Set for November 27–30, 2025, in Penang, Malaysia, the Great Pilgrimage of Hope will invite the Church in Asia to walk together in faith under the theme “Journeying Together as Peoples of Asia.”
At a pivotal moment for the Catholic Church in Asia, hundreds of bishops, priests, religious, deacons, and lay leaders will gather in Penang for the Great Pilgrimage of Hope, a landmark assembly aimed at reimagining how the Church lives, shares, and celebrates the Gospel amid Asia’s shifting social and spiritual landscape.
Journeying Together as Peoples of Asia
Organised by the FABC, hosted by the Diocese of Penang, Malaysia, the Great Pilgrimage of Hope will gather voices from across Asia’s diverse ecclesial, cultural, and linguistic tapestry. Living out the Gospel in Asia is not a programme but a pilgrimage, a journey of faith that embraces difference and moves forward together. Penang invites the Church to live and share the story of Jesus anew, in a world more fragmented, connected, and complex than ever before.
Keynote speakers include Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, Archbishop Simon Poh, Mar Raphael Thattil, Archbishop Christopher Prowse, Colin Calmiano, and other notable speakers, each offering insights into renewal, reconciliation, and discipleship in a post-pandemic, post-globalisation era.
The chosen theme, “Journeying together as peoples of Asia”, takes inspiration from the Gospel account of the Magi who, after encountering Christ, “went a different way” (Mt 2:12). It suggests a Church that, after 2000 years, still dares to find new paths, walking not alone but with Asia’s peoples, cultures, and faiths.
Relevance to Today’s Asia
Asia today stands at a crossroads. It is home to the world’s largest youth population and its fastest-growing cities, yet also to widening inequality, ecological distress, and religious polarisation. Across the region, Catholics form small minorities, often living their faith quietly in multireligious settings, yet their witness remains one of service, compassion, and peace-building.
In such a climate, the Great Pilgrimage of Hope arrives not as a conference of ideas, but as a movement of renewal, one that echoes Pope Francis’ vision of a synodal Church: listening, discerning, and journeying together. It seeks to rediscover the “triple dialogue” first articulated by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC): dialogue with the poor, with cultures, and with religions.
As societies across Asia confront technological change, migration, and moral uncertainty, the Church’s task is to remain a credible companion, a Church that listens before it preaches, serves before it teaches, and walks humbly with all peoples.
A Penang Moment for the Asian Church
Penang, known for its multicultural spirit and harmonious coexistence of faiths, offers a symbolic venue. Its old churches, temples, and mosques stand side by side as living witnesses to a rich history of dialogue. Against this backdrop, the Great Pilgrimage of Hope becomes both a reflection and a roadmap, a chance for Asia’s Church to pause, pray, and plan for the road ahead.
Looking toward the Jubilee Year 2033, which will mark 2000 years since the Resurrection of Christ, the gathering invites all peoples of faith to walk together in hope, to renew the face of the Church in Asia, and rediscover the joy of the Gospel in the languages, music, and stories of the continent.
For a region marked by contrasts, between wealth and want, faith and doubt, hope and hardship, the Great Pilgrimage of Hope may well signal a turning point: a reminder that in the heart of Asia, the Gospel of Christ continues not with conquest, but with compassion; not by going back, but by “going a different way.”
