Pope names Cardinal Rosales his envoy

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed retired Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales as his special envoy to the 10th plenary assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC) to be held next month in Vietnam.

The assembly is composed of around 100 presidents of bishops conferences, theologians and other church leaders, according to CBCPNews, the official news service of the Philippine Catholic Church.

The FABC is the highest body of the Catholic Church in Asia. The assembly in November, marking its 40th anniversary, would discuss ways of “living the spirit of renewal and the vision of evangelization in Asia,” said the CBCP Monday.

The delegates will also tackle ways on how the Church can spread the Gospel in Asia in view of globalization, cultural diversity and poverty.

Six prelates elected during the CBCP’s regular meeting last July in Manila will compose the Philippine delegation to be headed by CBCP president Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.

The other delegates are Archbishops Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan and Antonio J. Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro, Bishops Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig, Crispin Varquez of Borongan, Leonardo Medroso of Tagbilaran and Emmanuel Cabajar of Pagadian. Jocelyn R. Uy