The most effective and credible proclamation of the Risen Lord is the unspoken witness of a person who has undergone a deep experience of God and whose life is transformed accordingly. Vicente G. Cajilig, OP, Executive Secretary of the Office of Education and Student Chaplaincy of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, pointed to spiritual direction as a necessary step for the spiritual journey. It was itinerant catechists who brought his faith back to life. Based on his experience, he calls for reinstating the catechumenate prior to baptism and such communities of Christians such as the Neo-Catechumenates. Cardinal Rivera affirmed that the theme of human life couldn't be forgotten.
Human life is threatened by rising hunger, by new diseases, and by well-financed projects of death.
The Cardinal's message comes only a few days after the denunciations of Bishop Emeritus Genaro Alamilla Arteaga of Papantla. This bishop also affirmed that the population control policies of President Zedillo are trying to solve poverty by killing the poor. Paradoxically, the two Chinese Bishops who have been unable to attend the Synod for Asia have become protagonists of the discussions just as much as the bishops who are physically present. One of them, Matthias Duan Yingming, the Dean of the Catholic Episcopate resident in China, spoke with journalists of Vatican Radio by telephone, saying that he cannot ask the government for the necessary permission without presenting a formal written invitation. This problem, however, has been overcome.