole non-Catholic attendee in the annual meetings of the ALF.