We usually stock-take on the 31st of December, supposedly. I don’t suppose there’s any harm doing it a day or two earlier so my reflections can be unhurried and carefully articulated. It’s the 29th today, just two days away from the deadline for 2010. So here’s my little and final contribution to the worldwide web for the year:

2010 has been one hell of a heavenly year. It sprung a number of surprises on me, some executed by external forces, and others self-inflicted. By and large, it was a great year; and I mean this literally. It has been one of the best years of my life. If I’m delighted that the year has ended, it’s only because it’s been so great I’m looking forward to another year of happiness.

But 2010 wasn’t a year of parties and savouries. Life inevitably comes with its crosses of various weights and sizes which we all have to bear. That is a given, a non-negotiable. But what remains negotiable is the attitude with which we carry these crosses, for they have the power to lead us to either morbid despair or victorious resilience. This is perhaps one reality that characterises every year of the human life. To suffer is to be human. Some learn this lesson too slowly and spend their entire lives attempting to evade the inevitability of suffering. Of suffering, we cannot choose. On a related note, Gandalf the Great offers us this wisdom: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

With this moment that is given to me, I look upon the year 2010 with much gratitude. I am grateful for many things. And inasmuch as these things may seem too innumerable to mention, I must try. We spend our lives counting many things, but we seldom count our blessings.

I am grateful…

… for the news in February that my wife had conceived and that we were expecting our first child. The pregnancy was relatively smooth-sailing, and there were no major complications coming our way. There were moments of some anxiety when the position of foetus didn’t seem to shift at the expected time, but it was quickly rectified by a sacrament of the anointing of the sick administered by a kind priest.

… for my ordination into the Holy Orders in June this year, on my birthday. After some years of struggling to discern my vocation in life since my entry into the Catholic Church, Mother Church had finally decided that I was ready to be conferred the sacrament of the Holy Orders. I was ordained into the Order of (Permanent) Deacons for the Diocese of Melaka-Johor and continue to serve the Church as the Director of the Diocesan Pastoral Institute. My memory of the many relatives and friends who travelled far to witness the event still invokes much gratitude in my heart.

… for a family that’s supportive of whom God has called me to be/become. I have parents who’re willing to be proud of me despite their son not being wealthily successful or having a high-flung career to brag about like many other sons do. I have a sister who continues to be a source of inspiration for me in her appreciation of life and determination to live for others. I married a wife who is meek, gentle and patient, but who has surprised me time and again with immeasurable resilience throughout trying seasons of our life together; and who has, by the way, become a superb mother to my son.

… for the birth of my son on 20 September, on the Feast of Sts Imbert and Chastan (and the Korean martyrs). He has been named Chastan Kuek Wei En. He’s a very cheerful pebble with sparkling eyes and a cheeky grin. On the more difficult days at work or ministry, he administers healing to me just by smiling and cooing when his eyes meet mine.

… for the ministry that has been entrusted to me by the Church. I consider myself very privileged to enjoy the company of many good men and women, religious and clergy, as my co-workers. Some people have asked me if getting along with religious and clergy has been a challenging thing; the answer is “no”. My situation may be quite an anomaly if compared to the more prevalent claims made by other people; in my present capacity, I’ve faced oppression from some lay people, but never from the religious or clergy before.

… for friends in the faith who have ceaselessly surprised me with the gift of loving kindness. After some experiences of rejection, persecution and betrayal in past years, the kindness I’ve experienced in these past two years from friends has become quite a heavenly treasure for me. Many gestures shown by these many friends have often left me speechless. Because of them, I am thankfully reminded to always embody the loving kindness of God to all people I meet in my life journey. It’s strange how God turns up sometimes.

… for new faces and people I inevitably meet in my ministerial journey, some of whom become friends and others who remain distant acquaintances. Every life tells a story, and I’ve learned that I must learn to listen. Every story that I’ve heard so far has tainted my life in one way or another. Our human stories are so vastly different, one from another, and yet there’s always a commonality that binds all our stories together to form a wealth of human experiences which makes us each more human.

So there you go. 2010 has been a swell year. I think I’ve learned to become more human; a little more like Jesus, I’d say. But I do need one more year ahead to journey deeper into the life of God. It may not be an easy year ahead. But I’ll see you there.

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The posting up of photos I took during my trip to Kerala, India, in May this year is long overdue.

I've finally done it.

To view them, click here.

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Cardinal-elect Kurt Koch, the new president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), has accused Protestants of renouncing the original goal of ecumenism. They have succumbed to a relativistic view of ecclesiology based on shared communion between separate Churches, he said this week, and in doing so have abandoned the proper ecumenical aim of genuine unity.

“It is decisively in this postmodern mentality characterised by pluralistic and relativistic tendencies that is found the great challenge to the search for visible unity of the Church of Jesus Christ,” the Swiss archbishop said on Monday at the opening of the PCPCU plenary assembly in Rome marking the fiftieth anniversary of the pontifical council. In a theologically dense address to his first PCPCU plenary since becoming president last July, he said this mentality was found among not only Protestants but also “many Catholics”.

The PCPCU president, who is to be made a cardinal in today’s consistory, said the current crisis of ecumenism boiled down to what he called the two “profoundly different mentalities” that shape the way Catholics and Protestants describe the nature of the Church.

“The Churches and ecclesial communities born of the Reform have renounced the ori­ginal objective of ecumenism as visible unity and have substituted it with the concept of mutual recognition as Churches,” he said.

Cardinal-elect Koch said the Churches of the Reform were marked by the “grave phenomenon of ecclesial fragmentation” and had thus adopted an “ecclesiological pluralism”. He said this sees the goal of ecumenism as “reconciled diversity” of many Churches rather than the reconstitution of visible unity (while accepting diversity) in one Church. The ­cardinal-elect claimed that Protestant ­“pluralism” among different confessional Churches “contrasts with Catholic conviction that the true Church of Jesus Christ ‘subsists’ in the Catholic Church, in other words that she is already an existing reality”. “It is clear that there is a profound difference between this Protestant view and the Catholic and Orthodox interpretation according to which the ecumenical objective cannot be inter-communion but ‘communion’, within which eucharistic communion also finds its place,” he said.

Cardinal-designate Koch made no specific mention of the Anglican Communion in his 18-page address, but in an interview with Vatican Radio before the plenary, he answered questions on the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, that provides for Anglican laity, priests and bishops to join the Catholic Church as a group.

Asked by Mario Galgano – who was press spokesman of the the Swiss bishops’ conference from 2004 to 2006 when Bishop Koch was President of the conference – whether the married Anglican bishops who wanted to come over to Rome were not “an insurmountable obstacle” for the Church, Koch admitted that married bishops were a new factor: “We already have experience with married priests. They remain married priests. But there is a problem with married bishops as our tradition … has no experience of [them]”.

One of the Anglican bishops concerned had told The Times newspaper that several thousand Anglicans wanted to come over to Rome, Koch’s interviewer reminded him. Was that not a problem for the Anglican Church?

It was “certainly” a difficult situation for the Anglican community, Archbishop Koch admitted, “but as far as our Church is concerned it is a matter of helping people who are so to speak knocking at our door … This should not prove an obstacle for ecumenical dialogue as unity is still being sought.”

[ Note: Taken from the Tablet ]

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JOINT STATEMENT
The fifth gathering of the Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU V) was held from 2 to 4 December 2010 at the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) Documentation Center at the St Louis Hospital compound in Bangkok, Thailand.

I was assisting with the drafting of the Statement and its subsequent amendments.

Twenty-nine (29) participants, representing the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), the Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA), and the Asian Pentecostal Society (APS) took part. Earlier AMCU gatherings (Hong Kong, 1996; Bali, 1998; Chiang Mai, 2001; Kuala Lumpur, 2007) were jointly sponsored and organized by the CCA and FABC. The participation by representatives of AEA started in AMCU IV and now in AMCU V the Asia Pentecostal Society was invited as the result of a suggestion from the Asian gathering of the Global Christian Forum in Seoul, Korea, on 12-16 November 2010.

The theme of AMCU V was: “One in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer” (cf. Acts 2:42). This is the theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2011. In the sharing of our faith journeys with Christ we discovered the work of the Holy Spirit among us. Throughout these days, there were presentations and fruitful and open discussions on the topics, “One in the Apostles’ Teaching”, “One in the Gift and Task of Fellowship in Christ”, and “One in the Breaking of Bread and Prayer”.

Specific issues dealing with challenges to our fellowship in Christ were also discussed in the course of the event. These issues were those such as conflict transformation, interfaith relations and cooperation, human dignity, and care for creation. There had been trustful sharing on what measures might be taken in response to these realities.

In the light of our experience at this gathering, the participants call upon the component bodies (CCA, FABC, AEA and APS) to:

1. increasingly provide support for joint efforts in addressing ecumenism at the local level;

2. facilitate more space for dialogue of faith in order that we might better understand one another’s faith convictions;

3. facilitate a greater sharing of how an emphasis on spirituality may be helpful in responding to contemporary societal challenges;

4. provide resources for the materialization and possible expansion of AMCU gatherings every three years; and

5. encourage the possible coordination and integration of themes among AMCU, the Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS) and the Asia Conference of Theological Students (ACTS).

Affirming our oneness in Christ, we look forward to the next gathering of the Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU VI) in the middle of 2013.

Christian Conference of Asia (CCA)
Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC)
Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA)
Asian Pentecostal Society (APS)

Bangkok, Thailand
4 December 2010

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DAY THREE
Day Three of AMCU V, the final day of the gathering, began with morning worship and bible study led by the candidates representing the Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA). In true Evangelical fashion, the leader led us in a reflection on the necessity of having a personal experience of being confronted with the reality of Christ in our lives. This was indeed a good reminder for all of us, and I believe, especially the participants who had been trained by their theological traditions to think that there was no longer such a thing as absolute truth. This session challenged us to once again return to the Absolute Truth, Christ the Lord.

The first session of the day then began with a panel presentation on the topic “One in the Breaking of Bread and Prayer”. An Oriental Orthodox priest, representing the CCA, shared that in the past 60 years of Orthodox participation in the World Council of Churches (WCC), they had suffered a painful inability to share a common Eucharistic table with other members of the WCC. This was, to him, perhaps the most painful reality for the Orthodox churches. The more earnestly one desired unity, the more intense the pain of non-communion was felt. He highlighted how anaethemas had been pronounced in the course of Church history, and that some had been renounced later on, but how these renunciations had failed to restore Eucharistic communion among the communities.

A Catholic priest representing the FABC spoke about the Eucharistic celebration shared in a community as a particular sign of something that “particularises them”. This was extremely thought-provoking, I felt. When a community broke bread together around the Eucharistic table, it was being confirmed in its own identity as a community that followed Jesus. The Eucharistic celebration, he said, presented an eschatological vision for a reunion with all creation in Christ. For this reason, he said, we could be hospitable to other people in many different ways, but when it came to the sharing of something sacred such as this, we had to be very careful.

The third presenter on this topic from the AEA presented his case that ecumenical engagements should focus on prayer rather than the primacy of the Eucharistic celebration. He also asked for a focus on Scripture, since this was something all Christians had in common. His arguments were understandable, given that he was a Pentecostal-Evangelical. However, such a conviction would not necessarily sit well with the Catholics and Orthodox Christians, and a greater sensitivity to what we held as being of importance might have been in better order. Then again, the Evangelicals could say the same of our insistence of the Eucharistic celebration as the summit of our union.

When the time was open for discussion, it was apparent that for Protestants the Eucharistic celebration and holy communion was a means to unity, whereas for the Catholics (and perhaps the Orthodox) it was a sign of a full unity that (should have) already existed. The Protestant contribution to this discussion seemed to be “To each his own”, for they did not mind that there were various interpretations for the Eucharistic celebration and did not see it as a hindrance to inter-communion. At times such as this, some non-Catholic brothers and sisters seemed very bent on the right to personal opinions in the teachings of the faith, preferring to leave such issues fluid and relative. Inasmuch as there existed the temptation to reduce everything to the lowest common denominator in the interest of relational friendliness, it was precisely the wrongness of doing so that rendered full communion impossible for now. This was made clear; subtle but clear.

Just after the morning tea break, the Apostolic Nuncio to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, Archbishop Giovanni d'Aniello, dropped by to visit the gathering and to briefly address the participants. It was an encouraging moment having the papal representative of this territory in our midst.

After that, the discussion rested on another topic dealing with challenges to our fellowship in Christ: care for creation. The presenter, a candidate from the AEA, presented his argument against the idea of the world as a sinking ship. He also described how the idea of perichoresis had to be integrated into our thoughts on creation. Using his local example, he cited the case of the 300 million middle-class citizens of India exploiting creation for personal financial gains. Obviously, a problem of stewardship of creation existed before us which required a solution.

A Catholic bishop, during the time allocated for responses, commented that God created man on the sixth day because if he had created man on the first day, man would have been dead by the second day. This was his way of illustrating how mankind was dependent on creation for our survival. He suggested that we should have a special ministry to the care of creation. Various other participants also contributed their views that creation should be seen as sacred. Many situational examples from various countries around the world were given.

After lunch, the participants were divided into the three main groups they represented, FABC, CCA, and AEA-APS, in order to discuss possible action plans for responses to the various concerns that had been raised throughout this AMCU V gathering.

The CCA participants expressed a deep appreciation of this gathering, especially in terms of the trust and honesty that they experienced in this meeting. They would think further about staffing and resources to support future AMCU gatherings as much as possible. The CCA participants would also like to share models of problem-solving for specific issues with other AMCU participants in the coming years. They proposed that the Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS) and Asia Conference of Theological Students (ACTS) could become the think-tanks for these ecumenical efforts.

The FABC participants would like to take the experiences from the AMCU gatherings to their respective local bishops’ conferences. They would also like to cultivate a creation-theology spirituality among the lay faithful of the Catholic Church in time to come, which would also pertain to the option for the poor. The FABC group also affirmed that the relationality which had developed among the participants of AMCU had helped them to have an openness to listen and try to understand one another’s faith convictions. It was acknowledged that the lay faithful of the Catholic Church in Asia needed much formation on ecumenism and what it meant.

The AEA would like to initiate a dialogue between the Pentecostals and Evangelicals to promote mutual understanding. They would also like to organise prayer events for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. They requested that the FABC and CCA include them in various programmes and activities. They also felt it necessary to develop more concrete strategies to address social issues, and to work on them together with the other Christian groups.

The AMCU gathering officially ended with the evening prayer followed by a sumptuous Thai dinner at the dining hall. The next AMCU would be in 2013.

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DAY TWO
Day Two of AMCU V began with morning worship and bible study led by the candidates representing the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. The participants were led once again in the journey with Christ towards Emmaus from Luke 24, being spurred to experience together again the power of the Christ’s resurrection and the empowerment he gives us by His Spirit to witness to this truth.

The sessions then resumed, beginning with a panel discussion on being “One in the Gift and Task of Fellowship in Christ”. I was tasked as a panel member on this topic. The CCA representative exposited a position that seemed quite consistent with Wesleyan perspective, especially that of “prevenient grace” although he did not employ that term per se. This concept of God’s grace at work was intricately interwoven with the Protestant position on “fellowship”.

Then I spoke on behalf of the Catholic Church, presenting the Catholic view of “fellowship”, or more strictly, “communion”. I expounded the idea of how the Catholic Church positioned Christians in “communion” with itself from varying distances. This ranged from those in “full communion” to those in “partial communion”, in differing degrees. I also shared some of the struggles we in Malaysia have faced in our handling of our fellowship with other members of Christ’s Body.

The picture above was taken immediately after the morning Mass for the delegates representing the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).

Finally, a Pentecostal presenter spoke of how the Pentecostals frequently lacked a sense of history and therefore did not see how the Holy Spirit might be at work in the larger Body of Christ. He mentioned that his Pentecostal brothers and sisters should recover that sense of how God the Holy Spirit had been at work all the time in the life of the Church, whilst also acknowledging the distinct contribution of the Pentecostal Movement in the life of the Body of Christ. I was personally very moved by the humility of this Pentecostal theologian.

The discussion following these presentations rested mostly on the whole idea of “partial communion” and “full communion” which I had explained during my presentation. Assisted by the other Catholic clergy, it was affirmed that even if our communion with other Christians was partial, this communion was nevertheless real, and that we continued to strive to embody the realness of this communion to the best of our abilities. I was also asked by a non-Catholic participant on what led me to become Catholic, so I had to share my story very briefly within two minutes; that was a feat!

The next session dealt with conflict transformation, for conflict posed a serious challenge to our fellowship in Christ. The presenter delineated his premise that divine self-giving love was the (only?) means by which reconciliation could take place. The presentation was short, succinct and inspiring. It became a springboard from which further discussions regarding conflict took place in five small discussion groups. It was utterly interesting to listen to the various contexts in which conflicts of different natures took place, within and without the Body of Christ.

After the lunch break, a presentation was delivered on interfaith relations and cooperation. Again, this was to be viewed from a framework of challenges to our fellowship in Christ. The sister, a nun, who presented this issue began with identifying what dialogue was not. To dialogue with people of other religions required a sense of mutuality and equality and a commitment to understanding others as they understood themselves. Dialogue, she added, had to be taken seriously with the aim of bringing love and justice to all.

Upon the presentation, I was the first person to present my concerns pertaining to some contents of the presentation. Firstly, I inquired, if we were to believed that no tradition could ever know anything for sure (because what we could know was only contextually conditioned), then wasn’t the notion that no tradition could ever know anything for sure itself contextually conditioned and therefore self-mitigating? Secondly, what was the place of truth in interreligious dialogue? Was reality merely a social or theoretical construction? After the presenter responded, an Oriental Orthodox priest very aptly contributed his view by saying that truth was not something to be defined by anyone; it was to be discovered.

Another concern that arose, especially among our Evangelical brothers, was the necessity of proclamation in the course of dialogue with other religions. Was it sufficient that we merely dialogued while ignoring the dimension of proclamation of our faith? On this, among the various responses offered by other participants, I contributed by echoing the position of the Catholic Church based on its documents that dialogue was an absolute necessity because we believed in a God who dialogued, but that dialogue was not the summit of evangelisation; rather, proclamation was the summit of evangelisation. If this was true, then would it not also naturally follow that all dialogue should eventually lead to proclamation?

The final session of the day dealt with another challenge to our fellowship in Christ, namely that of human dignity, gender justice and the indigenous peoples. The presenter, a lady Protestant pastor and academician, described issues of legal modern slavery in the form of migrant workers whose human rights had not been protected. She affirmed the cruciality of defending human dignity and cited human trafficking as a serious form of modern slavery. The speaker described the immediate struggle of these victims as one of claiming back their lost sense of dignity.

An Evangelical participant brought the case further during the discussion by citing women’s ordination as an issue of equality in the dignity of men and women. Certain life situations were also shared by a number of other participants as well. The participants then together identified various forms of oppression towards the dignity of others, and these forms of oppression were listed on the whiteboard. There was also lengthy discussion on what measures might be taken in response to these social problems.

It became very apparent, almost immediately, that a common preoccupation among many of the participants - especially the women participants - was the issue of gender equality. Very ironically, when someone brought up the reality of how some societies actually oppressed men rather than women, the woman moderator very quickly retorted that it wasn't a big issue and should not be listed down. I was rather tickled by the dynamics of this discussion, as it very strongly reflected the kind of "mood" hovering over the global feminist movement.

After much interesting discussion, the proceedings of Day Two ended.

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The Fifth Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU V) – a regular gathering between representatives of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC), the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), and the Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA) – took place in the FABC Documentation Centre in the vicinity of St Louis Hospital, Bangkok, from 1 to 5 December 2010. The last such gathering (AMCU IV) took place in Kuala Lumpur in June 2007, over three years ago.

The theme for this Fifth AMCU was “One in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer” (cf. Acts 2:42).

DAY ONE
As is the custom of the Roman Catholics in ecumenical gatherings, the Catholic faithful would gather for their liturgical celebration (the Mass) outside of such meetings. So the Roman Catholics gathered in the chapel at 6.20 am for the Mass before the official AMCU V meeting began.

Day One of AMCU V began with morning worship and bible study led by the candidates representing the Christian Conference of Asia. Dr Hope Antoine led us in the bible study (reflection of the Word), encouraging us to consider together what brought us closer together and what separated our unity as Christians.

After that, the 30 participants took the next hour and a half to each share their experiences with the ecumenical movement. Their stories were very interesting, given their diverse backgrounds. In these sharings, one thing was rather apparent: we are all products of our environments which have shaped our understanding, beliefs, and even religious behaviour.

After the personal introductions, Dr Hope Antoine provided an orientation to the Asian Movement for Christian Unity, explaining its history, goals, etc. This Movement began with a vision for further consultation and collaboration between the FABC and the CCA in 1993. To a large extent, such a unity has materialised, although from the Catholic perspective one needs to keep in mind that unity is more than mere consultation and collaboration – it has to be a common search for truth, or in this case, the fullness of truth.

Fr William LaRousse then also briefly explained what the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) was, its goal and purpose and function. Dr Hope Antoine did the same on behalf of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA). Finally, Dr Richard Howell gave a presentation to introduce the Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA), the newest component body of the Asian Movement for Christian Unity.

After the afternoon break, a panel of three presenters (each representing one of the three component bodies of the AMCU) presented their thoughts on the topic “One in the Apostles’ Teaching”. The CCA representative spoke of how the teachings of the Apostles from the Acts of the Apostles continued creating excitement among believers today. She noted that these teachings should bring unity rather than division among people, even among peoples of various religions.

The FABC representative explained how the teachings of the Apostles were very fundamental for the communion of the saints. To hold on to apostolic teachings would mean being in communion with the Church by putting Scripture and Tradition together even if this has been a difficult issue in ecumenical discussions. Further to that, he emphasised that the Holy Spirit was the One who brought unity in the Church. He also explained Vatican II’s position that these apostolic teachings of the Church had to find their way into the human dimension on creating more human societies. Also, beyond that, he mentioned that commitment to apostolic teachings should bring about a unity of beliefs (doctrines), not just social unity.

The AEA representative began his presentation on this topic with the doctrine of the revelation: believing in the Triune God who has revealed himself through the infallible Scripture, which is the only source of authority for the evangelicals. He also reiterated the Protestant Reformation tenet that salvation is by faith alone. These, to him, were the apostolic teachings of authentic Christianity. He then briefly expounded various theologies which were commonly considered by the Evangelicals to be apostolic teachings, e.g. eschatology, soteriology, etc.

A participant, after these presentations, asked something to the effect of saying “First of all, isn’t truth culturally conditioned? And secondly, what’s the use of truth if it doesn’t affect people’s lives in anyway?” Among the various responses, I contributed my response by stating that the Catholic perspective holds that whilst truth articulations may be culturally conditioned, there is a level at which truth itself transcends culture and contexts even though our truth articulations are not exhaustive. This was the very reason that dialogue was crucial, because when truth was being interrogated, we would seek to clarify it and articulate it more perfectly.

There seemed to be a concern arising from the discussion that the different components present at the gathering had rather different varied interpretations of ecumenism. For some traditions represented there, ecumenism was a reality already achieved in the Body of Christ. For others, it represented nothing more than a search for unity. It was important in this gathering that we look beyond our diversity and focus on our common witness despite these differences.

At the later part of the day, the participants were divided into groups of five to share with one another their respective experiences and reflections on ecumenical efforts in their countries and ecclesial contexts. The group sharing was rather vibrant and illuminating. The participants, despite coming from different contexts and situations, very clearly showed that there were various responses towards the need for a common search for unity in those places.

With that, the gathering of Day One ended.

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Some of you may remember that over three years ago, I was a participant in the Fourth Gathering of the Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU IV) held in June 2007 in the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

For those who don't remember that, here are portions of my report from that meaningful gathering:

AMCU IV (Part 1)

AMCU IV (Part 2)

AMCU IV (Part 3)

AMCU IV (Part 4)

AMCU IV (Part 5)

AMCU IV (Part 6)

AMCU IV (Part 7)

AMCU IV (Part 8)

Now, after over three years, the Fifth AMCU gathering is being held in Bangkok at the Documentation Centre of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) from 1 to 5 December 2010.

Over the next few days, therefore, I shall be posting up brief reports and personal comments on the event as the proceedings continue. If you're one to be interested in ecumenical issues, you'd be interested in this, as it is the apex of ecumenical conversations among Christians in Asia.

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