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The Rediff Interview/ Annie Lam

'The Church in Asia is different. Here it is perceived as a foreign entity'

Pope John Paul II's apostolic visit to India last week could have been a defining moment for the Church in India and Asia. But, it only vitiated the atmosphere, thanks to the call given by the Catholic spiritual leader to step up conversions and evangelisation activities in Asia. The Pope declared that the Christian faith would spread in Asia in the third millennium and urged Church leaders to concentrate on three cornerstones of the faith: evangelisation, conversion and inculturation.

Will the Pope's clarion call lead to more intolerance towards minority community? Hasn't the Holy Father's visit only hardened the Catholic Church's views on conversions? How will other religious groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad view the Catholic pontiff's stand?

The conclusion of the Asia Synod in New Delhi last Saturday brought together some leading Church theologians and activists from across several Asian countries. Three women participants were invited to attend the Asian Syond in the Vatican last year as also the papal exhortation on evangelisation in New Delhi. One of them was Annie Lam, a Hong Kong-based Church activist who often visits China to write about the Church's mission in the Communist country. While the bishops from China were not allowed to participate in the Synod conclusion, Lam carried a gift from them to the Pope.

In an exclusive interview to George Iype, Lam talks about the Church's concerns in Asia and reveals its plans to survive and grow in the continent.

What is the significance of the conclusion of the Synod for Asian bishops being held in India?

The fact that the Synod has concluded in India has given the Church in the country a big boost in its missionary activities. It signifies the continuity of the Church in India.

But the Vatican selected India as the papal venue because his request to visit Hong Kong was rejected by the Chinese government.

Yes, that is right. The Chinese government rejected the Vatican application for the papal visit. He wanted to go to Jerusalem, but it could not happen because of the political uncertainty. The Catholics in China and Hong Kong are disappointed.

The Chinese government had its own problems. Since the Vatican does not have diplomatic relations with Beijing, the administration found it difficult to clear the papal visit. Also, the Chinese government has been demanding that the Vatican sever its ties with Taipei. But I don't understand why the Pope can't he visit the special administrative region of Hong Kong.

What are the concerns of the Church in Asia in the context of the Asia Synod?

The Synod was a very good exercise to review all the problems and issues in Asia and to examine how the series of Vatican Council II teachings have been implemented in Asia. The views of the participants -- bishops, priests, theologians and lay people - will help the Church to reorient its activities in Asia. It has also helped the local churches in India and Asia to understand their common weaknesses and strengths. Basically, the churches in all the Asian countries, except the Christian majority Philippines, share the same feelings because they are a little flock, a very small minority.

You mean to say the Church in Asia is facing problems because it remains a minority religion?

Yes, the Church in Asia is different. Here it is perceived as a foreign entity...Jesus Christ is looked upon as a foreigner and a westerner. This concept is quite vivid in many cultures and in many countries. In contrast to other Asian religions, Christianity is perceived as having an outside influence. This 'foreigner' status of the Church has made evangelisation and inculturation very difficult in Asia.

Are you saying that Christianity does not have any real, permanent roots in Asia? If Christianity is perceived as foreign and Jesus as a westerner even after 2,000 years of the Church's existence, what is the future of the Church in Asia?

In Asia, especially in a country like China, where I work, the Catholic Church is seen as a western import. This feeling is deep-rooted though the Church has been doing a lot of work in the fields of education and social welfare which I think even non-Catholics appreciate. But then, the Church's idea of inculturation is still something new to Asia.

So you agree that to survive and grow in Asia, the Church needs to have an Asian identity.

Yes, very much. But at the same time, the problem is that quite a number of Catholics themselves see the Church as a westernised phenomenon. I am convinced that the Church has to define an inculturated identity to grow in Asia.

You mean the Church has to redefine its role?

I think the Church has been redefining itself all these years in Asia. I must point out that the Asian Synod has been a good opportunity to reflect upon what the Church has been doing in the past and also its current activities. But the Asian Synod was not the only chance. In Asia, we have the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference that has been doing a lot on evangelisation, human promotion, liturgy, laity formation, theology and collaboration on theological development. The Asian Synod, according to Vatican, includes the central Asian countries where Muslims are the biggest group and Catholics are really a minority. Therefore, the Synod has been a good chance for all of us to listen to different countries.

Don't you think increasingly the Church's evangelisation and conversion movement in countries like China, India and Pakistan, are being opposed by other groups and religions? Did the Asian Synod take into account this problem?

Yes, the minority discrimination against the Church is growing in many countries in Asia. But I don't think the Synod document that the Pope has released will provoke the Catholics to somehow confront these difficulties. The Church would like to have more and more dialogue with other religions to have better relations with other religions.

But the first step towards the spread of Christianity in Asia is for the Church to initiate a dialogue on inculturation and evangelisation and to make its own followers understand who Jesus Christ is. While other cultures and people of other religions know who Jesus is, many Catholics in Asia are not so well-informed about laity and religious formation. Therefore, the first step towards evangelisation, inculturation and conversion should start from the Church itself.

Conversion is a big problem in a country like India. Prior to the Pope's arrival in New Delhi, there were protests against his visit and the Christian missionary activities.

I have been reading a lot about the protests from some Hindu groups in India. But I think it is inappropriate for me to comment on the anti-conversion movement in India because I don't think I know the country enough.

Is there any such anti-conversion movement in China?

Yes, it happens occasionally in China too. The Chinese government thinks that if one person is converted, there is one more Chinese Catholic and one Chinese less. But there are no open protests against conversions in China as in India. I know some Bishops in mainland China, especially in Shanghai, who have suffered persecution for decades. But they always tell us that persecution can only strengthen Catholic faith and identity.

Don't you think religious persecution and fundamentalism is growing in Asian countries? If so, what is the reason?

May I ask you a question on this. If religious persecution and fundamentalism is growing in India, is it because of religion or politics?

You mean to say politics is behind religious intolerance?

I don't want to go deep into this subject. But I really doubt if intolerance has any religious justification.

Has the papal visit to India and the conclusion of the Asian Synod taken all these issues into account?

I hope so. Because so many of us -- some 250 people -- worked for the Synod for many months. I hope it will help the Church mission to enter a new era where Catholic faith will spread fast in the Asian continent.

Do you think a Pope could be selected from a Third World country or possibly from an Asian country?

In fact, the Pope himself talked about this when he addressed the Asian bishops in Manila in 1995. He said in the first millennium, the cross was planted in Europe's soil. In the second millennium, the cross was planted in the Americas and Africa. And in the third millennium, it will be the Asian continent's turn. I think his message implied that a Pope could be elected from Asia. If you look at history, Pope John Paul II was not a very hot choice, but he was elected. So why not a Pope from Asia?

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