ASIA/PHILIPPINES - The documents of Pope Francis in the Tagalog language to bring "the joy of the Gospel" to all

Tuesday, 20 December 2022 evangelization pope inculturation

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Manila (Agenzia Fides) - "A message expressed in one's own language is deeper. It is more alive, has a stronger grip and is more attractive to the reader or listener. So we hope that Pope Francis' words can reach many Filipinos, even less educated, to bring the message of God's love and the Good News of the Gospel". With these words, Cardinal Jose Advincula, Archbishop of Manila, presented to the faithful the collection of documents and letters of Pope Francis translated into Tagalog (the local language of the Philippines), and which have just been published by Claretian Publications with the permission of the Vatican Publishing Library. The text, entitled "Ang Galak ng Ebanghelyo" ("The Joy of the Gospel"), collects all the most important texts of the pontificate, from the first encyclical 'Lumen Fidei' to the last apostolic letter 'Desiderio Desideravi'. The collection includes the encyclicals 'Laudato Si' and 'Fratelli Tutti', the apostolic exhortations 'Evangelii Gaudium', 'Amoris Laetitia', 'Gaudete et Exsultate' and 'Christus Vivit'; the apostolic letters 'Misericordia et Misera', 'Admirabile Signum' and 'Patris Corde'; and the bull 'Misericordiae Vultus'.
The documents have been translated into Filipino by Leo-Martin Angelo Ocampo, Vince Henry Salles, Fr. Joseph Don Zaldivar, Sir-Lien Hugh Tadeo, and Josephine A.S. Sanares.
As Fides learned, the work is a contribution to the celebration of the fifth centenary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines (1521-2021) and, in view of the tenth anniversary of the publication of the apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium" (2013 ), intends to be "essentially a missionary tool, which follows in the wake of the process of inculturation of the faith", explained Msgr. Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop of Kalookan and president of the Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. The Bishop pointed out that "these documents are a gift from the Pope to the faithful and their translation will bring Filipinos closer to the spirituality and reflections of Pope Francis, sharing with him the joy of the Gospel." Archbishop Charles Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, fully agreed, noting that the translation of the Pope's magisterium "will allow many more Filipinos access to the Pope's profound insights on the life of the Church for today and for the future".
By recommending the text to all ecclesial communities and associations, the Philippine Bishops invite all the faithful "to venture into the profound words of wisdom expressed by the Pope in order to derive spiritual benefit from them and donate them to others in Tagalog, as words that express closeness, charity, mercy". In the effort to translate the documents of the Holy See into the Philippine language, it is noted, there is "the desire to bring the power of the Gospel to the heart of our culture", so that we can "discover the hidden mystery and help it germinate in the seed of the Word of God". "Christ Jesus, the Word of God who, through the work of the Holy Spirit, became flesh for our salvation - they conclude - continues to speak in the Church the language of reconciliation and peace, which Pope Francis gives every day to whole humanity and which we hope will reach all Filipinos, especially the poor, the marginalized and the suffering". (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 20/12/2022)