They came to Manila from India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. An observer came from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in the Vatican. And a representative of the European funding agencies came from the Catholic Media Council in Germany.
From the start every delegate realized that the Catholic Church is not only Benedict XVI, the Papal Curia in the Vatican, the Cardinals, the Bishops, the priests and the nuns. The Asian Church is the rank and file of Catholics all over this continent.
And the target of the Asian apostolate of communications is not only Catholics. It is every man, woman, and child in this continent – Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Hebrews, Christians, and even those who have no religion at all – all the children of God. The Word of God is Good News. And that is Good News for everybody! For all the children whom God created, and whom he loves.
During the first few sessions the stress was on: listen! Listen to the children! Listen to the young ones! Listen to those who belong to other faiths! Then you will learn what is going on in the minds and hearts of the people you are trying to serve!
When the professional journalists were asked what they expected of bishops, they said: "Talk to us!. . . . .Do not be afraid of us!. . . . . Do not be secretive. . . . . Please be transparent! Please realize that you need us. . . . .and we need you." When the bishops were asked what they expected of journalists, they said: "Please listen to us carefully. . . . .Do not misquote us. . . . . Try to understand the language of the Church. . . . .And remember – we are not politicians! We are not looking for prestige or power. We want to be the servants of the servants of God."
At the Asian Institute of Management the bishops held a video conference with Doctor Peter Stephens, who is based in Singapore, in charge of communications for the World Bank. He said: "You must live your message!. . . . You must deliver that message not only in words, but in what you do, and in what you are. No one gives what he does not have. If you want people to live in a certain way, you must live that way yourself! The message is you!"
And the video conference also included Sister Angela Zukowski, based in the University of Dayton, Ohio. She encouraged the bishops to use all the modern means of communication, now available in the INTERNET. She herself conducts outreach classes with students all over the world, by Internet. The Catholic Church has a reputation for following the rest of the world by 50 years. Sister Angela wants the bishops of Asia to be in the front line - to become the advance guard.
As a rest from strenuous concentration, the bishops were exposed to I-MAX at the Mall of Asia, watching film on the largest movie screen in the world. Mrs. Sy escorted the bishops, personally. They were impressed by the fountain at the entrance of the Mall. People throw coins into the water. Once a week the water is drained, the coins are gathered, and given to the "Pondo ng Pinoy" of Cardinal Rosales.
Mayor Lito Atienza presented his Manila Dance Troupe, which is made up of poor children from squatter areas. They performed a remarkable variety of dances, from pure ballet through the mountain dances of northern Luzon, the Muslim dances of Mindanao, the romantic dances we inherited from Spain, and finally our own joyous rural dances, ending with the Tinikling. Then they had dinner with the bishops.
The children were shy, but it gave the bishops face to face contact with the poor. Mayor Atienza is developing these poor children into professional dancers, and has adopted into his own family two children who were not only poor, and abandoned, but retarded. One of the delegates said: "Helping these poor children in the dance troupe is one of the finest things that Mayor Atienza has done!"
The high point of the whole conference came on Friday, November 24, when Her Excellency, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, had lunch with the bishops, and addressed them in the beautiful new theater of Saint Paul University, Quezon City.
During lunch, the President was engaged in conversation with Bishop Murphy Pakiam of Malaysia. Her intimate knowledge, and the gentleness of her views, fascinated Bishop Pakiam.
Bishop Gabriel Reyes spoke to her, briefly, on the subject of a casino being built in his diocese, Antipolo. The President, again, without any notes or consultation, knew all the facts of this local problem. She carries so much information in her mind, on so many things! She really works at her job.
Thaddeus Jones, the representative of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in the Vatican, was surprised that the President of the country should take such personal interest in the efforts of the Catholic Church to promote values through the media. The President said: "Thank you also for this opportunity to share out thoughts together on how media can spread the word of the Lord.
"In her address, the President said: "In the Gospel of Saint Mark, Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to spread the Good News of the Gospel to all people, in all places. . . . . You are doing what the Lord wanted you to do. . . . .what he wanted all his disciples to do. . . . . what the Lord wants all of us to do."
She thanked Cecile Guidote Alvarez of the National Council for Culture and Arts for the introduction of the UNESCO ITI "Theater For All" into the Philippines. She thanked Sister Lucila, the President of Saint Paul University Quezon City, for the professional production of a new dramatic series for TV Maria – "Sa Ngalan Ng Ama".
"It’s a very important event that we have
today – values formation in media. . . . .
We are harnessing theater and broadcast
media to spread the word of God. . . . .
The UNESCO International Theater
Institute is organizing theater courses
for teachers and students all across the
Asean Region. . . . .I want to thank all of
you for your contribution to this effort."
The President, said exactly what the bishops prayed over in their assembly, and exactly what Doctor Peter Stephens said from Singapore: "Everything beautiful and good begins in the mind and heart of each man." Each one of us should be an apostle. Each one of us should carry the Good News. We should be the Good News. But you cannot give what you do not have. It begins by giving. We must give. . . . . not only 25 centavos a day to the destitute poor. . . . . . .not only a home to the homeless. . . . . but our presence, our labor, our friendship, ourselves. If we do what we can – God will do the rest.