Unity for mission. In his Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, Pope John Paul II not only urges the Churches in Asia to work together to build Christian unity, but he also presents the underlying theological motivation for ecumenical engagement.  “Ecumenical dialogue,” he states, “is a challenge and a call to conversion for the whole Church, especially for the Church in Asia where people expect from Christians a clearer sign of unity.  The division among Christians,” the Pope continues, “ is seen as a counter-witness to Jesus Christ by many in Asia who are searching for harmony and unity through their own religions and cultures (EA, 30).”  Thus, ecumenical dialogue aims at “unity for mission.”  The divisions among the Churches prevent the unity of love and action which Jesus Christ desired for his disciples from being visible to neighbors of other faiths or to people of no religious commitment.  In order to carry out effectively the mission which Christ handed on to his disciples, the Churches must seek to express their unity in bearing witness to the mandate of the Risen Lord: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and ... to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, cited in EA, 18).

What is involved in the movement for Christian unity?  Although the Churches in Asia have not usually experienced open conflict among themselves, nevertheless, deeply rooted prejudices and feelings of estrangement and animosity too often characterize their relations.  A first step toward Christian unity is to seek to overcome, through study and personal contact, negative preconceptions inherited from previous generations. At the same time, Christians need to discover common elements of their one faith in Christ as a basis for common action and witness in Asian societies.  These efforts should lead to reconciliation and healing of the historical divisions among the Churches.

At its Sixth Plenary Assembly in Manila in 1995, the FABC approved the creation of the Asian Ecumenical Committee (AEC) as a joint project with the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA).  In the same year, the CCA ratified the agreement at their Tenth General Assembly in Colombo, and the AEC was given the mandate to organize joint programs to promote Christian unity in Asia.  The Seventh FABC Plenary supports the following proposals of the AEC which identify three areas to which priority must be given in the context of Christian life in Asia today.

1. Ecumenical formation.  If ecumenism is to become a part of community life of the Church in Asia, and not merely the concern of theologians and specialists, ecumenical formation must be considered a first priority.  For this reason, the Pope encouraged the Bishops of Asia to “provide adequate formation for ecumenical dialogue in the curriculum of seminaries, houses of formation and educational institutions” (EA, 30).  In order to reach the grass-roots, ecumenical formation programs should be carried out in every diocese and locality.  As a concrete step towards fostering such programs, the AEC proposes a series of regional formation programs aimed at preparing animators who can facilitate national and diocesan ecumenical formation programs.

 2. Theological study.  One of the pressing needs of the Churches in Asia is theological reflection.  In recent years, the Catholic Church has signed important theological statements together with other Churches.  Well known are The Gift of Authority with the Anglicans and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Lutherans and others with Methodists, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, and Orthodox.  However, most of these documents have not been much studied in Asia.  The AEC proposes that the Theological Concerns Offices of FABC and CCA provide an opportunity for Church leaders and theologians to study these documents in greater depth and reflect together on their implications for ecumenical realities in Asia.  Ecumenical programs for theological students and jointly-sponsored Biblical conventions should be promoted as opportunities for common theological reflection.

3. New ecumenical associations for a new millennium.  A key obstacle to ecumenical unity is the lack of effective ecumenical associations between the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches.  In Ecclesia in Asia, the Pope called upon the Bishops of Asia “to join in a process of prayer and consultation in order to explore the possibilities of new ecumenical structures and associations to promote Christian unity” (EA, 30).  The Christian Conference of Asia, in their 1990 General Assembly in Manila, committed themselves to work for ecumenical association with the Catholic Church that would take concrete form in continental, regional, and national structures. The FABC Ecumenical Desk and the CCA propose to respond to these appeals by holding an Asian consultation to explore models of ecumenical association for the new millennium. The consultation, entitled “The Third Asian Movement for Christian Unity” (AMCU III) which is to be held in early 2001, is meant to provide the Bishops and leaders of other Churches with information about various models of ecumenical association and to evaluate critically the advantages and disadvantages of each.  In this way, it is hoped that the Bishops and Church leaders will be able to make well-informed decisions about the most appropriate forms of ecumenical association at the national and diocesan levels.

Conclusion. As the Pope emphasized in his 1994 encyclical Ut Unum Sint, true unity is a gift of the Spirit which can only be obtained through prayer in common.  For this reason, the Apostolic Exhortation encourages the Bishops of Asia to promote the week of prayer for Christian unity and to “to set up and oversee ecumenical centres of prayer and dialogue” (EA, 30).

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