Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tokyo (Agenzia Fides) - "As 150 years ago, we face many challenges today, but our hope is as strong as it was then, as that of the missionaries who built this church, as that of the Catholic community of that time," said the Archbishop of Tokyo, Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi, President of Caritas Internationalis since May 13, 2023, on the occasion of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Church of Tsukiji, the first Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Tokyo, dedicated to Saint Joseph.
In his homily on June 30, Archbishop Kikuchi traced the history of this place of worship known as the "Old Cathedral", emphasizing the great difficulties faced by the first missionaries and the unwavering "hope and cooperation between foreign missionaries and the Japanese faithful on which the Japanese Church was built".
Today the situation has changed, but the challenge is still great in the face of a shrinking population and an ageing society. "The Church exists in this reality and, just like the missionaries 150 years ago, we are confident despite the worries," stresses the Archbishop.
The Bishop also called for peace for Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar.... "It seems that the world is increasingly dominated by violence that disregards life. In these situations, we are a Church that radiates the light of hope. This light is lit by mutual support, synodality, solidarity and, above all, by the presence of the Lord who walks with us," he stresses.
Founded by the Paris Foreign Missions Society (M.E.P.), the church in Tsukiji was inaugurated in November 1874. With the creation of the Archdiocese of Tokyo in 1891, it was elevated to the rank of cathedral. In 1920, St. Mary's Church became the Cathedral of Tokyo. In 1923, the church in Tsukiji was destroyed during the severe Kantō earthquake and rebuilt in 1927. On June 1, 1999, it was recognized by the Japanese government as a historic building in Tokyo.
The evangelization of Japan began with the landing of the great missionary, Patron of the mission and Evangelizer of the East, the Jesuit Francis Xavier, on the archipelago on August 15, 1549. Later, Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians and French missionaries of the M.E.P. arrived in the country, who not only carried out missionary work but also introduced advanced technologies and ideas from the then West and established schools and medical facilities. The Jesuits were not only the pioneers of the mission but also the most numerous group of missionaries. They were particularly dedicated to inculturation in the mission of evangelization by learning the Japanese language and local traditional customs.
History has it that in 1587 the Kampaku (political and military leader) Hideyoshi, "Marshal of the Crown", issued the first edict against Christianity, forcing foreign missionaries to leave the country. However, the community and missionaries continued to work in secret. Ten years later, on February 5, 1597, the first persecutions began with the crucifixion of 26 Catholics (6 Franciscans, 3 Jesuits and 17 Japanese), now proclaimed Saints by the Catholic Church. In the mid-19th century, Japan's policy of closure was challenged by the Western powers' insistence on openness, which gave the Catholic Church the opportunity to resume its mission in Japan. Thus, in 1846, the Holy See established the Apostolic Vicariate of Japan and entrusted its administration to the French foreign missions in Paris. On March 28, 1960, Pope John XXIII appointed the Apostolic Vicariate of Japan as the first Roman Catholic. Tatsuo Doi, then Archbishop of Tokyo, as the first Japanese Cardinal. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 5/7/2024)
