FABC pays Homage to Dr. Fr. Samuel Rayan SJ

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo – New President of FABC pays homage to Asian Liberation Theologian Jesuit Father Samuel Rayan, 2 January 2019. It is with deep sense of sorrow and humility that I dedicate my first message as president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC) to pay homage to a giant of Asian Liberation Theology, Jesuit Father Samuel Rayan who died today on 2nd January 2019. Church in Asia condones the death of leading Asian theologian who died around noon today (2 January 2019) at Nirmala Hospital, Kozhikode, Kerala, India where he was undergoing treatment for old age ailments for months. Being a radical humanist, Father Rayan was convinced that the human person in community is the object of God’s special love. He spoke for the care of the earth, concern for life and commitment to people. His theologizing was deeply rooted in his life, his land and his commitment to Jesus the Liberator. For Fr Rayan the central mission of the Christian faith in Asia is its insertion into the concrete and daily life of the people, especially of the most marginalized and oppressed members of the social body. Fr Rayan used to say, “Rice is for sharing, bread must be broken and given. Every bowl, every belly shall have its fill, to leave a single bowl unfilled is to rob history of its meaning; to grab many a bowl for myself is to empty history of God.”