JERUSALEM, NOV. 16, 2012 (Zenit.org).- From November 6 to 12, a group of 120 bishops from Asia undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
The event was organized by the Neocatechumenal Way and held in the “Domus Galileae” on the Mount of Beatitudes, according to a report by the Fides News Agency. Around 70 of the bishops were from India while several came from various other countries, including Burma, the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and China. Priests, religious and lay people were also among the participants.
It was “a profound experience of community, brotherhood, sharing of the Word of God and the living experience of each of us,” Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, told Fides.
The pilgrimage “strengthens the links between the Pastors of the Asian Church,” he said, which is a very important factor in the Year of Faith. It also emphasized the urgency of the New Evangelization in Asia, he commented.
The meeting came shortly before a meeting of the Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, which will be held in Vietnam in December. The meeting will center on the theme of challenges to evangelization in Asia.
During their time in the Holy Land, the bishops examined “how to convey to the peoples and cultures of Asia the gift of Truth and bring the joy of preaching Salvation and Resurrection of Jesus Christ”, asking the Holy Spirit “light to find new ways to proclaim the Gospel in our time,” Archbishop Barwa explained.
