Seeing
the Light of Hope for Peace on the Korean Peninsula in the Exchange of
Bishops from the Republic of Korea and the United States was expressed in a front page article in both Catholic Weeklies.
In the Catholic Peace Weekly the writer gives us the following summary.The bishops of South Korea and the United States took the first step together on the journey for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Bishops belonging to the Bishops' Special Committee for National Reconciliation and the Bishops' Committee for International Justice and Peace of the Bishops of the United States participated in the 2022 Catholic Korean Peninsula Peace Forum held in Washington, D.C. This is the first time for bishops from the United States and South Korea to discuss the issue of peace on the Korean Peninsula in public.
The bishops of the two countries visited the US State Department and Congress on the 6th and met with government officials to share their opinions on reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula, easing sanctions against North Korea, and the reality of North Korea's nuclear program. The bishops of the United States showed active support for the work of Korean bishops for national reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
One Korean bishop said: "We have taken a big step in solidarity with the American church for peace on the Korean Peninsula." Another bishop: "With the solidarity and fraternal support of the bishops of the United States, a new journey for peace on the Korean Peninsula has just begun." Bishop David Mallory said: "The Korean church has been dedicated to resolving conflicts through various activities, so I think the Korean bishops will be able to give the helpful advice to the US government."
On the 5th and 6th, a meeting of Korean, American, and Japanese scholars and experts familiar with inter-Korean relations and international political issues was held at the Catholic University of America. About 20 experts gathered in one place online and offline, sympathizing with the importance of peace on the Korean Peninsula for world peace, urged them to find a new solution away from the sanctions-oriented North Korea policy. In addition, previews of the documentary films 'Crossing' and 'Outing of veterans' were held for local university students, adding meaning to the documentary film about the reality of division between the two Koreas.
The 2022 Catholic Korean Peninsula Peace Forum was co-hosted by the National Reconciliation Committee of the Bishops' Conference, the Catholic Institute for Northeast Asian Peace, and the International Justice and Peace Committee of the American Bishops' Conference, and is the 6th international academic conference hosted by the Catholic Institute for Northeast Asian Peace. This forum was able to be held in the United States because the Catholic Institute for Northeast Asian Peace has been holding an international symposium on the topic of peace on the Korean Peninsula since 2017 and has maintained close exchanges with the International Commission for Justice and Peace of the Bishops of the United States.
At the height of the crisis on the Korean Peninsula in 2017, the US International Criticism Commission delivered an open letter to the White House security adviser that the Korean church's position was to resolve the Korean Peninsula problem through dialogue, not force. In 2018, Archbishop Timothy Brolio, who was then chairman of the International Relations Committee, made a solidarity visit to Korea. In 2019, Archbishop Brolio shared a document containing the 2019 Korean Solidarity Visit and Requests from the Korean Catholic Bishops' Conference with the entire American bishops and delivered it to the US State Department,Washington, D.C.
