Communications on Jun. 28, 2002
* Catholic Politicians are Urged to Seek Common Good of Society, Not Personal Interest
Through June 13 local elections in Korea, 16 mayors or provincial governors and 232 chiefs of smaller administrative districts were elected. It turned out that 39 of the 248 elected candidates(15.73%) were Catholics including one mayor-elect and two provincial governor-elects.
Current public opinion demands that both newly elected and existing politicians should recognize the sentiment of people and conduct their duty as public servants for people. Until now many Catholics have been active in politics given the number of Catholics compared to general population. However, regardless of their religions, most of politicians did not respond to people's expectation and made worse public distrust and antipathy to politicians.
The Catholic Church teaches public officials or politicians not to prefer their own advantage over common good and to work for people as true servants(cf. Gaudium et spes nos. 73-76). While this teaching is of course given to politicians of all religions and political parties, the demand for Catholic politicians to be equipped with such virtues is more urgent.
In this regard, Rev. Paul Lee Chang-young, Executive Secretary of the Committee for Justice & Peace of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea(CBCK) said, "our time requires honest politicians who keep their promise and are not attracted by undue riches," and continued, "Catholic politicians and officials should not seek personal interests or ambitions but commit themselves to common good of the society, especially protection of human rights of the poor and marginalized."
"Newly elected politicians, especially those Catholics, should assume special responsibility and duty as true servants for people." he added.
The June 13 elections were ended with unprecedentedly low voter turnout partly due to the ongoing World Cup fever, more importantly due to Korean voters' mistrust in politicians.
* Sunday Mass will be Offered at Inchon International Airport
Starting from June 23, Catholics will be able to attend Sunday Mass at Inchon International Airport. It is first time in Korea to have Mass regularly at an airport.
The Most Rev. Boniface Choi Ki-san, Bishop of Inchon, celebrated the opening Mass on June 22.
This program was arranged for Catholics who are using or working at the airport and Rev. Raymond T. Sabio, M.S.C., currently responsible for the Apostleship of the Sea, will celebrate Mass in Korean and English at 10 a.m. every Sunday.
This program is expected to pave the way for new evangelization through Inchon Airport, a gateway to Korea and in a sense a symbolic representation of the Diocese of Inchon.
This program aims at allowing travelers and airport staff to attend Sunday Mass to fulfill their duty as believers and Mass schedule will be announced on bulletin boards so that more people can attend.
For this realization, the Diocese of Inchon had contacted and negotiated with the Korea Airports Cooperation since the airport opened. Presently some 25,000 people are working at the airport in staggered shift and Catholic workers have had difficulties in attending Sunday Mass.
* Priests in Gwangju Issued a Statement Opposing to Illegal Operation of Nuclear Power Plant
Priests in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju-si issued a statement opposing to unlawful operation of the 5th generator of Yeonggwang nuclear power plant.
"Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.(hereafter abbreviated as KHNP) ignored legitimate process and started commercial operation of the 5th generator of Yeonggwang nuclear power plant," the statement pointed out and urged the company to stop the operation.
KHNP started to operate the generator on May 21 ignoring the rule that a body should obtain permission to use building and seawater and even concealed the operation from local government and local people until May 30.
Moreover, the 5th generator provoked ecological destruction by warming seawater for it does not have a device to cool water unlike existing four nuclear power plants.
Thus, the priests in Gwangsan district urged KHNP; to stop illegal profit-making operation of the 5th generator; to compensate for the damage caused by the operation of the existing four generators; to apologize to local people; to intensify monitoring and supervision to Yeonggwang nuclear power plants; to establish environment-friendly and effective energy policies.
Rev. Moses Lee Jun-hyeong, pastor of Yeonggwang parish, denounced the immoral behavior of KHNP for deceiving local people and suggested, "they should settle this matter by forming consensus and understanding of people, not by recklessly pursuing the reason of economy."
* Executive Secretary General of the CBCK Visited North Korea for a Festival
Rev. John Kim Jong-su, Secretary General of the CBCK, returned from North Korea on June 16 after participating in "National Grand Festival for Unification of Korean People" in commemoration of the second anniversary 6.15 Joint Declaration held at Geumgangsan from June 14 to 15.
During the visit he met Kang Ji-young, General Secretary of the Catholic Association of North Korea, and discussed ways of giving aid to North Korea effectively.
"Kang asked equitable distribution of the aid from the Church in South Korea because at present the aid is mainly given to Hwanghae-do or other areas adjacent to Gangwon-do. He said Hamgyeong-do, Jagang-do and Yanggang-do also need help urgently," said Rev. Kim.
He also conveyed Kang's request that what they need is food and fertilizer for they cannot operate the noodle plants, which we have set up for them, due to lack of power and wheat flour.
Rev. Kim also said, "Kang suggested to include in the itinerary for Catholics who make a trip to Geumgangsan time for events with North Korean Catholics and asked to make widely known the presence of religions in North Korea."
"I thought that the gap between South and North was still wide, so meetings at all levels of society should continue to close this gap. The Festival was meaningful in that we could manifest our common desire to avoid the threat of wars before entire world," he said.
He also said, "they promised to visit South Korea to participate in events of August 15, so we will form delegation and make a visit to North Korea to discuss this matter."
* Message on 2002 Prayer Day for Reconciliation and Unity of Korean People
Peaceful Reunification is the Only Option Open to Korean People
On the occasion of the Prayer Day for Reconciliation and Unity of Korean People, the Most Rev. Peter Kang U-il, President of the Committee for the Reconciliation of Korean People of the CBCK, issued the following message. Reminding Korean Catholics of the heartbreaking suffering caused by the tragedy of the division of Korean people he invited them to pray and act for peaceful reunification based on dialogues and negotiations with patience and tolerence saying "Peaceful reunification is the only option open to Korean people." Following is the full text of the message.
At the dawn of the 21th century, humanity is building international cooperation and support in order to foster the culture needed for a new era through a stream of information and globalization.
World leaders also have been discussing on many occasions urgent questions such as peacemaking, bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, remission of foreign debts, common efforts for environmental matters, etc. to make the world a peaceful place. Although the tension between nations, ethnic conflicts and confrontations have not completely disappeared, most of the heads of States and people in the world have come to recognize through life experience that we can obtain nothing through confrontations and wars.
Unfortunately, the Korean peninsula is still in a state of confrontation and hostility of cold war era, so Korean people are compelled to live their daily lives with alertness for each other. Two years ago, the heads of South and North Korea met for the first time since the nation's division and promised to make common efforts for peace and reunification of Korea by signing 6.15 Joint Declaration. At that time all Korean people were deeply moved at the historic scene and inspired with expectation for the future. However, we have not witnessed any notable changes since then and instead continue to see people dying without meeting their families who have been separated for half a century.
Moreover, thinking about the emerging North Korean defectors who are living uncertain lives in China or Russia, we cannot but feel sorry for their suffering. Most of them left their families behind in North Korea and were forced to work and live a life of slavery in China as illegal residents. We also heard that recent assisted defections have made the situation more difficult and have led to mass arrests of North Korean defectors in China, as well as those who helped them. We cannot ignore this tragedy any more.
As the division of the nation was not our own fault, so too, reunification seems unable to come about solely through our own will. We all understand that the interest of big powers and geopolitical relations exert great influence on our reunification efforts. Nonetheless, what is important for the reunification of Korea is our own volition and efforts to become one. Both South and North Korea understand that reunification cannot be achieved by appealing to arms. Nobody can deny that peaceful reunification is the only option open to Korean people. However, for the sake of peaceful reunification, not an oppressive one by reason of power, we need to continue dialogues and negotiations based on patience and tolerence. For this purpose, the Government, the people and the Church respectively have their role to play.
Many priests and Catholics in South Korea have visited North Korea and met the faithful there, celebrating Mass with them at Jangchung church in Pyeongyang, the only place in North Korea where Eucharist can be celebrated, though it is in a restricted condition. For the last seven years, the Church in Korea provided North Korea with a considerable amount of food, agricultural equipments, fertilizer and medicine. That was of great material help for North Koreans and contributed to changing their feeling toward South Korea as well.
The internal oneness of people is more important than the external structural unification of a nation. It is said that the reunification of Germany has not been completed yet because the people of West and East Germany still bear ill feelings toward each other though the nation was structurally united. In this regard, G nter Wilhelm Grass, a German laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature once gave us an advice; "People from West Germany lacked respect for those from East Germany. The former came to think of the latter as relatives who are always begging for something. Consequently, most East Germans consider themselves inferior citizens. If South Koreans assume attitudes of superiority over the poor North Koreans, Korea would be prone to find itself in this kind of difficulty after reunification"(at international symposium of "Reunification and Culture", May 29, 2002).
If we recklessly squander, causing 15 trillion won of food waste annually but remaining indifferent to our numerous brothers and sisters who are suffering from starvation or wandering in foreign countries, God will not tolerate this. It is absurd and unfair that people of the same country who are divided just across a boundary lead totally different lives in extreme poverty.
Through prophets God repeatedly told the Israelites not to be indifferent to orphans, widows, wanderers and the poor. Jesus Christ, when his life in this world was coming to an end, reconfirmed this, saying, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me"(Mt. 25,40).
Our positive concern and support would move our North Korean brethren's mind from confrontation and distrust to amicability and unity, and then the real meaning of unification of Korean people would begin. Our prayer and action for reconciliation and unity of Korean people should continue. 'Prayer Day for Reconciliation and Unity of Korean People' should not be limited to an annual event. Rather, we should remember our North Korean brethren whenever we are at table and at Mass on every Sunday and look for ways to relieve their suffering and sorrow. This is the mandate of God as long as we confess our faith in Christ, and at the same time it will become an effective way to realize the Gospel in this land.
June 23, 2002
+ Peter Kang U-il
Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul
President
Committee for the Reconciliation of Korean People
Through June 13 local elections in Korea, 16 mayors or provincial governors and 232 chiefs of smaller administrative districts were elected. It turned out that 39 of the 248 elected candidates(15.73%) were Catholics including one mayor-elect and two provincial governor-elects.
Current public opinion demands that both newly elected and existing politicians should recognize the sentiment of people and conduct their duty as public servants for people. Until now many Catholics have been active in politics given the number of Catholics compared to general population. However, regardless of their religions, most of politicians did not respond to people's expectation and made worse public distrust and antipathy to politicians.
The Catholic Church teaches public officials or politicians not to prefer their own advantage over common good and to work for people as true servants(cf. Gaudium et spes nos. 73-76). While this teaching is of course given to politicians of all religions and political parties, the demand for Catholic politicians to be equipped with such virtues is more urgent.
In this regard, Rev. Paul Lee Chang-young, Executive Secretary of the Committee for Justice & Peace of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea(CBCK) said, "our time requires honest politicians who keep their promise and are not attracted by undue riches," and continued, "Catholic politicians and officials should not seek personal interests or ambitions but commit themselves to common good of the society, especially protection of human rights of the poor and marginalized."
"Newly elected politicians, especially those Catholics, should assume special responsibility and duty as true servants for people." he added.
The June 13 elections were ended with unprecedentedly low voter turnout partly due to the ongoing World Cup fever, more importantly due to Korean voters' mistrust in politicians.
* Sunday Mass will be Offered at Inchon International Airport
Starting from June 23, Catholics will be able to attend Sunday Mass at Inchon International Airport. It is first time in Korea to have Mass regularly at an airport.
The Most Rev. Boniface Choi Ki-san, Bishop of Inchon, celebrated the opening Mass on June 22.
This program was arranged for Catholics who are using or working at the airport and Rev. Raymond T. Sabio, M.S.C., currently responsible for the Apostleship of the Sea, will celebrate Mass in Korean and English at 10 a.m. every Sunday.
This program is expected to pave the way for new evangelization through Inchon Airport, a gateway to Korea and in a sense a symbolic representation of the Diocese of Inchon.
This program aims at allowing travelers and airport staff to attend Sunday Mass to fulfill their duty as believers and Mass schedule will be announced on bulletin boards so that more people can attend.
For this realization, the Diocese of Inchon had contacted and negotiated with the Korea Airports Cooperation since the airport opened. Presently some 25,000 people are working at the airport in staggered shift and Catholic workers have had difficulties in attending Sunday Mass.
* Priests in Gwangju Issued a Statement Opposing to Illegal Operation of Nuclear Power Plant
Priests in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju-si issued a statement opposing to unlawful operation of the 5th generator of Yeonggwang nuclear power plant.
"Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.(hereafter abbreviated as KHNP) ignored legitimate process and started commercial operation of the 5th generator of Yeonggwang nuclear power plant," the statement pointed out and urged the company to stop the operation.
KHNP started to operate the generator on May 21 ignoring the rule that a body should obtain permission to use building and seawater and even concealed the operation from local government and local people until May 30.
Moreover, the 5th generator provoked ecological destruction by warming seawater for it does not have a device to cool water unlike existing four nuclear power plants.
Thus, the priests in Gwangsan district urged KHNP; to stop illegal profit-making operation of the 5th generator; to compensate for the damage caused by the operation of the existing four generators; to apologize to local people; to intensify monitoring and supervision to Yeonggwang nuclear power plants; to establish environment-friendly and effective energy policies.
Rev. Moses Lee Jun-hyeong, pastor of Yeonggwang parish, denounced the immoral behavior of KHNP for deceiving local people and suggested, "they should settle this matter by forming consensus and understanding of people, not by recklessly pursuing the reason of economy."
* Executive Secretary General of the CBCK Visited North Korea for a Festival
Rev. John Kim Jong-su, Secretary General of the CBCK, returned from North Korea on June 16 after participating in "National Grand Festival for Unification of Korean People" in commemoration of the second anniversary 6.15 Joint Declaration held at Geumgangsan from June 14 to 15.
During the visit he met Kang Ji-young, General Secretary of the Catholic Association of North Korea, and discussed ways of giving aid to North Korea effectively.
"Kang asked equitable distribution of the aid from the Church in South Korea because at present the aid is mainly given to Hwanghae-do or other areas adjacent to Gangwon-do. He said Hamgyeong-do, Jagang-do and Yanggang-do also need help urgently," said Rev. Kim.
He also conveyed Kang's request that what they need is food and fertilizer for they cannot operate the noodle plants, which we have set up for them, due to lack of power and wheat flour.
Rev. Kim also said, "Kang suggested to include in the itinerary for Catholics who make a trip to Geumgangsan time for events with North Korean Catholics and asked to make widely known the presence of religions in North Korea."
"I thought that the gap between South and North was still wide, so meetings at all levels of society should continue to close this gap. The Festival was meaningful in that we could manifest our common desire to avoid the threat of wars before entire world," he said.
He also said, "they promised to visit South Korea to participate in events of August 15, so we will form delegation and make a visit to North Korea to discuss this matter."
* Message on 2002 Prayer Day for Reconciliation and Unity of Korean People
Peaceful Reunification is the Only Option Open to Korean People
On the occasion of the Prayer Day for Reconciliation and Unity of Korean People, the Most Rev. Peter Kang U-il, President of the Committee for the Reconciliation of Korean People of the CBCK, issued the following message. Reminding Korean Catholics of the heartbreaking suffering caused by the tragedy of the division of Korean people he invited them to pray and act for peaceful reunification based on dialogues and negotiations with patience and tolerence saying "Peaceful reunification is the only option open to Korean people." Following is the full text of the message.
At the dawn of the 21th century, humanity is building international cooperation and support in order to foster the culture needed for a new era through a stream of information and globalization.
World leaders also have been discussing on many occasions urgent questions such as peacemaking, bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, remission of foreign debts, common efforts for environmental matters, etc. to make the world a peaceful place. Although the tension between nations, ethnic conflicts and confrontations have not completely disappeared, most of the heads of States and people in the world have come to recognize through life experience that we can obtain nothing through confrontations and wars.
Unfortunately, the Korean peninsula is still in a state of confrontation and hostility of cold war era, so Korean people are compelled to live their daily lives with alertness for each other. Two years ago, the heads of South and North Korea met for the first time since the nation's division and promised to make common efforts for peace and reunification of Korea by signing 6.15 Joint Declaration. At that time all Korean people were deeply moved at the historic scene and inspired with expectation for the future. However, we have not witnessed any notable changes since then and instead continue to see people dying without meeting their families who have been separated for half a century.
Moreover, thinking about the emerging North Korean defectors who are living uncertain lives in China or Russia, we cannot but feel sorry for their suffering. Most of them left their families behind in North Korea and were forced to work and live a life of slavery in China as illegal residents. We also heard that recent assisted defections have made the situation more difficult and have led to mass arrests of North Korean defectors in China, as well as those who helped them. We cannot ignore this tragedy any more.
As the division of the nation was not our own fault, so too, reunification seems unable to come about solely through our own will. We all understand that the interest of big powers and geopolitical relations exert great influence on our reunification efforts. Nonetheless, what is important for the reunification of Korea is our own volition and efforts to become one. Both South and North Korea understand that reunification cannot be achieved by appealing to arms. Nobody can deny that peaceful reunification is the only option open to Korean people. However, for the sake of peaceful reunification, not an oppressive one by reason of power, we need to continue dialogues and negotiations based on patience and tolerence. For this purpose, the Government, the people and the Church respectively have their role to play.
Many priests and Catholics in South Korea have visited North Korea and met the faithful there, celebrating Mass with them at Jangchung church in Pyeongyang, the only place in North Korea where Eucharist can be celebrated, though it is in a restricted condition. For the last seven years, the Church in Korea provided North Korea with a considerable amount of food, agricultural equipments, fertilizer and medicine. That was of great material help for North Koreans and contributed to changing their feeling toward South Korea as well.
The internal oneness of people is more important than the external structural unification of a nation. It is said that the reunification of Germany has not been completed yet because the people of West and East Germany still bear ill feelings toward each other though the nation was structurally united. In this regard, G nter Wilhelm Grass, a German laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature once gave us an advice; "People from West Germany lacked respect for those from East Germany. The former came to think of the latter as relatives who are always begging for something. Consequently, most East Germans consider themselves inferior citizens. If South Koreans assume attitudes of superiority over the poor North Koreans, Korea would be prone to find itself in this kind of difficulty after reunification"(at international symposium of "Reunification and Culture", May 29, 2002).
If we recklessly squander, causing 15 trillion won of food waste annually but remaining indifferent to our numerous brothers and sisters who are suffering from starvation or wandering in foreign countries, God will not tolerate this. It is absurd and unfair that people of the same country who are divided just across a boundary lead totally different lives in extreme poverty.
Through prophets God repeatedly told the Israelites not to be indifferent to orphans, widows, wanderers and the poor. Jesus Christ, when his life in this world was coming to an end, reconfirmed this, saying, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me"(Mt. 25,40).
Our positive concern and support would move our North Korean brethren's mind from confrontation and distrust to amicability and unity, and then the real meaning of unification of Korean people would begin. Our prayer and action for reconciliation and unity of Korean people should continue. 'Prayer Day for Reconciliation and Unity of Korean People' should not be limited to an annual event. Rather, we should remember our North Korean brethren whenever we are at table and at Mass on every Sunday and look for ways to relieve their suffering and sorrow. This is the mandate of God as long as we confess our faith in Christ, and at the same time it will become an effective way to realize the Gospel in this land.
June 23, 2002
+ Peter Kang U-il
Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul
President
Committee for the Reconciliation of Korean People