Synodal renewal must begin with the Word of God
The XII Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) took place in Jakarta (Indonesia) from 20 to 26 July 2026 at the Hotel Mulia, on the theme "Synodal Conversion and the Mission to Be Bridges and Bridge-Builders in Asia", under the motto "You will see greater things" (Jn 1:50). Cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and lay delegates from across the continent took part.
The Catholic Biblical Federation was represented by its President, Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, and by its General Secretary, Father Jan J. Stefanów SVD, who addressed the Assembly on 22 July. Recalling that the Federation, founded in 1969 to put into practice the Conciliar Constitution Dei Verbum, is today present in almost 120 countries, he thanked the Churches of Asia for their place in this family: almost all Asian Episcopal Conferences are full members of the CBF, and together with 51 associate members they make Asia one of its most vibrant regions.
"Sacred Scripture is the first bridge thrown across the distance between heaven and earth," Father Stefanów said, "and every bridge the Church builds – with the poor, with cultures, with religions – rests upon that first bridge." He recalled the rich biblical journey of the FABC itself, in particular BIBA, the Bishops' Institute for the Biblical Apostolate, always organised in close cooperation with the CBF, and expressed the hope that this Assembly might be the moment to reawaken it, after more than a decade without new sessions.
Quoting no. 83 of the Final Document of the Synod – "Listening to the Word of God is the starting point and criterion for all ecclesial discernment" – he stressed that "there is no synodality without listening, and no ecclesial listening that does not begin with the Word of God". For synodal structures and processes to grow in the Churches of Asia, he said, women and men formed to listen to the Scriptures and to discern together will be needed, and he assured the bishops of the support, materials and fraternal accompaniment of the Federation.
The appeal bore fruit before the end of the Assembly. Father Stefanów had already raised the question of the biblical apostolate on several occasions with the President of the FABC, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, and its Vice-President, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David. In Jakarta the FABC leadership took up his proposal and decided to entrust the reactivation of BIBA to the FABC Office of Evangelization. At their suggestion and with their consent, on 25 July Father Stefanów met with Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching, Chairman of the Office, and Mr Manoj Sunny, its Executive Secretary. The meeting agreed to reactivate BIBA, reconnecting with the tradition of the great institutes of the FABC, such as BIRA, BIMA and BILA. As in the past, BIBA will not be a permanent structure but a series of periodic, high-impact formation events.
To carry the initiative forward, an informal working group will be formed within the Office of Evangelization, bringing together bishops of the Office and invited bishops, the three CBF regional coordinators for South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, and members of the Office's staff. All official invitations and communications to the Bishops' Conferences will be issued in the name of the FABC Office of Evangelization.
The participants also agreed on a roadmap: in 2027, the relaunch of BIBA with a gathering at the level of bishops, to give new visibility and impetus to the biblical apostolate across Asia; in 2028, three regional BIBA sessions for East, South and Southeast Asia; and in 2029, coordination with the CBF Plenary Assembly, to which the FABC will be invited. A coordination group has already been set up, the historical BIBA materials have been shared, and work has begun to prepare the 2027 gathering.
During the Assembly, the General Secretary also met with bishops and church leaders from Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe and Latin America – among them representatives of SECAM, CELAM and the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania – to strengthen cooperation in the biblical apostolate and to follow up on Bible translation and publication projects in the region.
Sources: CBF; Radio Veritas Asia
Greeting of the Catholic Biblical Federation to the XII FABC Plenary Assembly
I wish to congratulate you on the theme of this Assembly: "Synodal Conversion and the Mission to Be Bridges and Bridge-Builders in Asia" — "You will see greater things" (Jn 1:50). Where did God himself begin to build bridges? In his Word: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son" (Heb 1:1-2).
Sacred Scripture is the first bridge thrown across the distance between heaven and earth, and every bridge the Church builds — with the poor, with cultures, with religions, in your own "triple dialogue" — rests upon that first bridge (...)
