Communication on December 2, 2005
* Message for Human Rights Sunday Issued
On the occasion of the 24th Human Rights Sunday on December 4, 2005, the Most Rev. Boniface Choi Ki-san, President of the CBCK Committee for Justice & Peace, issued a message where he expressed deep concern over the social trend disregarding the right to life, the most fundamental of all human rights, and appealed the faithful to make efforts for the promotion of human rights in their daily lives.
In his message entitled "For All Our Human Life" Bishop Choi explained the grounds of human dignity, saying, "Among all the creatures, human person solely knows and loves God and is called to share in the life of God." He also stressed that "Human dignity can be guaranteed through the respect for and realization of human rights."
Following this, he noted some elements which threaten the right to live and violate human dignity, including problems involved in poverty and aging of population, and urged that systematic policies should be set up on the level of government.
In particular, regarding human rights issues in North Korea, Bishop Choi urged the "realization and guarantee of religious freedom" in North Korea, saying, "religious freedom is an important indicator to show the degree of humanization of a society."
Besides, the bishop proposed to prepare institutional provision for defendse of the right to life and to bring to an end abortion, human embryonic stem cell research, death penalty, and poisonous articles in National Security Law of Korea.
* II Asian Congress on Pilgrimages and Shrines Held in Seoul
The Second Asian Congress on Pilgrimages and Shrines was held in Seoul, Korea from November 21 to 23, 2005 under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, in collaboration with CBCK Committee for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants and the Archdiocese of Seoul, with the theme "Pilgrimages and Shrines, Gifts of God-Love in Asia Today." It aimed at promoting evangelization focused on shrines in multi-religious and multi-cultural setting in Asia.
Some 90 participants from 14 Asian countries, mostly rectors of shrines and directors of pilgrimages, reached consensus on the need to renew the meaning of shrines as the "center of evangelization which promotes the concrete values of the gospel" although the secular challenges are becoming more and more serious.
The three-day congress was composed of lectures, workshops, Mass, communal prayers and cultural performance. Lectures were given by the Most Rev. Gabriel Chang Bong-hun, Bishop of Cheongju, the Rev. Renzo De Luca, Rector of the Japanese Shrine of the 26 Martyrs at Nagasaki, and the Rev. Devasia Mathew Mangalam, Rector of the Shrine of Fatima at Calcutta in India.
Bishop Chang in his lecture outlined the development of Martyrs' shrines in Korea and explained the theological nature of pilgrimage in soteriological, ecclesiological and eschatological perspectives. Fr. De Luca made a presentation with the theme "Pilgrimages and Shrines, Where Christ is Proclaimed and Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue Takes Place," and said, "Our Asian sanctuaries are the privileged places for a genuinely Asian understanding and reconciliation."
At the end of the congress, the participants resolved "to make use of these God-given centers to evangelize, promote life and dignity of people, strengthen family life, continue to dialogue with other religions, work for Christian unity and foster spiritual life and commitment of our people to God's Kingdom in response to God-love expressed through shrines."
They also adopted the final document (draft) and confessed together the shrines are the true school of faith to reveal the presence of the Word incarnate. Along with this, they proposed to form national and regional associations of shrine rectors and pilgrimage directors for the sake of evangelization in Asia, which can also contribute to the promotion of human dignity and the culture of life, deepening of spirituality, and Christian unity and interreligious dialogue.
While making people, Catholics or not, find peace and purpose of life in shrines, the participants also stressed the need to make shrines the place of encountering the Word of God and receiving sacraments. To this end, they resolved "to celebrate the Eucharist and have Eucharistic adoration, to offer sacrament of reconciliation and counselling, and to provide facilities for pious activities like rosary, way of the cross, holy hour, bible study and group prayer and reflection in shrines."
Concluding the congress, H.E. Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, said, "The encounter between cultures and Christ can be realized through the experience of God. This congress gave us a new perspective of evangelization in Asia by sharing the experiences of God who is present among us."
On the occasion of the 24th Human Rights Sunday on December 4, 2005, the Most Rev. Boniface Choi Ki-san, President of the CBCK Committee for Justice & Peace, issued a message where he expressed deep concern over the social trend disregarding the right to life, the most fundamental of all human rights, and appealed the faithful to make efforts for the promotion of human rights in their daily lives.
In his message entitled "For All Our Human Life" Bishop Choi explained the grounds of human dignity, saying, "Among all the creatures, human person solely knows and loves God and is called to share in the life of God." He also stressed that "Human dignity can be guaranteed through the respect for and realization of human rights."
Following this, he noted some elements which threaten the right to live and violate human dignity, including problems involved in poverty and aging of population, and urged that systematic policies should be set up on the level of government.
In particular, regarding human rights issues in North Korea, Bishop Choi urged the "realization and guarantee of religious freedom" in North Korea, saying, "religious freedom is an important indicator to show the degree of humanization of a society."
Besides, the bishop proposed to prepare institutional provision for defendse of the right to life and to bring to an end abortion, human embryonic stem cell research, death penalty, and poisonous articles in National Security Law of Korea.
* II Asian Congress on Pilgrimages and Shrines Held in Seoul
The Second Asian Congress on Pilgrimages and Shrines was held in Seoul, Korea from November 21 to 23, 2005 under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, in collaboration with CBCK Committee for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants and the Archdiocese of Seoul, with the theme "Pilgrimages and Shrines, Gifts of God-Love in Asia Today." It aimed at promoting evangelization focused on shrines in multi-religious and multi-cultural setting in Asia.
Some 90 participants from 14 Asian countries, mostly rectors of shrines and directors of pilgrimages, reached consensus on the need to renew the meaning of shrines as the "center of evangelization which promotes the concrete values of the gospel" although the secular challenges are becoming more and more serious.
The three-day congress was composed of lectures, workshops, Mass, communal prayers and cultural performance. Lectures were given by the Most Rev. Gabriel Chang Bong-hun, Bishop of Cheongju, the Rev. Renzo De Luca, Rector of the Japanese Shrine of the 26 Martyrs at Nagasaki, and the Rev. Devasia Mathew Mangalam, Rector of the Shrine of Fatima at Calcutta in India.
Bishop Chang in his lecture outlined the development of Martyrs' shrines in Korea and explained the theological nature of pilgrimage in soteriological, ecclesiological and eschatological perspectives. Fr. De Luca made a presentation with the theme "Pilgrimages and Shrines, Where Christ is Proclaimed and Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue Takes Place," and said, "Our Asian sanctuaries are the privileged places for a genuinely Asian understanding and reconciliation."
At the end of the congress, the participants resolved "to make use of these God-given centers to evangelize, promote life and dignity of people, strengthen family life, continue to dialogue with other religions, work for Christian unity and foster spiritual life and commitment of our people to God's Kingdom in response to God-love expressed through shrines."
They also adopted the final document (draft) and confessed together the shrines are the true school of faith to reveal the presence of the Word incarnate. Along with this, they proposed to form national and regional associations of shrine rectors and pilgrimage directors for the sake of evangelization in Asia, which can also contribute to the promotion of human dignity and the culture of life, deepening of spirituality, and Christian unity and interreligious dialogue.
While making people, Catholics or not, find peace and purpose of life in shrines, the participants also stressed the need to make shrines the place of encountering the Word of God and receiving sacraments. To this end, they resolved "to celebrate the Eucharist and have Eucharistic adoration, to offer sacrament of reconciliation and counselling, and to provide facilities for pious activities like rosary, way of the cross, holy hour, bible study and group prayer and reflection in shrines."
Concluding the congress, H.E. Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, said, "The encounter between cultures and Christ can be realized through the experience of God. This congress gave us a new perspective of evangelization in Asia by sharing the experiences of God who is present among us."