Sunday, July 5, 2009

Why I Respect Cardinal Kim


Fr. Oh Kyong-hwan a priest of the diocese has an interesting article in our Sunday Bulletin this week. He was a professor in the Seoul Seminary and had the opportunity of meeting the Cardinal often. He not only heard him speak, talked with him, and saw him in action during those years he was able to hear comments about him from others. He feels that the church and society were blessed with his presence as the bishop of Seoul. From the beginning of the 1970s to the beginning of the 90s it was a dark time in Korea. The basic rights of free speech and the media were repressed and those who had difficulty with the state of things were arrested and at times tortured.

During that time the Cardinal reacted, as the ordinary of Seoul, in a very proper way. He was able to do what the times were asking of him and responded appropriately: when all in 1971 were afraid and silent. During the sermon at the midnight Mass that was televised nation wide, he criticized the totalitarian rule of Park Cheong- hee. He became the protector of freedom, democracy and human rights. His was a prophetic stance, the supporter for human rights, but never in the extreme.

In 1987 June 10th at the end of a demonstration denouncing the government by college students, they went to the cathedral. The Cardinal's tone was determined, he told those sent to arrest the students they would have to walk over him, the priests and the sisters to get to the students. This put an end to the attempt.

The Cardinal did not worry on what to do and what to say. He was able to judge what the government was going to do but the big concern was a small group within the Church that were in opposition and criticizing what he was doing. They also began a campaign to remove him from his position by circulating a petition asking for signatures of those that disagreed with his actions. A group of young priests took to the streets to demonstrate against the government. Those who were for and against continued but he never refused the priests from using the Cathedral for prayer meetings against the government.

During this time Fr. Oh was teaching the seminarians what the Church's message was in social teaching. The foundation of this social teaching is: with our intellects, freedom of the will and consciences we are made in the image of God and have dignity. That dignity should never be violated.

The Cardinal always followed the teachings of the Church. Fr. Oh concluded the article saying it was a blessing that he was the ordinary of the diocese. Someone else in that position who was in opposition to what he did, would have given us a very shameful history to deal with and there would have been a delay in democratization of the Country.

5000th KOREAN PRIEST


Today is the Feast Day of Father Andrew (Taegon) Kim, the first Korean Priest. On June 26, 2009 at the Olympic Stadium, we had the ordination of the 5oooth Korean Priest. The first Korean Priest was ordained on 1845 the 5000th was ordained for the Archdiocese of Seoul at
the ordination ceremony at Olympic Stadium where 27 priests started their new life.

Pope Benedict XVI has declared a “Year for Priests” beginning with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19, 2009. The year will conclude in Rome with an international gathering of priests with the Holy Father on June 19, 2010.
the Pope has declared St. John Vianney the Universal Patron of Priests on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of the Curé d’Ars.

At the celebration of ordination to the Ministerial Priesthood, Cardinal Cheong said, "As of the year 1961 when I was ordained a priest, there were less than 250 Korean Priests. However, today we have a pleasure to see the birth of the 5000th Korean Priest here in this place."

Whenever we select a group for special attention there are reasons. The problems that priests can have in our modern society are many. The editorial in the Catholic Peace Paper this week mentions that for a priest to live as he should in our society demands that he overcome many obstacles. If one is not alert it is easy to live the comfortable life, there are just too many areas of contamination.

The Korean Priests have their older brother priest St. Kim Andrew and St. John Mary Vianney, parish priest patron, to help them in their priestly life. The life of our priests depends on the prayers and life of our Catholics; that is not overstating the case. It is said the Catholics get the priests they deserve. Priests come from the modern society in which they live and it is not easy to overcome the temptations that are prevalent in that society. Priests do influence the
Catholics but I wonder if the Catholics' influence on the priest is not greater.