By Matters India Reporter
JAKARTA, July 21, 2026: The 12th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) opened July 20 with a call to move beyond discussion and provide concrete steps for implementing synodality across Asia.
More than 120 cardinals and bishops from 22 episcopal conferences and ecclesiastical jurisdictions are meeting in Jakarta through July 26 under the theme, “The Call to Synodal Conversion and the Mission to Be Bridges and Bridge-Builders in Asia.”
Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit of San Pablo in the Philippines, spokesperson for the assembly, said the weeklong gathering is “more than a meeting of bishops.”
“It is a significant moment for the Church in Asia to pray together, listen to one another, discern the signs of the times, and seek new ways of proclaiming the Gospel in one of the world’s most dynamic and diverse regions,” he said.
Synodal conversion and bridge-building mission
The assembly follows a series of milestones: the FABC 50 General Conference, the 2023 Bangkok Document, the 2024 Final Document of the Synod on Synodality, the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, and the beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate.
Bishop Maralit emphasized that the gathering is designed to be “a genuine synodal experience,” centered on prayer, listening, and communal discernment rather than theoretical debate.
The bishops are reflecting on how the Church can deepen synodal conversion while becoming a bridge-builder in a continent marked by cultural and religious diversity, poverty, migration, conflict, environmental challenges, and rapid social change.
“The theme highlights two closely connected dimensions,” Bishop Maralit said. “The first is synodal conversion—the ongoing personal and communal conversion that enables the Church to become more participatory, missionary, transparent, and responsive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The second is the Church’s mission to become bridges and bridge-builders in Asia.”
Practical outcomes and guiding documents
A key outcome of the assembly will be the preparation of two major texts.
The first is a Final Document envisioned as a practical Vademecum on Synodality in Asia, offering pastoral guidance for local Churches. The second is a Message to the Church in Asia, encouraging Catholics throughout the region to continue the journey of synodal renewal.
“Rather than discussing synodality in theory, the assembly will focus on practical ways of implementing it in the life and mission of the Church throughout Asia,” Bishop Maralit said.
Participants are engaging in Eucharistic celebrations, spiritual reflection, Conversations in the Spirit, plenary sessions, regional sessions, and table conversations. The emphasis is on listening and discerning together what the Holy Spirit is calling the Church in Asia to become.
Special highlights and papal presence
Pope Leo XIV appointed retired Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay, as his special envoy to the assembly.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, is leading a day of recollection. Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod Secretariat, is delivering a keynote address on “Pathways for the Implementation of the Synod.”
The participants will also receive a video message from Pope Leo XIV.
The closing Eucharistic celebration will be held at Jakarta’s Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, followed by a visit to Istiqlal Mosque, Southeast Asia’s largest mosque.
Participants will walk through the Terowongan Silaturahmi, or Friendship Tunnel, which links the mosque and cathedral as a symbol of Indonesia’s commitment to interreligious harmony.
Pope Francis in September 2024 visited here and praised is as a powerful, physical symbol of interfaith dialogue that “animates the journey of our lives and impels us to step out of ourselves to encounter God.”
Witness to communion and mission
Organizers hope the FABC assembly will strengthen the Church’s witness to communion, participation, and mission.
“We hope this gathering will strengthen the Church’s witness to communion, participation, and mission, while inspiring Catholics across Asia to become bridges and bridge-builders within their families, communities, nations, and among people of different cultures and religions,” Bishop Maralit said.
For more than five decades, the FABC has served as a platform for bishops to reflect together on the Church’s mission in Asia, promoting solidarity, evangelization, dialogue, theological reflection, social engagement, and human development.
The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences began in Manila in 1970, inspired by Pope Paul VI’s visit, where he met 180 Asian bishops during a historic gathering that created a continent‑wide body fostering unity and collegial identity.