Asian Bishops to inaugurate General Conference

By Vatican News staff reporter

The Federation of Asian Bishops (FABC) will be inaugurating its General Conference on 22 August, beginning with an inauguration at the Shrine of Blessed Nicholas Bunkerd Kitbamrung in Bangkok, Thailand.

The event will be streamed online and will also be available afterwards on the social media pages of the FABC and those of other Catholic news agencies.

FABC

The association of episcopal conferences of Asia was founded in 1970, on the occasion of the visit of Pope Paul VI to Manila, when the Asian Bishops came together for the first time.

The meeting inspired a desire to strengthen the collegiality among the Bishops of Asia and to express what it means to be “Church in Asia” in the light of the Second Vatican Council. This, then, gave birth to the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences.

In 2020, the association marked the 50th anniversary of that significant moment, and to observe this landmark, the FABC gathers in a General Conference “to commemorate and to chart the direction for the coming years.”

The General Conference will take place from 12 -30 October. 

Prayers requested

After the 22 August inauguration, the FABC invites the faithful in Asia to enter into period of prayer for this upcoming first-ever General Conference.

To facilitate this, the Bishops have made available the prepared prayer for FABC 50, and encourage its translation into other languages.

A song entitled “The Song of Asia, Bless Our God Who Walks with Us,” has also been composed especially for the FABC 50 General Conference.

The FABC expresses hope that the prayer and the song “will help create awareness and interest and a sense of participation in an Asia wide event.”