為東亞澳區的祝夜安 (69)
日本東京
2019年12月1日
教宗方濟各，多謝您探訪我們的地區﹗
親愛的朋友、親愛的慈幼家庭成員：
在教宗方濟各訪問廣島、長崎和東京的幾天後，請接受我來自東京的衷心問候。日本已經是繼韓國（2014年）、菲律賓（2015年）、緬甸（2017年）和泰國之後，教宗方濟各訪問我們地區的第五個國家。
在全世界各大洲暴力的公民抗命活動的動盪中，在越來越多的本地戰爭中，我們有幸看到聖伯多祿的繼任人為世界和平所表現出的謙卑但强而有力的道德權威。我們感到高興，並謙虛地引以為傲，因為我們的慈幼家庭積極參與了兩次宗座訪問：在日本的社會傳播 – 主流媒體的製作及其評論（Abe神父、Okawa先生、Sekiya神父）、音樂和禮儀策勵（長崎和東京的明愛姐妹合唱團；泰國慈幼學校的樂隊），一起籌備和策勵教宗於曼谷和東京與青年會面的活動。最後但並非最不重要的是，教宗的表姐妹，即母佑會的Ann Maria Sivori修女，是一位在泰國的阿根廷傳教士，擔任了泰國國王和教宗方濟各之間的官方翻譯員。我們可以看看這兩次訪問的大量YouTube視頻。而對我們大家來說還有一個簡單的問題：
教宗方濟各在我們地區度過這些美好的日子之後，會留下什麼果實？
教宗方濟各透過他的同理心、個人對社會邊緣人士的關注，以及對我們這具高度競爭性和今日這「無情的」的社會的受害者發表了大量的演講。他不是單獨向天主教徒講話，而是向所有的泰國和日本人民講話。他的「教導」是透過他對人民深切的關愛。他觸動了所有人的心。教宗的訪問為屬於少數的天主教學生來說，是一個「重燃自己的信仰，而讓其他非基督徒思考基督宗教是什麼」的時候。
他的一篇道理是一課偉大的傳教學，也能啟發我們大家：「……母親和父親、兄弟姊妹們，都是上主要給我們，但他們有時不能與我們於主日相聚（即所有那些窮人和受苦的人，無論出於什麼原因，有些成了人口販賣的受害者，有些被毒癮奴役，有些因為物質需要而面臨剝削）。他們都是我們家庭的一部分，他們是我們的母親，我們的兄弟姊妹！」他只是呼籲我們懷有一顆傳教士的心，好能看到他們的面容、他們的傷口、他們的微笑和他們的生活，並使他們體驗天主慈愛的香膏，以治癒他們的傷口和痛楚。教宗方濟各以他一貫的呼籲來挑戰我們，要我們成為門徒，成為傳教士，並喜樂地發現和認識我們身邊的人，而我們和他們同屬一個人類大家庭。
讓我們受聖伯多祿的繼承者和鮑思高神父的舊學生教宗方濟各所啟發吧！希望教宗於2020年，也會探訪東帝汶、巴布亞新幾內亞（也許還有印尼）!
慈幼會士賢明漢神父
東亞澳區區域議員
EAO Good Night Talk (69)
Tokyo, Japan
1 December 2019
Thank you, Pope Francis for your visits within our region!
Dear Friends and Salesian Family members,
Receive my heartfelt greetings from Tokyo, just a few days after the memorable visit of Pope Francis to Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Tokyo. Japan was already the 5th country of our region visited by Pope Francis after Korea (2014), Philippines (2015), Myanmar (2017) and Thailand.
Amidst the worldwide turmoil of violent civil protests in all continents, the growing number of local wars, we are glad to witness the humble but powerful moral authority of the successor of St Peter for world peace. We are happy and humbly proud, that our Salesian family was much involved in both apostolic visits: in the social communication of Japan – production, comments on mainstream media (Fr. Abe, Mr. Okawa, Fr. Sekiya), in the music and liturgical animation (choir of Caritas Sisters in Nagasaki and Tokyo; marching band of Thai Salesian schools), in the preparation and animation of youth events with the Pope (Bangkok and Tokyo). Last but not least, the Pope’s cousin, Argentinian missionary in Thailand, Sr Ann Maria Sivori, FMA as the official translator between the Thai King and Pope Francis. And we may ponder the numerous available YouTube videos of these two visits. But a simple question remains for all of us:
What fruits will remain after these wonderful days of Pope Francis in our Region?
Pope Francis spoke volumes through his empathy, personal interest in the marginalized in society, and for victims of our highly competitive and of times ‘merciless’ society. He was not talking to Catholics alone but to all Thai and Japanese people. And the way he was ‘teaching’ was through a very loving attention to the people. He touched the hearts of all. The Pope’s visit was a time for Catholic-minority students to “revive their own faith and for other non-Christians to think about what Christianity is”.
One of his homilies is a magnificent missionary lesson and inspiration for all of us: “…mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, whom the Lord wants to give us and who are absent from our Sunday table (= all those who are poor and suffering, for whatever reason, from being a victim of human trafficking to being enslaved by drug addiction, to facing exploitation because of material need). All of them are part of our family, they are our mothers, our brothers and sisters!” He is simply calling for missionary hearts who can see their faces, their wounds, their smiles and their lives and make them experience the merciful balm of God’s love that heals their wounds and pains. Pope Francis challenges us with his consistent call to become missionary disciples and discover and recognize with joy the faces of all around us as one human family.
Be inspired by the Successor of St Peter and Past Pupil of Don Bosco, Pope Francis! Hopefully in 2020 also Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea (maybe also Indonesia) will be on his travel list!
Fr. Václav Klement, SDB
EAO Regional Councillor