Vatican official to Japanese faithful: ‘Share the richness of faith with spiritually poor’

A Vatican official urged Japanese Catholics to not just share material goods with the poor but also the “richness of faith” with the spiritually poor.

Archbishop Emilio Nappa, Secretary of the Governorate of Vatican City and former President of the Pontifical Mission Societies, said that this mission is urgently needed given the many global conflicts happening in the world today.

The prelate was visiting the Shinseikaikan Center in Tokyo, Japan, on March 25, as reported by Vatican news service Fides.

The 90-year-old institution is known for offering food and shelter alongside Catholic-based education during rampant militarism in the country.

Nappa said that the duty to help the poor and educate the youth according to Church teaching must always be the core mission of the Shinseikaikan Center.

On the same day, the archbishop held a meeting with the catechists of the Archdiocese of Tokyo, whom he saluted for preserving the Catholic faith despite being a minority in Japan.

"Do not forget to teach the Church's social teaching in your daily catechesis and in classrooms to catechumens and the faithful. Your witness helps us walk the path of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace,” he advised them.

On March 24, Nappa traveled to Nishizaka Hill in Nagasaki, the site of the 1597 crucifixion of Japanese Saint Paul Miki and his companions.

He also visited the new cathedral in Nagasaki, which houses artifacts that survived the atomic bombings during the Second World War.

Nappa is set to travel from Japan to South Korea to participate in the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Pontifical Mission Societies in their country.