Catholic Korea Peace Forum 2022

The Secretary of the National Reconciliation Committee of the Korean Bishops gives us his thoughts on the present situation between the North and South and the hope for the future in the Reconciliation Column of the Catholic Times.

"Now, what about human rights in North Korea?" This is a question posed by an official of the International Commission for Justice and Peace when he visited the US Bishops' Conference on April 27, 2018. He was the one who helped the Catholic Northeast Asia Peace Institute organize an international event, and he seemed to be shocked by the Panmunjom Declaration.
 
At that time, the Korean Peninsula was excited with anticipation of a spring of peace. As far as "that day", I remember that even the conservative media eagerly reported on Chairman Kim Jong-un’s "friendly" image. However, the atmosphere in Washington DC was different. There is a human rights problem in North Korea, and the question was whether the South Korean government could join hands with the North Korean regime like that. Another official of the American Bishops' Conference said with a bitter smile. "How could this happen during Trump’s presidency?"
 
"The Panmunjom Declaration" led to the ‘Singapore Summit’ between the U.S. and North Korea, but the ‘Hanoi No Deal’ once again shattered expectations for a peaceful resolution of the conflict on the Korean Peninsula. As time passed, it became clearer that choosing "peace with North Korea" was by no means an easy task for the US government. To the public, North Korea is demonic, and continuing dialogue with such a regime is a burden on the American political leader. A change in US public opinion is essential for the US government's policy on the Korean Peninsula to change.
 
The US Bishops' Conference actively participated in the international conference of the Catholic Institute for Northeast Asian Peace, which began in 2017. The bishops and scholars of the International Commission for Justice and Peace contemplated the role of the church for peace on the Korean Peninsula and worked together in solidarity. In particular, in December 2018, Archbishop Timothy Brolio, who was then chairman of the International Justice and Peace Committee, made a 'solidarity visit to Korea. After the visit, Archbishop Brolio shared the document titled "The Korean Solidarity Visit and the Request of the Korean Catholic Bishops" in January 2019 and delivered it to the U.S. Department of State. It courageously supported the position of the Catholic Church in Korea, longing for a peaceful resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue in American society, where hard-line theory against North Korea prevails.
 
In October 2022, a special event will be held at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. At the forum jointly hosted by the National Reconciliation Committee of the Bishops of Korea, the International Justice and Peace Committee of the Bishops' Conference of the United States, and the Catholic Institute for Northeast Asia Peace, the churches of both Korea and the United States will re-examine their vocation for peace on the Korean Peninsula. It is hoped that the meeting of bishops, scholars, government officials, and activists will lead to the Church's earnest efforts for the peace of Christ. 

By Whose Sacrifice Do I live?

In the Light  of the World column of the Catholic Times, the priest writer gives us his thoughts on humanity's interaction with all of creation. We are all connected.

Love for life: There is an anecdote about a prickly cactus. Cacti that live in dry deserts contain a lot of water, which makes them good food for herbivores. That's why it is said that the cactus's thorns become a tool of defense. 

It is said that someone put all their devotion and love into raising  a cactus plant  at home.  After a year or so, something amazing happened. The cactus started dropping thorns. Was it because the cactus was moved by the sincerity of the person who raised it? Or was it just  evolution to recognize the danger-free environment and to throw away its thorns on its own? However, there are often similar stories. Are you saying that growing plants requires love and attention in addition to nutrients and water? Have you ever had a pet? The same is true. What about humans, let alone animals? 

Beloved, how sweet and warm are you? We love and encourage each other, so we laugh, we get stronger, and we live with that power, and this is how we live together. But there is something that must be included in that love. It is responsibility and sacrifice. 

We know that Jesus commanded us to take care of our neighbors as ourselves Emphasizes that it is not a vague and superficial sympathy for sacrifice, but a determination to practice goodness and the social virtues, prepared to lose oneself.

 The new relationships of interdependence between individuals and peoples, which are de facto forms of solidarity, have to be transformed into relationships tending towards genuine ethical-social solidarity. This is a moral requirement inherent within all human relationships. Solidarity is seen therefore under two complementary aspects: that of a social principle and that of a moral virtue.

Solidarity must be seen above all in its value as a moral virtue that determines the order of institutions. On the basis of this principle the 'structures of sin' that dominate relationships between individuals and peoples must be overcome. They must be purified and transformed into structures of solidarity through the creation or appropriate modification of laws, market regulations, and juridical systems.( Social Doctrine No. 193).

Even non-believers describe true compassion as "a heart that shares pain with patience and endures it together." We need our healthy consciousness and community atmosphere where that sacrifice and love can be built.

 We must exist for each other There is also something we must remember. That is, we all live on the responsibility and sacrifice of our neighbors and others. Who I am today is thanks to someone's dedication and sacrifice, and the mutual sacrifice that occurs within the family, community, and with people supports me and society. We must extend that perspective to everything from God's creations, from tiny insects to animals and plants and nature. 

 All living things were created by God, there is nothing without value, all exist for each other. A gift to each other, and needs to be  treated with respect. Those hearts that love, respect, and want to be together make our hearts, souls, and communities healthy. 

 "All life depends on other life. We live by the self sacrifice of others. Is there anything I enjoy that is not supported by life of the other?  Whose self sacrifice did you enjoy today?" (from Martin Schleske’s Song of the Spruce) 

Not Knowing what is Right or Wrong

The Catholic Peace Weekly in the Diagnosis of the Times column by a bioethicist considers the heated debate in Korea for and against a bill to allow doctor-assisted suicide of terminally ill patients.

This bill is proposed by a member of the Democratic Party of Korea. The abbreviation is referred to as the "Assistance and Dignity Justice Act". In other words, the act of committing suicide with the help of a doctor is dignified and should be legally tolerated. It is because the very fact that lawmakers use the expression of dignity for an act that kills clearly shows how widespread the trend of contempt for life is in our country.  

Seeing the pros and cons of this bill through the mass media, she is amazed at the level of bioethics education of journalists writing articles. Except for a few reporters, the suspension of life-sustaining treatment was understood as a matter of dignity.
 
This situation is also found in opinion polls. According to a poll released by Korea Research on July 13th, 82% of the respondents were in favor of 'helping with death with dignity. And this is widely reported through various media. In short, according to the columnist, the act of committing suicide with the assistance of a doctor is neither an act of dignity nor a death with dignity. It's just suicide.
 
Our society has been developing a diseased culture that regards the right to self-determination as the highest value of human dignity. Humans can make decisions on their own, without any interference or coercion. This is an obvious fact. And with that free decision comes moral responsibility. Because my freedom needs a space (world) to realize it.
 
So while I realize my freedom, and my self-determination, I have a positive or negative influence on the space in which I will realize the freedom of others. In other words, I am not interfering with or changing other people's freedom, but changing the space in which that person's freedom is realized. This is because if we allow each person's negligence and destructive freedom, it will have a fatally adverse effect on the world and its structure, and ultimately pollute the space in which our freedom will be realized, that is, the world.
 
So, isn't the law there to make the world a better place by maintaining social order and realizing the right to freedom? But what happens to that society if the law rather incites destructive behavior against human freedom? It is also undisputed that human beings are influenced in many ways, consciously and unconsciously, in their self-determination, left to the mediation of public opinion and propaganda. This is something to keep in mind. 

From the moment that the right to self-determination is pretended to be the highest value of human dignity and pseudo-assisted suicide is called "death with assisted dignity," it is already under the influence of false information and incorrect terminology. Therefore, physician-assisted suicide should never be called "assisted death with dignity" nor should it be allowed.
 
 "It is at the heart of the moral conscience that the eclipse of the sense of God and of man, with all its various and deadly consequences for life, is taking place. It is a question, above all, of the individual conscience, as it stands before God in its singleness and uniqueness. But it is also a question, in a certain sense, of the "moral conscience" of society: in a way it too is responsible, not only because it tolerates or fosters behavior contrary to life, but also because it encourages the 'culture of death, creating and consolidating actual 'structures of sin' which go against life. The moral conscience, both individual and social, is today subjected, also as a result of the penetrating influence of the media, to an extremely serious and mortal danger: that of confusion between good and evil, precisely about the fundamental right to life."
 (The Gospel of Life, no. 24)

'World Migrants and Refugees Day'

The number of migrants residing in Korea is over 2 million, roughly the same as the population of one of our provinces. A multicultural society is soon approaching, where migrants make up more than 5% of the total population, but Korean society still lacks many policies or attitudes welcoming migrants or treating them as equal fellow citizens. So begins the Eyes of the Believer column in the Catholic Times by the director of a Theological Research Institute.                                                                             Foreign workers usually work in low-wage, poor workplaces where Koreans are reluctant to go. Discrimination or human rights violations are not uncommon, and they often suffer from industrial accidents and delayed payment of wages. In particular, undocumented migrants and refugees who are not legally protected are often threatened even at the minimum level of human dignity.

We treat migrants like second-class citizens because they are from underdeveloped countries, or we see them as 'aggressors' who covet our work or 'destroyers' who threaten the social safety net we have built. For example, not long ago, the government announced that it would strengthen the qualifications for health insurance for foreigners. In fact, the financial balance of foreign health insurance has been in surplus for 4 years and helping us.
 
Catholic churches around the world celebrate the last Sunday of September as 'World Migrants and Refugees Day'. This year was the 108th Pope’s message titled Building a Future Together with Migrants and Refugees. The message conveys the vision of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 60:10-11), who regards the Gentiles not as invaders or destroyers, but as workers willing to build the walls of the New Jerusalem, leaving the gates wide open for Gentiles with gifts to enter. Immigrants and refugees have historically been the foundation of our society's social and economic growth, reminding us that they provide us with opportunities for cultural and spiritual growth and realizing the beauty of the diversity of the world.
 
In Western societies, where aging has been a serious problem, there are many cases in which migrants have been actively accepted and industrial and cultural development has been revived. In Korea, too, as migrants settle in areas that were concerned about population extinction, the area is revived, and news is coming out that it is possible to maintain branch schools or small schools that would have been closed due to a decrease in the number of students.
 
She also remembers a story about a Catholic believer who became acquainted with immigrants who are devout Muslims and began to reflect on his own religious life by seeing their deep faith and daily practices. Our society and culture will be more diverse if we view migrants and refugees not only as neighbors in need but also respect their religion and culture and learn from each other as brothers and sisters.

According to the results of the '2021 National Multicultural Receptivity Survey' published this year, the younger the age, the higher the multicultural acceptance. The number of young people who say they are having relationships with migrants as friends or school students has increased. One thing that stands out from the youth survey is that 87.7% of the respondents agreed with the question, "As global citizens, we all have a responsibility to solve common global problems such as war and environmental pollution."  

We hope for the future of Korean society that our youth, who are open to multiculturalism and highly responsible as global citizens, will lead along with their immigrant friends. "Lord, help us realize how beautiful it is to live together as brothers and sisters—amen."
 

Dreaming of Reconciliation on the Peninsula

  The Reconciliation Column in the Catholic times by the priest secretary of the Reconciliation Committee of the Bishops gives the readers some thoughts on the present situation in Korea.

In 1919, Shim Hoon (1901-1936), a sophomore in High School at the time, was arrested for participating in a demonstration for national independence on March 1st. The novel ‘The Evergreen Tree’ published by Shim Hoon in 1935 is remembered as a representative work of Korean peasant literature in the 1930s. The following are the questions and answers recorded in Shim Hoon's preliminary interrogation report of the District Court in June 1919.
 
Q: What is the independence movement? A: We are now annexed by Japan, but we are fighting to regain the rights we have lost to Japan and become an independent country again.
 
Q: Why does the defendant want independence? A: This is because a nation should have independent politics without being sanctioned by other people. Unauthorized politics in Korea by Japan is to hold a sword even to civil servants and be hostile to Koreans. In addition, education and other unequal domination are ultimately making Koreans slaves to Japan, so we hope for independence.
 
 Q: Did you think independence would be achieved if you declared independence and sang (만세)hurrah? A: Of course, just calling for hurray does not mean independence. However, if you inspire the idea of ​​independence in this way, you will become independent someday, so you are doing the independence movement.
 
 Q: Will you continue the independence movement in the future? A: If there is an opportunity, I will do it again.
 
 More than 100 years ago, there were countless people who rejected violence and peacefully shouted hurrah for our nation's independence. The Japanese Empire was too strong for those who believed in ‘power’ to rule the world, and ‘long live independence’ was unrealistic. But those who could not give up on justice and peace cried out for hope in spite of the ridicule of the world.
 
Pope Francis recently said in an interview with South Korean media that he would go to North Korea as soon as he receives an invitation from North Korea. The Pope has already expressed his will to visit North Korea several times, but this time he expressed his will to the North Korean authorities more directly, saying, "I am asking you to invite me." The Pope and the Holy See's efforts to visit North Korea may seem unrealistic in view of the international situation heading for confrontation and the frozen inter-Korean relations. But Christians who believe in the Kingdom of God are not deprived of hope under any circumstances. Let the Korean church wishing for reconciliation and unity of the nation pray more earnestly for peace on the Korean Peninsula together with the Pope.

What the Good Samaritan Could Not Do

 

In  the Uncomfortable Story Column of the  Catholic Peace Weekly the writer gives his understanding of what the Good Samaritan was not able to do in Luke's account of the parable. Few are those not familiar with the Good Samaritan, believers or not. Jesus gave this parable in response to the doctor of the law in an example of what it means to love your neighbors as yourself, many  similar stories in other traditions besides the Christian Bible.

Mencius mentions the child who falls into a well, once known, all will quickly run to save the child. This is the human natural compassion expressed with the Chinese character (仁) benevolent, kind hearted. You have the character for a person  and the number two.Everything begins from here—source and the bases of conduct. Peter Singer is a utilitarian, a well known present day philosopher. In utilitarianism, an action is judged not by its intrinsic nature, but by its consequences.He gives a very natural utilitarian morality to rid the world of poverty and the dilemma present.

The writer wonders whether his acts of charity are from the selfish motive of self-satisfaction. Maybe his personal acts are like pouring water into a bottomless earthenware pot. And wonders if his philanthropy and giving may serve to sustain this unequal world rather than change it. Philanthropists Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, who say they donate huge sums to help  "capitalism from collapsing," may be more honest. 

This was the dilemma that he has not been able to solve since he was in his 20s. Should we do the philanthropy that will perpetuate what is wrong with the  world, or should we focus our energy on more fundamental reforms? It is funny that people who are neither social activists nor politicians have such concerns, but it is a topic that a good Samaritan with a literal sense of pity would have thought about it at least once. The answer is easy. You don't have to choose one of the two. A child who has fallen into a well must be rescued immediately, while at the same time to remove the well from the children's play area. 

However, the reality is not that simple. Even people who usually feel sympathy and compassion for people with disabilities criticize them once they take part in subway protests. Could our compassion and charity work only as long as it doesn't harm me? The poor and needy are the object of compassion and care, but the moment they ask us to act responsibly and claim their rights, they become legal objects.

I don't believe there was any lack of compassion in the president's heart as he looked into the homes of the semi-subterranean flood victims. But the moment they stand up like disabled people, they will be subject to legal punishment. In this way, our compassion can always turn into anger, and a merciful ruler can always turn into a public security officer. Such is the nature of caring and charity. 

The main function of the medieval church was to provide relief to the poor and the disabled through a charitable system. The image of the  compassionate Blessed Virgin was transferred to the church as a nourishing mother church called 'Alma Mater', and the thinking that the rich and the church obtain salvation by helping the poor, and the poor continue to survive when this is established. This changed to the logic of rehabilitating beggars and criminals and turning them back into laborers with  educational centers and mental hospitals in the early days of capitalism. As Michel Foucault said, 'monitoring and punishing' only changed its face to 'management and care'. 

He wonders if our church is still in the Middle Ages. We try to fulfill the social responsibility of the church through numerous care facilities and charities. However, welfare, no matter how wide spread it may be, it's not the same as solving inequality. This can be directly applied to the climate problem. Aren't we the ones who sort out recyclables to separate and dispose of every day, leaving the companies that mass-produce products that will become garbage and the capital that uses huge fossil fuels as they are? 

It is not enough to be a good Samaritan.You have to catch the robber.

Organic Farmers—Lovers of the Earth

The Catholic Web Site Now/Here had a report on the 43rd Catholic Eco Forum held on the 13th at the Catholic Center in Seoul under the theme is food life or an industry? In this forum, farmers directly participated as presenters, it was emphasized that organic agriculture is a major response to the climate crisis and that for life-saving agriculture to be sustainable, not only farmers but also consumers should recognize the value and work together.

One presenter talked about the importance of organic farming and said that if sustainable agriculture and rural areas are to remain, consumers must choose fair and honest producers so that organic farming can continue.

According to one scientific journal, 64 percent of the world's arable land is contaminated with pesticides,. Eco-friendly agriculture is good for consumers, but not using pesticides or herbicides is best for farmers above all else. Although DDT and defoliant have been discontinued, the proportion of organic farming that does not use synthetic chemicals such as chemical fertilizers, organic synthetic pesticides, growth regulators, herbicides, and livestock feed additives in Korea is only 2.3 percent. On the other hand, the use of pesticides is higher than that of other developed countries.

Organic farming can increase the carbon stock in the soil, which can help combat climate change. He mentioned that the EU (European Union) has decided to convert 25 percent of all farmland to organic farming by 2030 and that the US and Japan are also increasing organic farming. He emphasized that the keywords for carbon neutrality are “honesty and fairness,” and that it is for sustainable agriculture and rural areas to reject the corporate-oriented food industry and allow fair and honest producers to continue to work.

The Catholic Eco-Forum emphasized the importance of paddy wetlands and organic agriculture that can act as carbon storage. Ecological agriculture is also forced to give up due to consumer dissatisfaction looking for insect-free, good-looking, and cheap agricultural products.
 

"If small farmers give up farming and leave, eventually large farmers will absorb the farmland and use chemical fertilizers and herbicides again to destroy the life of the rice paddies." He continued, saying that rice is the start of life in agriculture and protects the ecosystem. However, he emphasized that eco-friendly agriculture cannot be maintained if the government and the media remain indifferent and consumers do not recognize the value of organic products.
 
Regarding the question of whether food is life or industry, he said: "Food is a life industry." Another presenter a member of the Catholic Farmers' Association explained the church's teachings on agriculture and food. "The church's teaching is that life cannot be compromised, it is not subject to bargaining, and a Christian must preserve life."
However, despite the firm teachings of the universal church, it is not well transmitted and practiced in the local churches.