Cardinal Tagle designated envoy by Pope Francis to Asian bishops’ conference in Bangkok, Thailand

Pope Francis designated Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as his special envoy for the Asian bishops conference in Bangkok, Thailand this October.

Cardinal Tagle, also pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will preside over the closing Mass of the 50th General Conference of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) on October 30.

Cardinal Tagle had headed the FABC’s Office of Theological Concerns, prior to the Dicastery, when he was still the Archbishop of Manila.

The Asian Bishops’ conference will start on Oct. 12, and will be held at the Baan Phu Waan Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Bangkok.

This year’s conference theme is “FABC 50: Journeying together as peoples of Asia …and they went a different way.” (Mt 2:12).

The Assembly coincides with the belated 50th anniversary celebration of FABC that was established in 1970

The 19-day conference will “reflect on the re-emerging and emerging realities and challenges of the Church in Asia”.