Thoughts, After the Survey on Pope's Visit to Korea

The editorial team of the Catholic Times reports they spent over two months discussing  the visit of Pope Francis to Korea. They decided to make renewal the topic in preparation for the visit. There are a variety of aspects on the visit, but basically, it can be expressed by evangelization. Using the words that the pope prefers, we are being faithful to the original mission given to the Church by Jesus. This requires renewal and reform on our part.

We prepared a questionnaire on the visit. We wanted to know what the members of the Church felt about the visit. One of the surveys was with the  opinion leaders, persons of  influence  among the priests, religious, and lay people;  the  second survey was of the laity.

The results were very subtle but  there was a difference between the two. The leaders in the Church saw a need for change within the world Church and the Korean Church with percentages of 97 and 98.The ordinary laity, 92  percent were for change within the world Church and 94  percent for change within the Korean Church.

With the leaders in the Church, we had only 28 percent that thought the visit would bring about change.  While among the laity, we had 43  percent that were sure of a change. Comparing with the other areas this was the biggest discrepancy between the two groups.

The Desk Columnists gives two reasons for the differences. Among the leaders in the Church, they thought it too early to make any decisions. Change does not come quickly or with one event. The other reason  is  pessimistic: "This is the way it has been, and we do not see any difference in the will to change, with the visit of the pope can we expect anything else?" This  sarcastic response makes clear the  problem. The pope's visit could be what is needed but without the desire and will for change, nothing will happen.

The Columnist in his work meets many Catholics. "Working within the Church the more they get involved the more likely they are to  lose their religion," is often heard. The more they learn about the Church and  its management, the satisfaction and passion instead of increasing, they become disillusioned and frustrated.  The beginners when they express themselves, hear from their seniors  that is the way it is,  and their  desire for  renewal disappears.  If this is the situation within the Church then, the columnist says, we have  a serious problem.

The pope with his humor and method of operation, can  light the flame for change. However, this requires  it begin with us; the will to bring about change has to be present  in ourselves and the Church. Clearly, we see a need for change. We must begin.The first persons to be out in front are the Bishops and  priests.  If they are unsure of what to do, looking around here and there, without the will for change, then  the road is still far in the distance. To be honest, he says, that is what he feels. Renewal must  begin with the priests....

The Lesson from the Sewol Tragedy

Much has to change after the  Sewol  disaster, and much has changed writes the columnist in the Peace Weekly. Pope Francis expressed his condolences for the loss of so many lives, and said: "He hoped the  South Korean people will take the Sewol tragedy as an occasion for moral and spiritual rebirth."

The hands of the  world history clock have been moving, centered on the  West; we here in the Far East have been left in the dark for the last 500 years. Korea has  come from an underdeveloped country with effort and cleverness to forming the  Democratic Republic of Korea: a country that received aid to one giving aid, a country that democratically changes its leaders by free elections. We have come a long way in a short period of time. We have had many changes in society, yet we  are the only country in the world that is still divided.

The columnist, a sociology professor in a Catholic University, reviews the progress of Korea in recent history. Korea moved from being a colony of Japan, to a free country at the  end of the Second World War, to civil war, to the end of the cold war. Europe during this time overcame the walls that separated them to form the European Union. The use of the Internet has been breaking down walls between nations for some time, and Korea is still concerned with the problems from the second World War and the end of the cold war. We still have the comfort women  who were the sex slaves for the Japanese soldier demonstrating every Wednesday in front of the Japanese Embassy asking for an apology. 

In Europe after the war, they had the war crime tribunal which the times demanded. In the Far East we don't have this kind of thinking reflected among our citizens. We are still  fighting over the  ownership of an island with the Japanese. The hands of the historical clock are still not moving in the Far East.The cold war stopped us from thinking of the problems connected with capitalism. The Sewol tragedy brings our thoughts back to the  issue of greed. There is no society that does not regulate greed. We have imported the word neo-liberalism; unbridled greed has brought in the financial crisis but also the freezing of changes in the structures of society. We don't see the faces of those who are walking away with the money, she says, but the ordinary person is the one whose life becomes more difficult. The area of  public concern that is given the most benefits is the growth of our capitalistic system, when the welfare of the ordinary citizens is discussed, we hear about  waste of resources and not efficient.

Jesus is a sign of love, and we know how angry he was when in contact with the money lenders in the temple. He prepared a whip and chased them out of the temple. We should remember this scene.

When the capitalistic thinking is not  associated with morality but with greed we have many problems in society. The pope's words on the occasion of the tragedy hoping for a moral and a spiritual rebirth should be the lesson that we learn from the tragedy. 

The Gatekeeper Movement

Suicide is a serious health issue. Korea leads the world in the number of suicides. Consequently,  programs in suicide prevention are promoted to decrease the  numbers. The Catholic Times has an article on one of the movements called  'Gatekeepers' that educates the public on ways to 'see, listen, and report'. The program is sponsored by many interested groups in Korea, who are working together to prevent suicides. The 'Gatekeepers' is an international movement that Korea has adapted to the country and its needs.
 
The One-Body One-Spirit Center in suicide prevention is a Catholic group actively participating in  the Gatekeeper movement. Those who attend the program are trained to recognize the warning signs and what to do. A journalist who attended one of  the programs with 30 others makes a report on the program. The training helps one in the first step to recognize the words, actions and circumstances that are signs of a possible suicide. Second step is to find out the reasons for the death wish by listening and to help to  show the reasons for life. The third step is to leave the person with necessary safeguards and refer the person to a specialist.
 
One of the presentations during the three-hours   mentioned how we are all involved in a suicide. In one year, about 15,000 persons kill themselves but the reality is larger by far. Those who attempt suicide and fail are 40 times that number. Those who are affected by the suicides would be over 3 million. Which makes us think deeply on the problem that Korea faces with the numbers of those that kill themselves.

The journalist mentions that  the program is well adjusted to the Korean situation. The words that those who have given up on life are easily ascertained. Students find their schools "like being in hell." "I  don't want to go to school." The middle-aged: "the world tells me to get lost." The older people: " I have no strength, why live any longer; it is time to die." These are some of the words that express the death wish.

Before taking the  program the journalist thought there was little to learn in three-hours. But after the program was over the thinking was different, a lot was learned and the thinking on suicide changed. With a little effort much can be done to decrease the numbers of suicides.
 
This is not only the thought of journalists. The office of suicide prevention mentioned that from March of 2013 to December those who have been involved in the work, 68 percent of them have taken the training to see, listen and refer, they  were gatekeepers: a good  reason for taking the three-hour training program.

The Werther effect or copycat suicides are frequent, and determined often by the prominence that suicides receive in the press. The reasons for a suicide are many and the press often simplifies the motivation as a single-issue   Excessive coverage of the suicide when dealing with celebrities and the famous in public life,  without any attempts to  show a need for prevention in the report, and where to go for help for those who find life difficult are often missing. There is a need to be sensitive to those who are screaming inside, and for society to be attuned to hearing the screams.

Doctors Who See More than the Body

In a Peace Weekly article, the level of satisfaction among doctors was listed as low. "There is a need for  doctors not only to work in healing diseases, but the whole person. In  the formation of doctors, concern and consciousness of  their vocation  is necessary." These are the words of a priest  who is responsible  for the humanities course in the Catholic Medical School.

In the article, he is quoted also as saying: "When a doctor, in a medical situation is not happy, he is not mindful of his calling as a doctor. He will not be a good doctor." The priest was one of the 28 selected as a Korean in the competitive society we are in, who has  contributed to service in community, formation of talented persons and working to change our environment. 

The article mentions the English medical on-line Journal: International Journal of Medical Education. Below is a paragraph taken from the journal which  has included the  dissertation from the Catholic University of Korea in its  recent volume. Easily accessed on the Internet.

"The medical college of the Catholic University of Korea, established the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2006. In 2007, it began to develop a medical humanity's curriculum, referred to as the OMNIBUS curriculum, which was implemented in 2009 and modified to the present time, through a continuous process of review. OMNIBUS, the name of the humanities curriculum, was taken from the Latin expression “to all men” in First Corinthians of the Bible, and was chosen to refer to a holistic understanding of the human. We focused on traditional humanity's content, such as art, music, and literature and what it  means to a suffering human, and approached the curriculum development based on the inherent dignity of the human and the moral values of Catholic teaching." 

The article mentions that the priest with more than 40 of the faculty in different fields, for over a period of three years, have contributed to the Omnibus curriculum.  The program takes 300  hours to complete. Composed of discussion, debate, presentations, meetings with the sick, and examining  what sickness and health looks like from a  human viewpoint.

The priest says that a medical doctor should  help heal even  the soul. It is necessary to be sensitive to the mental and  spiritual dimensions of the person. When we lack the expression of ethics in the healing process, there is a danger of becoming a machine in healing. A specialist who is too taken up with function may be deficient in human qualities. Both the medical knowledge of a doctor and the human spiritual qualities  should be present. This was expressed in the dissertation with the following words. 

"The current focus on medical professionalism in the curriculum often begins with how best to instill or encourage the following six elements of professionalism: altruism, accountability, excellence, duty, honor and integrity, and respect for others. The humanities offer great potential for enhancing professional and humanistic development in medical education."

North Korean Refugees in the South

Refugees from North Korea who are presently in the South, most, did not have South Korea  as their goal on leaving the North. A columnist in the Catholic Times on the refugees gives  some ideas on the problems the newly arrived North Koreans face in the South. Except for a few who have fled the North with their families, most have gone in search of food. They arrive in China, and not welcomed, opt to go to South Korea. They are not immigrants but refugees. Which makes the transition to life in the South difficult.

First, adapting to the South  required leaving their family in the North,  and they have a feeling of  guilt.  They fear they will never see them again, and their  difficult circumstances in the North make them  conscious on how they need to help them financially.

Health problems are always present. They do not have any abnormalities but visits to the dentist, gynecologists, and internal medicine problems are frequent: headaches,  indigestion, many bodily complaints. The difficulties in leaving the North, the stress they have experienced from the efforts to come to the South and the problems they now face all makes for great pressure.

The third difficulty is trying to get the necessary qualifications to find work or to feel comfortable in the workplace.  What they learned in the North is not much help in the South. Once they are working, the different ways of thinking, the hard work, the cultural differences are all obstacles in feeling at home. They are familiar with the language, but this does not make the settling down in the South similar to a person moving from one part of Korea to another. The language they use is immediately recognized as from the North and the ways of expressing themselves poses problems in being understood.

35  percent of the refugees: the old, children, the sick and those who have recently arrived receive  basic government financial  aid. The other 65 percent have jobs where the income is what the poorest of our society are making.They are making more than they would in the North, but in the South are living in poverty.

Fifthly, trying to adapt to a more advanced society than they were accustomed  to in the North makes demands. English words are often used in the South, computers and the Internet are prevalent. Politics, finances, society, the culture are all strange. Transportation, the different government offices, shopping, marriage, dating and just relating in a different society and feeling at home is not easy.

Despite all the problems, the columnist who works with the North Koreans, concludes her article mentioning  that  the numbers of those who are succeeding in their efforts to better their lives in the South continues to increase.

The Feast of the Ascension--World Communications Day

Today is the 48th World Communications Day, the Feast of the Ascension. Both Catholic papers had an editorial on Communication and its importance in our present world. Korea is one of the world's leaders in the distribution of smart phones in the hands of their citizens. They have a well-used network in the new media.

The  command of Jesus to preach the Good News to the whole world is made easier with the digital network. We are challenged by this new technology. The development in the electronic media requires that we have the right understanding of the media and how to use it properly. The recent popes have seen  the  use of the new media as a  prophetic voice in uniting us together: a gift from God.

Pope Francis in his message on World Communication Day mentions: "In a world like this, media can help us to feel closer to one another, creating a sense of the unity of the human family which can in turn inspire solidarity and serious efforts to ensure a more dignified life for all." 

In our society, the editorial reminds us, we  see the violence that is wide spread. We do have the new media helping both the individual and society to contribute to fellowship and the common good, but at the same time, we have the individual and different groups wanting profit and  using all kinds of propaganda without discretion and without  responsibility, giving  rise to many harmful side effects.

 "Whenever communication is primarily aimed at promoting consumption or manipulating others, we are dealing with a form of violent aggression like that suffered by the man in the parable, who was beaten by robbers and left abandoned on the road." These words by the pope should upset the consciences of many.

Despite this, the pope and the editorials make it clear that we need to keep the door open to this new media and use it  to carry out the message that Jesus gave the Church to go to the very ends of the earth to bring his Good News.

In the past, we went to the streets to deliver the message. We continue this, but we now have another way of reaching others with the new media. Like the good Samaritan of the Gospels, we want to be every ones'  good neighbor,  As the pope said: "The digital world can be an environment rich in humanity: a network not of wires but of people." The pope wants us: "to recover a  certain sense of deliberateness and calm. This calls for time and the ability to be silent and to listen." 

There are many who are hurt by the new media. The abuse will always be there, but that is the reason we should be involved and make it a warm and friendly environment.  Disagreements, criticism, arguments are part of the attractiveness of the new media, but as members of the human family, we should not descend to the ad hominem attacks: appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect. These attacks should make us all uncomfortable and the best way of responding is to fill the media with the opposite.

Faith Does not Need Cramming

The cramming method of education is criticized often within Korean society. Recently,we heard all kinds of reasons for the Sewol tragedy,  and even the education received, was mentioned as one of the reasons for the disaster.  

A journalist for the Catholic Times in her column begins with the words from a  learning  pamphlet that advertised their methods: "Lets us work in improving  ourselves, knowingly and quickly, quickly."

Children who have been brought up with the cramming method of education, the pouring in of knowledge, will have  difficulty, she says, improving themselves having been exposed only to this method. Without direction,and help in knowing what to do, the carrying out of what is expected will be difficult.

She mentions a documentary that she saw recently. It compared our lecture halls and those in foreign countries. Our preferred teaching environment  shows the students with their note  books and writing material listening to their professors. This is the method they have been taught and even when in college find difficult to discard.

In her writing assignments she has seen changes in the way the  educational programs are being conducted in a number of parishes, with the interaction and collaboration of teachers and those in attendance. She gives the example in making  plans for summer camp programs, where all meet together to discuss different proposals. The idea is to be involved in the process and take responsibility for the results.

The journalist reminds us that it is better to teach a person how to fish than to feed the person fish. When we are directly involved in the learning process, we come away with understanding and a change in our way of thinking.Creativity and passion is nurtured.She has seen this in a number of her assignments, which gave her great joy. 

The result of our educational programs for our Catholics is being reevaluated by some, for the past  results were not always positive. Much is memorized and knowledge  of what the Church teaches is conveyed, but there is little passion or understanding of the reasons we believe. Yes, we believe, but it is with the whole body and not only with an act of the will to believe. We should be able to give an intelligent answer for the reasons we believe. Our faith teaches us much more than we can know from reason, but it is not opposed to reason. We use reason to better understand our faith. Our faith is 'in search of understanding', which is what  theology is all about. St. Thomas said grace builds on nature:"Faith implies reason and perfects it." Our faith allows us to be more reasonable.