Communication on Oct. 10
| * Family, Center of Evangelization Great efforts for family pastoral ministry are made in the Church in Korea nowadays. The Archdioces of Taegu including dioceses of Chonju and Cheongju launched diverse plans to renew understanding of the preciousness of family, source of life. During the 2003 Autumn General Assembly of the Catholic Bishops\\' Conference of Korea scheduled from Oct. 13 to 17 the bishops will discuss the question of issuing a joint pastoral letter on family aimed at promoting sound Christian family community. The Archdiocese of Taegu will hold \\"Family Convention\\" on October 26 focusing family as center of evangelization and proclaim 2004 a year of family of the Archdiocese. The Diocese of Cheongju announced 2-day \\"Family Convention\\" from October 11 with theme of \\"Family, Future of Humanity\\" during which the faithful will share experiences of extended family life and pledge renewal of family. The Diocese of Chonju held John & Lutgarda Festival from October 2 to 5 and reminded the image of true Christian family community founded on the faith demonstrated through the life of John Yu Hang-geum and Lutgard Yi sun-i. The Committee for Family Pastoral Ministry of the CBCK(Pres.: Most Rev. Peter Lee Ki-heon) will hold annual seminar with theme of \\"Evangelization of family, future of the Church,\\" and reflect on ways for evangelization of family. Such move of the Church in Korea reflects Church\\'s belief that the evangelization of family cannot be realized without evangelization of family as the Korean society of today is facing critical situation with increasing divorce rate and low birth rate, growing number of abandoned children and those entering orphanage. Another element driving great interest of the Church in Korea in the family pastoral ministry is the 8th FABC Plenary Assembly which will be held in Korea next year with theme of \\"The Asian Family Toward a Culture of Life.\\" \\"To the present, family pastoral ministry has focused the re-evangelization and new-evangelization by animating the basic ecclesial community movement, but now a new understanding of the importance of family has emerged as venue of evangelization and evangelization of the world through evangelization of family.\\" said Rev. Chong Yeon-jeong, Secretary of the committee for family pastoral ministry of the CBCK. * Catholic Prelates CongratulateEast Asian Anglican Church\\'s Assembly Held in Seoul The Most Rev. Andreas Choi Chang-mou, Bishop of Archdiocese of Kwangju and President of the CBCK, and Most Rev. Boniface Choi Ki-san, Bishop of Inchon and President of the Committee for Promoting Christian Unity & of Interreligious Dialogue of the CBCK,were among official invitees to dinner party of the 2003 Plenary Assembly of East Asian Anglican Church. Rev. Casimir Song Yul-sup, Secretary General of the CBCK, and Rev. John Bosco Hong Chang-jin, Secretary of the Committee for Promoting Christian Unity & of Interreligious Dialogue of the CBCK, were their suit. Archbishop Andreas Choi, in his congratulatory address, welcomed the participants and asked Anglican Church leaders solidarity to build peace. The full text of the address of Most Rev. Andreas Choi is as follows. Your Excellencies, Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, First of all, I rejoice together and would sincerely congratulate that the General Assembly of the Council of Churches of East Asia (CCEA) is held in this country. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Most Reverend Matthew Chung Chul Bum, Primate of Korea and Bishop of Seoul, and priests of the Anglican Church of Korea for inviting me and having a good opportunity of neighborhood which we get together at this table and share food. As a Catholic bishop, I am invited at this dinner to share together the love in Christ. Our gathering enjoyed today by us is a step on the way to the communion based on love, solidarity, peace and brotherhood which all the Christians desire and Jesus Christ wishes. You have chosen the theme of the General Assembly of the CCEA, \\"Come Now, O Prince of Peace.\\" In this Assembly, you make a opportunity you will consider concretely Missionary Work and Evangelization in the Globalization, Peace and Reconciliation, Poverty and Immigrant Workers and confirm Christians\\' mission. The phenomenon of globalization is now a fact of the new millenium and will continue to characterize international economy for years to come. Though we recognized its many positive effects of the process of economic globalization, we can not help pointing out that globalization tending to push poorer countries to the margin of international economic and political relations (Ecclesia in Asia, no. 39). Also the aspect of a cultural globalization is quickly drawing Asian societies into a global consumer culture that is both secularistic and materialistic. As the Holy Father said in His message for the World Migration Day 2000, “the challenge of our time is to assure a globalization in solidarity, a globalization without marginalization.” The peace of the world is threatened by the growing gap between the rich and the poor countries, which is a result of globalization. In the context of the globalization, the migration takes place and the problems of the immigrant workers are on the rise. I believe that having the General Assembly of the CCEA with the theme \\"Come Now, O Prince of Peace\\" will be very significant for this Korean Peninsula exposed to danger of war, which is the only divided country in the world. Besides, the Assembly will be a goodchance to announce Jesus Christ who is coming to us faced all the problems in the present time as Prince of Peace and proclaim the Gospel of Peace. And I expect, through this Assembly, we the Christians will exert more efforts to go hand in hand with solidarity and pray for the peace of Christ. Finally, I would wish that the Most Holy Trinity God, source of peace and unity, will guide you during six days of important and significant meeting of the Council of Churches of East Asia. Andreas Chang-mou Choi, Archbishop of Kwangju President of the Catholic Bishops\\' Conference of Korea |