Cardinal Kikuchi wants people from Latin America to witness the love and charity of God

Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, Archbishop of Tokyo (Japan) and president of Cáritas Internationalis, spoke with ACI Press about the surprising Guadalupana devotion in his country, reflected on the current state of vocations in Japan and expressed his desire for Latin America to assume a more visible role in the universal church, “as a witness of the love of God peoples ”.

Although his visit to Mexico had as its main reason the meeting of the representative council of Cáritas, his first stop was spiritual: he went to the Basilica of Guadalupe to visit the Virgen del Tepeyac. Although it is the second time that Mexico visits, he expressed his joy to be in front of the “brunette.”

In this Sanctuary Mariano, the Cardinal shared how Guadalupana devotion has thrown roots in Japanese lands thanks to the work of Mexican and religious missionaries committed. “The story of this miraculous appearance of Mother María de Guadalupe, is really a well -known story in Japan,” he said. He especially highlighted the role of the missionaries of Guadalupe and the missionaries of Santa Clara in the dissemination of this Marian devotion.

Although Japan and Mexico are separated by almost 10,000 kilometers, they share a deep bond in the history of Christianity: the martyrdom of San Felipe de Jesus. This Mexican friar was martyred in 1597 in Nagasaki with 20 Japanese, four Spaniards and an Indian – the so -called 26 martyrs – while performing missionary work on the west coast of the Asian country.

“Since the beginning of the Catholic Church in Japan, this international dimension has always been present. Mártires of Mexico, of the Philippines, not only of Europe; it is a true testimony that the Catholic Church is, in essence, a universal church,” he said.

A “more international” church in Japan

That universality has accompanied the Japanese church to the present day. According to Kikuchi, “there are many migrants in Japan, such as Filipinos, Vietnamese or some from Latin America. Some young people from those migrant communities are trying to become priests in Japan. Now, the Japanese Catholic Church is becoming more international.”

The cardinal also recognized the drastic decline in priestly vocations since the rise of the 1950s and 1960s. “Money began to influence people’s lives, many people began to think only of material goods and material development, and began to forget religion,” he lamented, pointing out that it is also a reality that also affects religions such as Buddhism.

At the continental level, the Catholic population in Asia grew by 0.6% between 2022 and 2023, according to the Pontifical Yearbook 2025. This growth was also reflected in the recent conclave of May 7 and 8, where Asia was represented by 23 voters.

The conclave and a new Pope

Cardinal Kikuchi participated in the conclave that chose Pope Leo XIV, and recalled the criteria that guided him in the election: “A new Pope who knew the pastoral reality, in addition to having administrative skills, creation capacity and a deep spirituality.”

Although he admitted that it was not easy to find someone with those three qualities, he stressed that “the Holy Spirit really worked in the cardinals to choose the right person. So he (Pope Leo XIV) is the right person.”

Cardinal Kikuchi highlighted the missionary and administrative experience of the new Pontiff as decisive factors: his work as a priest and then bishop in Peru, was superior of the order of San Agustín, and worked in the Dicascle for bishops in the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV, he said, “has experience in Peru as a missionary, knows how to handle the administration because it was the superior of the order of San Agustín. He knows how to deal with the old administrative work of a great organization. He was a bishop and also worked in the Vatican, in the Dicasterio for the bishops.”

Charity against global selfishness

From his position as president of International charCardinal Kikuchi warned of the current challenges for global solidarity. He noted that “the policies of some important countries, especially about migrants and also about foreign aid, are changing, and society itself is becoming very inward, without worrying about other countries, but thinking about oneself.”

“A really selfish situation is becoming around the world. In that situation, the work of charity is very difficult, because the work of charity consists in donating what you have to people who are in difficulties. But at this time, most people are thinking of themselves, how to protect their lives, how to protect their family, how to protect their society.”

He pointed out that in that context it is a real challenge for Caritas organizations to ask people who donate for people who do not know, so “it is a really challenging time.”

Faced with that panorama, Cardinal Kikuchi put their hopes in Latin America, a region “based on Christianity, and where everyone knows the value of the Gospel.” “We really hope that the Latin American people will witness the love and charity of God towards all the people of the world,” he concluded.