The “Korean Catholic Church COVID-19 Pandemic Pastoral White Paper” published on January 31st by the Korea Catholic Pastoral Research Institute of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference states that the pandemic has affected Korean society and the church.
‘Pastoral Outlook in the Post-Corona Era’, contains contributions from experts in eight fields, including society, religion, medicine, religious orders, liturgy, youth/young adults, ecology, theology, and pastoral care. Focusing on the fields of religion, liturgy, theology, and pastoral care, we reflect on the reality of the church community that has gone through the pandemic and forecast the church's pastoral care in the future.
‘The impact of COVID-19 on our lives and faith’ included in the pastoral white paper are data that provide a glimpse into the reality and immediate tasks of the Church. One priest introduced the salient features of the survey results and said: "In the journey of secularization, religion has been reduced to an element of culture, for people faith is taking a lower priority than economic life, health, and various existential issues." The importance of faith and religious life in the life of a believer is not that great.
A pastor who wrote a pastoral paper in the liturgical field with the title ‘Our life and faith about liturgical life after COVID-19’, also said: "Even if I don’t attend Sunday Mass or participate in devotional group activities, there is no substitute for that in my life. There is a lot to do." This was a problem revealed in the survey.
What problems have become more evident due to the pandemic and how can we solve them? “The time ahead should not be limited to resolving the problems that have arisen, but should be a time to newly recognize the problems within us that have been highlighted again by COVID-19 and seek alternatives.”
"We must remember that COVID-19 has asked the fundamental question of faith, ‘Why'? Those of us who have been living only worrying about ‘How'? should not worry only about applications and methods according to changes and trends in the world. Rather, ‘why’ we must live our faith and ‘why’ our faith is important?"
"The purpose and direction of faith must be found especially in Baptism and the Eucharist. Considering social changes where face-to-face and non-face-to-face methods coexist, it is important to experience the presence of God in the same space and at the same time."
COVID-19 has clearly shown the limitations within the church, it has been suggested that an accurate diagnosis and analysis of the reality and phenomenon of the church should be made and that public discourse should be formed toward change and renewal.
“The survey results show that the people, regardless of whether they are believers or not, believe that the church should strengthen its social publicness. Based on a strong change in consciousness that the church must make efforts to lower the church’s threshold and widen its doors.”
In an age of secularization, paradoxically, expectations for religion still remain. People hope that religion will awaken the importance of mental and spiritual values through its public role and become a source of alternative values.
Along with the reflection that the localism of the church could fall into crisis as the non-face-to-face culture spreads, there was also a suggestion that the possibility of changing into a hybrid church that utilizes online and offline simultaneously was reviewed. There is a possibility that the combination of offline and online will become common. Focusing on the face-to-face liturgy, education, and care for faith maturity in a non-face-to-face manner should be complementary, not a replacement.
Another participant also said: Considering the continued aging and reduced mobility of believers who are currently active participants, face-to-face meetings continue but— A hybrid church that actively accepts and utilizes online methods, which are also the communication method of future generations in addition to offline methods will expand the reach of Church.
