News

Priests called to emphasize values of interior life

DAVAO CITY, July 8, 2009—Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla explained that in this worldwide celebration of the Year for Priests, there is a call for the priests in the Asian Church and Asian society to emphasize the values of interior life.

Capalla said this emphasis is given because in Asia, Christians are a minority group and living up to the values of interior life is highly needed.

He continued that with the growing materialistic and consumeristic Asian society there is also the clamor for priestly presence in order to arrest and minimize, if not stop, the strong process of secularization in this region of more than three (3) billion people.

“I say arrest and minimize because Asian society as a whole was originally spirit-oriented,” added Capalla.

Capalla believes that during this Year for Priests “something must be done, as part of the missionary enterprise for the return to the spiritual traditions of which Asia is rich.”

“The foremost vehicles or instruments of this return are the gurus, the priests, and the spiritual masters of the Asian religions including Christianity,” he pointed out.

“Our Holy Father insists that since the priest in our tradition is considered Alter Christus, another Christ, he should be present, visibly present, in Asian society,” added Capalla.

The prelate also mentioned the papal exhortation of John Paul II titled Ecclesia In Asia, an important document and a result of the historic special synod for Asia, the first in the history of the Catholic Church.

Capalla said the exhortation says that the Church in Asia must be engaged in a triple dialogue: dialogue with the poor, dialogue with cultures and dialogue with religions.

“The main implementors, facilitators, and agents of such a dialogue are the priests and bishops [in Asia],” ended Capalla.

(Mark S. Ventura)