Card Tagle: the Churches of Asia defined by martyrs without a name who bore witness to Jesus' Name

At the AsiaNews International Symposium, the archbishop of Manila describes the strength of Asian Churches. Although they are a "small flock," they have given so many martyrs to the Church. Since Vatican II, they have worked on adapting the Christian proclamation to Asian ways of thinking. Filipino migrants are new players in evangelisation. Social media also play a role in mission.

Vatican City
(AsiaNews) - "The Church in Asia could remain forever a small flock, but
it has many martyrs, most of them without a name. It is in fact a Church of the
nameless, of those who professed and continue to profess the Name that is above
all names, Jesus Christ," said Card Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila in
concluding his address today at the AsiaNews International Symposium on Mission in Asia: from Pope John Paul II to
Pope Francis.

For the
young prelate, the message Asian Churches can offer the world is that a "small"
church can be a "great" witness of faith. In fact, "We in Asia are
used to be a small flock," het said. "Yet, numbers do not always indicate the
vitality of the Church in life and mission."

"However small
it may be, a community is still a Church, the presence of God's people. Missionary
joy can be experienced even in a situation of humble minority. An inexplicable
force comes from faith, flowing dynamically in weakness and suffering. "

Speaking
more specifically about the Philippines, Card Tagle said, "Our nation is affected
each year by an average of 20 typhoons, not to mention frequent earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions and large-scale corruption. It is not surprising, therefore,
that millions of people are poor."

Yet, for the
prelate (and Pope Francis), the poor are not just in "need of help"; they are
also "great teachers of the faith" full of "stories of hope and
courage".

Faced with such
challenges, the mission of the Church in the Philippines has expanded to
include closeness to the poor (food, healthcare, education, health, jobs),
social work and protection of Creation in accordance with the social doctrine
of the Church, and the use of media, not just radio and TV, but also social
networks, which have become a new Areopagus.

In the Philippines,
new players have emerged in the field of mission. Millions of Filipino migrants
have joined priests, lay people, Fidei
Donum, missionaries ad gentes,
movements, filling "the churches of the nations where they work", in
Japan, Korea, Middle East, China, experiencing work and mission in unity.

The cardinal
also showed how the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI's encyclical Ecclesiam suam, the work of the
Federation of Asian Bishops (FABC), that of John Paul II, and Francis' trip
Korea have helped the Churches of Asia understand and experience the mission
not as a "triumphant conquest", but as a proclamation of Jesus Christ in
dialogue. This way, mission can bear fruit beyond the Church's enclosure,
humanise society and bring the faith closer to Asia's ways of thinking.