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Change the way pastoral care is understood, say East Asian Catholics

It is not to change doctrine but to bring change in pastoral methods and make it acceptable to all
Change the way pastoral care is understood, say East Asian Catholics

Chinese Catholics leave after a church service at the East Cathedral in Beijing in this 2013 file photo. (Photo by AFP)

Published: April 13, 2016 08:03 AM GMT
Updated: April 13, 2016 08:07 AM GMT

In a three-part series of features, ucanews.com explores reactions and issues from Catholic leaders in the regions we cover about Pope Francis' April 8 apostolic exhortation "'Amoris Laetitia" (The Joy of Love), on Love in the Family." Today’s feature examines their call for specialized pastoral care of contemporary families in East Asia.

 

Church leaders in East Asia say they are happy that Pope Francis' exhortation Amoris Laetitiahas affirmed traditional church teachings on marriage and the family but point to the need for a change in the way pastoral care is understood while administering to them.

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing of Hong Kong told ucanews.com that the new exhortation matched with his expectation by "stressing pastoral care" while at the same time "affirming the church stance" on family.

"The pastoral care needs to come with catechism. The church cannot just express its concern without preaching the truth," said the Franciscan bishop who used to serve in a parish in Hong Kong.

In Taiwan, Father Otfried Chen, secretary-general of the bishops' conference, told ucanews.com that the exhortation is helpful to bring about change in pastoral work for the family.

However, he stressed that an exhortation is different from an encyclical. "It is not to change the doctrine but to bring change in pastoral methods and to make it acceptable to all people," he said.

Chinese families today are complicated and need new ways to be handled, he said. "Those who are divorced and remarried could not come to the church in the past or receive communion. But now these people are not rejected and can participate in church activities," said Father Chen.

Also, Chinese traditionally emphasize families but this is not the case now, Bishop Ha said. "China under the Communist regime and after the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) greatly damaged the institution of the family that now needs to be remedied, he said.

In southern China, a bishop who asked not to be named, told ucanews.com that individual family cases he encountered are so complicated that he sometimes feels helpless. "And if Catholics faced family problems, they used their own way to resolve it rather than seeking help from the church," he added.

Getting divorced easily or extra-marital affairs are also common family problems in China.

Bishop Ha thinks that this is largely because of the country trying to maintain a high economic growth rate at the expense of family values. "Only the men went out to work in the past. Now it is inevitable that women also need to work, and the time for family has been reduced a lot."

Kelvin Lai Yuk-ching, executive secretary of Hong Kong's Diocesan Pastoral Commission for Marriage and the Family, said the exhortation helps them reflect, and to admit that there was a gap between Church teachings and pastoral work.

"Our previous work rarely touched on those who were divorced but not remarried, or those who in live in relationships. For young people who do not want to get married, we also have to explain to them the meaning of marriage," Lai told ucanews.com.

However, traditional Chinese culture does not prefer making known "scandalous family affairs" and this increases the difficulty in pastoral work, Lai said.

In response to the Synod on the Family in 2015, Cardinal John Tong of Hong Kong ordered a restructure of the Marriage Commission in November.

 

Chinese Catholics pray as they attend an Easter service at the historic South Cathedral in Beijing in this 2012 file photo. (Photo by AFP)

 

The ongoing restructure is expected to stress works on pro-life issues and promotion of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body, as well as providing relevant training, counseling, information, research and support to couples and families under different situations, according to Lai.

Meanwhile, the Committee for the Pastoral Care of Persons with Same Sex Attraction is disbanded and its work will be placed under the new commission.

While Pope Francis stresses in his exhortation the need to care for different people, including gay people, Hong Kong Diocese sometimes is criticized for its attitude or wordings that make Catholic and non-Catholic gay people feel alienated.

"Our work is to provide pastoral counseling and there is a related ministry to care for people with same-sex attraction. We just do not want to deal with it in a high profile way. As for the stance of the diocese, it is not our scope [to comment]," Lai said.

"The church has to take Jesus as the standard and be compassionate to others. Pope Francis is making this a merciful invitation to people to live a life of repentance. I think this is the biggest message of the exhortation," said Father Chen of Taiwan.

"If there is a gay person in the family, it does not mean we are in favor of this but we are to accept them," he said.

"The clergy should have a mature attitude to deal with this pastoral change and to accept these people while lay people with problems are invited to return to the church and walk on a new path, he said.

In South Korea, Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong of Gwangju, president of the bishops' conference there said, "The exhortation presents the guidelines and practical ways to effectively solve problems that come up in family pastoral ministry."

He added that following the spirit of the papal exhortation and under the principle that nobody is excluded from God's mercy, "the local Catholic Church will develop various pastoral methods for families in trouble to regain harmony and peace."

Father Romano Song Hyun, secretary of the Korean bishops' Committee for Family Pastoral Ministry, said, Pope Francis' exhortation on family does not change any church rules but deals with various aspects of the sufferings and pains in modern families.

"As the exhortation recommends, the church in Korea will listen to the voices of families in complicated situations and in difficulties and help them experience the unconditional love of God by accompanying them and not by judging them," he said.

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