Religious Grapple with Human Right, Modern Culture

The rights of women Religious and their equality in dignity with men Religious and priests should be respected, says the final statement of a recent FABC symposium on consecrated life.

The symposium organized by the Office of Consecrated Life of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC-OCL), was held Nov. 16-21 in Hua Hin, Thailand.

The recently released statement also stressed that a greater commitment to fostering human rights within religious congregations and the Church as a whole should be made.

About 60 men and women Religious, including several bishops, attended the symposium, which had the theme, “The Impact of Today’s Culture on the Church, Especially as Regards Consecrated Life in Asia Today.”

Participants discussed the impact of modern culture on Religious life in Asia, and discussed issues ranging from social justice and moral relativism to social communication and spirituality.

This was the second symposium held by the FABC-OCL. The first was held in July 2005, at the same venue, a year after the office was set up.

The final statement, issued after deliberations by all participating Religious and after approval by bishops of the FABC-OCL, follows:

FABC Office for Consecrated Life

Second Symposium on Consecrated Life

Final Statement


We, the participants of over 60 archbishops, bishops, major superiors, religious priests, sisters and brothers, at the Symposium on “The Impact of Today’s Culture on Consecrated Life” organized by the Office for Consecrated Life of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences held from 16 to 21 Nov. 2009 at the Salesian Retreat House in Hua Hin, present this statement.

At the symposium, we reflected on the impact of contemporary culture on consecrated life from the perspectives of social justice and human rights, moral relativism, spirituality, social communications, and from that of the lay faithful. We addressed these relevant issues through talks and interactive workshops.

We became aware that today’s culture is a multi-faceted reality incorporating traditional Asian cultures, an emerging global culture, modern and post-modern cultures. This cultural reality presents unique challenges to consecrated life in the Church offering consecrated persons opportunities to be faithful to one’s vocation as a visible sign of the reign of God to come, thereby contributing to the ongoing transformation of society.

We, consecrated persons in Asia, undoubtedly feel the impact of today’s culture on our lives in various ways and in different degrees, both positively and negatively. In some ways, our credibility in the Church, especially in the eyes of the lay faithful, and among members of the larger community has been affected.

Some main effects, together with the challenges they pose to us as consecrated persons, are as follows:

1. In an effort to come to a deeper understanding of the meaning of consecrated life, we have sought for more relevant ways of living out the evangelical counsels. Nevertheless, the influence of relativism in today’s culture has weakened the radicality in the way these evangelical counsels are lived by some of us.

2. There has been a conscious emphasis on community life as being essential to consecrated life. However, there has also been a growing tendency towards individualism among us consecrated persons, thereby affecting the communitarian dimension of our consecrated life.
3. We have been trying to deepen our spirituality and to be enriched by the positive elements in other Asian religious traditions in order to respond to the impact of today’s culture. At the same time, there has also been a weakening of our rootedness in the essentials of Christian spirituality and of the charism of our Congregations owing sometimes to an eclectic approach towards various contemporary trends in spirituality.

4. Faced with the glaring disparities brought about by socio-political, religious and economic forces, we have consciously attempted by promoting human rights to address gender inequality and other inequalities generated by these forces. And yet, there are also times when we ourselves have been responsible for the perpetuation of these inequalities in various ways.

5. In truly attempting to respond to the impact of today’s culture, we have come up with many meaningful formation programs. On the other hand, there have also been found instances wanting in integral and balanced formation, which need to be guided by the orientations given by the Church, particularly by the charism of the Congregation.

The effects and challenges reflected above demand an evangelical response from us. They call us to a discerning reading of the signs of the times and of today’s culture, and to a recovery of the mystico-prophetic tradition of consecrated life in the Church.

After reflection and discussion on the above, we submit the following recommendations:

1. That human trafficking, being one of the grave problems in Asian countries, be addressed at the level of both FABC and Conferences of Major Religious Superiors.

2. That greater commitment to fostering human rights within communities, Congregations, the Church and society be made, starting with ourselves.

3. That the rights of women religious and their equality in human dignity with men religious and clergy be recognized, respected, affirmed, and ensured.

4. That Major Religious Superiors Conferences and Bishops Conferences study and respond to the needs and problems of vulnerable ethnic and indigenous communities.

5. That awareness of the positive and negative effects of relativism on the daily lives of the religious is raised through formation programs, review of existing structures in the community etc.

6. That community living, which is integral to consecrated life but threatened by individualism today, be consistently and resolutely promoted using all available human and spiritual resources.

7. That Major Religious Superiors work with their respective Congregations to examine how far their formation programs are holistic, integrated, and aligned to the guidelines given by the Church.

8. That the formation programs of religious Congregations, both initial and ongoing, be reviewed to respond to contemporary cultural realities and challenges such as communication technology, relativism, human rights, justice, peace, solidarity and integrity of creation.

9. That each religious community develop and deepen the identity of its members as consecrated persons according to the charism of the Congregation, so that their “doing” flows from their “being” to enable the fruit of the Spirit to be manifested in its multiple ways in their lives.

“The Consecrated Life, deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Christ the Lord, is a gift of God the Father to his Church through the Holy Spirit” (VC 1). We pray that through this gathering, we shall have contributed to making this gift to the world a vibrant sign of the reign of God today.

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