Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: Peace!

       At the plenary meeting of the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference this Autumn 2006, the bishops were deeply inspired by the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI: “God Is Love”. To respond to the desires of the Pope expressed in his encyclical, we would like to live out the heart of our faith in a more concrete way. Therefore, we have decided that the direction for pastoral work and evangelization for the year 2007 would be: “Through social concern, spread the Good News to our people”.

I. The heart of our faith

       We believe that God created the universe and all things. At the same time, He created man according to his image and likeness so that man becomes the image of God. In the person of Jesus Christ, God proved the real significance of his image, because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, He is really the most perfect image of the invisible God. God created man so that He could share with him his eternal life. God did not create death, but because of the revolt of man, death came into the world. For this reason, man is enslaved by sin. The Lord God, because of his infinite love for his created people, cannot bear to see man in the bondage of death. For this reason, He sent His only beloved Son Jesus Christ to be incarnate and become man and made Jesus the way, the truth and the life for man to acquire salvation. God taught mankind to listen to his beloved Son to obtain everlasting life and to love God above all things as well as to love others as oneself.

       We believe that God is love. Out of love he created the universe, and because of love he saved mankind. After all fullness is returned in Christ, let everything will give glory to God.

       The first encyclical letter written by Pope Benedict XVI entitled “God is Love” states the purpose from the beginning: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”(1Jn 4:16). These words express with remarkable clarity the heart of the Christian faith: the Christian image of God and the resulting image of mankind and its destiny (encyclical #1). The Christian image of God is the basic foundation of our faith, and the image of mankind is the Christian image of God in practice. At the same time, letting the image of God shine on earth, so that man “know and believe in the love God has for us” (#1).

        Before Pope Benedict XVI announced the publication of his first encyclical letter “God is love”, in an international meeting organized by the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” on “World Conference on Charity” in Jan 23, 2006 in Clementine Hall, he addressed the participants (including Cardinals, bishops, and lay people): “Dante” in his "Divine Comedy" ends before the everlasting Light that is God himself, before that Light which at the same time is the love "which moves the sun and the other stars ("Paradise" XXXIII, verse 145). Light and love are but one thing. They are the primordial creative power that moves the universe. (“World Conference on Charity” Daily Report P7)

        God's "eros" is not only a primordial cosmic force, it is love that has created man and that bends before him, as the Good Samaritan bent before the wounded man, victim of thieves, who was lying on the side of the road that went from Jerusalem to Jericho. (“World Conference on Charity” Daily Report P8)

       Therefore, the first letter of John says: “This has taught us love- that he gave up his life for us; and we, too, ought to give up our lives for our brothers. If a man who was rich enough in this world’s goods saw that one of his brothers was in need, but closed his heart to him, how could the love of God be living in him?” (1 Jn 3:16-17)

       St. James the apostle says: “Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims that he has faith. Will that faith save him? If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty’, without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that?” (James 2:14-16)

       Therefore, it is clear and easily understood that if we believe that God is love, we must return love for love. That is, we repay the love of God for us by showing concern towards our brothers and sisters.

II. Some concrete social concern programs that can be implemented

       Besides the structured charitable works of the Church’s social concern, we want to give special importance to various charitable works centered on the family:

       1)  Regarding Concern for the Family:

       Our former Pope, John Paul II always focused on family as his main concern. He strongly requested the Church all over the world to serve the family so that the family can grow and become strong under the light of the Gospel. The stability of the family affects the development of the whole society, the maturation of the human person and the quality of life. The family is the cornerstone of education, of service to life. Hence, dioceses and parishes can establish “Care for Family Ministries”, visit families, give concrete witnessing to strengthen the confidence of family members to rely on God and to obey His will. We should specially be concerned and care for single parent families, poor families and families with problems.

       Adolescence is the period in life that is most vigorous, but it is also vulnerable to temptation and to moral degradation. Therefore, they are in most need of care and concern as well as accompaniment. First of all, the family must show concern. Parents should find time to accompany them, to guide them to have accurate, unadulterated values, to help them clearly identify the true meaning of life so that in the midst of various distorted pseudo-cultures (such as death, consumerism, pleasure seeking etc.), they may use the spirit of the Gospels to affirm their desires and aspirations.

       Basing on the principles of united care and complimentary actions and approaches, parishes (deaneries or pastoral areas) or the dioceses, should propose systematic approaches, organizations, different ways and means to assist parents in helping their children, our youths. One way of doing this may be to invite talented and resourceful persons in the respective parishes or deaneries to form a team. The parish should become a haven where young people are eager to gather together, a place where the youth can relax, grow and become mature. The parish should assist in the development of their body, mind and spirit, and eventually lead them to use their vigorous energy to serve and dedicate themselves to the Church and society. Furthermore, parishes or deaneries with qualified professional lay persons or non-Catholic persons of good will could, in the spirit of treating the youth as their own children, accompany them to become mature.

       Organize service teams to answer the needs of the elderly by offering home accompaniment service and care. Establish elderly centers so that the elderly can contribute their wisdom and experiences and enable youths to have life models. This way, the elderly will not feel rejected, lonely and sad. The sign that Christ is always with them should be their sign of a blest life. 

       4)  Regarding Concern for the disadvantaged and the marginal in society

       Part of the disadvantaged minority and the marginal in society are helped by social organizations. They receive proper care. However, there are still many similarly unfortunate persons who live in broken and dilapidated families or who roam in the dark corners in society.  Who can rescue them from this misfortune?  The parish is the center in the community. It is also the center of love and concern in the community. The faithful in the parish should strive to live out the word of God, achieve tasks assignments, develop the Christian spirit, donate funds or do voluntary work to materialize “The way to love God is to love others”. Give these unfortunate people the touch of warm hands and timely support.

       5) Regarding Concern for New Immigrants and Migrants

       Provide them with a safe place to live so that they feel at home. Just as God told the Israelites: “You should treat well the foreigners in your land, because you yourselves have experienced being foreigners in Egypt”. Treating well the new immigrants and foreign workers is the sign of welcoming Christ Himself: “I was a stranger and you made me welcome”(Matthew 25:35). Treating well the new immigrants or foreign workers is to establish an orderly society, to create an environment that is full of life, prosperous, joyful and peaceful. This is a sign of the presence of the kingdom of God.

       According to the statistics provided by the Ministry of the Interior: as of September 2006, there are 336,864 foreign workers spread in cities and counties in the north, in Kaohsiung, Taipei and Penghu. Already in 1989, the Catholic Church in Taiwan established Migrants Concern Team. In 1995, the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference established the Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.

       It is our hope that dioceses, deaneries and parishes establish, according to their respective function and capacity, a pastoral center to welcome and serve new immigrants or foreign workers and most specially, foreign spouses so that they are able to integrate into the local social life without delay.

       Dioceses, deaneries or parishes should establish an Emergency Processing Center or a New Immigrants Desk and an emergency processing service Foundation in view of resolving life problems of foreign workers or foreign spouses offering them the means and possibilities to return to their home countries. The most important thing is that parishes, deaneries become half way haven to their home country to the extent that the parish itself should become their home (this should be so in some way).

       During this past year, the public are worried that the core values of the society have been tainted by some people to the extent of confusion: one is unable to distinguish black from white, right from wrong such as justice, honesty, forgiveness etc. We must fully support whatever behaviors that uphold and defend truth, public justice, that which enable the distinction between right and wrong. We should respect and listen to different opinions. Diverse opinions can be discerned and explained. Violence should not be used to stop others from speaking and expressing themselves.

       Church institutions, especially Catholic schools, must emphasize the cultivation and development of these core values. Administrative personnel should not suppress or look down upon those without human resource administrative background, but are ardent subordinates. They also should not overlook those who are slack in their work performance but have human resource administrative background.

       The faithful should use the “leaven” of the Gospel to influence their life and work environment. They should change hearts from within. If those faithful working in public offices use the Gospel spirit to raise the leaven of their respective environment, this will certainly be a great contribution to the society and the country.

       Finally, founded on faith, through the two main principles of care, solidarity and of mutual help, through the practice and living of our faith, that is, through social concern, Christians must enable others to perceive and experience the presence of the Invisible God and eventually make them desire to know the God who is LOVE and be saved.

       The Bishops want to be with all Christian brothers and sisters in Christ in their concerted efforts to show concern and care for our society so that the Kingdom of God may come to Taiwan.

        We wish everyone a Merry Christmas, a new year full of God’s blessings!

                                                    All the Bishops of the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference                                                     Christmas 2006