Catholic Understanding of the Population Problem

Disagreements on population issues are about 300 years old. And knowing the truth on these controversial issues is not easy, since much of what is accepted as fact is not supported by honest and objective research.  The Catholic Peace Weekly, in its series of articles on the culture of life, discusses the issue of overpopulation in a recent article.

The writer tells us that the debate on birth control came to the fore toward the end of the 18th century, with the beginning of the industrial revolution in England. Dependence on workers gave way to the use of machinery, and the discussion began on what is gained or lost with an increase in population. Most experts agreed that we had a problem of too many people and this had to be dealt with by restraining births. So 'birth control' came to mean suppressing births. The refrain often heard was "the food supply was increasing mathematically while the population was increasing geometrically.

In 1945, the recommendations of the UN  Population Council  spread to the developed countries and into the political and economic thinking of the world. International meetings were held to discuss the merits of suppressing births to raise the underdeveloped countries out of poverty. This interest continued with the book, published by the Rome Club, "The Limits of Growth," in 1972, which led to Korea's efforts to decrease population.

Population policy, the columnist says, originally had to do with the efforts of individual countries trying to solve the problems dealing with the quantity and quality of life within each country. It involved not only births, but also deaths and migration. But starting in 1960, it was primarily the reductions of births that was a concern. Ironically, the countries that accepted this thinking are now dealing with the fear of a decrease in population, lack of workers, and aging. 

It is not the poor countries of the world that have seriously harmed the world's environment, says the columnist, but the rich countries with their excessive production and consumption.  Looking back,  it is readily seen  the dangers from  the population increase predicted by  politicians and experts  were  greatly exaggerated.

Experts in the Catholic Church  have made it clear the  dire predictions were not based on a careful understanding of the facts.  The columnist goes on to say that though there are understandable problems with overpopulation in some areas of the world, this should not be handled artificially and with force, but with education. Families should be helped to carry out their duty to foster love, and make their own  decisions on the number of children they feel able to raise. Countries that are well off should help the poorer countries and concern for distribution and sharing should be part of our thinking. He concludes the understanding of the Catholic Church on these matters has been justified.

Globalization and Christians

Changes that occur in any society, whether known or unknown, tend to be stressful, bringing misunderstanding and often conflict. One of the big changes recently is our ability and desire to communicate easily and quickly with people from all over the world, giving rise to what has been called the 'one world' we now find ourselves living in. One of our Korean bishops, in a series of articles in the Catholic Times, discusses the subject of globalization and the Christian response.

Catholics must utilize, the bishop said, the principles of solidarity found in the Social Gospel as a way of solving the problems connected with globalization. Knowing the teachings of the Social Gospel would help us understand the way the Church sees globalization.

The bishop introduces us to what Pope John Paul said in 1999 in  the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America (#55):  "By her social doctrine the Church makes an effective contribution to the issues presented by the current globalized economy. Her moral vision in this area 'rests on the threefold cornerstone of human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity'.  The globalized economy must be analyzed in the light of the principles of social justice, respecting the preferential option for the poor, who must be allowed to take their place in such an economy, and the requirements of the international common good." He continues: "The Church in America is called not only to promote greater integration between nations, thus helping to create an authentic globalized culture of solidarity, but also to cooperate with every legitimate means in reducing the negative effects of globalization, such as the domination of the powerful over the weak, especially in the economic sphere, and the loss of the values of local cultures in favor of a misconstrued homogenization."

Among the many experts, there is  little  disagreement on the way the Pope has expressed himself. But they would like to see the Church go deeper into the problem of the poor-rich divide and the difficulties that derive from this inequity in society. This requires a new examination of the problem, and setting up new ways of dealing with it.

The changes we face today are great and many, the bishop said, and the accompanying problems surpass even those that followed the industrial revolution. He said we can't just look at the bad effects and work with expedient solutions, but sincerely make efforts to adapt to the reality of the world we are in. In the Korea of today, this would mean dealing more effectively with the recent immigrants, our poorest of the poor.

We are seeing a growing polarization as a result of these changes in society, and the Church has yet to come to grips with this problem resolutely and directly. The Church can't help but  face this new reality as  part of the pastoral work of the Church in evangelizing society. 

International Families and Education

A Religious Sister who works with immigrants writes about the problems of the newly arrived foreign women married to Koreans. To illustrate a typical problem, she mentions that the oldest of two boys (4 years old), born to a Vietnamese woman married to a Korean, can only be understood by his parents. The mother came to Korea knowing little of the Korean language. The father, realizing the problem, sent him to Seoul to stay with relatives, where he went to a kindergarten that taught the basics of the language; there was some improvement, the Sister said. In this case, because the father was concerned, something was done but many fathers are not that concerned.

Another boy in 2nd year grammar school rarely did his homework. The  assignment required that the child work with the mother. Since the mother's knowledge of Korean did not permit their working together, the child went to school without the homework. Since he had a foreign mother the teacher, in his first year, excused him but in the second year the teacher wasn't that indulgent. This made going  to school difficult for the child because of the embarrassment of not keeping up with the other students, and he lost his desire for learning.

These children from intercultural families have little difficulty communicating with the spoken word. The problem comes with the written word. When they have to write a book report, it's difficult for them to arrange their thoughts and find the right words. This difficulty comes from the mother's unfamiliarity with the culture, and it affects the child in his emotional formation and attitude. The difficulty becomes more evident with the passage of time.

Much has been done to help the international families, but there is much that remains to be done. The Sister believes there has to be standards set for improving these programs for children, and the teachers have to be better educated concerning what is required. The mothers should also be helped to understand the educational system, which will then help them in  educating  their children.

The difficulties that are now being seen because of the recent increase of international marriages present a serious problem for Korea. If the children of these marriages lose their desire for learning they will drop out of school and be a problem for society in the future.

Self-Starting Small Parish Communities

In Korea,  small area group meetings are part of the pastoral landscape. The Korean Catholic Church considers these meetings important and most of the parishes would have at least monthly meetings, with some parishes having weekly meetings. However, not all Catholics view them without some misgivings.

Writing in a pastoral research bulletin a laywomen begins her article with a question she received from a  woman who had just been baptized. "Do I have to go to the small group  meetings in the parish?  After the meetings, there is just gossiping and eating together." She was saying it was time-consuming and caused mental stress.

We know from the Scriptures that the early Christians met in homes for prayer and fellowship. But with more priests, dependence on the priest and parish societies became the norm. The early Korean Catholics used to meet in the mission stations with the catechist; they were  active in evangelizing, helping the poor and doing works of charity. They were a self-starting  community of  Christians, who served as a model for what we now call district and neighborhood  community meetings. 

In these meetings we listen, share and pray, read and discuss the Scriptures, and have them inform our thinking, reflecting on how we have lived. By sharing our thoughts on the Scriptures we are imperceptibly changed.  There is no teaching or judging during these meetings, for that only makes it uncomfortable for those that are sharing, and feelings can be hurt.  However, this sharing, the writer says, can develop into gossiping and mere socializing, and the reason for the meeting is often forgotten.

The men find it easier to meet in the evening but because of the fraternal nature of the meetings, and the drinking that takes place, the main reason for the meeting is sometimes forgotten. And at times those who can't attend because of work are often seen as less than good Catholics.  This is the way our writer sees the problems of some of these community Scripture-sharing meetings.

She would like us to attend these meetings in the same way we attend Mass, praising God, sharing our faith and, with prayer, growing in joy and hope. The leaders of these meetings should be humble intermediaries in the village communities, and despite the pitfalls she hopes they will continue to have an  influence on parish life and personal spiritual growth.

Buying a new Pair of Rubber Shoes

In this month's Kyeongyang Magazine, a philosophy professor in the Suwon Seminary reflects on the meaning of possessions in our life. He asks if our happiness depends on the number of things we possess. Although he admits we can't say they have nothing to do with happiness, they can't  in themselves make us happy.  Happiness is not extrinsic to the self but comes from the self. As we know, two persons can have the same external circumstances and yet one is happy and the other is not.

He recalls a Buddhist monk who picked the name 'No Beginning', composed of two Chinese ideographs. He has known the monk from the time they met as students in the U.S., and have remained in touch since returning to Korea. The monk explained that the name means denying  oneself and ridding oneself of greed. Avarice, he said, occurs when one leaves the right path and lives  in a manner exceeding what is necessary; it will then interfere with our happiness. He illustrated the point with the following anecdote:

          Years ago there was a monk and a disciple who lived in Gangwon-do. The disciple was in training, and his rubber shoes had  holes in them, so he asked a friend to buy him a  new pair.
          He was happy with his new pair of rubber shoes and  showed them to the monk.

        "Teacher aren't these rubber shoes beautiful?"

         "Idiot, you must be out of your mind to have bought a new pair of shoes."

         The young man whose rubber shoes had holes after their long use couldn't understand why the monk was so angry.
         "Teacher, why in the world are you so upset at me for buying a pair of rubber shoes after the other pair has worn out?"

        The monk then appeared not to understand the question and shouted at the young man.

 "You don't know how dangerous what you did is.  Soon you will be buying some new socks and you will be searching for new clothes. But that is not all. Your mind will become restless, and you will be dreaming of opportunities to go outside.

             "The young man was not satisfied with the explanation, and it showed in his face.  

        The monk further explained, "With the new clothes, instead of looking at books you will look at a mirror and lose the taste for study and  improvement. How can you say that a new pair of rubber shoes is of no consequence?"

 In this digital age, we give much importance to living well and eating well. It is difficult to deny that the  attitude of humility and emptying oneself is disappearing. Our ancestors were close to the earth, and any small thing was an opportunity to be thankful.

The above anecdote gives us some food for thought. The monk's thoughts on emptying oneself are important in this fast-paced  world of little reflection. Eradicating greed and emptying ourselves are necessary for the life of happiness and peace, we all desire.

Protestant Catholic Retreat

On the 13th of this month twelve Protestant and eight Catholic clergy met for three days in a Catholic Retreat House to promote Christian unity. Written up in one of the secular papers a few days ago, this second retreat was held in the  Kwangju Retreat Center at the base of Mount Jiri. The first retreat, at the invitation of the Protestants, was held last year at the Benedict Meditation Center in Pusan. 

Since 2000, Catholic and Protestant clergy have been meeting for lectures and discussion but last year they met for the first time for a retreat.  Also present  was the president of the Bishops Committee for Promoting Christian Unity and Interreligious Dialogue, Bishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong. 

During the three days, they had six meetings  for  meditation and prayer in silence. It was time, they agreed, to experience their brotherly relationship rather than talk about what separates them. The first sermon was given by an Anglican priest. And a priest from the Kwangju Seminary gave a lecture on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. A Presbyterian minister said, "Last year at the retreat house in Pusan, I was deeply moved during the common retreat. I became familiar again with some of the religious exercises that we Protestants have lost. It is a time to reflect on our common religious tradition and our personal commitment to our faith.

They visited a Buddhist Temple, a 5-minute walk from the retreat center, where they heard a lecture on Buddhist ascetic practices.

An Anglican priest said there have been big changes in the atmosphere of the meetings. It is now very rare to see any open disparaging of the other in our meetings.

The day ended with the praying of the Holy Office.  In the beginning it was difficult but with the directions given by the leader of the prayer everything turned out correctly. In one of the prayer gatherings, one of the participants said, "During our meetings many words have been used but we have to hear God's word. We have to get over divisions and conflict, and come closer together and have a meeting of hearts."

Loving LIke Jesus Would Love

In one of the Catholic magazines, a priest-director of a diocesan counseling center for foreign workers recalls his experience with a Vietnamese worker who was near the end of his stay in Korea. Would he return to  Vietnam or become an illegal alien?  the priest wondered.

The young man entered Korea in 2005 and after working for just one month became sick. Afraid they would send him back to Vietnam, he dropped out of sight. It was in 2007, as an unregistered foreign worker, that he appeared at the counseling service to receive free medical treatment. We made arrangements, said the priest, for an operation at a government hospital. The exam showed there was blood in the brain so he was sent to a larger hospital for the operation. This required a lot of money and the counseling service had to ask for financial assistance to cover the costs.

After the operation, the young man's medical problems began to disappear, and although he had to continue taking medicine he only had to show up once a year for tests. His parents were invited to come to Korea to stay with him, and he was given a place to say while recuperating. His recovery was going well and our efforts on his behalf seemed justified.

But not everything turned out well, however. The relationship with his wife, who sacrificed in taking care of him, turned sour, and she left him to return to Vietnam.   His younger brother, who was in Korea, was also causing him problems with his erratic behavior.

Because the young man was an unregistered alien, the priest went to the immigration office to ask permission to continue with his therapy, assuring them he would stand as surety. He did this every year during the period of therapy, until he finally was given six months to prepare to leave the country. He agreed and said he would buy his own ticket. But from that day on he disappeared. 

No word has been received from him, and the priest has no idea what happened to him. He believes he is still in the country, but rather than checking with the office of immigration to find out for sure, he prefers to believe that he left the country. He admits to feeling at times like a fool, betrayed and used by  the worker, but most of the time he reminds himself that he didn't help the man to have him do his will. He  helped him because he believed he was doing the will of Jesus.  He felt he learned a great deal from the incident and is convinced that he  loved in the way Jesus would have wanted.