Colombo, Sri Lanka

28 November – 4 December 2016

Draft Version 4.0

To the Peoples of Asia,

‘The Catholic Family in Asia: Domestic Church of the Poor on a Mission of Mercy.’

Introduction

We, the delegates to the XI Plenary Assembly of the Federation of the Asian Bishops’ Conferences gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 28 November – 4 December, give praise to God for having given us this opportunity to come together as Church in Asia. This is indeed an expression of our communion and solidarity not only with the universal Church but also with the particular Churches in Asia. We missed the presence of our brethren from the Church in China but it is our hope that this will change soon and that a gathering such as this in the future may truly represent a greater diversity and uniqueness of Asia.

We are deeply thankful to the government and the Church in Sri Lanka for having extended a cordial welcome and hospitality during our stay. Being present in a country that has in recent times been working persistently and constructively towards reconciliation, it is our prayer that God’s peace may truly reign in this land and in the hearts of everyone.

Ongoing Dialogue on the Family

In the last couple of years, Pope Francis, recognizing the importance of the family to the Church and society, has initiated a “series of conversations” on the family in the Church namely, the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization (5 – 19 October 2014), the Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Vocation and the Mission of the Family in the Church and in the Contemporary World (4 – 25 October 2015), the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy (8 December 2015 – 20 November 2016) and the publication of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation AmorisLaetitia (19 March 2016). Recognizing that the impact of these conversations is varied from place to place since our “cultures are in fact quite diverse and every general principle… needs to be inculturated, if it is to be respected and applied” (AL, 3), the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences has chosen to continue this conversation at its XI Plenary Assembly with the theme The Catholic Family in Asia: Domestic Church of the Poor on a Mission of Mercy

The Joys in Family Life

During the days that we have spent together, we once again recognised how important the family is to the Asian ethos. For centuries, the family has been the foundation on which societies and nations have been and will continue to be built. The beauty of our families is that we are not only made up of the nuclear family but we live in and care for the extended family which is the bedrock of our existence. Children, young people, and the elderly further enliven and strengthen family relations. It is from this inter-connectedness that many of us have learnt the value of faith and community living in a spirit of unity and respect for one another. The interfaith and intercultural families, though not without challenges, have also enriched the life of the Church and promoted the values of understanding and harmony in society. We celebrate the fact that the sense of the Divine exists in many of our families. This certainly provides direction, support, and inspiration to remain faithful despite challenging times. We are glad that many Asian families give life and sustain the faith in many communities and countries where they have chosen to begin a new life for they are indeed our missionary disciples.As we listened to one another and the testimonies of some families expressing the varied experiences of family life, we are grateful to God for the gift of families to the Church in Asia for we know that the Church is indeed a communion of families modelled after the communion of the Holy Trinity.

The Challenges to Family Life

Even though we recognise the joys of family life, we are not oblivious to the challenges faced by many of our families. Every country in Asia is not spared of the rapid changes that are affecting the family.At this crucial time of our history, we in Asia are confronted with realities that affect the heart of family life in the areas of poverty, migration, corruption, human trafficking and prostitution, new forms of colonialism, gender inequality, violence against minorities,ecological degradation, religious extremism, broken and dysfunctional families, and the numerous other situations that are equally complex and multifaceted. These pose great strain on our families as they strive to remain faithful and many families have also been left hurt and wounded. Some of these challenges are aggravated given the greater accessibility to the numerous forms of media that seem to be changing gospel values that Asian families have given great importance to through the centuries.

Recognising the countless challenges that confront us in Asia, we acknowledge that family life has been impoverished in various ways. Though in many parts of our continent, economic poverty is a widespread reality, we are also concerned with the other forms of “poverty” – emotional,spiritual, relational, cultural, intellectual, physical and social. These new forms of poverty have been brought about due to the fast-changing landscape of Asia. Though these forms of poverty can often cripple one’s outlook of life, families must not be afraid to embrace the gift of life.

Moving Forward

In these days of being together, we realised again that given the complexity of the situation before us, we do not have answers to all these challenges. However, what became clear is that we in Asia need to put our minds together, consolidate our efforts and resources, and strategize constructively together for the sake of our families. In the words of Pope Francis, “we are not living in an era of change but a change of era”(Decennial National Conference of the Italian Church, 2016).This ‘change of era’ is profoundly affecting our families – the domestic Church.We not only need to work together but also support one another in this mission. We must together seek a ‘spirituality of the family’that is founded on a personal encounter with Jesus Christ so that we can assist and sustain each other during these changing and challenging times. Many families are already rooted in our rich tradition of family prayer and bible sharing. The Holy Eucharist is central to the family for living a prophetic way of life. We strongly encourage and support this journey.

Though the contexts from which we come are different, the changing face of the family is a phenomenon that affects us all. A concrete fruit of the XI FABC Plenary Assembly is the document The Catholic Family in Asia: Domestic Church of the Poor on a Mission of Mercy which we humbly offer to all Asian families. We invite local churches and families to study and reflect on this document. It is our hope that those engaged in ministering to the family will lead the way in celebrating the joys of family life, promoting the sacredness of life, marriage and the family, accompanying, supporting and sustaining families.

May the Holy Family of Nazareth inspire the Church in Asia and our families to be missionary disciples of mercy. Together as family, may we continue to pray, share the word of God and serve our neighbour.

Oswald Cardinal Gracias

Fr Raymond O’Toole, SFM

President – FABC Secretary General – FABC

Given in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 4 December 2016

(The delegates comprised of Bishops representing member Episcopal Conferences and Associate Members of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences; the Holy Father’s Special Envoy, His Eminence Telesphore Placidus Cardinal Toppo; the Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Pierre Nguyen Van Tot; delegates from Federations of Episcopal Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO), Africa (SECAM), Europe (CCEE), the United States (USCCB), and the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient (CCPO); Bishops and Secretaries of the FABC Offices; representatives of several funding and donor partners; and invited guests. We were a total of 137 participants (11 Cardinals, 22 Archbishops, 53 Bishops, 31 priests, 2 religious and 18 laity).)