Women's Role in Evangelization in Korean Culture

The Catholic Peace Weekly published an article on the recent Symposium in the Suwon Diocese on Dialogue Between Asian Culture and the Catholic Church, with an emphasis on women's roles.

The process of evangelization in Asia—which has taken root within a diverse cultural landscape—and the role of women, with an assessment of the path forward for evangelization in the 21st century. 

In the  keynote address titled “The Evangelization of Asia and the Theology of Culture”, the  professor Emeritus  of Korea University examined the process of evangelization that has unfolded within Asia’s diverse cultures and proposed that “we must illuminate a new language of evangelization within modern culture in step with the rapidly changing trends of our times.”

 “Since Asia is a region where multiple religions and diverse cultures coexist most densely, evangelization has also been carried out through a ‘dialogue with culture’ that respects people’s deep religious experiences and historical memories. This ‘dialogue with culture’ presents a very important milestone for the entire Asian Church, which stands today before the massive waves of secularization and pluralism.”

A religious sister spoke on  “Women and Culture in the Asian Catholic Church,” highlighting the need for a new discourse on Asian Catholic women that is relevant to the present era. She pointed out, “Until now, Asian women have tended to be portrayed solely as victims, the poor, and those without a voice under the Confucian tradition”, noting that “such an overly simplified discourse fails to adequately capture the diverse lives, experiences, and stories of women”.

As concrete measures for finding a new Catholic discourse on women, Sister proposed: △Creating spaces for reconciliation through listening △, re-examining women’s leadership based on relationship-centered networks, transparent communication, and collaboration. She continued, “Creating a space where women can produce healthy discourse as active agents within the Church is a calling that women and the Church must fulfill together,” adding, “Only when women’s diverse experiences are naturally heard in the daily life of the Church community can we begin to discover diverse and healthy models of women’s leadership.”

A senior researcher at the 'Our Theology Research Institute', highlighted the pivotal role women have played in spreading the Gospel and sustaining the community throughout the history of the Korean Church’s evangelization, explaining that expanding their participation is a pressing task for the Korean and Asian churches.

Women have played a pivotal role throughout Korean church history—from the activities of the lay organizations during the period of persecution, to the Enlightenment Movement of the opening era, and the labor and anti-poverty movements following liberation—and remarked, “The participatory and dynamic culture of women in the Korean Church can continue in new forms even amid today’s challenges.” She added, “The history of the Catholic Church promoting women’s dignity through education and achieving church development can serve as a concrete model of hope for Asian churches facing the dual oppression of poverty and gender discrimination.”

A parish priest presented new pastoral approaches and cultural responses toward the younger generation and the isolated in the digital environment as a new task for evangelization, stating, “We must carry out cultural ministry that actively utilizes the benefits brought by digital AI culture while also accepting it critically.”