End of Capital Punishment in Korea?

The first day of this month marked a period of 5000 days during which there have not been any death row executions, though some who have received the death penalty still languish on death row. It was on Dec. 30, 1997, 5000 days ago, that 23 people on death row were executed. 

The Catholic Times revisits the issue of capital punishment in a recent editorial, and noted that on the 5000th day without execution, many who have advocated for the abolition of the death penalty gathered together to commemorate the day and to urge the National Assembly  to pass a law abolishing  capital punishment in Korea.

The editorial reminds us that the Catholic Church has been adamant in its emphasis on the sanctity of life, and a leader in the movement to do away with the death penalty. There is a quote from the Catholic Catechism: "Concern for eugenics or public health cannot justify any murder, even if commanded by public authority" (#2268). The late Cardinal Kim wrote in an article in the Catholic Times: "Many understand  that the death penalty is a  deterrent for crimes, but it is only a subjective opinion with no foundation in reality. There are other penalties that can serve the common good and protect human dignity."

Over the years there has been a great deal of controversy on the subject,and when we consider that it has been debated from all sides, the editorial believes it is time to come to a decision abolishing capital punishment. The facts indicate that it is not any help in preventing crime, and the desire for retribution--"an eye for an eye and a  tooth for a tooth"--no longer speaks to the people of the 21st century.

We should drop the belief that capital punishment is a deterrent for crime and look instead for the reasons for and  ways to prevent crime. Changing our ways of acting and thinking about this  controversial subject will require an on-going effort. Many persuasive reasons have been offered to do away with the death penalty, and if we  do not make the effort to accomplish this much -needed task, we will have shirked our duty as concerned citizens of our country and  responsible human beings. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

The picture on the left, painted by a Korean religious artist, depicts the entrance of the first missionary priest into Korea from China, Fr. Chu Mun-mo. The gate separated  Korea from China and was the entry point to Korea for many of the early missioners.

In the liturgical calendar, September is the month of the martyrs, a time to reflect on their place in the history of the church.  The  Peace Weekly introduces us to Fr. Chu, a martyr, and the first priest to minister to a community of 4,000 that was evangelized without the help of foreign missioners.

Fr. Chu entered Korea in December of 1794, sent by the Portuguese Franciscan  bishop of Peking, Alexander de Gouvea to this community of Catholics. It was formed by reading books on Catholicism that were received from China. The members of the community decided among themselves to appoint priests to serve the community.  Lay  people said the Mass and dispensed the Sacraments until they realized this was not permitted. They then asked Bishop de Gouvea what to do.  News of the community in Korea gave him great joy, and he  promised to send them a priest. The first priest died before arriving in Korea, and it was Fr. Chu, who became the first pastor of this community of Catholics. At that time, there were only five foreign missioners in China, and the bishop thought  an Oriental would be faced with less difficulties.

In the beginning, few people, either in China or Korea, knew that a priest had arrived, and when they heard the news, it was like having an angel coming into their midst from heaven.  Fr. Chu soon began the study of Korean, baptized, and heard confessions. However, it was not long before the news of the presence of a foreigner reached the royal palace, and orders were sent to arrest him. Learning of this, the Christians made an effort to hide him, and when the police came one of the Christians attempted to deceive them by impersonating the priest, but it didn't work; three of the Christians were taken and executed. Because of the death of the three Catholics, the priest felt it was his fault  and limited his future appearances with the Catholics.

He appointed leaders for the different communities, and started the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.  He even selected women to fill the role of leaders, which was a change from the customary role of women in the Confucian society of that time.  A noble woman, Kang Wan-suk, who was well-educated and a leader in the early community, was baptized by Fr. Chu. She hid him in her house because homes of the nobility were not searched. But news of her status within the Church leaked out and she was imprisoned and tortured, but they couldn't make her divulge his whereabouts; she was finally executed.

Because of  the ferociousness of the persecution, Fr. Chu fled to an area close to China, and was planning to leave Korea, but when he heard that the Christians were suffering because of his presence, he decided to return to Seoul and give himself up to the authorities. He was  decapitated on April 19, 1801. His missionary life lasted only 6 years but the number of Christians had increased to 10,000 by the time of  his death. But there was now a structure in place that helped continue the work he started.

Thirty years passed before another Chinese priest came, and a few years later the priests of the Paris Foreign Mission Society entered the country. It was thanks to the wisdom of Fr. Chu that a structure was in place that continued the work of the original community. The history of this time is enveloped in a great deal of sadness, but also joy in having been able to nurture the seed of faith the community had received, even during the hundred years of  persecution.

Regulation of Births and Catholics

It's commonly understood that that the Catholic Church is against the regulation of births but that is not the case,  claims a a professor emeritus of the Catholic University, and in his column for the Peace Weekly he tells us why.

He quotes from the  beginning of the encyclical  Humanae Vitae: "If, therefore, there are well-grounded reasons for spacing births, arising from the physical or psychological condition of husband or wife, or from external circumstances, the Church teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse only during those times that are infertile, thus controlling  birth in a way that does not in the least offend the moral principles which we have just explained" (#16).

The method the pope refers to, the professor says, is easily understood.  The man's sperm and the ovum of the woman have a life of  about three days for the sperm and one day for the egg. Care taken to determine the period of ovulation will mean about seven days of refraining from sex.

The professor explains that the period of ovulation can be determined by changes in the body and certain bodily conditions before and after ovulation. If one makes an effort to become  aware of this, it is not difficult to determine the fertile period. Most of the world is now familiar with the Billings Ovulation Method.

Ingrid Trobisch, in her book, the Joy of being a Woman, mentions that while doing missionary work in Africa she noticed that the women knew about the cervical  mucus  but didn't know what it meant and its  relationship to fertility.

The Church, says the professor, recommends the natural  method of regulation because it fosters love and trust between husband and wife, while admitting that not all will find it easy to follow. There  are times in the life of a couple where abstinence is necessary because of sickness of the  wife or the husband is away on business. But more important than these reasons for abstaining is coming to an agreement about whether to have or not have children.  If the reasons for abstinence are present, the Church recommends that natural means be used to regulate births.

Childless Marriages and the Future

Childless  marriages are now in vogue in Korea, a country with a great love for children. A novel written a few years ago tells the story of two young people wanting to be together but not wanting to be in a committed relationship. After dating for seven years they finally  decide to marry and then decide to divorce  seven months later. His dog, he said, was to take the place of children. An editorial writer in the Chosun Daily discusses the novel's plot and its implications for the future health of our society.

The court report of marriages last year shows that 46 percent of the 116,800 divorces had no children. This is the largest number of childless marriages ending in divorce recorded in Korea. The percentage of marriages with one or two children that ended in divorce was 25 percent; those who divorced with over three children was 4 percent. The biggest reason for divorce, according to the writer, was  the difference in temperament and money problems.

The ease of  childless couples divorcing is  part of the present reality. As divorces become more frequent so are remarriages. The number of remarriages in 1990 was 4.7 percent; in 2009 it increased to  12.8 percent. The number of divorced women who are marrying men with no previous marriage has increased three times from what it was 19 years ago. It shows this is no longer  a problem in society.

Of the total  number of households, 24.4 percent had no children, for the first time outnumbering households with four family members, 22.5 percent.

A recent survey of 500 workers to determine the state of happiness of married couples found that childless couples registered 74, on a scale of 100, which was 63.6 points higher than those with children. Those without children do not consider children necessary for happiness. And to accommodate the increasing number of childless couples, apartments  are being built with no rooms for children but with rooms to enjoy the companionship of friends and with places to party.

Although most young couples are living with some money problems, the offer of the government of subsidies for children is not attractive to them. If this trend of childless marriages continues, in the year 2050 the number of elderly in the country will be 62.9 percent of the total population. And those able to work will be few and the cost of welfare will increase. We will soon be asking, who will be around to feed the cow?

Mission Is More than Doing

The Columban Foreign Mission Society is the only Catholic religious society in Korea, except for the  Protestants, that sends lay people overseas as missioners. The Columbans usually send unmarried lay people, but three years ago they accepted a married couple, Stephen and Veronica, who have just returned from their assignment in Chile. The "'Here and Now" Catholic news website profiles the couple.

Stephen had graduated from the Naval Academy, and after a brief stint in the navy worked for a year fixing electrical signs and CCTV cameras to gain experience of the life outside the navy.  He soon met his future wife; they were both members of a parish in Taegu where Stephen was very active. Veronica, also a faithful Catholic, said her faith was only of the head, her heart felt empty--until she met her future husband. Since they were of one mind, they were thinking of marriage but first checked the internet for opportunities to do mission work, and discovered  the Columban Father's website.They were told by the Columban Fathers that it would be better to marry first before signing up for mission work, which they did.
  
They began their formation as missioners by taking a course of instruction for nine months that was far from easy. They studied theology, received  pastoral experience with abused women, bereaved families and aids patients. They attended seminars and a clinical, pastoral education program which helped them to understand themselves better in order to be more effective in helping others. To allow for a more natural feedback experience, each of them took the programs separately. Veronica felt that even if she did not go to the missions, this period of instruction was extremely important for her personally.

Their mission assignment in Chile was not easy. Shortly after arriving, Veronica gave birth to a son. She went  through a period of culture shock. The relationships with the other lay missioners was at times awkward, feeling on the outside, but it was all a learning process. Their work was with the young people and although their language ability was poor, they realized that being a missioner is not only doing things but that their living as a family was a means of teaching. They also were being evangelized by what they were doing. The work of a missioner, they realized, is more living the Christlike life than preaching the good news.

They have returned to Taegu and are preparing for another 3-year period of mission work in Chile. They have no money set aside but have a great deal of trust in what Jesus said, "Your heavenly Father knows all that you need. Seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides" (Matthew 6:32).

Loss of Civility on the Interactive Internet

"Before you write a comment to one of the blogs or internet bulletin boards remember that you are a person of faith, make the sign of the cross, and then write your comment."This was the plea  of a  follower of the premier Catholic internet site of the Seoul archdiocese.

The Korean language portal site of the Seoul archdiocese, "GoodNews" (www.catholic.or.kr), with its interactive bulletin board is a cause of concern to many: it is still buffeted with the abusive language of the netizens. Because of the efforts that have been made since the site went online in 1998, there have been conspicuous changes for the better but personal attacks and ideological battles continue. Even those who go to the site frequently are surprised by the comments that are submitted, causing many to wonder how persons of faith could possibly write such words. The article in the Peace Weekly discusses the problem, which is common not only in Korea but  possibly wherever you have interactive dialogue on the internet.

Many write to say they came to the site to hear about Church reportage, but found, instead, participants hurling insults at each other. A typical comment:  "I was hoping to find a Gospel message or some spiritual help but found only inappropriate  content, which was disappointing."

The site has over 300,000 members, and about 100 join daily. According to the conditions of use, those who are responsible for the site have the right to erase objectionable material and refuse the use of the site to the offenders. But the site's reason for being is to encourage the netizens to speak out freely, which might explain why efforts to regulate from above are makeshift and rarely enforced. The article suggests that those using the site should do the regulating and see to it that the users follow rules of internet etiquette. The team leader said, "It is necessary to respect the freedom of those participating, but it is important to have more constructive  comments on the Church and faith life than abusive ideological battles." He added that the site is, after all, the face of the Catholic Church in Korea.

The sensitivity of  Koreans  not to inflict pain on another is evident in everything they do--until, when seriously provoked, someone loses his cool and explodes. But it is  doubtful that the feelings of discontent will have any  effect on the way future comments are made. There is, however, still hope expressed by some that in some future time we will learn to be more civil to others we disagree with.

Street Retreats for the Busy

Retreats are usually made away from the hustle and bustle of daily life in the quiet of a monastery or a retreat house. An article in the  Chosun Daily introduces us to a Jesuit priest who brings the retreat to people where they live and work.

It was an early Saturday morning and about 10 persons met in front of one of the universities in Seoul. The priest gives them a piece of paper nicely folded and a stone.  The paper recounts the incident in the Gospel of John about the woman caught in adultery who was dragged to our Lord. "'Shall we stone her?' the crowd asked him. Also written on the paper:  "In my hand I have a stone. I can use this stone to  throw it at someone. Or I can condemn myself and use the stone on myself. What would Jesus tell me to do with the stone?" The group takes the paper and stone and goes off for an hour to reflect and comes back with their heartfelt responses.

For his Street Retreats the priest  selects a topic each week, which he places on Twitter, Facebook and a Jesuit website, and asks that the retreatants take one hour to reflect on the topic and post their reflections on Twitter or on their own blogs. Once a month, offline, he will meet with a group in Seoul that will have an experience like what was presented at the beginning of this blog.  He even recommends that they take pictures during the Street Retreat. This is part of the Catholic tradition that encourages looking at a holy picture so we can enter  contemplative prayer more easily. The stone that was given was to help them use the senses to concentrate and enter more deeply into contemplative prayer.  When looking at the photographs at a later date, after having all the five senses involved, the thoughts one had during prayer may return to the person's attention for further and deeper reflection.

He has about 400 followers on Twitter and although in the beginning they were mostly Catholics, now any Christian can find these online retreats helpful in their prayer life. He was happy to hear that the Catholic Times will include his weekly meditation especially for those who do not use smart phones or the internet.

This is  a grace to have  time to spend in a Street Retreat. The article in the Chosun Daily ends with the words of the Jesuit: "The people I meet on the Street Retreat are not stopping their daily activity to remain in their internal world, but are developing their senses to see how God is working in and through the world. I want to help them experience this  presence of God as they go about their daily activities."