Card David to head commission on synodality in Asia
Established by the FABC, the commission is tasked with facilitating collaboration among Asian Churches to translate the path indicated by Pope Francis in their own context. It includes religious and lay people who took part in the Synod in Rome.
Bangkok (AsiaNews) – Card Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop of Kalookan and President of the Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, will lead the new Commission on Synodality established by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC).
The decision was taken during the annual meeting of the FABC Central Committee, held on Wednesday and Thursday at Bangkok’s Camillian Centre.
The commission aims to promote the preparation of bishops of Asia in synodality, to facilitate the sharing of resources among the various bishops' conferences and collaborate with FABC offices and Asian episcopal organisations to implement the synodal path laid out by Pope Francis.
When he took over the FABC’s leadership last January, Card Felipe Neri Ferrao, Archbishop of Goa and Damao, announced that the establishment of this new commission. “We need to find ways to collaborate more effectively as dioceses, conferences, and between continents,” the prelate had said.
A key initiative under his mandate will be the organisation of a seminar for bishops from across Asia, as a platform for this collective work.
Fr Clarence Devadass, from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), will join Card David, serving as the commission’s executive secretary.
The other seven members are: Fr William LaRousse, FABC Central Secretariat; Christian Kheng (Singapore); Fr Vimal Tirimana (Sri Lanka); Estella Padilla (Philippines); Momoko Nishimura (Japan); Fr Enrico Ayo (Philippines); and Sr Lalitha Thomas (India).
These men and women are some of the “representatives of the people of God” who took part in the two sessions of the synod held in Rome in 2023 and 2024 on behalf of the Churches of Asia.
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