Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) – The Church in Thailand is opening its heart to the world and preparing new missionaries for the ad gentes mission, especially for evangelization of other Asian countries. For several months now, the Thai Bishops' Conference has had several missionaries of the PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions), present in their territory, forming, preparing, and assisting the religious from the Thai Missionary Institute, the national missionary institute whose charism is to work on the ad gentes mission. It is an effort to form religious to work as missionaries in Asian countries, in the meantime establishing contact with the local Churches in countries in need of laborers.
Fr. Adriano Pelosin, PIME, is coordinating the preparation courses and taking care of the religious now present in Thailand and Cambodia.
In northern Thailand, they work in the tribes living in the mountains, who are of diverse ethnic origins (Akha, Lahu, Mong, Iao, Kamu, Lao), almost all of whom are from Myanmar and Laos. Their main task is to form the youth and the Catholic leaders, so they can defend their people from exploitation in the form of prostitution, drug-dealing, and other persons. Thus, they help them to fully enter into Thai society, without losing their traditions and maintaining their own personal dignity.
The Thai missionaries are primarily looking towards the bordering countries like Myanmar and Laos, where they hope to start new missions. There are already several present in Cambodia, very active in helping the people to reestablish themselves following the Khmer Rouge.
However the mission will also include central Asia, in countries like Mongolia and Kazakhstan: the Church in Thailand is working in collaboration with the Bishops there to arrange the possibility of Thai missionaries among their people. The small church in Thailand (400,000 Catholic faithful) wishes to share in the world's evangelization, especially in Asia, in union with the whole Church. Two large countries like Mongolia and Kazakhstan, where the Catholic communities are still small, are a vast area ready for a new evangelization: the local Church has more than once mentioned the need for new missionaries and made appeals to the other Churches throughout the world. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 16/12/2008)
