By Natividad B. Pagadut
KUCHING — It is to be recalled that the 10th Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation was held in Argentina last year from 15–21 April 2023 with 141 delegates in attendance, from 11 regions and subregions of 70 countries.
An echo seminar on the topics discussed therein relevant to the needs of South East Asia was done on 11–15 March 2024 in the Archdiocese of Kuching, Malaysia. Our gracious host was Archbishop Simon Poh, who, in spite of his very busy schedule accommodated us with joy and enthusiasm.
South East Asia sub-region consists of three zones namely, the north zone (Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia), the south zone (Indonesia, Malaysia-Brunei-Singapore) and the Philippine zone. All the zones with their respective members were represented.
We were blessed with the presence of our general secretary, Fr Jan Stefanow, SVD who came all the way from Rome, two archbishops (Archbishop Simon Poh and Archbishop Basilio Athai from Myanmar), one bishop (Bishop Francis Arpondratana Vira from Thailand), 12 priests, four Sisters, seven laymen, one Brother, one Consecrated woman, and one laywoman. Associate members followed the programme via Zoom.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio S David, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference in the Philippines greeted the participants via Zoom and mentioned the CBF priorities and action plan for 2023 to 2029. But the conference he said, should look into the action plan by the CBF-SEA sub-region.
Archbishop Simon Poh in his plenary address, posed challenges on creative ways to do evangelisation in South East Asia. He was able to tickle the minds of the participants and stir them to action with words of hope and inspiration.
Ms Waltraud Linnig, the programme director and dean of Mother of Life Center in the Philippines presented a paper on a Bible centred curriculum for a Catechetical Formation.
Ms Geraldine Clare Westwood from the Commission for Creation and Justice of the Diocese of Penang alerted us with climate disasters like drought, heatwaves and floods hitting us with increasing intensity and frequency needing our urgent attention and participation in the care of Mother Earth. She asserts this as a moral responsibility of each one as found in pages of the Bible.
Although he could not join us physically, John Bergin from New Zealand expounded on the book “Identity, Identified” which deals with issues confronting the youth today all over the world. This was authored by volunteers from different parts of the globe who try to provide insights and reflections from the teachings of the Church and from Scripture to the young seeking for answers to their questions. Archbishop Simon, being one of the authors supplemented the sharing of John Bergin with more examples.
Cardinal Charles Bo of Myanmar was also invited to the conference to say a few words on the Jubilee 2025: Pilgrims of Hope, but due to his very hectic schedule, he could not be physically present. However, he appeared on video at the last minute to share his reflections on the topic assigned to him. His talk was full of hope and inspiration ushering us to further individual and group reflections.
Each country was given the chance to share its Biblical Pastoral Practices for the consumption of all and for possible duplication and adaptation in their own countries. Small group discussions ensued among the participants for sharing and camaraderie.
We did some walking too for exercise and shopping. We walked to the waterfront guided by the moon, to St Peter’s Church to see how things were being done to finish the church, to St Joseph’s Cathedral to join the community in the liturgical celebration and to the villages for exposure to indigenous houses, materials and customs.
Those of us whose flights were not as early as those who left ahead had the pleasure to visit the History Gallery of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kuching and the office of Archbishop Simon Poh. All in all, the whole experience was awesome, educational, informative, inspiring, and worth remembering.
The happiest moment of it all was when Archbishop Simon Poh accepted to be one of our two consultors in the CBF-SEA. Congratulations and terima kasih!
