Catholic Church of Korea and Conscience

The Catholic Church of Korea is traditional in the way it teaches the message of Christianity. In all the areas of the catechism she does a good job; there is an area, however, pointed out at times for criticism by Catholics: the treatment of conscientious objection in present day Korean Catholicism-- the issue was approached in a previous blog.

A columnist in the recent Catholic Times spoke about the teaching of the Church on conscientious objection. The Catechism of the Catholic Church does say: "Public authorities should make equitable provision for those who for reasons of conscience refuse to bear arms; these are nonetheless obliged to serve the human community in some other way."

The second Catholic conscientious objector, now serving time in prison for refusing military service, is ignored by the official Church is the complaint of the columnist. The media, the Internet, the Catholic newspapers have maintained silence on the issue.

The writer gives us the results of a questionnaire that was presented to our Catholic seminarians in 2007. For reasons of conscience those who refuse military service should be allowed to have alternate service--46% agreed-- 48% disagreed. If we consider what the Church teaches, the results of this questionnaire are troubling. Moreover, those who knew the teaching of the Church on conscientious objection were only 30%. The writer concluded the lay-Catholics would be less knowledgeable.

The latest young man who refused to enter the military was a member of the Seoul, Catholic College Students Association. In the interview he had with the reporters, he made it clear the reason for his refusal to enter the service was his Catholic Faith. This is a dilemma that the Catholic Church in Korea faces, and will eventually have to take an official position that is clearer than that of the past.

Metanoia- Important Word For Our Lives

In the recent Catholic Peace Weekly , a priest with a doctorate in missiology mentioned his experience with a man in his religion class. The student had made a success of life, he was in his sixties, a model student sitting in the front row. However, on the face of the man he saw discontent. "Why is it that those in the upper classes don't exchange greetings with us , why is there so much 'do this and do that', I don't understand! Isn't this something that the school should deal with?" He was very critical and always complaining but there came a change.

This came about at the daily Mass they had at the school: each one of the students would express their thoughts on the readings and relate it to their lives. One day a man expressed himself in the following way:

"I am a person who by studying on my own was able to get a high position in government. I was a happy man , all was well . Suddenly a great misfortune entered my life. The son, I was greatly attached to, died in an accident while in the army. That incident was too much for me. I hated God and could not go to Church. Those that killed my son I could not forgive. It was during this time that I began to reflect on what God wanted from me. I gained some courage and decided to come to this school. I am still crying over the loss of my son but I have forgiven all those involved and looking forward to what I can do in the parish and society."

The man in his sixties complained and grumbled less. From his mouth you heard the words: "I don't know. " He was always a good student but now he reacted with the students in a different way. He was the first one to greet the students and color returned to his face. The sharing he heard at Mass brought change in his life.

The column starting in the Catholic Paper is written by a priest who has studied mission theology and is stressing that we have to experience God in our lives if we want to be a bearer of his message. We have to be open to God's graces, and the experiences of others, this will change and enable us to give what we have received.

In recent years I have begun to realize that the the word repentance , penance, remorse and the like, are words that we translate into English from the Greek word metanoia, which means a change of heart. The words we use, both in Korean and English- penance and sorrow of heart, are static words, it doesn't necessarily move from sadness to action. Metanoia is a very active word, requiring a change in what we were, to something we were not. Using the word metanoia for the words we use for repentance in the Scriptures would help to bring about a change in our thinking, a feeling of incompleteness. The day is probably not too far away when metanoia will begin to appear in our dictionaries. "To live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often." (Cardinal Newman)

Korea's Problem With Foreign Brides

The priest in charge of the labor work for the diocese of Seoul had a disturbing article in the Catholic Times describing the plight of the foreign women married to Korean men. The number of women who have immigrated to Korea for marriage in 2008 where 11% of the total. It is no longer strange to see mothers with different facial complexions mixing Korean into their talk. There are now, as of 2009, 103,484 children born from these unions in Korea.

We usually hear about the problems of these women through the mass media. Many express much sympathy for these women but a statement by a group of priests familiar with the problem said: "the way we see the problem has improved ...but still our understanding has to change."

These women are faced with a great deal of difficulty right from the beginning. Many try to throw off their poverty by international marriages: it is relatively easy and inexpensive to get into the country. Many Korean men go through marriage brokers to find a wife; they have to use a sizable amount of money and the health and the age of the men is not a concern of the brokers. Consequently, the meaning of marriage, the duties and obligations are not considered important. Not only is the language a problem, but the different cultural barriers means the children have a good chance of being neglected. The poverty and the violence in the family causes many to break up, which becomes a problem for society.

Because of these problems the government and many NGOs are actively involved in helping these immigrant families. Even with all these efforts there are many women who are in very difficult situations: separated by death, divorce, or expelled by the in-laws, they end up trying to make it on their own. Their future is bleak, they are full of fear, have little strength, the violence they have heretofore experienced, does not compare with the fear they have facing the future.

These women are not just the object of our compassion, but they should be helped to become part of society. The work of their rehabilitation is important for their good and the good of society.

The government has now made it necessary for those marrying a Korean to know the language. It is a need to help the brides adapt to Korea .This is an area in which the Church is taking a very active part. The efforts of the government and the different groups in our society should bring about change. Those in responsible positions in the Catholic Church dealing with immigrant problems had a recent round table discussion, in which they have made known their proposals for improvement. The Church, and other parts of society know Korea is no longer a one cultured society, consequently the way of looking at the country has to change.

Children Born in Her Heart, Not by Pain

The Catholic paper had an article on a family that adopted 6 children after they had raised two boys born through pain. The other 6 were born in her heart: the mother's words for the birth of the adopted children into their family.



In Korea the blood line is very important. This was explained in a previous blog. This is breaking down, Korea is no longer sending that many children to other countries for adoption as in previous years. The family that was written up, not only adopted 6 children but was instrumental in getting 25 Korean families to adopt; this was recognized by the government and were given an official commendation.



Korea was considered by many to be an exporter of babies overseas. This is changing for there are now more in country adoptions than those sent overseas. The example of this Catholic family written up in the Peace Weekly is a sign that efforts are being made and with success. Publicity is a good means of spreading the good that is being done by many in Korean Society.



In Korea a child born out of wedlock is a great shame for the parents and they do not want it known, however, 32% of the single mothers in 2008 decided to keep their children, an increase over previous years. There are also many in-country adoptions done secretely. The government is making subsidies for single mothers available that will be more realistic, so there are changes that have helped the in-country adoptions. I have even heard of a young man who went to a home for unwed mothers to find a wife. He thought that a women who had the strength to overcome the stigma of being an unwed mother and refused to abort, would make a good wife.

Accolades for Gyodong High School

There was a surprising bit of news here in Gyodong recently: the high school with only 62 students had everyone of the students in 3rd year entering college. The The Joang Daily headlined the article: Remote island school triumphs-Gyodong High students win college places without relying on costly private tuition.

Exams are important in Korea, a history that goes back centuries. Many changes have been made but we still have the remains of the system in the civil servant exams, college entrance exams along with military exams . Each student is required to take the exam for college entrance, and the efforts to prepare for the exams are many and can be expensive, for those living in the country it is difficult to compete with those in the cities.

Parents living in the country or an island such as Gyodong, if finances permit, will send their children to the mainland and the better schools. It is obvious that those who have the benefit of better secondary education do a better job in the college entrance. This means that many students live apart from their parents, this makes the triumphant of Gyodong High School quite an achievement. When the better students decide to leave for studies in another area, the capability of the student body is diminished, efforts of the teachers not appreciated and the students and teachers discouraged.

There were fifteen students that earned admission to four-year universities and the rest to community colleges. Some of the schools were some of the best in the country. It is a credit to the principal who was recently appointed. The citizens of Gyodong asked for him to come to the island since he was just made a principal; being from the island they felt he would take a great interest in the education of the students. That is exactly what happened and the achievement was recognized by the media. Last year there were only 4 that were admitted to university. This means that they have to study for another year to take the exams again, usually attending academies.

In Korea, high school is not mandatory unlike middle school education. 97% of South Korea's young people complete high school which is the the highest percentage of any country. All the classrooms have high speed Internet access, the first to have this capability. It does show the interest that Korea has for education and its efforts in that field

Passing the school recently I saw placards out in front of the gate, directing our attention to the success. It will probably mean there will be fewer parents deciding to send their children to the city in the years to come.

Sister Jean Maloney, Maryknoller, at 80

Maryknoll Sister Jean Maloney was written up in the Peace Weekly, acknowledging her many years of work for the marginalized in Korean Society. Those who know Sister have called her the Korean Mother Theresa.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters Congregation in 1950; after her first vows came to Korea in 1953, and worked as a nurse in the Maryknoll Hospital in Pusan. This was a very difficult time, she worked on the language in the morning and worked until late at night as a hospital nurse. The hospital was taking care of over 2000 patients every day; because of the devastation from the Korean War, many needed food and were afflicted with many contagious diseases such as tuberculosis.

Sister said: "It was very difficult, for we couldn't care for all that came and when we had to send them away and they did not come back the next morning, I was deeply troubled that they possibly had died because of our lack of care for them."

From Pusan she went to start a new clinic in Jeung Pyeong , Chung Puk Do, and after 3 years returned to Pusan. In 1963 until 1974 she worked in Kyeong Ki Do, Kang Hwa island, where she established Christ the King Clinic and was the administrator and director. At that time she not only worked in the hospital but in the parish and with workers.

It was during this time in Kang Hwa that the textile factory,1968 incident, developed: the girls who were members of the YCW (Young Christian Workers) were fired for starting a union. This incident was the first in which the Church was involved and was the start of future involvement in the problems of laborers in our society.

It was her involvement with the workers and experiencing their difficulty that made her decide to go to Seoul and work with the workers in an area where they were living. During this time she worked assisting AMOR ( Asia, Oceania Meeting of Religious). They planned an exposure trip to a 'red light ' district where they heard the stories of these women and were greatly moved. It was another change in the life of Sister Jean. " I had thought that I had nothing to do with these women but after hearing their stories I couldn't get rid of the idea that I was a hypocrite. I cried for many days after and wanted to go and live with them."

Sister Jean started counseling many of these women and with the help of another woman decided to start Magdalena House, a place of rest for those who were involved in the selling of sex. She remained in that work for 13 years, helping these women escape their life of prostitution, giving them hope and a feeling of self worth. She lived with them, ate with them, and cried and laughed with them.

Sister has now been given another work by the Maryknoll Congregation; she will accomplish this work as she has done all the others, with a heart full of thanks to God for allowing her to continue her work in Korea. On this Feast of the Epiphany may she be blessed with many more years in being a light and service to others.

Another Reason to Have Joy in the New Year

After 345 days the "Yongsan Disaster" was finally dramatically concluded. Yongsan is the location of the building in which five victims and one police officer were killed, in a standoff with the police who tried forcibly to evict them from the building that was set to be demolished .

The funeral for the victims will be held on Jan. 9. The development companies and Seoul City agreed on a compensation package and will take care of the funeral expenses. The bodies of those five who were killed were awaiting burial in the mortuaries. With this agreement, all will return to normal at the Yongsan site of Masses held during the confrontation. When the good news came, a Mass was being celebrated at the site with the temperature 13 below zero. The Masses and demonstrating will stop, with a final Mass on the 6th of January.

Details of the agreement, such as the amount of the settlement will not be disclosed.

The Prime Minister visited the bereaved families and offered apologies.
The settlement came through the mediation of Seoul City Mayor:
"I am grateful to the religious leaders who assisted in the arbitration and citizens who watched over the incident," Seoul Mayor said. "The city will proactively tackle problems in urban redevelopment in the future."

The Catholic Church was very active in trying to come to a just conclusion to the stand off between the families, the development companies and government. The Cardinal alluded to Yongsan many times and Bishop Choi, who is the bishop in charge of the Bishops' Justice and Peace Committee, also went to the Yongsan site. If it wasn't for the Catholic Priests Association for Justice and Peace, we probably would not have come to this rather belated compromise. The demonstrating will end but it is very clear in the eyes of many that all is not well when it comes to development and the rights of those that are in the way of this development.

Hopefully the words of the mayor will mean something in the future when those with little public backing, the week and poor in our society, are forced to leave their place of work or living, for development projects.