TAIPEI (UCAN) – Catholic exhibitors at an international book fair in Taiwan not only displayed religious literature but also introduced a TV series and an interreligious documentary to highlight aspects of the local Church’s work.
Jesuit-run cultural organizations, the Taipei Ricci Institute and “Renlai Monthly,” were two of at least seven Catholic exhibitors who took part in the Feb. 4-9 Taipei International Book Fair.
The annual fair, one of the largest in Asia, attracted 906 local and overseas exhibitors and drew 500,000 visitors this year.
In addition to exhibiting Catholic publications, the Jesuit organizations screened a 52-minute documentary, “On the Fifth Day, the Sea Tide Rose,” produced by the “Renlai” team.”Renlai” is a Chinese-language monthly on social, cultural and spiritual issues founded by the Taipei Ricci Institute.
The documentary, broadcast on two local public TV stations earlier, portrays the interaction between Christianity and the ancestral beliefs of the Amis indigenous people in a village in eastern Hualian county.
On Feb. 8 at these booths, American Jesuit Father Jerry Martinson, vice director of the Jesuit-run Kuangchi Program Service, which produces Catholic multimedia programs, introduced a TV series he hosted for a charitable fund.
The series focused on the heroic efforts of 12 people in overcoming adversity. One of them is Taiwan’s Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi who shares his struggle against cancer and the spiritual lessons he has learned as a result.
The episodes come in the form of video compact discs, and were sold together with a book on the series.
According to Nakao Eki, deputy editor of “Renlai,” some teachers, after browsing copies of the magazine, showed interest in using it for lessons.
Some university students also said they were impressed by the diverse topics it touched on while more elderly readers appreciated its coverage of cultural and social issues, she added.
Jesuit Father Benoit Vermander, academic director of Taipei Ricci Institute, said more than 10,000 people, mostly non-Catholics, visited the three Jesuit booths.
Archbishop John Hung Shan-chuan of Taipei, president of the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference in Taiwan, also visited the exhibition, including the booths of organizations from other religions. He sent copies of the Chinese version of Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 book, “Jesus of Nazareth,” to these exhibitors as a gift.
In addition to displaying their products, Catholic exhibitors provided information on the Year of Saint Paul and the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Catholicism in Taiwan, which falls this year. They also promoted an online Catholic bookstore (http://books.catholic.tw/tw/) which gives information on seven Chinese Catholic publishers.