By Zu (Zuo Rui) Gan, Class of 2025
On April 7, the Meanings, Identities, and Communities Cluster hosted Dr. Michel Chambon’s talk on Catholicism in Asia. Dr. Chambon, a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore and coordinator of ISAC (the Initiative for the Study of Asian Catholics), explored the unexpected ways Catholicism has shaped Asian societies, from its role in Timor Leste’s fight for independence to its cultural imprint in places like Japan and Vietnam.
Dr. Chambon started by highlighting the importance of Asia in the study of Catholicisim. While Asia holds only 3.31% of Catholics around the world, Dr Chambon argues that Asia is far from negligible in studies of Catholicism. Asia has also engaged deeply with Catholicism. One way the study of Catholicism in Asia is relevant is through the case study of Timor Leste. While many would assume the most Catholic nation in Asia might be the Philippines, it is actually Timor Leste that has the most percentage of Catholics in proportion to the population. Dr. Chambon challenges the idea that the prominence of Catholicism in Timor Leste was due to its Portuguese colonization. When the Portuguese left Timor Leste, the population was only 20% Catholic. However, today it is 97% Catholic. Dr. Chambon argues that this was partly in response to the Indonesian Occupation of Timor Leste in 1975. As the Indonesian government required everyone to declare a religion, the Timorese declared themselves Catholic. Moreover, most of the big powers in 1975 supported Indonesia’s occupation of Timor Leste on the international stage. Dr. Chambon pointed out that the Catholic Church provided some opposition to the occupation on the international stage. Pope Benedict had a tradition where he would kiss the ground of any nation that he was visiting. However, when he was conducting mass in a church in Timor Leste, he also kissed the ground there. This was read as a sign of support for their independence.
It is not only Timor Leste that Catholicism’s influence and importance can be studied. Dr. Chambon also used the examples of Japan, Indonesia, and Taiwan. In Japan, Catholicism had an impact on shaping its modern society. Dr. Chambon asks us to look beyond numbers and view the deep influence Catholicism has on culture. During the Edo period, the emperor of Japan issued a decree that every citizen, not just Catholics, had to step on an image of Jesus to prove their loyalty. This tradition lasted for 200 years. Clearly, the impact of Catholicism was present in Japan. Dr. Chambon also cautions us against utilizing simplified numbers. While Indonesia’s national Catholic population is minimal, there are certain areas and administrative zones where Catholicism is the majority. Hence, Dr. Chambon posits that this demographic creates a situation in Indonesian law where all religions and ethnicity equal. This equality in law was due to the demographic reality of Catholics possessing majorities in certain areas. In Taiwan, the continuation of traditional customs and practices continued under the auspices of Catholicism. In contrast to Protestant churches which viewed local customs and practices as deviations, the Catholic church had a more accommodating policy to local rites and rituals. Hence, one sees many Indigenous peoples in Taiwan converting to Catholicism.
Dr. Chambon also highlighted the influence of Asian Catholics who lived outside Asia. He highlighted that while the Catholics in Vietnam was only 6.7% of the population, 30% of Vietnamese migrants to the US were Catholics. The largest pilgrimage in the US is by the Vietnamese community. In Vietnam itself, the Virgin Mary wears Vietnamese traditional dress and is called the Lady of La Vang. Thus, Catholicism was both global and local and part of a changing network that is a maker of Asian societies and nation states.
