Evangelization of Asia: Significance of objections to Popes visit to Sri

Lanka
by Shenali Wadugeon 10 Jan 2015

http://www.vijayvaani.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?aid=3453
The US and Western Christian nations have made clear their foreign policy
objectives in Asia. The focus of Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic faith and
the State of Vatican is also Asia. Asia is seen as having the greatest potential for the
expansion of Catholicism. When the Church declares the Third Christian
Millennium as a great harvest of faith will be reaped in this vast and vital
continent, it definitely means harvest of souls and conversion of non-Catholics to
Catholicism. Should non-Catholic nations and nationalities not therefore have the
right to prepare for eventualities and raise these concerns in public without being
told that objections to conversions is against reconciliation, amity between religions
and people?
http://www.sinhalanet.net/is-pope-visiting-sri-lanka-to-apologise-for-crimes-ofthe-portuguese-and-catholic-church
Revoking the Doctrine of Discovery - http://www.sinhalanet.net/revokingdoctrine-of-discovery-church-confiscation-of-indigenous-lands-and-providingrestorative-justice-for-victims-by-siphoning-third-world-debt
Objections to Popes visit to Sri Lanka
While Sri Lankas Sinhala Buddhists, Tamil Hindus and Muslims do not have any
objections to the leader of a faith coming to bless people of that faith, the Church
and Catholic public need to realise that their fears have historically justifiable
reasons. Anyone who has committed crimes over 500 years cannot be offended
when reminded of them. The Church showed no remorse for any of the crimes
committed upon inhabited lands that colonial crusaders were given orders to
declare as Christian discovered lands and confiscate them from the indigenes while
converting natives and killing those that refused. Present-day lay Catholics need to
realise that these crimes were committed on behalf of the Church while confiscating
artefacts, goods and wealth that belonged to these nations these confiscated and
stolen treasures are all lying inside the Vatican.
http://www.sinhalanet.net/pope-francis-is-it-wrong-for-sri-lanka-to-seek-anapology-for-the-crimes-of-the-catholic-church
1. The Church has committed millions of murders in the name of God and while
the Church has apologized to the rest of the world, an apology to Asia has yet to
be given, as well as compensation for these crimes.
2. The crimes cover missionary activities under colonial rule, Goa Inquisition,
forceful conversions or death for those that refused; these are documented
crimes admitted by Catholics themselves
3. Thousands of Buddhist, Hindu, Islam places of worship were destroyed and
Churches built in their place, for which an apology has yet to be given. The works
of Queroy lists out all such churches built on top of Buddhist/Hindu temples and
kovil. The Madhu Church in which the Pope is scheduled to hold prayers was
originally a Hindu kovil.

http://sriexpress.com/articles/item/741-historic-hindu-pattini-claim-tomadhu-church.html
4. The present efforts by the Church through their priests and lay advocates to use
poverty and other social ills to cunningly draw people to embrace their faith as
salvation and the manner the Church uses the power of wealth and Western
governmental/ non-governmental Catholic/ Christian associations and leaders
to influence Asian politicians against protecting non-Catholics is a case in point.
Evangelizing Asia/Africa
Asia is a continent that holds 60% of the worlds people. At the end of 2007, 1.15
billion people were Catholic, and approximately one billion were non-Catholic
Christians. Fifty nations where Catholicism is spreading rapidly are all in Asia &
Africa. Between 1542 and 1552, St. Francis Xavier converted an estimated 700,000
souls in modern-day India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan. Between
1610 and 1651, St. Peter Claver baptised some 300,000 slaves in Cartagena,
Colombia.
At the conclusion of the final message of the 10th General Assembly of the
Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences in 2012, the statement issued noted that,
The mission of new evangelization, new in its ardour, its methods and its
expressions, is urgent, we are a community of faith called by the Lord to a mission
of evangelization in the world.
Lessons from South Korea
South Korea was a formerly Buddhist nation. Today South Korea is under the
Western thumb and the Catholic faith. The Korean Catholic Church traces its
origins to 1784 and foreign missionaries took up the task of converting nonCatholics. Catholics make up almost 11% of South Koreas 50 million population. In
1960 there were just 2% Catholics. At the end of 2013, South Koreas 5.4 million
Catholics were served by 4,261 priests, with a further 1,489 seminarians in the
pipeline.
Catholics in South Korea are increasingly prosperous - Bishop William McNaughton
attributes the financial success of Catholics there to the excellence of Catholic
education. The flip side is that as people acquire more education and money, they
no longer need God, and this led to the decline of Catholicism in Europe.
However in South Korea, where wealth, education and church expansion continue
to go together this is the template being used for the rest of Asia. Tom Fox, author
of Pentecost in Asia, said the starting point of the Asian church has always been
the local church. This is the model of local governance and evangelization that
Pope Francis encourages and promotes. Korea was largely evangelized by lay
activists, not organised missionary campaigns. Charity and Giving are slogans to
draw non-Catholics of Asia to embrace the faith and it is working in a region that is
POOR. The message is clear want education? Want to come out poverty? Want
employment? Want key places in state and private sector? Want a better life and
belong among elite society? Become a Catholic!

Representatives of the Korean churches agreed to reorganise the Conference of

Christian Unity of Korea into the Commission on Faith and Order of Korean
Churches in 2012. The member churches of this newly reformed Commission are 11
religious bodies: the Catholic Church in Korea, the Orthodox Church in Korea, the
National Council of Churches in Korea, the Presbyterian Church of Korea, General
Assembly of Presbyterian Church, the Korean Methodist Church, the Anglican
Church of Korea, the Salvation Army of Korea Territory, Korea Evangelical Church,
the Korea Assemblies of God, Lutheran Church of Korea.
The South Korean success story provides the inspiration for the Church as its
stamps forward to evangelize the Asian continent.
The case for defense
The Church and missionaries have identifiable goals, they have funds and other
means to enforce their objectives. The question is what have non-Catholic
organizations (Buddhist and Hindu) done to protect their people against
conversions and the social ills of poverty, unemployment, good education etc that
are key areas that enables the Church to draw people to their fold to embrace their
faith because they are promised to be given what people are seeking.
How far have Buddhist/ Hindu organisations/ associations that are constantly
bickering amongst their own, addressed fundamental areas where their people live
in poverty (at different levels)? People want education but lack even the
fundamentals, people desire employment and social status but have not been given
the tools to enable them to rise and create for themselves a better living standard?
How far have Buddhist/ Hindu associations established programs to keep people
informed while also addressing the core reasons why people are prepared to give
their souls to another faith simply because their faith has not addressed simple
aspirations.
Why cant the Buddhists galvanize themselves to address these core areas
empower the poor, show ethical livelihoods in keeping with the philosophy of
Buddha, sustain these teachings to education, enable employment and address
other social ills that entice people to do wrongs. There is much that Buddhist
societies and in particular the Buddhist clergy can do and must do instead of the
present manner in which they function.
Thus, on the one hand while there is no grudge against the Pope arriving to bless
Catholics, we need to look at the ulterior motives behind the visit of the Pope while
highlighting that he is obliged to offer Asia and in particular India a long overdue
apology complemented with compensation. It is poignant that Asia is reminded that
the Pope arrives not simply to bless his people, but with the intention to encourage
lay and Church clergy to advance their agenda of harvesting more souls.
Sri Lanka that weathered Western Christian missionaries, criminal colonial rule
and numerous other Catholic Action initiatives must remain alert in spite of a thin
Constitutional provision that establishes the Buddhist identity of the nation that has

been diluted by multicultural political leaders with no grasp of or interest in

preserving the historical heritage of Sri Lanka, but who need it nevertheless to come
into power and remain in power.
Further reading:
Kalinga Seneviratne - Pope Francis Sri Lanka Mission Unleashes
Controversyhttp://www.indepthnews.info/index.php/global-issues/2300-popefrancis-sri-lanka-mission-unleashes-controversy
Dr. Susantha Goonetilake The visiting Pope apologizes?
http://www.asiantribune.com/node/86125
Shenali D Waduge - Joseph Vaz Did he take part in the Goa Inquisition
Shenali D Waduge Pope Francis arriving in majority Buddhist Sri Lanka must
apologize for the crimes of the Catholic Church
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2014/11/15/pope-francis-arriving-inmajority-buddhist-sri-lanka-must-apologize-for-the-crimes-of-the-catholicchurch/
Shenali D Waduge Appeal to Heads of India and Sri Lanka to initiate an
impartial DNA test : Venerable Thotagamuwe Sri Rahula or Francis Xavier
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2014/12/09/appeal-to-heads-of-indiaand-sri-lanka-to-initiate-an-impartial-dna-test-ven-thotagamuwe-sri-rahula-orfrancis-xavier/