Pope Francis will
travel to Thailand and Japan from 19 to 26 November, the Vatican
said Friday.
He will be the second Pope to visit these two Asian
countries, after Pope John Paul II.
Francis will visit the Kingdom of Thailand from 20 to 23
November, and then Japan from 23 to 26 November, where he will
visit Tokyo, Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Vatican News reported.
A detailed program of the visit will be announced later, the
Holy See office said.
The motto of the first stage of the Apostolic Journey is
"Disciples of Christ, Missionary Disciples", and is a reference
to an important anniversary. 2019 marks the 350th anniversary of
the establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam, erected in
1669.
This event is represented in the logo prepared for the visit.
Beneath a smiling Pope Francis is a boat that symbolizes
evangelization. Its three sails recall the Trinity. The stylized
representation of Our Lady's hand supports the vessel. Finally,
a golden cross invites the whole Thai Catholic Church to be a
witness to the Good News.
In January this year, Pope Francis sent a message to the
meeting of Presidents of the Doctrinal Commissions of the
Bishops' Conferences of Asia, and a delegation of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in Bangkok. "You are
gathered in Asia, a vast and multiform continent, marked by
religious, linguistic and cultural diversity", wrote the Pope,
"in order to reaffirm our common responsibility for the unity
and integrity of the Catholic faith, as well as to explore new
means and methods of witnessing to the Gospel in the midst of
the challenges of our contemporary world".
The theme of the Apostolic Journey to Japan focuses on the
protection of life and Creation, and is quoted from a phase in
"A prayer for our earth" at the end of the Pope's Encyclical
Letter Laudato Si', on caring for our common home. In that
document, the Pope encourages us to respect both the dignity of
each person, but also the environment.
This is particularly poignant in a country like Japan where
the nuclear threat, as we read in the description of the motto,
"remains a persistent problem". Three flames of three different
colors characterize the logo: a red flame recalling the martyrs,
the foundation of the Church in Japan, a blue flame representing
the Blessed Virgin Mary who embraces all humanity as her
children, and a green flame symbolizing both the nature of
Japan, and the mission to proclaim the Gospel of hope. A red
circle, like a sun, embraces all life, and symbolizes love.
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