Pope Francis’ visit to Thailand was a great opportunity for the Church in Thailand to invigorate its faith and to fire up the missionary dimension as the people celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Siam Mission, an SVD priest assigned to the country says.
Fr Truong Thong Le SVD was one of 11 Divine Word Missionaries from the AUS Province currently working in Thailand or Myanmar who took part in the events surrounding the Papal visit. They were also joined by an SVD priest from the Vietnam Province.
They all attended the main event at the National Stadium with the Papal Mass and the meeting with priests and religious. A few of the confreres also attended other events such as the Mass for youth at the Bangkok cathedral. Fr Pham Dinh Tuan SVD led his parishioners from Kamsida with two full vans of people.
Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD played a role in organisation around the Papal tour, being in charge of communication with the Vietnamese community. Fr Anthony arranged for the registration for the Vietnamese community in Thailand and also those in Vietnam who were interested in attending. He also coordinated the translation of the Pope’s homily and speech on his Facebook page.
In the Pope’s meeting with the priests, religious, seminarians, and catechists at the St Peter’s Parish just outside of Bangkok, he urged them to find new ways in delivering the message.
“Let us not be afraid to continue inculturating the Gospel,” he said. “We need to seek new ways to transmit the Word that is capable of mobilising and awakening the desire to know the Lord.”
Pope Francis also urged them to “give faith a Thai face and flesh, which involves much more than making translations”.
“We need to let the Gospel sing with the native music of this land … and inspire the hearts of our brothers and sisters with the same beauty that set our own hearts on fire,” the pontiff added.
Fr Truong says that for him, one of the most memorable parts of the Pope’s visit was the Papal Mass at the National Stadium.
“Just seeing the gathering showed how diverse the Church is, yet at the same time, there is unity in faith,” he said.
“Using the local transportation – hopping on the sky train – I was able to hear so many different languages from different groups with matching uniforms which indicated that they were going to see the Pope. So the gathering was not only for the Thailand Church, but others from the region.”
Fr Truong says the gates for the Papal Mass opened at noon and by 1pm the place was packed, with the Mass not beginning until 6pm. The wait was long and brutally hot.
“But even with the brutal heat, everyone’s energy was high,” he says.
“At the sight of the Pope, the whole stadium burst into jubilation as though children were seeing their father after a very long time. The Thai commentator was correct in saying that this occasion was like a father visiting his children. This is a special relationship in the Thai culture, as it is referenced in different areas of Thai life like politics and different social organisations.”
The Mass began at sunset and after doing his penance in the sun all afternoon, Fr Truong had a good view of the Pope.
“I recognised that the Pope was tired after travelling and a full day of visits,” he says. “But he held on.
“I think that with his presence alone, he boosted the morale of Catholics in Thailand. Although the number of Catholics in Thailand is low – around 300,000 – the Pope’s visit shows that Thai Catholics are fervent in faith and ready to proclaim the Gospel.”
PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the Popemobile as he arrives at the stadium for Mass (screenshot YouTube/Vatican News).
MIDDLE LEFT: The crowds greet the pontiff with excitement (Catholic News Agency).
BOTTOM RIGHT: The Holy Father celebrates Mass with the people of Thailand (screenshot YouTub/Vatican News).