Year of Evangelisation takes off in Thailand

In a pastoral letter, Cardinal Kitbunchu invites all to "awareness and to bearing concrete witness to Jesus". The Asian Mission Congress, which will be held next year in Bangkok, was announced.

Bangkok (AsiaNews) – An invitation to all Thai Catholics to be ever more "aware of the importance of the Gospel and to be concrete witnesses of Jesus every day". This, in sum, is the content of a pastoral letter published on 23 October, the opening day of a Year of Evangelisation in Thailand, which closes on 22 October 2006.

The document is co-signed by Cardinal Michai Kitbunchu, president of Thailand's Bishops' Conference (CBCT), and by Archbishop Louise Chamniern Santisukniran, President of Episcopal Commissions for Mission and Catholic Education. It was read in all the parishes of two archdioceses and eight dioceses of the country.

In the first part, the Apostolic Letter Ecclesia in Asia of John Paul II, which dates back to 6 November, 1999, was recalled: "Christianity of the first millennium was in Europe, the second was in United States of America and Africa, so the cross for the third millennium should therefore bear abundant fruit in Asia."

In the second part, it announces upcoming events "of great interest for Thai Catholics" like the same Year of Evangelisation and the Asian Mission Congress which will be held from 19 to 22 October next year. The bishops said Bangkok has been selected to hold the Congress which will be entitled: "Telling the Asians about Jesus Christ".

To prepare Catholics for "such important events" the CBCT calls all to "awareness and spirituality, which however must be manifested concretely" and it also announces the creation of a special Commission entrusted with guaranteeing the coordination and success of "all aspects of this crucially important year".

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