FEDERATION OF ASIAN BISHOPS' CONFERENCES

The Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) is a transnational episcopal structure that brings together 14 bishops' conferences from the following regions as full members: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos-Cambodia, Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei, Myanmar (Burma), Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as ten associate members: Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, Siberia, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It has ten associate members, drawn from the ecclesiastical jurisdictions of Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, Siberia, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. By virtue of their membership in the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), both the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Eastern Catholic Churches are also members of, and participate in the leadership and activities of the FABC. West Asia (the Middle East) has its own transnational structure, the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient (Conseil des Patriarches Catholiques d'Orient or CPCO), and does not form part of FABC. The foundation for the FABC was laid at the historic gathering of 180 Asian Catholic Bishops at the Asian Catholic Bishops' Meeting in Manila during the visit of Pope Paul VI to East Asia and Southeast Asia in November of 1970.

Structures and Statements. The supreme body of the federation is the Plenary Assembly, which convenes once in four years with the presidents and official delegates from each member conference. The Plenary Assembly makes major decisions and sets policy. The normal work of FABC is directed through three bodies: the Central Committee, composed of the presidents of the conferences represented, puts into effect the decisions and directives of the Plenary Assembly; the Central Secretariat, located in Hong Kong, coordinates the activities of the Federation and assists the functioning of all its levels; and the Standing Committee, composed of five members elected from various parts of FABC region, executes the directives of the central committee and directs the work of the Central Secretariat. The FABC has no president; rather, there is a "convenor" from the Standing Committee, a general secretary, and an assistant general secretary who coordinates the work from the Hong Kong office.

Every four years the official delegates to the Plenary Assembly take up pastorally relevant questions for study and deliberation. It is customary that two Asian theologians each present a major paper addressing the theme of the assembly. Most of the work is done in sectional workshops for which guideline papers are prepared in advance. Themes of the Plenary Assembly have included the following: "Evangelization in Modern Asia" (Taipei 1974); "Prayer—the Life of the Church in Asia" (Calcutta 1978); "The Church—Community of Faith in Asia" (Bangkok 1982); "The Vocation and Mission of the Laity in the Church and in the World of Asia" (Tokyo1986); "Journeying Together Toward The Third Millennium" (Bandung 1990);"Christian Discipleship in Asia Today: Service to Life" (Manila 1995); and "A Renewed Church in Asia on a Mission of Love and Service" (Sampran 2000).

Much of the work between the assemblies is done by the various offices of the FABC. In addition to the Office of Theological Concerns (formerly, the Theological Advisory Commission), there are offices for the laity, mission, human development, ecumenical and interreligious affairs, education and student chaplaincy, and social communications. A joint planning meeting that is generally held biennially or more frequently, if needed, encourages fruitful exchange among the offices, and each has taken initiatives to organize a series of workshops for the bishops in its respective field.

Published statements based on the conclusions of these workshops have found echo beyond the FABC and contributed to the Church in other continents. The office for ecumenical and interreligious affairs, for example, conducted a series of institutes called "Bishops' Institute for Religious Affairs" (BIRA). The workshops organized by the office for human development since 1974 are known as the Bishops' Institute for Social Action (BISA). The same office is engaged in a new series of workshops entitled, "Faith Encounter in Social Action" (FEISA), through which bishops are exposed to the faith of peoples of other religious traditions and are led to discover how the Church could collaborate together with them in the transformation of society.

The Office of Theological Concerns responds to the pastoral situation of the region by making up deeper study of certain crucial themes. Composed of theologians nominated by each bishops' conference, the commission has issued many important documents, including theses on interreligious dialogue [FABC Papers 48]; theses on the local church [FABC Papers 60]; Asian perspectives on Church and politics [FABC Papers 63]; Asian Christian perspectives on harmony [FABC Papers 65]; the spirit at work in Asia today [FABC Papers 81]; and methodology for Asian Christian theology [FABC Papers 96]. In April of 1994, the commission brought together some of the distinguished theologians of Asia and representatives from other continents for a colloquium in Pattaya, Thailand, "Being Church in Asia in the Twenty-first Century."

Influence. The FABC has played a significant role among the churches of Asia. It strengthened the bonds of communion among the bishops in the region and contributed to the development of a shared vision about the Church and its mission in Asia. Its influence on the Church throughout the world is witnessed to by the evergrowing interest in the documents it has published. The deliberations of the bishops at the plenary assemblies, shaped by their experience in the various countries and sustained by the work of the offices, have led to the emergence of a certain theological orientation. Major theological contributions of the FABC have been to develop a theology of religions from an Asian perspective; to explore the relationship of Church and reign of God in a multi-religious context; to understand the local Church with particular emphasis on cultural and socio-political aspects; to explore the meaning and significance of dialogue; and to offer new perspectives on mission and evangelization.

Initial impetus for this theological orientation was given by the first plenary assembly (Taipei 1974), which spoke of the need for a threefold dialogue: with the religions of Asia, with the cultures of Asia, and with the poor of Asia. Following developments in the Church and in the region during the 1970s and 1980s, new avenues were explored in the spirit of dialogue. One such initiative was to forge closer understanding and cooperation with the ecumenical organization Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), representing most of the Protestant and Orthodox Churches in Asia. A step in this direction was the conference held in Singapore in July of 1987, where participants from FABC and CCA came together to reflect on "Living and Working Together with Sisters and Brothers of Other Faiths." At a colloquium in Hua Hin, Thailand, in 1993, both organizations agreed to undertake a single and unified structure of collaboration. The 1996 colloquium in Cheung Chau, Hong Kong explored further avenues for collaboration under the theme "Asian Movement for Christian Unity."

Since its inception, the FABC has fostered episcopal collegiality, consultation, and collaboration among the many Catholic bishops' conferences from disparate and diverse regions throughout the vast Asian continent. The FABC has consistently committed itself in service to the daily life experiences of the Asian peoples by recognizing their rich cultural heritage, affirming their intense religiosity, and empowering them in their struggle to attain a better quality of life in the midst of crushing poverty and socio-political marginalization. Nevertheless, much work remains to be done: the relationship between church and state in several countries, especially in countries such as mainland China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and North Korea; the struggling churches of East Timor, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan; growing ethnic strife and religious conflicts in many parts of Asia; and the pervasive problem of economic exploitation with its disruptive implications in all areas of people's lives. To compound matters, most countries lack funds and resources for training personnel to implement the inspiring vision of the FABC.

Bibliography: The series, FABC Papers, published by the Central Secretariat of the Federation in Hong Kong, offers a wealth of wide-ranging materials that help one to understand the spirit and orientation of FABC. Most of the official documents of the FABC have been collected and published in a convenient two-volume collection: g. b. rosales and c. g. arÉvalo, eds., For All The Peoples of Asia: Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences Documents, 1970–1991 (Maryknoll, NY 1992) and f.-j. eilers, ed., For All The Peoples of Asia Volume 2: Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences Documents from 1992 to 1996 (Quezon City 1997). See also:s. bevans, "Inculturation of Theology in Asia (The Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, 1970–1995)," Studia Missionalia 45 (1996) 1–23. j. dupuis, "FABC Focus on the Church's Evangelizing Mission in Asia Today," Vidyajyoti 56 (1992) 449–468. j. kavunkal, "Local Church in the FABC Statements," Jeevadhara 27 (1997) 260–271. s. painadath, "Theological Perspectives of FABC on Interreligious Dialogue," Jeevadhara 27 (1997) 272–288. p. c. phan, "Human Development and Evangelization (The first to the sixth plenary assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences)," Studia Missionalia 47 (1998) 205–227. j. y. tan, "Theologizing at the Service of Life: The Contextual Theological Methodology of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC)" Gregorianum 83 no. 3 (2000) 541–575. f. wilfred, et al., "What the Spirit Says to the Churches. A Vademecum on the Pastoral and Theological Orientations of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC)," Vidyajyoti 62 (1998) 124–133.

[f. wilfred/

j. tan]