WASHINGTON – Bishop Larry Silva of Honolulu has announced that Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, will be a special guest for the Asian and Pacific Island Catholics National Encounter, July 15-17. “With great anticipation, we look forward to His Eminence’s affirming presence and accompaniment in the faith on behalf of our Holy Father, Pope Francis,” Bishop Silva said as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs, in announcing Cardinal Tagle’s participation at the three-day event.

 

“The National Encounter will be a wonderful way to prepare ourselves for participation in the National Eucharistic Congress that follows, so that the great sacrament of unity may be even more effective in uniting us together as members of the Body of Christ. Our mission of evangelization can only be enhanced when we become deeply aware of those who are different from ourselves and enter into a dialogue with them based upon love, so that our witness to the risen Jesus Christ can be more effective,” Bishop Silva continued.

 

The Holy See recently announced that Cardinal Tagle would be the papal envoy to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, July 17-21. While the Congress and National Encounter are separate events, they are being held consecutively in Indianapolis and involve the participation of U.S. bishops. 

 

The National Encounter is sponsored by the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs and will center on the theme, Radiant Faith: The Witness of Asian and Pacific Islander Catholics. It will bring pastoral leaders, young adults, religious, and clergy from around the country for a celebration of faith and culture, as well as an opportunity to assess collectively what has been done to implement the USCCB’s 2018 statement, Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to Our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters, on how the Catholic Church might better respond to the pastoral and spiritual needs of the Asian and Pacific Islander faithful in the United States.