By Suchita Kullu, SCN
The Asian Forum was a collaborative effort involving various organizations and leaders engaged in pastoral ministry among the Indigenous Peoples across Asia.
The journey of this Forum began when a group of persons and organizations held discernment and deliberation at the Research & Training Centre for Religio-cultural Communities (RTRC), Chiangmai, Thailand, in October 2023. The group felt the importance of engaging with indigenous communities in the church’s synodal journey in Asia and of bringing key leaders together from the church and Indigenous communities for further deliberations, to listen to their voices and discern effective pastoral plans for the future.
Further on, like-minded leaders were invited to be part of an all-Asian Conference from November 10-16, 2024 held in Kathmandu, called Nepal Forum. Sr. Suchita Kullu, SCN, Vice–Provincial of Patna Province was privileged to be part of this conference. She presented a paper on the Mission among the Indigenous Peoples in Nepal according to the Synodality. Likewise, all the participants hailing from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Korea presented a paper on different issues, related to Indigenous Peoples in Asia.
The objective of the Nepal Forum was to listen, learn and reflect on pastoral priorities of the church in Asia in favour of the Indigenous Peoples. The Forum was also a platform to celebrate Indigenous cultures through liturgy and other rituals, a film festival, an exhibition of Indigenous art and artifacts, informal get-togethers, and study tours. During the Forum, the participants spent quality time in listening to each other and the Holy Spirit through the synodal method of Conversation in the Spirit. The proceedings of the forum will also be published in a book.
Nepal Forum was blessed to have the presence of Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, at the closing ceremony. In his message, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli urged the participants to inherit the values of Indigenous communities as models for modern communities, particularly in fostering solidarity, ecological stewardship, and spiritual enrichment which includes a process of common listening and communal discernment to the Spirit for fulfilling the mission of the Church.