The Tsukiji church, the first Catholic temple in Japan, commemorated 150 years of its foundation. Within the framework of the celebrations, the Archbishop of Tokyo and president of Cáritas Internationalis, Mons. Tarcisius Isao, commented that as at that historical moment, the country faces various difficulties, but its hope “remains strong.”
According to Vatican agency Fides, The archbishop highlighted the faith and hope of the missionaries who built the church and served the Catholic community at that time. Bishop Isao recalled the history of the so-called “Old Cathedral” in a homily delivered on June 30.
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The founding missionaries of the Tsukiji church, dedicated to Saint Joseph, demonstrated “unwavering hope,” the archbishop remarked, and highlighted “the great collaboration between foreign missionaries and the Japanese faithful who built the Japanese Church.”
In his speech, Bishop Isao warned about the dangers of demographic winter and the consequent aging of Japanese society. “The Church exists in this reality and, just like 150 years ago, we are optimistic despite the concerns,” he said.
The Tsukiji church was founded in 1874 by the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris, Fides reports, and with the creation of the Archdiocese of Tokyo in 1891, it became a cathedral.
Regarding the current world marked by war and violence, and Japan’s own recent history, Bishop Isao called for peace—especially in Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar—lamenting that “it seems that the world is increasingly dominated by violence that does not respect life.”
“In these times, the Church shines with the light of hope, a light that is lit with mutual support, synodality, solidarity and, above all, with the presence of the Lord who accompanies us,” the archbishop concluded.
After the devastating Kantō earthquake in 1923, the Tsukiji Church was destroyed, and later rebuilt in 1927. It was also recognized as a historic building of Tokyo on June 1, 1999.
Catholic evangelization in Japan began on August 15, 1549, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, when Saint Francis Xavier, a Jesuit missionary, arrived in the archipelago.
Andres Henriquez
I have been a writer for ACI Prensa and a correspondent for EWTN since 2023. Since then, I have covered events in the Catholic Church in Venezuela and Latin America. I have more than 5 years of experience in bilingual media. Additionally, in Venezuela I have worked with non-governmental organizations in favor of freedom and respect for human rights in the country. I have been a member of the Regnum Christi Federation since 2014.