Kitbunchu, 25 years as cardinal defending human dignity
Feb 04, 2008
The first cardinal of the Catholic Church in Thailand, Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu celebrates a Mass in honour of his 25 years as a cardinal. He was appointed by John Paul II on February 2nd, 1983. Benedict XVI has sent him his most heartfelt best wishes.
Samphran, Nakhon Pathos (AsiaNews, 02/04/2008) - The first Thai cardinal in the history of the Catholic Church in Thailand, Cardinal Michai Kitbunchu has celebrated Mass on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his consecration. Thanking in a particular way the bishops John Nittayo and Gorge Yod Phimphisan - president of the conference of Catholic bishops in Thailand - for the support he has received from them, Cardinal Michai Kitbunchu commented: "It is a great honour to me and to the Thai Church, and also a great tribute to the Holy See in the continent of Asia. On this very special occasion I would like to thank the foreign missionaries who with their hardship and endurance first established Catholic community more than 400 years ago. The Thai Church developed, grew and flourished until today with the grace of God and the merit of the missionaries".
Born in 1930, Michael Michai Kitbunchu was ordained a priest in 1959, together with 32 other seminaries of Propaganda Fide, including another Thai. The consistory - the ceremony in which cardinals are created - took place in 1983, when Pope John Paul II named him a cardinal. Cardinal Michai Kitbunchu has always been a courageous defender of the faith, including his firm positions against abortion each time non-governmental organisations have appealed to women's rights to legalise the interruption of pregnancy
During his mandate, in the area of education the cardinal has given his full support to the Catholic churches managed by the dioceses of the country, where religious men and women offer a valuable service of formation and guidance. In particular, Cardinal Kitbunchu sees Catholic education as a right for the least privileged, and a duty in order to facilitate the development of a community. Nonetheless, the cardinal warns against the dangers of materialism and consumerism, obstacles that prevent the discernment between right and wrong. Thus, the guiding principle in society must be love, the solidarity toward one's neighbour without distinction of citizenship, race, or religion.
Recalling the need for the merciful grace of God, Cardinal Kitbunchu affirmed: "The heart of Catholicism is to demonstrate that human dignity is important for every human being, and that it is possible to live peacefully together without selfishness. Peace may occur only when people respect one another and value human dignity. Though we may be different, we are in the same human family".
Incontro interreligioso in Thailandia in onore del re
Dec 10, 2007
In Thailandia, una delegazione di 800 preti, suore e laici ha partecipato ad una cerimonia interreligiosa in onore del re della Thailnadia, Bhumibol Adulyadej, che ha festeggiato 80 anni.
(Radio Vaticana, 07/12/2007) Il cardinale Michael Michai Kitbunchu, arcivescovo di Bangkok, ha guidato la rappresentanza cattolica. La cerimonia è stata parte integrante di un raduno al quale hanno partecipato oltre 5 mila persone, tra cui musulmani, indù e sikh. Tutti insieme hanno preso parte alla grande manifestazione che si è svolta al Sanam Luang nella capitale. Gli appartenenti alle varie religioni, insieme con i membri delle comunità indiane e cinesi, hanno offerto al monarca le proprie benedizioni, nel corso di incontri separati, nel rispetto delle tradizioni di ogni singola fede. Il cardinale Kitbunchu – rende noto l’Osservatore Romano - ha salutato il re come “luce del regno che porta sviluppo e pace al popolo”. Il re, nato il 5 dicembre 1927, ha recentemente lanciato un appello per favorire la pace della nazione, segnata da tensioni politiche. “E’ ampiamente riconosciuto – ha detto il monarca – che gli sviluppi della situazione non sono prevedibili, ma possiamo dire che se il popolo tailandese non ha a cuore la situazione del Paese e la sua unità, rischiamo di andare incontro ad una vera calamità”. Il re contribuisce al sostegno dello stato sociale della nazione, tramite anche iniziative personali, compresa l’istituzione di fondazioni per l’erogazione di contributi economici.
Thailandia, messa di ringraziamento per il primo anniversario del Papa
Jul 03, 2006
Nel Paese si usa celebrare il pontificato la domenica precedente la Festa dei SS. Pietro e Paolo. A Bangkok il Nunzio ricorda la missione del Papa, costruire una società basata sull’amore, mentre il cardinale Kitbunchu invita i fedeli alla carità ed al perdono, "primi bisogni della nostra società".
Bangkok (AsiaNews, 27 Giugno 2006) – La Chiesa thailandese “si unisce a quella universale nel ringraziare Dio per il pontificato di Benedetto XVI e chiede a tutti i fedeli di pregare per la rapida realizzazione della missione del Papa, la creazione di una società basata sull’amore”.
Con queste parole il cardinale Michai Kitbunchu, arcivescovo della capitale thailandese, ha presieduto la messa di ringraziamento che si è tenuta domenica 25 giugno nella cattedrale dell’Assunzione per festeggiare il primo anniversario dell’elezione al soglio pontificio di Benedetto XVI. La messa di ringraziamento, celebrata in tutte le chiese del Paese, si è svolta in ritardo rispetto al reale anniversario, che cade il 16 aprile. Questo perché in Thailandia si usa festeggiare il pontificato la domenica precedente la Festa dei SS. Pietro e Paolo, 29 giugno.
Fra i presenti alla celebrazione di Bangkok vi erano il cardinale Renato Martino – presidente del Pontificio consiglio giustizia e pace – il nunzio Salvatore Pennacchio, sette vescovi, sacerdoti e religiose, diversi membri del corpo diplomatico oltre ai fedeli della cattedrale.
“Sappiamo tutti – ha detto il cardinale Kitbunchu durante l’omelia – che Gesù Cristo, che ha donato la sua vita per la nostra salvezza, rappresenta l’immenso amore di Dio. La Chiesa chiede ad ognuno di essere determinato nel condividere questo amore con gli altri tramite la carità, di cui la nostra società ha estremo bisogno, ed il perdono, urgente necessità per guidare l’umanità alla pace”.
“In questa occasione così speciale – ha aggiunto – la Chiesa thailandese si unisce a quella universale per proclamare la Buona novella, così ben spiegata dalla prima enciclica papale Deus Caritas Est, risposta alle domande che ci si pongono quando l’etica va in declino e cozza contro la verità della vita”.
Il nunzio, nel suo messaggio di ringraziamento, ha detto: “Io prego e desidero che la nostra comunità si possa unire con la persona e la missione del Papa, che vuole creare la cultura dell’amore. Così come ha scritto nell’introduzione dell’enciclica, in un mondo dove il nome di Dio è a volte accostato a desideri di vendetta ed all’odio ed alla violenza, questo messaggio è tempestivo e molto significativo”. “Il modo migliore per esprimere la nostra comunione – ha aggiunto – è quello di essere qui in suo onore e pregare per la sua intenzione”.
Il presidente della Conferenza episcopale thailandese, mons. George Yod Phimphisan, ha concluso ricordando che l’enciclica è stata tradotta in thai subito dopo la pubblicazione, e che estratti del testo sono stati pubblicati sul settimanale cattolico Udomsarn per rendere possibile a tutti i fedeli la lettura del testo.
Thai religious leaders call for unity in time of political chaos
May 17, 2006
Leaders of five religions have called for unity in a nation divided between opponents and supporters of Thailand's prime minister.
BANGKOK, Thailand (UCANews, 3/24/2006) – "All Thai people are patriotic and want the country to progress and develop on all fields, but now the political crisis has disturbed and worried the people," Cardinal Michai Kitbunchu of Bangkok told about 2,000 Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs March 20 at an interreligious program.
The program was organized at the Thailand Cultural Center in Bangkok by the Department of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Culture. The organizers told UCA News that the event was designed to rally religious leaders to help spread peace and unite the people during the current political crisis.
Since early February, the People's Alliance for Democracy has been staging protests demanding that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra resign over alleged abuses of power. On Feb. 24, he dissolved parliament and called a snap general election to be held on April 2. However, opposition parties are boycotting the election. Proposals to bring the different sides together to negotiate a solution or just discuss the issues have thus far failed to make any headway.
The interreligious program, which included religious rites of all five religions, was called an "Interreligious Dialogue for Unity During the 60th Anniversary Celebrations of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne."
Between Jan. 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2006, the country is celebrating the 60th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's accession to the throne.
In a lecture session during the program, Cardinal Michai stressed the importance of moral values taught by religions to solve social problems. Warning that there is no unity if there is hatred, he asked the people to "correct what is wrong and forgive each other."
Parnchai Sighsujdheb, head of the Thai Sikh Organization, reported that ever since the political crisis began, "Thai Sikhs around the country have been praying to God to avert violence."
He also said Sikhism preaches universal equality and rising above the five fundamental vices: lust, anger, greed, pride and ego. Quoting Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, he noted: "All human beings are our friends, not enemies or strangers. Humankind is one, and we should not exploit each another."
Phra Rajaguru Vamadevamuni, a Brahman priest, said people of all religions worry about a repeat of the bloodshed in 1992 when the Thai military tried to suppress pro-democracy protests that eventually brought about the resignation of the then unelected prime minister. The Brahman priest urged pro-Thaksin and anti-Thaksin parties to negotiate a solution as a gift to the king.
Sawas Sumalyasak, state counselor for Islamic affairs, asserted that "all people are united in nature by the bond of common parentage." He explained that, according to Islam, the final goal of humanity is God. He also pointed out that Thai Muslims enjoy various forms of moral and financial support from the king, including money used to translate the Qur'an into Thai.
Rev. Phuthajarn, interim Buddhist supreme patriarch, said: "All religions teach people to love each other. (When this happens,) the result is solidarity and rapport." The monk also said, "Unity is the tool of love, which in turn can heal the divide between individuals and in society."
According to the National Statistics Office, 94.6 percent of Thailand's 65 million people are Buddhists, 4.6 percent Muslims and 0.5 percent Christians. The rest are Hindus, Sikhs and people of other faiths.
Invito alla calma
Mar 22, 2006
Tensioni e proteste nella campagna elettorale, in vista del voto del 2 aprile; la Chiesa invita alla calma
Bangkok (Agenzia Fides, 7/03/2006) - Continuano le proteste di piazza in Thailandia: per la quarta settimana consecutiva numerosi manifestanti hanno sfilato nei giorni scorsi per le strade di Bangkok chiedendo le dimissioni del Premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Si teme che la tensione possa degenerare e sfociare in scontri fra i dimostranti e la polizia, schierata a presidiare la sede del governo e i palazzi istituzionali.
Le proteste si sono intensificate, dopo che il Premier ha sciolto la Camera bassa e chiamato la popolazione a elezioni anticipate, in calendario il 2 aprile. Il gesto è stato percepito dal popolo come un tentativo di Shinawatra di sfuggire alle sue responsabilità ed evitare una situazione critica. In questa situazione, che fonti locali definiscono “fluida, variabile di giorno in giorno”, la Chiesa cattolica, nella persona del Cardinale di Bangkok, S. Em. Michai Kitbunchu, ha invitato la popolazione alla calma a ha raccomandato alle organizzazioni cattoliche di non lasciarsi coinvolgere nella protesta indiscriminata o in eventuali gesti di violenza.
Il malcontento popolare verso l’operato del governo, accusato di corruzione, era già montato dal gennaio scorso. L'opposizione politica, guidata dall’Alleanza popolare per la democrazia, ha deciso di boicottare le consultazioni elettorali mentre il Premier, eletto nel 2001 con il partito “Thai Rak Thai” e riconfermato nel 2005, mantiene un’alta popolarità nelle campagne.
Fra i manifestanti, vi sono membri del movimento universitario e i monaci buddisti del “Dharma Army”, mentre 100 fra intellettuali e uomini pubblici hanno presentato una petizione al Re della Thailandia, chiedendo un suo intervento per le dimissioni del Premier e la nomina di una commissione di governo provvisorio, per garantire il corretto svolgimento delle elezioni.
The first and only Thai prelate ever to receive the red hat
Jun 17, 2005
Our sixty-first red-hat we feature, in alphabetical order is Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu, the Archbishop of Bangkok for over a quarter of a century. He was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope John Paul II in the Consistory of February 2, 1983.
(Daily Catholic, June 4-6, 1999) The Archbishop of Bangkok in Thailand is Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu who was born on the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, January 25 in 1929 in Samphran, Thailand in the archdiocese that he would ultimately head.
He studied for the priesthood at Siracha in Thailand and attained a degree in both Theology and Philosophy in Rome at the Urban Pontifical College. It was in the eternal city that he was ordained on December 20, 1959.
After further studies he returned to Bangkok where he was appointed consultant for the Archdiocese. In the mid sixties he became Rector of the metropolitan Seminary in Bangkok which he held until 1972 when Pope Paul VI named him not only bishop, but Archbishop of Bangkok on December 18, 1972. He was installed that following summer on June 3, 1973 and has remained in this post for twenty six years.
Ten years after his appointment as Archbishop, he became Thailand's first ever cardinal when Pope John Paul II included him in his second Consistory on February 2, 1983 bestowing on Cardinal Kitbunchu the red-hat and the titular church of St. Laurence in Panisperna.
He still serves membership in the Office of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples while residing at Assumption Cathedral on 51 Oriental Avenue in Bangkok 10500, Thailand.
His most recent international exposure occurred last August when he hosted the week-long World Assembly of Families which is a major challenge for Catholics in southeast Asia for Thailand's Catholic population is in the vast minority with only 4% of the sixty million Thais claiming fidelity to Rome.
Catholics mourn death of 'John Paul The Great'
Jun 13, 2005
Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu has described Pope John Paul II as "John Paul the Great" for the "great amount of work" he did.
(rveritas-asia.org, April 2005) "It is incredible that during the pope's 26-year reign, he had worked tirelessly," the cardinal-archbishop of Bangkok said at an April 3 Mass at Assumption Cathedral in the Thai capital. It is "apparent that he was one of the greatest popes in Church history," added the prelate, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand.
"The death of the head of the Catholic Church has brought great sadness and anguish to all Catholics in the Thai Church," Cardinal Michai said.
Pope John Paul died at his apartment in the Vatican at 9:37 p.m. on April 2, which was 2:37 a.m. on April 3 in Thailand. He was 84.
Highlighting the breadth of the pope's work, the cardinal said that when Pope John Paul marked the 25th anniversary of his pontificate in October 2003, he had produced 14 encyclicals, 13 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, 42 apostolic letters and about 200 volumes of speeches and talks for various occasions. The pope also guided the drafting of the new Code of Canon Law, which he promulgated in 1983, and the 1995 "Catechism of the Catholic Church," the cardinal added.
Entering the penultimate year of his pontificate, the pope also had canonized 469 saints and bestowed the title "blessed," one step away from being declared a saint, on 1,314 people. The Thai Church leader went on to cite Pope John Paul as being a key force in the collapse of European communism, as well as being the first pope to visit a Jewish synagogue, in Rome in 1986, and a mosque, in Syria in 2001. By the time of his 25th anniversary, the Polish pope had made 203 trips to 129 countries, covering 1,167,000 kilometers, equivalent to going around the world 30 times.
Cardinal Michai observed that the pope meant much for Thai Catholics too. "The Holy Father created the first-ever cardinal in Thailand, and he officially visited Thailand May 10-12, 1984. His visit brought us so much joy and happiness that we cannot forget until today," the prelate said. He became Thailand's first cardinal on Feb. 2, 1983.
The cardinal recalled the pope telling Thai Catholics during his visit: "You may be a small minority in your own country, but Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, is very much concerned for you and he takes care of you with special love." This still "echoes in our memory," Cardinal Michai said. Catholics number about 300,000 among Thailand's 62 million people. More than 90 percent of Thais are Buddhists.
Local media reported that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra expressed his condolences to Thai Catholics. He also ordered all flags to be flown at half-mast for three days beginning April 4 as a show of respect.
Cardinal Michai, who left for Rome April 4 evening to attend the pope's funeral and participate in the conclave that will elect the next pope, said, "Every Catholic here can wholeheartedly proclaim that Pope John Paul II was the greatest gift and grace that God has given to us."
Cardinal Michai, 76, is one of 10 cardinals from Asia among the 117 cardinals eligible to take part in the conclave. A cardinal loses this eligibility, as well as his eligibility to be elected pope, when he turns 80.
Meanwhile, diocesan leaders across Thailand have instructed parishes to offer Mass daily for the pope.
Bishop-elect John Bosco Panya Kritcharoen of Ratchaburi told UCA News April 4 that he sent out letters instructing parishes to offer such Masses until the pope's burial, which Vatican officials have set for the morning of April 8.
The bishop-elect expressed his wish that the late pope "will be declared a saint someday." He added that being one of the last few bishops to be appointed by Pope John Paul is "a legacy" for him to serve the Church. The pope appointed him bishop of Ratchaburi, in western Thailand, on March 18. His episcopal ordination is to take place in May.
In Surat Thani diocese, which covers 15 southern provinces, Bishop Prathan Sridarunsil told UCA News he also sent out letters all parishes directing them to offer Masses for the pope for nine days starting from April 3, in accordance with the Church's official nine-day period of mourning.
Bishop Prathan said he too would continue to draw great inspiration from Pope John Paul, who appointed him bishop of Surat Thani on Oct. 9, 2004. He pointed out that the pope worked until the end of his life despite his illness and suffering, and "never left his flock."
Chiang Mai diocese in northern Thailand has asked Catholics to wear either black or white for nine days as a sign of mourning, according to Father Narongchai Mansuksa.
The priest, secretary to Bishop Joseph Sangval Surasarang of Chiang Mai, told UCA News on April 4 that the bishop would preside at an official requiem Mass for the pope at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Chiang Mai on the evening of April 8, the scheduled date of the pope's funeral.
Thai cardinal proud to have helped choose Pope
May 06, 2005
The head of Thailand's 300,000-strong Roman Catholic community has expressed his pride of being among the cardinals who helped choose the latest pope.
BANGKOK, May 3 2005 (TNA/ mcot.org) - In an interview to Thailand's Catholic media, Cardinal Michael Meechai Kitbunchu said that helping participate in the Catholic history by being among the 115 cardinals who elected Pope Benedict XVI was a personal experience of great value.
The first Thai national to ever assist in choosing a pope, Cardinal Michael described Pope Benedict XVI as a man of gentleness and humility.
He also revealed that around 40 young Thai Catholics would attend a Catholic youth meeting in the German city of Cologne next August when the new pope paid his first foreign visit.
Thaïlande : L'avortement des enfants anormaux.
Apr 24, 2005
L'avortement d'enfants anormaux est un crime et non pas une solution, déclare l'Eglise Catholique de Thaïlande, en réponse à une résolution récente de médecins qui demandaient l'extension des lois sur l'avortement, aux enfants anormaux.
(Fides, 15.09 2001) " Tuer l'enfant que l'on découvre être anormal dans le sein de la mère, est une erreur et un acte inhumain ... La recherche médicale peut faire mieux que cela." déclare l'Eglise Catholique de Thaïlande, en réponse à une résolution récente de médecins qui demandaient l'extension des lois sur l'avortement. Les Evêques protestent contre cette violation des droits de l'enfant non-né et de la mère, et offrent au gouvernement leur appui pour trouver des solutions acceptables aux problèmes que doit affronter la société actuelle.
La loi en Thaïlande permet aux femmes de mettre un terme à leur grossesse dans deux cas : quand la santé de la mère est en danger, et dans le cas d'un abus sexuel. La nouvelle résolution présentée en août dernier par l'Assemblée des Médecins de Thaïlande, propose que l'avortement soit déclaré légal " quand on découvre que l'enfant non-né est anormal et que cela représente un danger pour la santé mentale de la mère ".
Selon les termes de ce projet de loi, chaque cas sera examiné par un psychiatre, un médecin, un assistant social ou un psychologue. La femme doit avoir " le consentement de son époux légitime ", et, pour les jeunes filles-mères mineures, la permission de leurs parents. La raison invoquée par les médecins pour justifier leur décision, est l'état actuel de la science médicale qui permet d'étudier la santé de l'enfant dans le sein de sa mère.
La réaction de l'Eglise de Thaïlande a été immédiate. Les évêques ont publié une lettre de protestation, et un Comité spécial a été créé ; il comprend des représentants des différentes Commissions catholiques, de "Justice et Paix", et des commissions pastorales pour la promotion de la famille, pour la santé des travailleurs, et des membres de Fédération de Thaïlande des Religieux.
Pour le Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu, archevêque de Bangkok, ce n'est pas seulement une erreur morale, mais une voie impropre pour résoudre un problème social. "Ce n'est pas seulement une question biologique qu'il faut résoudre du point de vue de la technologie médicale ; il faut prendre en considération d'autres valeurs morales, comme la responsabilité mutuelle ".
Il rappelle que le Catholicisme, tout comme le bouddhisme et l'islam, enseigne le respect de la vie humaine et la dignité de la vie humaine depuis le moment de la fertilisation dans le sein de la mère jusqu'à la mort naturelle. " La paix dans la société ne sera pas possible tant que l'on détruira la vie ".
Le Département National de Thaïlande pour le Contrôle des naissances et de la Population rapporte que, en 1999, sur 45.990 femmes, qui ont été l'objet d'un avortement dans 787 hôpitaux civils, 60% des mères ayant avorté l'ont fait pour des raisons économiques ou pour des problèmes d'ordre social ; 40% ont avancé le prétexte que l'enfant qu'elles portaient était anormal.
Papal Address to Thai Bishops On Occasion of Their "ad Limina" Visit
Apr 17, 2005
Here is the text of John Paul II´s address last Friday to Thai bishops on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit to Rome. Zenit Nov. 19, 2001.
Dear Cardinal Kitbunchu,
Dear Brother Bishops,
1. With great joy I welcome you -- the Bishops of Thailand -- on the occasion of your ad Limina visit. You have come to Rome to re-affirm your faith at the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and to seek guidance and strength for the service of the Gospel which has been entrusted to you. Your visit is a sign of the communion of mind and heart (cf. Acts 4:32) which unites you with the Successor of Peter in the Apostolic College. I assure you of my prayers during these days that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding (cf. Col 1:9), so that through your ministry God’s kingdom may continue to grow and make progress among your people. My thoughts go too to the priests, consecrated men and women, and laity of the Church in Thailand, and through you I encourage them to remain steadfast in faith and in the love of the Lord.
Last year’s Great Jubilee of the Birth of Jesus Christ unleashed new energies and fresh enthusiasm in the Christian community around the world, and also in your own country. It is not possible for us to know all the ways in which God touched the lives of people during the year, but we do know that many Christians experienced his merciful love, especially in the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. The countless graces and blessings of the Jubilee urge us to give heartfelt thanks to the Lord, "for he is good, for his love endures for ever" (Ps 118:1). Our responsibility now is to direct our thoughts to the future and to profit from the grace received, by developing a practical programme of pastoral renewal capable of responding to the Church’s needs at the beginning of this new millennium.
2. Your ad Limina visit is taking place almost immediately after the Tenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which has concentrated attention once more on the figure of the Bishop as a man of God whose first concern is for his own personal holiness and the holiness of God’s people. The Synod Fathers repeatedly stressed that the Bishop must be a man of prayer and growth in grace through the Sacraments; a man of exemplary life, wholly dedicated to the task of teaching, sanctifying and governing the part of God’s flock committed to his care. Today I wish to encourage you to place all your trust in Jesus Christ, who called you and consecrated you for this task. He will not fail you as you strive to respond to that call and seek to fulfil in your country the great command which the Lord gave his Apostles at his Ascension: the evangelization of all nations.
In this sense, your pastoral programme already exists. It is centred in Christ himself, "who is to be known, loved and imitated, so that in him we may live the life of the Trinity, and with him transform history until its fulfilment in the heavenly Jerusalem" (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 29). Your constant thought must be to discern what has to be done in your particular Churches in order to enable the proclamation of Christ to reach people’s hearts, to build and shape vibrant Christian communities, and to have a deep and incisive effect in bringing Gospel values to bear on society and culture.
The commitment and self-sacrifice of countless foreign missionaries has contributed much to the growth of the Church throughout Asia, and the example of their zeal should be remembered and imitated with deep gratitude. Today, however, the missionary endeavour has to be carried out primarily by Asians themselves. The pressing work of evangelization in your country will depend on the convincing witness of life, the zealous dedication, and a display of fresh energies on the part of all Thai Catholics. Likewise, the Thai Missionary Society, founded in recent years, is a maturing fruit of your local Church deserving your close support, for it is in giving to others that you too will receive all that you need from the Lord.
3. Since there can be no true evangelization "if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, are not proclaimed" (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 22), Pastors must ensure that their people receive a thorough and systematic knowledge of the person and message of Jesus Christ, a knowledge that will enable them in turn to communicate to others the saving message of the Gospel with joy and conviction. As the first teachers of the faith in your Dioceses, your task is to make the Christian message accessible to your people, explaining how the Gospel sheds light on life’s meaning amid the demands posed by contemporary society.
Though the Catholic community in Thailand forms a small minority, it is nevertheless held in high esteem for the good work that is being done in the fields of health care and education. Your Catholic schools provide instruction of a high standard, and this makes an invaluable contribution to the life of the Church and of society. By its very nature Catholic education aims not only to provide knowledge and training but also, and more importantly, to transmit a coherent vision of life, shaped by the Gospel, which will enable young people to grow in true wisdom and freedom. Contemporary society urgently needs such educational institutions to provide a solid moral training and help students to acquire the virtues and skills required for the service of God and neighbour. Students should be encouraged to engage in forms of service and volunteer work so that they may become more actively involved in the Church’s mission and learn to contribute in a real way to the renewal of society. I am confident that you will do all you can to maintain and strengthen the Catholic character of your schools and to find new ways of ensuring that the poor and marginalized, who otherwise would not have the opportunity, will be given greater access to education.
4. Since the family is the foundation of society and the place where people first learn the values which will guide them through life, it has to have a special place in your pastoral concern. In every Diocese an active family apostolate should aim at ensuring that parents and children are helped to live their vocation according to the mind of Christ, and that couples in interreligious marriages receive the help they need to avoid any weakening of faith. The family is under threat from various forms of materialism and from widespread offences against human dignity, such as the scourge of abortion and the sexual exploitation of women and children. Fresh efforts must be constantly made in your local communities to meet these difficulties and to train the lay faithful to carry out their specific mission in the temporal order, in every area of political, economic, social and cultural life.
It is essential then that both lay and religious catechists, who play such an important role in your communities, continue to be "equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:17) by receiving opportunities for systematic training, as well as through days of prayer and courses of renewal. In the task of transmitting the faith, the Catechism of the Catholic Church would be an invaluable resource.
Consecrated men and women, whose form of life enables them to bear particularly effective witness to God’s love for his people, make a significant contribution to the life of the Church in Thailand. Their special charism enables them to respond to the widespread demand for genuine spirituality and spiritual direction among the faithful. The apostolate of prayer is the secret of a truly vital Christianity in any age (cf. Novo Millennio Ineunte, 32), and for this reason consecrated men and women, particularly contemplatives, should not only offer a clear example of a life committed to prayer and reflection but should become true masters of prayer for others. It is not without significance that the Second Vatican Council reminds us that contemplatives "enlarge the Church by their hidden apostolic fruitfulness" (Perfectae Caritatis, 7).
5. It is above all in attention to the formation and welfare of priests that a Bishop shows himself to be a true pastor, and a true father, brother and friend of those who are his closest collaborators in the ministry. The Church in Thailand continues to be blessed with numerous vocations. It is important that you pay close attention to the various elements of seminary training in order to ensure that your particular Churches will always have the exemplary priests which your communities have a right to expect. Candidates need a solid grounding in the ecclesiastical sciences and a well-structured spiritual training if they are to have a proper and profound grasp of their ministry, the expression of a special sacramental configuration with Christ which cannot be reduced to a role patterned after secular careers.
During the Jubilee Year, I had the joy of beatifying a Thai priest, Father Nicolas Bunkerd Kitbamrung, who was "outstanding in teaching the faith, in seeking out the lapsed and in his charity towards the poor" (Homily, 5 March 2000, No. 3). Blessed Nicolas is a true model for Thai priests and I am confident that his example will inspire seminarians and priests to understand that, far from being a mere custodian of ecclesiastical institutions, the priest should always think of himself as a living instrument of Christ the eternal High Priest (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 12). His life "is a mystery totally grafted on to the mystery of Christ and of the Church in a new and specific way" which "engages him totally in pastoral activity" (Directory for the Life and Ministry of Priests, 6). In a real sense, the priest in his identity and in his activities of preaching the word, celebrating the Sacraments and spreading God’s Kingdom, must be Christ for others; he must put on the "very mind of Christ" (cf. 1 Cor 2:16). At a time when there is a deep yearning for authentic spirituality, the priest must be a man of prayer, familiar with God’s word and strong in his attachment to the Lord. Since the message we preach is the truth about God and man, priests should dedicate particular attention to the preparation of the Sunday homily, so that the faithful may come to know how the Gospel sheds light on the path of individuals and society. A close relationship between the Bishop and his priests, and fraternal cooperation between priests themselves, help to build the Diocese as a family in which all the members -- Bishop, priests, religious and laity -- can place their gifts and talents at the service of Christ’s Body.
6. As you well know from daily experience, evangelization in Asia, a continent shaped by ancient cultures and religious traditions, presents particular challenges. The Church accomplishes her missionary task in obedience to Christ’s command, in the knowledge that every person has the right to hear his saving message in all its fullness. She must do so with respect and esteem for her listeners, taking account of their philosophical, cultural and spiritual values, and engaging in dialogue with them. In your country, as in the rest of Asia, the question of interreligious dialogue is a pressing one. Contact, dialogue and cooperation with the followers of other religions represent both a duty and a challenge for you. Thailand’s ancient monastic tradition should provide a point of contact and fellowship which can foster fruitful dialogue between Buddhists and Christians. That tradition is a reminder of the primacy of the things of the spirit and should act as a counter-balance to the materialism and consumerism which affect such a large part of society.
The truths of the faith which form the content and context of this missionary task are the doctrine of Jesus as the one Saviour of the world and the Church as the necessary instrument of God’s redemptive plan. These are truths which must be proclaimed in a reasoned and convincing manner, so as to invite those who hear them to ponder them with an open heart. At the beginning of a new millennium the Church in Thailand is being challenged to present the mystery of Christ in a way that corresponds to your people’s cultural patterns and ways of thinking, by drawing on the positive elements of Thailand’s great human patrimony. On the other hand, the process of inculturation calls for careful discernment on your part to ensure that the principles of compatibility with the Gospel and communion with the universal Church are fully respected. Clearly, inculturation is more than external adaptation, for it entails "the intimate transformation of authentic cultural values through their integration into Christianity and the insertion of Christianity in the various human cultures" (Redemptoris Missio, 52). I urge you to make continuing efforts in this field, so that the truths and values of the Gospel will be seen ever more clearly as responding to your people’s genuine spiritual and human needs and aspirations.
7. Dear Brother Bishops, my thoughts often turn to your land and to its people. With affection I pray that the graces of the Great Jubilee will continue to strengthen your attachment to Christ and your commitment to evangelization. I ask Mary, bright Star of Evangelization in every age, to intercede for the people you serve and to lead all of you to the saving encounter with her Son, our Redeemer. To her I entrust the needs and hopes of your particular Churches, as well as the burdens and joys of your episcopal ministry. To you and the priests, religious and laity of your Dioceses I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.
[Original text: English; distributed by Vatican Press Office]
Michai Kitbunchu, primo cardinale dalla Thailandia
Apr 17, 2005
Il cardinale ha saputo animare l'arcidiocesi di Bangkok in campo vocazionale, come dimostra l'incremento dei seminaristi nei seminari arcidiocesani maggiore e minore. Dal 1973 al 1998 il cardinale ha ordinato 137 preti in tutta la Thailandia.
Città del Vaticano (AsiaNews, 14 Aprile 2005) – Il card. Michael Michai Kitbunchu, arcivescovo di Bangkok, è il primo membro del Collegio cardinalizio a provenire dalla Thailandia.
È nato il 25 gennaio 1929 a Samphran. Si licenza in Filosofia e in Sacra Teologia a Roma presso il Pontificio Collegio Urbano "de Propaganda Fide". Viene ordinato sacerdote il 20 dicembre del 1959. Tornato in patria è viceparroco e quindi parroco a Bangham, mentre qualche anno dopo gli viene affidata la parrocchia molto importante del Calvario, nella capitale. Riceve la consacrazione episcopale il 3 giugno 1973. Creato e pubblicato cardinale nel Concistoro del 2 febbraio 1983, del Titolo di San Lorenzo in Panisperna. Dal maggio 2000 è Presidente della Conferenza Episcopale di Thailandia.
Conoscitore di diverse lingue, oltre al thai e al latino parla l'inglese, l'italiano, il francese e il cinese, il card. Kitbunchu ha dimostrato di essere un infaticabile pastore e amministratore. Ha dotato la Chiesa locale di varie e importanti nuove istituzioni, tra cui l’ospedale St. Louise per i poveri, diretto dall’arcidiocesi di Bangkok e il Centro pastorale, Baan Phu Waa, che ospita eventi nazionali e internazionali (nel 2000 la Federazione delle conferenze episcopali asiatiche – FABC).
Il cardinale ha saputo animare l'arcidiocesi di Bangkok in campo vocazionale, come dimostra l'incremento dei seminaristi nei seminari arcidiocesani maggiore e minore. Dal 1973 al 1998 il cardinale ha ordinato 137 preti in tutta la Thailandia.
La difesa della famiglia è l’obiettivo principale del suo piano pastorale. Kitbunchu si è sempre mantenuto fermo sul rifiuto dell’aborto, nonostante i vari sforzi del Governo per legalizzarlo. “L’aborto è un grande crimine” ha dichiarato “perché colei che deve proteggere la vita del bambino nel suo grembo, in questo modo diventa quella che la distrugge”.
Durante la crisi economica del 1997 il cardinale ha mostrato la sua personale preoccupazione per la disoccupazione e ha chiesto alle organizzazioni ecclesiastiche di non licenziare il loro personale. Egli ha anche invitato le scuole cattoliche di venire incontro alle famiglie per il pagamento delle tasse scolastiche.
La maggior parte dei cattolici definisce il card. Kitbunchu come un uomo di grande umanità, modestia e energia. A confermare queste doti sono anche personalità esterne al mondo cattolico, tra cui il principe Baromorasathiraj e la principessa Sirinthorn.
È membro delle Congregazioni: per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti; per l'Evangelizzazione dei Popoli.
Su una popolazione di 64.865.523 abitanti in Thailandia i buddisti sono il 95%, i musulmani il 3,8%, i cattolici sono lo 0,5%.
Thai Cardinal refusing funeral mass for drug traffickers
Apr 17, 2005
Amid the Thai government's war on illegal drugs, the president of the country's Catholic Bishops' Conference says the Church will refuse funeral Masses to Catholics who produce or sell drugs.
(UCA News, 12 May 2003) Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu of Bangkok explained the pastoral policy concerning illegal drugs to some 100 priests of Bangkok archdiocese during a meeting at the end of April.
The bishops agreed on the policy during their plenary meeting in March.
"If Catholics who die are found, with convincing proof, to have been producers or dealers of illegal drugs, they will incur a Church penalty," he said. "Priests must not say a funeral Mass for them and must not allow them to have a Christian wake at a church hall."
He explained that these are "people who destroy society," and their drug dealings are "the acts of indirect murder" of innocent people.
Michael Kitbunchu, 76, Archbishop of Bangkok
Apr 16, 2005
Michael Kitbunchu was born Jan. 25, 1929, in Samphran, in the then Apostolic Vicariate of Bangkok, Thailand.
(Zenit, April 10, 2005) He studied at the minor seminary of Siracha, in Thailand, and then in Rome at the Urbanian College of Propaganda Fide, earning a licentiate in philosophy and sacred theology. He was ordained a priest on Dec. 20, 1959.
When he returned to his country he served as assistant pastor and then pastor at Bangham, and a few years after, he was given the important parish of Calvary in the capital city.
As archdiocesan consultor, he became rector of the metropolitan seminary of Bangkok in 1965 until December 1972 when Paul VI appointed him archbishop of Bangkok. He was ordained on June 3, 1973. He was elevated to cardinal in 1983.
He has been president of the Thai bishops' conference since May 2000.
Curial membership:
• Divine Worship and the Sacraments, Evangelization of Peoples (congregations)
Aid should be targeted, says Bangkok Cardinal
Apr 16, 2005
First, long-terms storable food and cooking tools are needed; next come housing and schools. Meanwhile, missioners say that many children thought orphaned are finding their parents.
Bangkok (AsiaNews, 3 January, 2005) – Card Michael Michai Kitbunchu, Archbishop of Bangkok, said that nine days after a tsunami devastated south-east Asia, Churches around the world have offered their assistance to the Thai Catholic Church.
Cardinal Kitbunchu, who is also chairman of the Bishop’ Conference of Thailand, said however that aid must be targeted. Careful consideration must be given as to how to best use aid in order to avoid waste.
“Some of our neighbours,” the Cardinal said,” are in a worse situation that us. We shall not profit from the situation but will consider the primary needs of the population telling donor exactly how and on what project their money will be spent”.
Speaking about hardest-hit diocese of Surat Thani, in the southern part of the country, he said the Bishops’ Conference will do its utmost to ensure that the “displaced find shelter”.
“If it is feasible,” he suggested, “we will launch a campaign asking every church in the world to rebuild a house” adding that it was also important to rebuild the schools “for all the children, but especially for those who lost their parents”.
Despite the more than 150,000 victims, people can learn something from this catastrophe, according to Cardinal Kitbunchu. If nothing else, “this emergency,” he insisted,” must teach us to be responsible for the fate every human being regardless of race and religion.”
In Thailand, he added, “believers of every confession are mourning the victims according to different rituals but all united by a sense of solidarity never seen before”.
The Bishops’ Conference of Thailand is collecting information to plan its short-term actions. Currently, there is enough food and clothing, but long-term storable food and cooking tools are needed.
Yesterday, Sunday mass collections were devolved to the Bishops’ Conference to go to pay for its first aid operations.
At the same, reassuring news about the situation of children in Thailand are allaying fears provoked by allegations of tsunami orphan trafficking in neighbouring Indonesia.
PIME missioners told AsiaNews that many children are finally being reunited with their parents after their photos were broadcast on television, whilst others are being hosted by local families.
On The Dialogue With Buddhists In Thailand
Apr 16, 2005
Chiara Lubich’s first meeting in Thailand was with Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu, the Archbishop of Bangkok who, when informed about the programme of her visit, assured her of the Church’s blessing.
(focolare.org, 1998) On the 3 January a meeting with the Supreme Patriarch of Thai Buddhism, Somdet Phra Nyanasanvara, took place.
Also present was the Master Thongrattana Thavorn with two young monks. The meeting was held in an atmosphere of the utmost affability and serenity.
The Patriarch, who is 83, radiates a deep spirituality. He gave his assent and his encouragement to the dialogue of Chiara and the Focolare Movement with the Grand Master Ajahn Thong - a leading figure in Thai Buddhism, known internationally for his translation of the Buddhist Canon - and the Master Thongrattana Thavorn.
The Patriarch spoke of his great desire for harmony and peace between religions and expressed his great respect for the Pope.
Then on the feast of the Epiphany and on 7 January Chiara visited Thailand’s second city, Chiang Mai (700 km from Bangkok, in the north of the country), a city rich in an extraordinary religious tradition which still today is alive and flourishing.
Chiara arrived in the Auditorium of the Mahayulasachu Buddhist University, which was full to overflowing, mainly with young Buddhist monks. Several other rooms were linked up on closed circuit TV. Altogether there were about 800 young people present.
"This is an historic moment," exclaimed the Abbot of the Temple Wat Rampoeng, "for this temple and for this university: Chiara is a ‘world-person’, a leader of interreligious dialogue of international standing."
Then the Grand Master Ajahn Thong invited her to tell her spiritual experience, so that it could become the subject of deep reflection at the university. And Chiara, leaving aside her prepared text, spoke spontaneously to those young people who were so attentive, who have such a rich interior life and such purity of heart.
She told them about various experiences she had lived, demonstrating how the Gospel law of love has become the secret of a new life. She explained the four points in this art of loving: love everyone; be the first to love; "make yourself one with the other", love them as yourself ... Her words were received in a deep way by the young people, accustomed as they are to listening to and putting into practice the "noble virtues" of Buddhism.
She went on to speak about the growth of the Focolare Movement, the fruit of this experience, right up to the new blossoming of interreligious dialogue revealed during her visit.
There then followed an intense dialogue. There was a lively desire to get to know more about this spirituality, and about Christianity, and to build kinship between the faithful of all religions.
Chiara ended by inviting the young monks to "aim high". They gave their assent in a very lively way with a choral expression of thanks.
On 7 January, the appointment was at the monastery of the Grand Master Ajahn Thong, with its meditation centre of which he is the teacher, and with its precious library of Buddhist texts which, as a special privilege, Chiara was allowed to visit.
The Grand Master introduced Chiara to more than 100 nuns in their white habits and to 70 monks and lay men and women (some of them European) who were there to spend some time in a Buddhist monastery. It was the first time that a Christian and a woman, had addressed them. "The wise person," said the Grand Master, "is neither man nor woman, neither child nor adult ... When someone switches on a light in the dark, you don’t ask who it is. Chiara is here to give us her light."
Chiara recounted the beginnings of her spiritual adventure to an audience which was listening intently. Afterwards there many profound questions and answers.
The Grand Master invited Chiara to speak about Loppiano, the Focolare international town near Florence, where he spent some time with the Master Thongrattana Thavorn. The latter stood up and spoke about what he had found in the Focolare: "love which responds to love" and he invited them all to "go to Loppiano to see what love is".
Cardinal Francis Arinze, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, commenting on this event, said: "When you meet the faithful of another religion, if they are people with a great spiritual depth, open to the action of God, immersed in their faith, then something marvellous happens. Because that spiritual depth, that language of the heart, arrives where the head does not arrive. So, Divine Providence can do much."
Thai cardinal says thousands of victims are workers from Myanmar
Apr 15, 2005
Thousands of unidentified tsunami victims and missing persons in Thailand are undocumented workers from Myanmar, a Thai cardinal said.
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNS, Feb-10-2005) -- Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu of Bangkok said sources in southern Thailand told him that many of the unidentified were from Myanmar, formerly Burma. He also said that there were likely many undocumented missing Burmese not recorded in official totals.
Between 800,000 and 1 million Burmese live in Thailand; most of them are undocumented, the cardinal said.
He said the exact number of Burmese killed in the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis will never be known, but added he guaranteed "that the number will be in the thousands."
Cardinal Kitbunchu said Feb. 8 that the Church has reached out to Burmese in the six southern Thai provinces affected by the tsunamis. He said the Church has paid about $25 to Burmese they've identified who either have lost a family member or job because of the tsunami.
"The Church will try to do its best to support and assist them," he said of the Burmese.
He said that the Church also has lobbied the Thai government to ensure that the Burmese are treated humanely and that their rights will be protected.
The cardinal said Church workers circulated fliers in southern Thailand informing Burmese workers that the Church would assist them in their recovery from the tsunami disaster. He said most undocumented workers will not seek help out of fear of being deported or arrested.
"These are not the type of people who will live in the camps. It is our duty to find them and help them. At the moment we are helping them," he said.
The cardinal said that an ongoing conflict between Myanmar's military government and various ethnic groups complicated the Church and Thai government's response to the Burmese affected by the tsunamis. Many of those involved in the conflict have fled to Thailand, where they work illegally. In the past, help offered to undocumented Burmese gave the appearance that Thailand supported those fighting Myanmar's government, he said.
"This has created problems for the Church in Myanmar and has caused problems for the Thai government," the cardinal said.
Nearly 1,800 recovered bodies remain unidentified and more than 3,000 people remain missing in Thailand from the Dec. 26 tsunamis, according to the latest statistics by Thailand's Home Ministry. About 5,400 people have been reported killed; nearly 1,800 of them were foreigners, the ministry said.
Le cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu viendra au conclave
Apr 15, 2005
Le premier cardinal thaïlandais, Michael Michai Kitbunchu, 76 ans, crée cardinal le 2 février 1983, sera un des dix cardinaux venant de l’Asie pour participer au conclave. Il décrit Jean-Paul II comme « un pape extraordinaire qui a accompli un travail monumental pendant ses 26 ans de papauté », « un grand pape que l’Eglise n’a jamais connu » a-t-il dit.
(Les Missions Étrangères de Paris, 08/04/2005) Les catholiques thaïlandais n’oublieront jamais sa visite en 1984. L’échos de sa voix retentit encore dans nos mémoires « Vous êtes une petite minorité de catholiques dans votre pays, mais Jésus Christ, le Bon Berger, vous estime, Il prend soin de vous avec un amour très particulier ». Avant de quitter la Thaïlande pour le conclave, le cardinal a encore ajouté : « Jean-Paul II était un pape extraordinaire, c’est une grâce accordée par Dieu. »
Le journal local rapporte que le Premier ministre Thaksin Shinawatra a exprimé sa condoléance aux catholiques thaïlandais. Il a demandé à ce que les drapeaux nationaux soient mis en berne en signe de respect.
La Thaïlande à 90 % bouddhique n’abrite qu’environ 300 000 catholiques sur une population totale de 62 millions d’habitants.
Thailand’s Catholics mourn Pope
Apr 14, 2005
Several hundred Thai Catholics across the country have gathered in prayer to mourn the death of Pope John Paul II.
BANGKOK, April 3 2005 (TNA) – Prayers were held at the Assumption Cathedral in downtown Bangkok, presided over by the Thai Cardinal, Meechai Kitbunchu.
A Vatican statement said the 84-year-old Pontiff died Saturday evening in his private apartment.
The cardinal told the mass that the Pope had passed away at 2.37 am (Thailand time) on Sunday.
After the mass, the cardinal told journalists that he planned to travel to the Vatican within the next two days to participate with other cardinals in the election of the Pope’s successor.
The new pope must be elected within 20 days of the death of the Pontiff.
In December when Thailand was hit by the tsunami, the Pope sent a message expressing his sorrow and donated US$50,000 to help aid the disaster victims.
The Pope also urged Roman Catholic Church relief agencies to help provide more than US$5 million in assistance to the tsunami victims, the cardinal said.
The late Pope visited Thailand between 10-11 May 1984, when he called on the King, Queen and other members of the Royal family.
He also visited a Cambodian refugee camp in Phanas Nikom district of ChonBuri province and urged the international community to help refugees.
Church Responds To Victims Affected By Tidal Waves
Apr 14, 2005
The Church in Thailand has appealed for assistance to help poor fishing communities and others affected by tidal waves that killed hundreds of people along southern coastline.
BANKGOK (UCAN, 28th December 2004) -- Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu of Bangkok, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand, in his announcement Dec. 27 asked Catholics in the country to give financial and material supports to victims of tsunamis.
The tsunamis, a term in Japanese for a series of waves generated by underwater seismic disturbances, were caused by a powerful earthquake erupted on Dec. 26 underwater off Sumatra, Indonesia, sending walls of water thousands of kilometers, killing some 12,000 people in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka, with thousands more are still missing or unreachable.
Government media said the waves along the western provinces of Satun, Trang, Krabi, Phuket, Phangnga and Ranong, killed at least 430 people, injuring more than 4,000. It has no number of people missing or unaccountable for.
Cardinal Michai told UCA News that the conference will also organize a prayer service for the victims of this tragedy in the future.
Father Phibul Visitnonthachai, director of the Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR), said his office under the bishops’ conference will coordinate the massive assistance on behalf of the Thai Catholic Church. His office will spearhead this assistance campaign.
He told UCA News Dec. 27 his agency will specially focus on the emergency relief for poor fisherfolk who were very much affected by tsunamis.
Father Phibul said he requested Stigmatine Father Suebsak Kluimai Na Ayudhya, who represents COERR in Surat Thani diocese, to make an initial survey of fisherfolk of small boats in every province so his agency can begin to respond to “these suffering poor people.”
He said food, clothing and an initial fund of 100,000 baht (US$2,500) are needed for emergency relief. He added that substantial funds will be needed later for relief assistance and rehabilitation after the information of damages to families is available.
He said an initial report he received from Ranong, where Father Suebsak is stationed, says at Suksamran village, 1,300 homes were swept into the sea, killing 27 people, and in Muangpluang village, 500 homes were destroyed. He said schools and health and social service places were also destroyed.
Father Manop Phongla-eead, parish priest Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Ranong, told UCA News that a parishioner told him that six of his relatives at Suksamran were swept away by the killer waves.
He said reports from other provinces are sketchy, but he said his agency will focus more on poor villages like in Ranong where they do not receive much attention from media such as popular beaches and resorts in Phuket.
Salesian Bishop Prathan Sridanusil of Surat Thani said Church personnel gave him the reports that none of them are harmed. He added the tragedy happened in the time where most priests were preparing for Mass for the feast of the Holy Family. He told UCA News that most mission churches and schools are not damaged, or the damages are nothing as compared to the loss of lives.
He said “Church workers have admirably responded to the emergency situation in each local church in such a circumstance.” He added that he is ready to leave Hua Hin, 240 kilometers southwest of Bangkok, and is on his way to visit all the affected provinces to survey damages for Church responses.
Sister Rosa Suphathongamphai of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary said the members of her community that run schools in Phuket went out to retrieve people escaping from the waters, and those who were injured.
Stigmatine Father Pipat Rungruangkanokkul, provincial of the congregation whose work is mainly in southern Thailand, told UCA News Dec. 27 his confrere who was scheduled to say Mass in Patong and Bangthao Beaches around the Phuket island could not enter as the beaches were cordoned off by officials.
Father Suebsak told UCA News Dec. 27 that the chapel in Patong was completely destroyed.
Father Pipat said at St. Agnes Church in Krabi, about 700 meters from Nopharat Thara beach, Stigmatine Father Pornchai Techapitaktham, the parish priest, was ready for Mass as Catholics had begun to arrive when the waves started crashing in. He said Father Pornchai along with some strong adults went to retrieve old and sick people who were at home.
Bishop Prathan said Father Pornchai beside setting up an emergency shelter for affected villagers on the church area, he also worked with local Buddhist temples in taking care of the dead.
Father Pipat said the parish priest and parishioners saw many homes of Catholics were damaged, but their task was to get old people to safety.
He said as his confreres are coordinating with Father Phibul to give support to the people affected in Ranong, Trang and Phangnga.
COERR, founded in 1978 by the late Father John Baptist Bunlert Tharachatr, provides emergency relief to refugees from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, as well as to Thai people in border areas affected by war
Catholics told to gather in prayer every day
Apr 14, 2005
Thailand's 400 Catholic churches have been told to gather in prayer every day between 7-8pm to mourn the death of Pope John Paul II until the pontiff's funeral comes to an end.
(Bangkok Post, Monday 04 April 2005) “The Pope devoted himself to the Catholic community until his last breath,” Cardinal Michael Meechai Kitbunchu told a mass at Assumption Cathedral in downtown Bangkok.
The cardinal was scheduled to leave today for the Vatican where he would join other cardinals in helping to elect the Pope's successor.
The cardinal is one of 117 cardinals under 80 years old from across the globe who will elect a new pope.
The cardinal said the death of Pope John Paul II is a great loss for all Catholics and the world community. He said when Thailand was hit by the Dec 26 tsunami, the Pope sent a message to Thais to express profound sympathy and donated $50,000 to the victims. He also asked all Catholic relief organisations to raise $5 million in donations to be sent to victims in countries ravaged by the disaster.
Message of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand On the cataclysm due to earthquake On Sunday December 26, 2004
Apr 14, 2005
My dear brothers and sisters,
As you have already been aware of from mass media, the tsunami in the Andaman Sea hit the southern provinces of Trang, Phuket, Phangnga, Krabi, Satun and Ranong, causing thousands of deaths, injuring many thousands more. Thousands of people are still missing. The tragedy has caused great suffering to a large number of people. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand wishes to express its heartfelt condolence and concern to every family affected by this tragedy.
Pope John Paul II Appeals for International Solidarity and Assistance
At the Angelus prayer of Sunday December 26, 2004, the Holy Father appealed to all Christians throughout the world to pray for the people who are affected by this cataclysm, which struck at the same time many countries such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Maldives and Thailand. The pope appealed to everyone to join in solidarity with the affected people in their sorrows. He also urged all Christians to be generous in giving relief assistance for survivors and those affected by the tsunami.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, through COERR (Catholic Office for
Emergency Relief and Refugees) wishes to invite every Catholic institution and all parishioners to respond to the appeal of the Holy Father. We invite you to pray for those who have been affected by this killer waves. We also ask you to be generous in your donation whether it is money, or necessary relief assistance. We ask all parishes, religious congregations and Church departments to collect all donations and send them immediately to the Secretariat of the Catholic Bishops' Conference. For those who wish to make a check, please make it payable to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand (Secretariat).
The Catholic Bishops' Conference wishes to thank you for your kind collaboration. We, the bishops, pray that God will move the hearts of all Catholics in the country to be open and understand the suffering of our Thai brothers and sisters in southern Thailand.
May God bless you,
Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu
President
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand
Source: thaicatholic.org
Thailand and the Catholic Church
Apr 14, 2005
Several hundred Roman Catholics gathered for prayers at Assumption Cathedral here, presided over by Cardinal Meechai Kitbunchu, who remembered that after the December tsunamis the pope had sent his condolences and urged Catholic relief agencies to provide $5 million in aid.
(New York Times, April 3 2005) BANGKOK - Although an overwhelmingly Buddhist country, with only about 300,000 Catholics among the population of 62 million, Thailand received Pope John Paul II in 1984, and officials said both Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Foreign Minister Kantathi Supamongkhon were sending messages of condolence to the Vatican.
"His death is a loss not only for the Catholic Church but for other people as well," said a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Sihasak Phuangketkeow. "We remember him as a man who devoted his life not just to the church but to the cause of peace, social justice and human dignity."
La formation spirituelle en tête du programme des écoles catholiques
Apr 14, 2005
"Malheureusement, a ajouté Mgr Michai Kitbunchu, les objectifs spirituels de nos écoles catholiques ont été peu à peu négligés. Pour certaines institutions de prestige, l'augmentation des recettes est devenue prioritaire. L'Eglise locale a consacré des sommes énormes à la construction de grandes et magnifiques écoles, qui impressionnent et qui attirent les candidats, et bien sûr, plus il y a de candidats, plus le prix des inscriptions augmente..."
(eglasie.mepasie.org 16/06/1993) Les écoles catholiques doivent donner la priorité à la formation spirituelle de leurs élèves, vient de déclarer l'archevêque de Bangkok, pour que ces futurs responsables joignent la valeur morale à la compétence.
S'adressant aux cent-vingt prêtres (104 diocésains et 16 religieux) qui participaient à la retraite annuelle du 11 au 17 avril, à Pattaya, le cardinal Michel Michai Kitbunchu a rappelé le rôle des institutions scolaires catholiques dans un pays en grande majorité bouddhiste.
Les bouddhistes représentent environ quatre-vingt-dix pour cent des 58 millions d'habitants de la Thaïlande. Les chrétiens comptent pour moins de cinq pour cent. Mais à lui seul l'archidiocèse de Bangkok a trois universités (Saengtham, Assomption et Saint-Jean) et 124 écoles (39 dirigées par l'archidiocèse, 22 par des instituts religieux et 52 par des laïcs catholiques), fréquentées par des élèves de diverses confessions et religions : protestants, catholiques, musulmans, bouddhistes...
Or, a souligné le cardinal, "la formation spirituelle et morale doit être donnée à tous les élèves, pas seulement aux catholiques. Des professionnels tout à fait qualifiés et des personnalités de premier plan qui servent aujourd'hui le gouvernement avec compétence doivent d'ailleurs leur formation à nos établissements
"Malheureusement, a ajouté Mgr Michai Kitbunchu, les objectifs spirituels de nos écoles catholiques ont été peu à peu négligés. Pour certaines institutions de prestige, l'augmentation des recettes est devenue prioritaire. L'Eglise locale a consacré des sommes énormes à la construction de grandes et magnifiques écoles, qui impressionnent et qui attirent les candidats, et bien sûr, plus il y a de candidats, plus le prix des inscriptions augmente..."
Il faut rompre avec une telle logique, demande l'archevêque de Bangkok, "il nous faut diriger nos écoles comme des oeuvres éducatives, qui contribuent à former des gens en qui s'unissent valeur morale et compétence. Pour résister aux courants matérialistes de la société thai, les dirigeants et les responsables des écoles catholiques doivent coopérer, coordonner leurs efforts pour mettre davantage l'accent sur les dimensions spirituelles de l'éducation, en vue de donner au monde de demain des hommes et des femmes à la fois instruits, capables et dotés de qualités de coeur."
Focolare founder in Asia for dialgue with Buddhists
Apr 14, 2005
VATICAN (CWN, Jan. 03, 1997) -- Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare movement, has spent the first days of the new year in Asia, where she is speaking about her spiritual experiences to both Catholic and Buddhist audiences in Thailand, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
Upon her arrival in Bangkok on December 31, Lubich met with that city's Cardinal Michal Kitbunchu. Today, she is scheduled to meet with one of the most prominent Buddhist spiritual leaders in Thailand.
The Focolare founder, who received UNESCO's prize for work toward world peace in 1996, was invited to Thailand by Suprom Manayatera, the spiritual master of some 3 million Thai Buddhists, and his disciple Thongrattana Thavorn, who also asked her to speak at Ching Mai University in Thailand on January 6. On the following day she will meet with Buddhist monks and lay faithful at Suprom Manayatera's monastery.
On January 5 Lubich will be awarded an honorary doctorate by St. John's University in Bangkok in recognition of "the power of communication of her message of peace and unity." On January 22, she is scheduled to address the general assembly of the Filipino bishops' conference. Finally, her Asian tour will conclude in Taiwan at Fu Jen University, the first Chinese Catholic university, which was moved from Beijing to Taipei in 1961. There too she will be given an honorary doctorate, and speak at a meeting organized by the nation's episcopal conference as well as a meeting of her own Focolare followers.
Chiara Lubich founded the Focolare movement to pursue the realization of the prayer of Jesus, "that all may be one." She argues that the obstacles to dialogue between Catholics and Buddhists "have fallen," and "new perspectives" are now opening up avenues toward further dialogue. This is her third trip in Asia.
Keine Beerdigung für Drogenhändler
Nov 18, 2004
Für Drogenhändler oder -produzenten soll es in Thailand keine kirchlichen Beerdigungen mehr geben.
(kontinente.org, 4/2003) BANGKOK - Dieses Verbot sprach Bangkoks Kardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu in einem Brief an alle Priester seiner Diözese aus. Solche Menschen zerstörten die Gesellschaft und vor allem das Leben von Kindern. Drogenhandel sei “indirekter Mord” an unschuldigen Menschen. Mit seinem Schreiben will der Kardinal nach eigenen Angaben die Anti-Drogen-Kampagne der Regierung unterstützen
Kitbunchu, 25 years as cardinal defending human dignity
Incontro interreligioso in Thailandia in onore del re
Thaïlande : L'avortement des enfants anormaux.
Keine Beerdigung für Drogenhändler