By Rock Ronald Rozario
The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) is set to open one of the region’s largest international Catholic gatherings with more than 800 delegates from over 30 countries focused on strengthening mission, synodality, and fraternity.
Titled “The Great Pilgrimage of Hope” in line with the ongoing “Year of Jubilee” in the Catholic Church, the event will be held in Penang, Malaysia, on Nov 27-30.
The assembly is organized by the FABC Office of Evangelization (OE) in collaboration with the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Mission Societies, and hosted by the Diocese of Penang, with the Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.
The program is part of the broader Vatican initiative, known as The Great Pilgrimage of Hope 2025, and the theme of the Penang gathering is “Journeying together as peoples of Asia… and they went a different way” (Mt 2:12).
Cardinals, bishops, priests, religious, and lay mission leaders from over 30 Asian nations are to reflect on the Church’s mission in a rapidly changing Asian context, and to “form and inspire pilgrims of hope” across the region, organizers said.
Organizers say the program aims to send participants home “by a different way” — renewed in mission, united in purpose, and ready to accompany communities across Asia with hope.
According to FABC-OE executive secretary Manoj Sunny, the program has three objectives.
“Firstly, sharing and living the story of Jesus in Asia. Secondly, touching the soul of Asia and thirdly, going back in a different way as renewed pilgrims of hope.”
“The program seeks to equip and empower the leaders of the Church in Asia as they journey together as pilgrims of hope,” Sunny said.
The event will feature keynote speakers, impact sessions, workshops, community circles, a time of worship and adoration, concerts and festivals, cultural presentations, and opportunities to identify and initiate areas of collaboration and community, he explained.
In the Asian context, where Catholics mostly live in non-Christian societies and countries, sharing and living the story of Jesus needs a good understanding, he noted.
“We aim to welcome delegates from all walks of life, with a particular focus on strong lay participation – including youth and women. Lay representation should include Catholic professionals who significantly impact society,” he further added.
The program aims to renew the Church’s commitment to dialogue, peace-building, and pastoral outreach in a continent marked by cultural diversity, religious pluralism, and significant social challenges.
Delegates will explore ways to strengthen collaborative evangelization efforts, with a focus on accompanying youth, engaging the peripheries, and responding to shifting socio-political realities in Asian societies.
A total of 10 cardinals, mostly Asian, are expected to attend, deliver keynote speeches, and offer mass during the event.
Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect for the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will deliver a keynote speech.
The first FABC Asian Mission Congress was organized in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from Oct 18–22, 2006, with the theme, “The Story of Jesus in Asia: A Celebration of Faith and Life.”
The first event aimed to develop among Asian Catholics the awareness of being missionaries in their own continent and to reinforce their missionary identity.
Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, then the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, represented Pope Benedict XVI in the event. – UCA News
