The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has called on Asian Catholic communities to promote “kinship” to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in the region’s many cultures and religions.
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, who also serves as vice president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, said the Church in Asia must focus more on listening, dialogue, and working together
“Asia is a vast mosaic of cultures, languages and religions. Yet in all this diversity, God is gently weaving us together into one family,” David said ahead of the Asian Mission Congress to be held Nov. 27–30 in Penang, Malaysia.
More than 900 delegates from Catholic communities across the region, including 10 cardinals, over 100 bishops, 150 priests, 75 religious sisters, and hundreds of lay representatives, are expected to attend the gathering.
David, the outgoing president of the CBCP, said the Church must “grow in synodality,” describing it as a posture of humility, bridge-building, and genuine encounter. He stressed the need to protect human dignity, care for the environment, and speak truth with compassion in societies marked by poverty, conflict, and fear.
He also pointed to young people as central to the Church’s mission in the coming decade, calling them “the vibrant present” of Asian Catholicism. Many youth, he noted, carry heavy burdens—from poverty and discrimination to unemployment and climate anxiety—yet remain a source of hope.
“My vision is of a Church that walks closely with the peoples of Asia, especially the young, listening deeply to their dreams, their wounds, their longings for a more just and peaceful world,” he said.
