MUMBAI, India – A recent meeting of bishops from Asia have announced a program on Synodality taking place in November at Penang, Malaysia.

Cardinal Isao Kikuchi to Tokyo said the Central Committee of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences meeting in Bangkok this month gave the Asian Missions Conference (AMC) 2025 meeting the theme “The Great Pilgrimage of Hope.”

“More than 1000 participants are expected to join and from Japan also at least 3 bishops and some religious and laity are expected to join this Congress,” the cardinal told Crux.

“The last one was in 2006 in Cheng Mai, and I was there. This one will not be just a festival, but rather a continuation of FABC 50 and Synod on Synodality. FABC 50 document would be our guiding principle and Synodality is our aim to achieve,” he said.

“As it will be held in Malaysia, we are not putting emphasis on ‘mission’ but rather use ‘The Great Pilgrimage of Hope’ as the title,” Kikuchi added.

He said the three Global South regional bishops’ conferences are “directly affected” by climate change and it is one of the utmost urgent issues to resolve for the Church leaders.

“When we talk about ecological ministry, it also require us to be a more Synodal Church so that we could be able to walk together and support each other to protect our common house. Laudato Si’ and Synodality are not separate issues, but to tackle with ecological issues: We cannot be political but synodal,” the cardinal said.

In a pastoral letter issued after the meeting, the FABC said Hope “compels us to action” in at least four key areas: Mitigation, adaptation, legislation, and finance.

“As local Churches in Asia, we must rise to meet this moment with courage and determination,” the statement says.

“As Christians, we must walk alongside our neighbor religions in this shared advocacy for the care of our common home,” the letter said.

“In this Jubilee Year, we must also advocate for debt relief, recognizing that debt traps prevent many nations from effectively addressing the climate crisis,” the bishops said.

“We must not let fear or apathy paralyze us,” they continued. “Instead, let us walk the Pilgrimage of Hope together, responding with faith and courage.”