Manila: Theologian Fr Arevalo, one of the founders of FABC, has died

The news was given on social media by Kalookan Bishop Mgr Pablo Virgilio David. The Jesuit, one of the founders of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, had received the Vatican's 'Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice' award and had drafted the historic declaration 'Evangelisation in Today's Asia'.

Manila (AsiaNews) - Filipino Jesuit Catalino Arevalo, known as one of the fathers of Asian theology, died this morning, three months before his 98th birthday.

The news was spread on social media by Kalookan Bishop Msgr Pablo Virgilio David: "Our dear mentor and friend, Fr Catalino Arevalo, whom we affectionately called 'Father Reverend', has passed away."

"May this great teacher to whom we owe our love for theological learning and the spiritual discipline of discernment, rest in the peace of God's embrace," the prelate continued, "he had looked forward to this passage into the afterlife." As all his friends know, he was in the habit of saying, 'This may be our last meeting, so I must say my final farewell'".

In 1997, the Jesuit priest had received the Vatican's 'Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice' award for distinguished service to the Church, while in 1998, he had been called 'father of Asian theology' by the Ateneo de Manila University on the occasion of the feast of St Ignatius of Loyola.

The university recalled the priest's more than 9,000 pages of theological writings characterised by an 'Asian emphasis' on behalf of bishops' conferences and other Church leaders.

The Jesuit was the first Asian cleric to be a member of the Holy See's International Theological Commission and the first coordinator and founding member of the Theological Consultative Commission of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).

After a trip to Latin America in 1970, Fr Arevalo gave his first lectures on liberation theology in the Philippines. In the same year, he served as an expert at a meeting of Asian bishops that would evolve into the Fabc in 1974.

The priest went on to draft the Fabc's first statement, the historic 'Evangelisation in Today's Asia', which remains 'the most influential articulation of the local Churches in Asia'.