Indonesia’s Top Prelate urges Asian Church to listen before building bridges

July 22, 2026 · 1 min read

The president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Indonesia calls on the Church in Asia to become a listening Church as it opened the 12th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), saying authentic synodality begins by listening to God, one another, and the voices of people on the margins.

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Source: Vatican News · Read the full story →

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Margarita Prifti

If you listen to others before we build bridges, that's true. In our church in Durrës, we often say the same thing when we talk to people who come to help in the kitchen. My question is: how can we make this listening concrete in everyday life, not only in meetings?

Kristina Dhima

Yes, Margarita, concrete listening starts with simple questions like "What's bothering you today?" when they come to the kitchen. In our hospital in Gjirokastra, we try not to speak immediately, but to let the patient speak first, even if we are in a hurry. How exactly do you do that listening when there are a lot of people in front of you?

Sofia Thanasi

Yes, Kristina, the question "What's bothering you today?" it's simple and it works. I do the same in my patient in Berat, especially when elderly women come who are afraid to speak quickly. Do you ever try to leave a long silence after their answer, or do you immediately rush to the next one?

Vangjel Kristo

Yes, Kristina, your question "What's bothering you today?" it reminds me of when my kids come home after school and I don't immediately ask them about homework but let them talk about their day. In my work as an electrician, when customers come into the store with broken wires, I try not to interrupt them immediately, but to listen to how they found the problem. Do you do this listening with your children or only in the hospital?

Olimbia Prifti

Yes, Sofia, the question "What's bothering you today?" really opens the door. I sometimes try it in the church after the liturgy when I talk to the mothers who come from the villages around Gjirokastra; the long silence after their answer prompts them to continue on their own, unhurriedly. Do you have any concrete cases from Berat where this silence has led to something unexpected?

Kristina Dhima

Yes, Olimbia, that silence after the question "What's bothering you today?" it really works. In our church in Gjirokastër, a mother from a nearby village once told me after a long vacation that her daughter in high school was suffering from pressure from teachers not to go to church. From that conversation we came up with a small set of prayers for the parents of such children. Do you have any similar examples from your circle?

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