Card. Gracias grateful to Pope for November prayer intention

The prayer intention of Pope Francis for the month of November is for Asian Christians - that bearing witness to the Gospel in word and deed, they may promote dialogue, peace, and mutual understanding, especially with those of other religions. 

 The Holy Father who is visiting Myanmar and Bangladesh, 27 Nov. to 2 Dec., released a video message Friday evening on the prayer intention.  The text of the video message reads: "The most striking feature of Asia is the variety of its peoples who are heirs to ancient cultures, religions and traditions. On this continent, where the Church is a minority, the challenges are intense. We must promote dialogue among religions and cultures. Dialogue is an essential part of the mission of the Church in Asia. Let us pray that Christians in Asia may promote dialogue, peace and mutual understanding, especially with those of other religions."  

Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, expressed his gratitude to the Pope for the prayer intention.  The Cardinal, who is president of both the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC)  and India's Latin-rite bishops (CCBI), also spoke about the various levels of dialogue that Asian Christians can engage in.