Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kiku-chi of Tokyo has urged the Catholic Church in Asia, which is an “absolute minority” in the region, to commit itself to inter-religious dialogue. Kikuchi emphasized that the commitment towards inter-religious dialogue “is not a compromise of our con-viction, but to synergize our po-tential to create [a] better world,” the Crux reported on Dec. 9.
The Asian Church’s actions will aid in realizing the will of God through “peacebuilding, protection of human dignity, protection of the environment, eradication of poverty, and assisting people in difficult life situations,” Kikuchi added.
Kikuchi pointed out that the movement of people over national boundaries has been “a major cause of creating a challenging environment for many in Asia.” “The Asian Church is expected to be a champion of protecting [the dignity of people on the move],” Kikuchi emphasized.
Kikuchi who also serves as the president of Caritas Inter-nationalis, the Vatican’s social service wing, said that his appointment shows Francis’ “expectation for Caritas to be a front-runner of the Synodal Church.” “Being Synodal Chur-ch is what Caritas has been doing for many years all over the world,” Kikuchi remarked.
Kikuchi pointed out that having several cardinals among Asian bishops – especially among the leaders of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) – symbolizes the Catho-lic Church’s expectation for the Asian Church to be “a front-ru-nner for the protection of human dignity.”