Author Bios
Father William Grimm is a Tokyo-based priest and publisher of UCA News, and former editor-in-chief of “Katorikku Shimbun,” Japan’s Catholic weekly.
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In Genesis we read, "There were giants on the earth in those days.... These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.' The Scriptural reference is mythological, but for the Catholic Church in Asia there was, indeed, a time when there were giants on the earth, and they were bishops.
The recent death of Bishop Francisco Claver may have marked the end of that era.
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Disturbed by news of the sexual abuse of children by priests and religious in the United States and the failure of bishops there to respond properly, in 2002 the bishops of Japan investigated the situation here. In June of that year, they issued a statement on the sexual abuse of children.
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Akkad in Mesopotamia was the center of the world's first empire some 25 centuries before Christ. The Akkadian language outlasted the empire, becoming the language of several later cultures, including Babylonia.
Even 45 centuries later, we possibly still use a couple of words from that language in our day-to-day activities, words that may descend from the Akkadian words asu, "to ascend," and erub, "to descend." They were the roots of the words for "east" and "west," where the sun ascends and descends. In English, we pronounce them "Asia" and "Europe."
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TOKYO (UCAN) - "Happy Easter" seems an inadequate greeting. Insipid, even. Is mere happiness a sufficient response to the mystery of the Resurrection? Is a wish used for birthdays, public holidays and even haircuts overwhelming enough, unique enough, joyous enough to be given to our fellow Christians?
