ntroduction
1. We, the participants of the second Bishops’ Institute for the Lay Apostolate (BILA II) on Family,
wish to thank Almighty God for the institution of marriage and Family and ask His continued
blessings on our families. This BILA II on Family reflected on the realities and the challenges
facing families in Asia today in the context of our very diverse countries.
2. Delegates and resource persons from 17 countries
1
including eleven bishops met at the
Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre of Kuala Lumpur Archdiocese in West Malaysia from 20th
to 24th
April 2013. Co-organised by the FABC Office of Laity & Family and the Archdiocese of Kuala
Lumpur, Family Life Commission, we enjoyed the gracious hospitality of our Malaysian hosts.
3. The first BILA on Family was held in Thailand from 11th
to 16th
June, 2007 following the FABC
Plenary Assembly in 2006 in Korea which had as its focus, the Family. The first meeting discussed
the urgently needed “Avenues/Approaches to Respond to Challenges in Pastoral Care to Families
in the 21st Century”.
4. In this second BILA on Family, we have focused our attention on the mission of the family as the
Domestic Church; the mission within the family itself and towards the world.