In the Eyes of the Clergy column of the Catholic Times, we are introduced to the special relationship between Cardinal Steven Kim Soo-hwan and a Buddhist monk.
The monk invited Cardinal Kim to the opening ceremony of Gilsangsa Temple, and Cardinal Kim invited the monk to Myeongdong Cathedral to listen to his lecture. Gilsangsa Temple also held a concert to benefit the Seoul Archdiocese's Adoption Center. Cardinal Kim, who participated in the concert with the nuns, said: "I hope that the Buddha's great compassion and grace will be abundant." Cardinal Kim said he wanted to at least "own" the book "No Possession" written by the Buddhist Monk Beopjeong.
Cardinal Kim called the Presbyterian Pastor Kang Won-yong of Gyeongdong Church of Seoul "a voice crying out in the empty fields of Korea" a great man'.
Pastor Kang established the Christian Academy in 1965 and created the 'Dialogue Group' with leaders of six major religions: Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Won Buddhism, Cheondogyo, and Confucianism. At that time, people of other faiths were viewed unfavorably. However, the 'Dialogue Group' that continued was evaluated as having laid the foundation for our country to become a world-class, multi-religious, peaceful society.
When it was time for Pastor Kang to return to God's embrace, the person he met was Cardinal Kim. After a short silent prayer, Cardinal Kim whispered in Pastor Kang's ear, "Believe in God's mercy. Leave everything to God and go in peace. I am sorry I am sending you off without even a single word of conversation." Cardinal Kim read the eulogy at Pastor Kang's funeral. After the deaths of Cardinal Kim, Monk Beopjeong, and Pastor Kang, people called them 'the teachers of our time.'
Even after that, the religious harmony and dialogue in this land continued. In May 2012, a Buddhist monk sang at Myeongdong Cathedral. May is the month of the Virgin Mary in Catholicism and Buddha's birthday in Buddhism. The songs were "Ave Maria" and the Buddhist hymn "Hyangsim." She sang them as a special song during the Mass. It was the first time a Buddhist monk sang at Myeongdong Cathedral. The congregation responded with enthusiastic applause. The next day, the traditional Korean music troupe from Myeongdong Cathedral visited a temple. That day was Buddha's birthday, and the troupe performed Samulnori (a traditional Korean percussion quartet). The Buddhists who heard the performance also gave warm applause.
Not long ago, a Catholic priest, Buddhist monk, Protestant pastor, and a Won Buddhism minister who met on TV formed a choir. People said the choir, composed of 'clerics' from each religion, was the first in the world. When the choir started, they dreamed of singing a song of peace in front of the UN headquarters in New York. Last August, a conference and talk concert on peace and harmony was held in New York, and the choir participated. The choir went to a Won Buddhist and Buddhist Temple in the United States. They also went to the Korean Catholic Church youth Mass. Although they belonged to different religions, they sang together and talked to each other. People must have felt peaceful seeing them.
Korea is a representative multi-religious society. Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Won Buddhism, and even ethnic religions living in peace. It is a large 'religious museum.' Despite this diversity, Korea's religious harmony is world-class. While in some corners of the globe, people curse and even wage war against other religions, in Korea, there is respect for each other, and live in harmony.
This was possible because they recognized each other's personal religious values. Above all, they shared and cooperated on discourses that should be practiced in this land while maintaining the identity of their religions. Topics that included social justice, realizing peace between the South and the North, and promoting ethics and morality. The 2027 World Youth Day will be held in Korea, a world-class multi-religious society. He prays that all who visit Korea at that time will discover true peace by seeing the religious harmony in this land.
