Society Matters | Volume 30 No. 3 | Spring 2020

3 Volume 30 No. 3 | Spring 2020 New SVD bishop promises to remember the poor A Japanese SVD priest, who has been appointed by Pope Francis to be a bishop says he will be heeding the advice of friends who told him not to forget the poor in his new role. Fr Paulo Daisuke Narui SVD has been named as the new Bishop of the diocese of Niigata in Japan. He is currently the Coordinator of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the Divine Word Missionaries, a role, based in Rome, that he has held since 2012 and before that, he was the Executive Director of Caritas Japan. He has been a member of the SVD Provincial Council in Japan and has been involved in formation at the SVD seminary in Nagoya. Bishop-Elect Daisuke is an economist, known for his work in the areas of justice and peace as well as his advocacy for migrants. Speaking to Vatican Radio following the announcement of his appointment as bishop, he said that as nations and communities across the globe strive to relaunch their shattered economies, the Church has the responsibility to accompany leaders and policy-makers and make sure development is just and sustainable. “As Pope Francis says, the poor, the most vulnerable people, should not be left behind,” he told Vatican Radio. “There are so many people who have lost their jobs and many of them, like migrants, have no access to social security. The local Church should be attentive to such people and should collaborate with the local government offices to make social security available to all. Human rights must be respected in such a time.” Bishop-Elect Daisuke said the Pope has been guiding and animating the world to tackle the issue of economic injustice against the human being and creation. “I have visited around 50 countries and I always feel that the way of life and the messages of Pope Francis are very appealing to people, that people are motivated to react to the challenges from the Pope,” he said. “I saw many parishes in different continents working on environmental issues, reviewing their way of economic life as a part of environmental conversion.” The new prelate said he was surprised when Pope Francis appointed him a bishop. “I have been a priest for 20 years, but worked in a parish for only three years in the beginning, as a parish priest,” he said. “I really do not know about the work in a parish and in a diocese. So, the first thing I have to do is to learn from the people, from fellow priests, the parishioners, laypeople, teachers in the Catholic schools. “Only after that, I can set my vision of a bishop.” But Bishop-Elect Daisuke said his time working in Rome for the SVD has given him a lot of insights into the Church. “What I learned is the collaborative Church,” he said. “Especially with women. In that perspective, I experienced a lot of collaboration in Rome. “I hope I can continue collaborating with laypeople, women, in different responsibilities. “Another thing is, after my appointment was announced, I was told by many friends, ‘do not forget the poor’. “As my role has been the Justice and Peace Coordinator (in the SVD), I really hope to continue working on this issue ‘do not forget the poor’ in this new responsibility.” Fr Daisuke Narui with schoolchildren during a visit to the Philippines in 2015 to visit areas affected by super typhoon Haiyan. (Photo by Theresa Sacher)