Archbishop Kikuchi is the new secretary general of Asia’s bishops
The archbishop of Tokyo will support FABC president Card Charles Maung Bo (Myanmar). One of the tasks that await him is the preparation for the continental phase of the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, convened by Pope Francis on the theme of synodality in the Church.
Tokyo (AsiaNews) – Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo is the new secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), the Federation announced yesterday.
Archbishop Kikuchi replaces Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-Sang of Macau who resigned from his post earlier this month.
As secretary general, Archbishop Kikuchi will support Archbishop Card Charles Maung Bo of Yangon (Myanmar), FABC president since 2019.
Born in Iwate Prefecture in 1958, Archbishop Kikuchi is a member of the Society of the Divine Word (Verbites). Ordained priest in 1986, he served as a missionary in Ghana (Africa) for 13 years.
After his return to Japan in 1999, he was elected regional superior of his order. In 2004 Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Niigata. In 2017, he was called by Pope Francis to lead the Archdiocese of Tokyo.
Between 2011 to 2019, Archbishop Kikuchi served Asia’s Churches as regional president of Caritas Asia. He was also a member of FABC’s Office of Human Development.
As FABC secretary general he will coordinate the work of the organisation’s offices.
One of his first tasks will be organising the General Conference, originally set for November 2020 in Bangkok to mark the FABC’s 50th anniversary, but postponed due to the pandemic.
This task will now be undertaken in parallel with the 16th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, convened by Pope Francis on the theme For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission, which will have a continental phase, Asia included, before it is held in Rome in October 2023.
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