On the eve of the closing of the General Assembly of the Asian Bishops’ Conference, the Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, Card Bo, gave an interview to Vatican News. He stressed that even with the problems of militarization, weapons and poverty in Asia, the bishops are working hard to build peace in their country.
(Vatican News Network)Card Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar and President of the Association of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, gave an interview to Vatican News on the eve of the end of the Asian Bishops’ Conferences General Assembly on October 30. He stressed that churches across Asia are working hard to build peace.
Card Bo first said that more than 200 bishops from all over Asia “have felt the guidance and company of the Holy Spirit in Bangkok for more than two weeks”. “We are strengthened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, especially the spirit of collective leadership and fraternity”.
Card Bo explained that Asia is “a blessed continent and the cradle of all religions”. Bishops are blessed from the “land of Asia” and from a variety of cultures. “We are happy to be united here”. “But at the same time, Asia faces a lot of challenges, militarization, nuclear weapons, etc., and the number of poor people.”
Then, the president of the Association of Asian Bishops’ Conferences said that although Asia is a “blessed land”, it is not easy to move towards “the building of peace”. “I think the Holy Spirit is leading the way in building peace in Asia”. And building peace, dialogue and reconciliation is equivalent to promoting a new evangelization.
“The Holy Spirit is leading us towards peace and reconciliation, and we must not forget the past. The patriarchs who founded the Association of Bishops’ Conferences in Asia have shown us three paths of harmonious dialogue, with the poor, with different religions, and with cultures A harmonious dialogue; we now add a harmonious dialogue with ecology and nature.” In this way, we will build peace in Asia together.
This call is not only for bishops, but also for “all Asians, the whole Church and every baptized”, everyone should “build peace in their country”. “Even though we are a minority, we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.”
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