Communication on June 17, 2005
* Archbishop of Seoul Met with Dr. Hwang
The Most Rev. Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, Archbishop of Seoul, distributed to the priests in his Archdiocese a material for Sunday Mass homily regarding the recent report of Dr. Hwang's producing human embryonic stem cells.
On June 10, Archbishop Cheong sent a letter to priests, which recommended the priests to arouse the awareness of the faithful to this bioethical matter, saying "Research on human embryonic stem cells is an anti-life act and we can replace it with research on adult stem cells." It aimed to keep the faithful from being misled to blind support for unethical research.
On the same line of the statement issued a week earlier by the CBCK Episcopal Commission for Doctrine and the Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs (see the News on June 10), the material pointed out that research on human embryos cannot be ethically justified because it presupposes the destruction of human embryos, which are absolutely human beings.
Archbishop Cheong also pointed out that the Catholic Church does not turn its back from the patients suffering from incurable diseases. Therefore, he proposed to depend on the research on adult stem cells, which is proved to be safe and effective through clinical experiments.
Responding to this warning, Dr. Hwang Woo-suk expressed his willingness to meet Catholic leaders to discuss bioethical issues involved in his research. Accordingly, on June 15, Archbishop Cheong met with Dr. Hwang and exchanged opinions on stem cell research for an hour.
Reaching the consensus on the importance of respecting human life, they discussed life-related questions in amiable environment. At the meeting, Archbishop Cheong asked the scientist to take the adult stem cell research as an alternative while praising his efforts for the patients with incurable diseases, a source said. After the closed meeting, Dr. Hwang said, "I came to meet him expecting to be scolded, but he gave me a blessing and teaching."
*Treatment with Adult Stem Cells Proves to Be Effective for Incurable Diseases
Treatment using adult stem cells proved to be effective for incurable diseases such as cerebral infarction, as the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea on June 9, 2005 announced that the medical research team of Catholic University of Korea successfully completed a large scale of clinical research on vascular incurable diseases using adult stem cells.
The ministry explained that the team identified significant improvement in 64 of 74 patients with vascular incurable diseases after applying a treatment of adult stem cells. It also said that the study's success has dismissed doubt over the efficiency of adult stem cell treatments and contributed to advancing their commercial use.
As the Catholic Church recently expressed opposition to Dr. Hwang's research using embryonic stem cells, this announcement has significance that adult stem cell treatments can be an effective alternative.
* "Change the Culture of Confrontation to the Culture of Coexistence" - Says the Message for the Prayer Day for Reconciliation and Unity of Korean People
On the occasion of the 2005 Prayer Day for the Reconciliation and Unity of Korean People on June 19, the Most Rev. Lucas Kim Woon-hoe, President of the CBCK Committee for the Reconciliation of the Korean People, issued a message and called for efforts on both sides of Korea to change the culture of confrontation to the culture of coexistence.
Bishop Kim said in the message, "We should not criticize each other because of different views, but try to have genuine conversation to lay a solid foundation of consensus." He asked the faithful, to pray for the reconciliation and unity of Korean people so that we all can be one in the love of God, returning to the time when we were one.
"This year marks the 60th anniversary of national liberation and the 5th anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration of South and North Korea. However, the relationship of South and North Koreas is still immature. We still face a tall wall of confrontation and feel insecurity and tension," he said.
Explaining that "God wills that human beings, created in His love, embrace different images, respect each other and reach reconciliation and peace," he wished North brethren peace of God.
* Symposium Participants Confirm the Necessity of Religion Education in Catholic Schools
The Pastoral Institute of Korea (Director: Rev. Basil Cho Kyu-man) of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea and the Catholic School Education Forum (Director: Rev. Michael Choi Jun-gyu) held a symposium with the theme "Religion Education in Catholic Schools" at Coste Hall in Myeongdong Cathedral of Seoul on June 11, 2005.
Participants agreed that religion-run schools have that right to conduct religion education according to their foundational spirit without violating the religious freedom of students.
The Most Rev. Matthias Ri Iong-hoon, President of the CBCK Committee on Education, who made the keynote address, said that "It is desirable to allow students the right to select the school they want because if religion-run schools give up religion education, their existence itself can be endangered."
"When religion teachers, including priests, religious and lay Catholics, show good examples to students through their life and prayer, the religion education can approach the students as an attractive and favorable subject," he continued.
The Rev. Michael Choi Jun-gyu, Professor of education at Catholic University of Korea, made a presentation with the theme "Religion Education in Catholic Schools: Issues, Concept, Purposes" and said, "Religion education is necessary because it is helpful for building peace for the world, guaranteeing human resource for a nation, and forming good personality for a person. The reason Catholic schools conduct religion education is to be faithful to their identity and to fulfill their mission toward the world and the humanity."
The Most Rev. Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, Archbishop of Seoul, distributed to the priests in his Archdiocese a material for Sunday Mass homily regarding the recent report of Dr. Hwang's producing human embryonic stem cells.
On June 10, Archbishop Cheong sent a letter to priests, which recommended the priests to arouse the awareness of the faithful to this bioethical matter, saying "Research on human embryonic stem cells is an anti-life act and we can replace it with research on adult stem cells." It aimed to keep the faithful from being misled to blind support for unethical research.
On the same line of the statement issued a week earlier by the CBCK Episcopal Commission for Doctrine and the Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs (see the News on June 10), the material pointed out that research on human embryos cannot be ethically justified because it presupposes the destruction of human embryos, which are absolutely human beings.
Archbishop Cheong also pointed out that the Catholic Church does not turn its back from the patients suffering from incurable diseases. Therefore, he proposed to depend on the research on adult stem cells, which is proved to be safe and effective through clinical experiments.
Responding to this warning, Dr. Hwang Woo-suk expressed his willingness to meet Catholic leaders to discuss bioethical issues involved in his research. Accordingly, on June 15, Archbishop Cheong met with Dr. Hwang and exchanged opinions on stem cell research for an hour.
Reaching the consensus on the importance of respecting human life, they discussed life-related questions in amiable environment. At the meeting, Archbishop Cheong asked the scientist to take the adult stem cell research as an alternative while praising his efforts for the patients with incurable diseases, a source said. After the closed meeting, Dr. Hwang said, "I came to meet him expecting to be scolded, but he gave me a blessing and teaching."
*Treatment with Adult Stem Cells Proves to Be Effective for Incurable Diseases
Treatment using adult stem cells proved to be effective for incurable diseases such as cerebral infarction, as the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea on June 9, 2005 announced that the medical research team of Catholic University of Korea successfully completed a large scale of clinical research on vascular incurable diseases using adult stem cells.
The ministry explained that the team identified significant improvement in 64 of 74 patients with vascular incurable diseases after applying a treatment of adult stem cells. It also said that the study's success has dismissed doubt over the efficiency of adult stem cell treatments and contributed to advancing their commercial use.
As the Catholic Church recently expressed opposition to Dr. Hwang's research using embryonic stem cells, this announcement has significance that adult stem cell treatments can be an effective alternative.
* "Change the Culture of Confrontation to the Culture of Coexistence" - Says the Message for the Prayer Day for Reconciliation and Unity of Korean People
On the occasion of the 2005 Prayer Day for the Reconciliation and Unity of Korean People on June 19, the Most Rev. Lucas Kim Woon-hoe, President of the CBCK Committee for the Reconciliation of the Korean People, issued a message and called for efforts on both sides of Korea to change the culture of confrontation to the culture of coexistence.
Bishop Kim said in the message, "We should not criticize each other because of different views, but try to have genuine conversation to lay a solid foundation of consensus." He asked the faithful, to pray for the reconciliation and unity of Korean people so that we all can be one in the love of God, returning to the time when we were one.
"This year marks the 60th anniversary of national liberation and the 5th anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration of South and North Korea. However, the relationship of South and North Koreas is still immature. We still face a tall wall of confrontation and feel insecurity and tension," he said.
Explaining that "God wills that human beings, created in His love, embrace different images, respect each other and reach reconciliation and peace," he wished North brethren peace of God.
* Symposium Participants Confirm the Necessity of Religion Education in Catholic Schools
The Pastoral Institute of Korea (Director: Rev. Basil Cho Kyu-man) of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea and the Catholic School Education Forum (Director: Rev. Michael Choi Jun-gyu) held a symposium with the theme "Religion Education in Catholic Schools" at Coste Hall in Myeongdong Cathedral of Seoul on June 11, 2005.
Participants agreed that religion-run schools have that right to conduct religion education according to their foundational spirit without violating the religious freedom of students.
The Most Rev. Matthias Ri Iong-hoon, President of the CBCK Committee on Education, who made the keynote address, said that "It is desirable to allow students the right to select the school they want because if religion-run schools give up religion education, their existence itself can be endangered."
"When religion teachers, including priests, religious and lay Catholics, show good examples to students through their life and prayer, the religion education can approach the students as an attractive and favorable subject," he continued.
The Rev. Michael Choi Jun-gyu, Professor of education at Catholic University of Korea, made a presentation with the theme "Religion Education in Catholic Schools: Issues, Concept, Purposes" and said, "Religion education is necessary because it is helpful for building peace for the world, guaranteeing human resource for a nation, and forming good personality for a person. The reason Catholic schools conduct religion education is to be faithful to their identity and to fulfill their mission toward the world and the humanity."