Helping to Build Bridges

 

A Brother of the Taizé Community in the Catholic Weekly gives us some help in understanding what can happen when we start building bridges. 

The Korean Christian Faith and Order Council celebrated its 10th anniversary. This council, which includes the Korean Council of Christian Churches,  the Anglican Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Korean Catholic Bishops' Conference, began with the purpose of helping Christians achieve unity and fellowship of faith between denominations. 

Even though the Catholic Church is not a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC), it participates as an official member of Faith and Order. The Council for Faith and Order inherited the history of the ecumenical movement that developed in Korea after the Second Vatican Council and carries out meaningful activities such as prayer meetings during the Ecumenical Week every year, 23 ecumenical forums, seminary student exchanges, retreats and pilgrimages, concerts, and cultural festivals. 

Catholic and several Protestant churches participate. However, in Korea, the Christian unity movement has not spread to the masses of believers, and barriers between denominations are still high. The majority of Protestant churches and believers are conservative and unfriendly toward the Catholic Church. There are many cases where Catholics also have negative thoughts about Protestantism and Protestants. What they have in common is the fact that they don't know each other very well. 

In Korea, where such a gap exists between denominations, the columnist hopes Christians will have more opportunities to meet each other comfortably and pray together if possible. 

The public interest group ‘Eumsae’ holds irregular meetings where Protestant and Catholic clergy and religious meet to talk about art and life and have lunch. After the meal, they stop by the nearby Church of Repentance and Atonement and say a silent prayer before parting ways. They also offer a ‘Prayer for Peace’ at the Seoul Cathedral of the Anglican Church and several Catholic and Protestant organizations on the second Friday evening of every month. About 80 believers from various denominations of various ages and nationalities gather at this prayer meeting with Taizé songs and silence. 

Before moving here in September of last year, he prayed for peace at the Jesuit Center. Many people experience unity achieved in the simple, meditative prayer offered while everyone sits in one direction, facing the altar. Although there are differences in doctrine and tradition among Christian denominations, the things that bring us together are more numerous and important than those that divide us. In this divided  Korean Peninsula, reconciliation is the mission of Christians. Jesus prayed that his disciples would be one until his last moments on earth. So that the world can believe. 

Below is the way the Brother would like us to understand the movement he began:

"Vision: In a society where polarization, camp logic, and group egoism are increasing, we create a beautiful world where people live together in peace by connecting those isolated and fragmented individuals and fostering friendship and trust through encounters, conversations, and listening.

Mission: Build bridges between people of different generations, countries, cultures, beliefs, and religions, prevent conflicts and disputes, and achieve social healing.”