Cardinal Ferrão Calls for Listening as a Path to Leadership in Asia

Penang, Malaysia 28 November 2025: At the Great Pilgrimage of Hope, the FABC Congress in Penang, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, urged bishops and pastoral leaders to reclaim the heart of their ministry by learning to listen before they speak.

Addressing bishops from across Asia, he turned to the Gospel scene on the road to Emmaus, calling it the clearest model of pastoral leadership. He noted that the Risen Christ does not start with teaching but with companionship. “The Risen Lord listens before He speaks,” he said, emphasising that Jesus first hears the disciples’ pain, confusion, and disappointment before opening the Scriptures to them.

Cardinal Ferrão stressed that Christ does not rush to correct or preach. Instead, He walks with the disciples, allowing their fears and questions to surface. This, he said, is the essence of shepherding: entering another’s experience with respect and solidarity.

He reminded the gathering that genuine pastoral care is not about authority or control. “Shepherding must be understood as accompaniment rather than control,” he said. Leaders, he added, are called to be present with people, listen with compassion, and meet them in the realities of their lives.

This approach, he explained, marks a renewed missionary attitude for the Church, one shaped by humility and the willingness to listen before proclaiming. It is through attentive presence, he said, that trust grows, dialogue deepens, and the Gospel finds space to take root.

Bishops who attended the seminar described the message as timely and needed, especially in a fast-changing world marked by uncertainty and longing. Cardinal Ferrão’s call invites the Church in Asia to be a community that walks with people before leading them, and listens with the heart before offering words.

By Catholic Connect Reporter