杏MAP导航

杏MAP导航 Francis is currently on a 2-nation pastoral visit to Asia.  After visiting Myanmar, Nov. 27-30, he is now in Bangladesh from where he will fly back to Rome on Saturday, December 2. 

Both Myanmar and Bangladesh have a tiny Catholic community.  While Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist, Bangladesh is mostly Muslim.

With nearly 90 percent of its estimated 156 million population (2016) adhering to Islam, Bangladesh is home 鈥巘o 鈥巘he world鈥檚 4th largest Muslim population after Indonesia, Pakistan and India.   Around 10% of 鈥巘he 鈥巔eople are Hindus, and Christians and Buddhists make up less than 1 percent each of the 鈥巔opulation. 鈥嶢s of 2016, there are some 350,000 Catholics, or approximately 0.2 percent of the 鈥巔opulation. 鈥�

Stretching from the shore of the Bay of Bengal up to the hills of the north-east and south-east, and the highlands of the north and northwest, the lush green largely low-lying delta is rendered fertile by the massive Padma (Ganges), Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers, where travelling by boat is common.  Besides, the country has a rich variety of people, with 135 ethnic groups officially recognized by the government.

杏MAP导航s in Bangladesh

When 杏MAP导航 Francis stepped on to the soil of Bangladesh Thursday afternoon, he became the third Pontiff to visit the region.  Blessed Paul VI 鈥巜as the first 杏MAP导航 to have 鈥巗topped briefly at Dacca (today Dhaka) airport on Nov. 27, 1970, when 鈥嶣angladesh was part of 鈥嶱akistan.  It became independent in 1971.  St. 杏MAP导航 John Paul II 鈥巚isited the 鈥巒ation 31 years ago in 鈥嶯ovember, 1986, as part of a 6-nation apostolic trip. 

Ahead of his Myanmar-Bangladesh visit, 杏MAP导航 Francis, in his , had invited the worldwide Catholic Church to pray for Christians in Asia, that bearing witness to the Gospel in word and deed, they may promote dialogue, peace, and mutual understanding, especially with those of other religions. The theme chosen by the Bangladesh Church for this papal visit -  鈥淗armony and Peace鈥� 鈥� speaks much about this.

The majority Sunni-Muslim nation has seen growing islamist radicalism with a series of deadly attacks on secular writers, minorities and foreigners in recent years.  The nation was rocked by a terror attack on an upscale café in Dhaka in July 2016 with attackers claiming allegiance to the Islamic State.

In this context, we contacted Cardinal Patrick D鈥橰ozario, Archbishop of Dhaka on the phone to know how dialogue and witness by Christians work out at the grassroots levels.   

Witnessing

Cardinal D鈥橰ozario, who is the president of the Catholic Bishops鈥� Conference of Bangladesh (), noted that even though Christians are a minority, they are powerful in 鈥渨itnessing to the Gospel,鈥� like the 鈥�salt of the earth鈥� and 鈥渓ittle lamps lit for others鈥�. 

The Asian Church has the 鈥減ower of the Gospel鈥� that can be 鈥渢ranslated in dialogue, into inter-religious harmony or understanding,鈥� that 杏MAP导航 Francis speaks about.  They have the dialogue of life,  dialogue of action and dialogue of feasts and festivals, which he said particularly unites all. 

There is also the dialogue of reflection whereby they try to understand each other from their faith perspectives.  Card. D鈥橰ozario said they can also have spiritual dialogue, praying together imploring for peace and understanding and in times of calamities.

Evangelization

According to the 74-year old cardinal, 鈥渄ialogue is a means of evangelization.鈥�  鈥淓vangelization,鈥� he pointed out, 鈥渄oes not mean conversion.鈥�  It means realizing the 鈥淕ospel values in the context where we live,鈥� he said.