Asian Catholic students, teachers meet in Tokyo

STUDENTS and instructors from Catholic colleges and universities across Asia gathered in Tokyo to discuss environmental issues and strengthen bonds of friendship with each other.

The 19th conference of the Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU) was held on August 25 – 27 at the Jesuit-run Sophia University in Tokyo. Some 135 students and high-ranking administrators came from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand to participate.

One notable guest was Slovenian Bishop Anton Jamnik, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Ljubljana, where efforts to establish a Catholic university are actively under way.

The ASEACCU conference’s location and theme changes each year. Two years ago, it was held in Sydney and covered bioethics and life issues while last year’s conference in Thailand addressed other Catholic perspectives on educational challenges.

This year’s meeting, entitled Caring for God’s Creation, focused on Asian perspectives on human stewardship of the Earth. Among other highlights of the event were student presentations on environmental problems.

Report from ucanews.com