Culture of Life

Until now, Korea's science and technology policy has been directed to economic growth. When a crisis arises various alternatives appear, over time all becomes vague for national resources are concentrated in areas where economic gains are greatest. Presently not only our society but the world is more concerned with coronavirus infections rather than economic growth. Infectious diseases threaten the life and health of all mankind and at the same time cause enormous damage to economic and social activities. With these words, a scholar in the field of morality begins her article in the Current Diagnosis column of the Catholic Peace Weekly.

Historically, the pandemic worsens the distribution of income and hurts mostly the weakest groups and classes both socially and economically. With the impact and urgency of the climate crisis, Corona 19 allows reevaluating our situation promoting a transition to a green economy. The global supply chain is being reorganized demanding a new international order. The world before and after Corona is radically changing.

On July 14, 2020, the government announced the Korean version of the New Deal as 'Korea's New 100 Year Design' and 'Korea's New Social Contract'. The major transition in the economy is from its pursuit to activation, from a carbon-dependent economy to a low-carbon economy, and from an unequal society to an inclusive society. 

The government's Korean version of the New Deal is driven by the spirit of voluntary participation shown by the Korean people in the wake of Corona 19. This spirit is not just for individuals. Awareness of the biological limits of humans, which are bound to be mutually influenced and dependent on each other, society showed the spirit of consideration for others.

The causes of the climate crisis are reviewed through the recent heavy rains sweeping Korea. In the 100 years after industrialization, economic growth has increased the global temperature by 1°C. Humans regarded nature as something to use for material abundance, and they were not interested in what would happen as a result. As the late Cardinal Soo-Hwan Kim pointed out: "The gap between those who have and those who do not have, continues to grow. Pursuing a better life materially is a problem that undermines human dignity and what follows is sexual assault against women, oppression of the poor and weak, and liberalization of abortion, etc. are appearing everywhere" (East Asian Laity Conference, 1992).

The attitude of humans toward nature also affects the relationships between humans. So the culture that kills nature is never separated from the culture that kills human life. Because everything is interconnected. Because everything is related to each other, conservation of nature and justification of abortion is incompatible. ("Laudato si" 120).  

"Openness to life is at the center of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man's true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away ("Love in Truth" 28). The government, the National Assembly, and the judiciary should look at the crisis facing humanity more fundamentally.

Through Corona 19, we learn that human freedom has limits, and the realization of freedom must aim for the survival of all. It is difficult to overcome either the Corona 19 crisis or the climate crisis without a culture that saves lives. The realization of "freedom for all" shown by the Korean people should not be limited to the crisis of Corona 19. As Pope Francis emphasizes, unless human beings are renewed, they cannot establish new relationships with nature.

Thinking of the Present Moment

A university professor who took a semester of study in the United States writes about her experience before returning to Korea in an article in the Kyeongyang magazine. This is her last article from the States. She thought she knew all about life in the States; what she experienced changed her understanding. One of the most advanced countries in the world facing the coronavirus, the United States showed her weakness and frailty. Recently the race question festering for a long time blew up, a land mine waiting for an explosion.

 Since she is in a foreign country, a member of a minority in this time of unrest her everyday feelings have changed greatly. Before the pandemic on a walk, meeting someone she would exchange some words but that all changed, now it's avoiding others. Women, children, the weak, minorities, foreigners their feelings, once oblivious to her are no longer so.

Physical contact with others has been strongly restricted and brought great difficulty to daily life. Isolation has caused a millionaire to take his own life. Physical encounters are part of intimate contact in life, restricted has given rise to irritation and depression. However, this difficult time has allowed her to spend time reading, and time for reflection; difficult, she has been busy.

If this pause in her life didn't exist what would she be doing? She had a busy schedule, each month she would be flying to different academic meetings and enjoying the intellectual stimulation: Boston, Washington, NewOrleans, New York, the island of Cyprus... The promise of expected encounters and their joy would be experienced but absent was the time to reflect. She introduces the readers to a poem by the American poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892).

She takes a paragraph from the third section of his Song of Myself in which the poet with care and a big heart looks upon life positively giving strength to those who have lost their courage. The poet centers on the present moment, the important hour. 

"There was never any more inception than there is now,

Nor any more youth or age than there is now,

And will never be any more perfection than there is now,

Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now."

These words come to us as unreal. Living in the 19th century Whitman was not unfamiliar with the problems of his age which were more prevalent than our age. But he can say there is no more perfect time than the present. He doesn't say than now but 'than' there is now.  He is emphasizing the present moment for that is what we have. Those who are sad or happy have the same present. Facing the troubles and unhappiness we can expect unbiased hope and happiness. This is the impartiality we all have in life.

Irreparable mistakes and failures, the wounds of the past, even with the many problems we have now: misery, anxiety, pain, sorrow the ever-present now allows us to start anew. It is a promise of a lifetime that no one can deny. Since there is now, we must live in the now. That is the stipulation for the solid hope given to us.

It is difficult to predict the future of a post coronavirus time but we can make plans for the future. Starting again with the time given to each of us. We put an end to competition and battles with speed and all types of vanity and face the daily lives we are called to live that will give us new life because of the ever-present now.

From this little planet, I need to get rid of the ego that thought only I was important and the ignorance that only I would be eternal. We need to make a new decision for the day we will all be living together and working with our hands and feet in unison with others in the present now.

Manners When Eating

All suffering lives are lamentable without exception. So begins the Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly. The journalist writer recalls watching a video accusing an owner of beating and slaughtering a retired racehorse by a worker in Jeju. The writer couldn't put his favorite meat in his mouth for a few days. A feral cat searching for food, seeing all the pedestrians walking in the misty rain, was hiding under his car, a pathetic sight. He feels compassion even for a small cockroach struggling to live.

He doesn't know when these thoughts began entering his mind but possibly because of age. These days, he often frowns while surfing the TV channels. He is tired of seeing 'Mukbang' programs ( 'Mukbang' an eating show where the host binge-eats). YouTube space is no different. The smell of grilling and roasting and the sound of chewing is loud.

What he dislikes watching these 'Mukbang' shows is the attitude of the performers to the food. They cut off the live octopus's legs as if breaking a rubber band, putting them in their mouths, holding their belly button, and laughing. In one show the host puts a piece of a yellowfin tuna on his head and jumps around in front of the camera. They also play with chicken pieces as if they were toys. For them, the act of eating is nothing more than entertainment. It seems the  'Mukbang' shows appeal to the viewers. However, for the writer it's sad. The act of sacrificing another life and putting it in my body is not a joke.

I am not trying to diminish the behavior and pleasure of eating and drinking. All life must eat other life. Whether vegetarian or meat-eating, we die if we don't eat other life. Humans have been hunting since time immemorial, and now working fiercely in the forest of buildings to get food. The act of eating is a fundamental condition of life. However, people forget etiquette and reverence when eating.

There is a myth of "Bison Falls" among the Indian Blackfoots of the American Plains. A bison, destined to be eaten by humans, a tribal virgin is asked to dance and sing a song in hopes of reincarnation. This became an annual tribal bison dance ritual every year. It is a myth that cannot arise without gratitude for the sacrifice that the bison makes to serve the human need for food.  They see the similarity between humans and animals. The bison dance may have originated from the guilt and dilemma of having to kill another life.

Almost all religions, including Christianity, offer prayers at the table. Catholics are grateful for all the graces given to them at meals. It is thanks to God for giving us "every seed-bearing plant and fruit tree with seed” (Genesis 1:29) as food. The gratitude here extends to the mercy of the earth,  air, sun, wind and rain, and the labor of the farmer.  Extending also to the living beings that are sacrificed and become food for us.

There is a Western saying that "what I eat becomes me". Jeju racehorses were dragged into slaughterhouses, hitting their heads and backs with sticks, and slaughtered in front of other horses. The horse meat must have been labeled as a special Jeju product and appeared in a market someplace. Meat covered with the blood of barbarism and cruelty cannot be good for the human body. The octopus leg that the entertainer ate was not something to eat but a toy.

Do not eat anything casually. The attitude toward a piece of meat on a plate can be an attitude toward oneself. That attitude shapes my personality and consciousness. I should put it in my mouth with gratitude and swallow it with reverence.

Glass Ceiling Index of the Korean Catholic Church

What is the glass ceiling index of the Korean Catholic Church?
※ The analogy of the 'glass ceiling' refers to an invisible barrier that prevents women from entering high-ranking positions in various fields of society.

A religious sister in the Catholic Times brings this topic to the attention of the readers. A few days ago, she heard through a media outlet that at the end of May, a laywoman was appointed deputy vice-president in the German-speaking district of Freiburg, Switzerland. Besides, she heard the news that a lay female theologian applied for the position of Archbishop, which is also vacant in the Diocese of Lyon, France. In May 2019, the 'Maria 2.0 Movement,' led by a women's organization in the Diocese of Muenster, came to mind. This movement is declaring a strike against the church by women believers who discontinued volunteer work for the church.

They did not do volunteer work in the church between May 11th and 18th, but held a liturgy in front of the cathedral, and promoted: "Women in the church, half of the children of God, are treated unjustly" and "women are called equally as men to proclaim the Gospel, they are powerful and influential in the church." The goal was to be able to contribute. The demands of those who lead these movements are women who want to announce their vocation."

Seeing the situation in Europe and the response of the women the writer, as a member of the church, a female religious, looked back on the reality of the Korean church. Korean society, for the last 7 years has the 'thickest glass ceiling of gender discrimination among OECD countries and this is present within the Catholic Church. How is this news received within the country but especially female believers?

Regarding the decision to recognize St. Mary Magdalene's role as the first witness of Christ's resurrection and as a "true and authentic evangelizer" Pope Francis raised the July 22 memorial to a Feast Day in the liturgical calendar. The result was to reflect on the dignity of women, new evangelization, and the greatness of God's mercy.

Woman martyrs, virgins, abbots, missionaries, and medieval prophetic mystics from the time of Magdalena and other female disciples of the Apostolic Era are missing parts of history. However, looking at the hidden history of those who have been unearthed through the efforts of feminist theologians since the 1960s we have a clearer picture of the church.

Also, the beginning of Korean Catholicism, on the peninsula the Catholic understanding of the 'Equality of All People,' was introduced by laypeople, that broke the class system, and formed an equal view of women, making women aware of their own identity and role. The women who showed leadership at the time were widows, virgins, and many female congregations, including Kang Wan-suk Columba. They fulfilled their vocation as witnesses of missionary activities and actively engaged in missionary and educational activities.

However, as the church system in Korea was established and institutionalized around the clergy, female leaders disappeared behind the scenes. The 'Equality of All People' was the ideological basis for the leadership of both men and women in the church, but in reality, the position of the leader was limited to the male clergy, so that most of the female believers and religious believers were positioned only in cooperative roles.

Fortunately, among the responsible clergy of European churches, these recent movements of women believers are seen positively. It will be effective in igniting a debate about the position of women in the church and rethinking the consensus of the church. 

These discourses arose in the 1990s as well in the Korean church, and despite the efforts of female theologians and activists to improve the system and to educate for change through synods in each parish, they struggle with two obstacles: 'Institutional and patriarchal clericalism' and limits of women's consciousness in the church. To overcome this structural contradiction and limitation that revolves like a Mobius strip, all members of the church must strive to form a whole church as the equal people of God.

In conclusion, she believes the  Korean church needs more than ever to take action to bring responsible leaders, men, and women together to hold open discussions for institutional improvement.  She asks herself where and how she can reflect and put into practice what she has 
outlined.

Working for Peace on the Korean Peninsula

 The Catholic Times gave a report on a Symposium on "The Memory of War and Call for Reconciliation" of the Bishops' Committee for Reconciliation of the Korean People. Instead of a dichotomous confrontation, an attitude of inclusion toward the common good is required.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, the Korean church prepared ways to create reconciliation and peace beyond the Cold War and hostility. The National Reconciliation Committee held the symposium on the day of Prayer for National Reconciliation and Unity' in the Uijeongbu Diocese. By the government's quarantine guidelines, the event was limited to 50 participants and was held while wearing a mask.

The ordinary of the diocese whose hometown is Pyongyang gave the keynote address in which he shared his memories of the war and recalled the terrible and sad situation at the time. He appealed, "Now let's break the'shackles." The bishop emphasized three things the church should do for peace on the Korean Peninsula. First of all, he prays to forget the divisions, and conflicts he has in his heart. 

He emphasized the importance of education as well as prayer for peace. The church should teach the values ​​of forgiveness, reconciliation, solidarity, and sharing necessary for peace on the Peninsula. He insisted that the church should be united for a peace treaty on the Korean Peninsula. The most important thing is that a peace agreement on the Korean peninsula is achieved with the declaration of an end to the war. The signing will be a turning point in the journey of peace  and new international relations formed.

At this symposium, the presenters centered on the memory surrounding the Korean War. One presenter pointed out the political use of memories of the war by the South and North Korean regimes. Each regime was actively involved in cultivating memories advantageous to their side and forming their citizens along with these suppositions.

He then revealed that both the South and the North have forced themselves to accept dichotomous thinking about the war for political gain and suppressed the memories that deviate from it. The professor explained that this dichotomous and confrontational way of thinking and the lack of communication and negotiation capabilities are characteristic of the culture of war. He pointed out that this culture of war has been internalized giving rise to anxiety, fear, tension, and conflict.

He added, for a long time, only those who supported the official memory of each side have gained legitimacy. Memories that do not correspond have been suppressed and controlled as dangerous memories.

Another presenter, from North Korea, pointed out that citizens who lived in the divided country were not free from dichotomous thinking. In Korean society, we are constantly asked: "Which side are you on?" 

The presenter also referred to the case of a North Korean family who had been discriminated against by being called 'red' and stressed that we need to change the memory of the war. Instead of using the memory of war as a basis for healing wounds and working to create peace, we nurture the pain and amplify the hostility and crisis, turning everyday life into a battlefield.

Subsequently, the presenters recollected that it is important to change the memory of war to peace on the Korean Peninsula. In particular, he noted that various and specific memories can contribute to enriching the past and developing imagination for the future. 

In conclusion, a priest quoted Pope Francis' counsel in "The Joy of the Gospel" and stressed the church's responsibility for peace. "We must go toward the common good on the premise of taking responsibility for the suffering that others have suffered. The church must not avoid conflict, must not be buried in conflict, and go toward unity for peace."

Also, he emphasized the need for all of us to embrace the preciousness of all living beings based on the common good. In the Pope's Encyclical "Laudato si" he refers to go beyond the common good, to universal solidarity. "We need to expand the content of dignity and embrace the enemy."

Intervew: Koreans are a people "for whom nothing is impossible"

Korean New Deal

A featured article in the Catholic Times on the Korean government's New Deal can be compared to what President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented between 1933 to 1939, prompted by the stock market crash and the Great Depression in the States. The article considers the limits and alternatives to the Korean Version of the New Deal from the Church's Perspective.
 
The policy considers three areas: Digital New Deal, Green New Deal, and Human New Deal: strengthening the employment and the social safety nets with a vast investment of money and the hope of creating millions of new jobs by 2025.

Korea has passed a period of national development centered on economic growth. In contemporary history, Korea achieved rapid economic growth, but behind the scenes, the socially underprivileged: women, youth, and non-regular workers have been discriminated against. It is no longer difficult to solve tasks such as qualitative leaps forward, creative development, and improvement of the quality of life for some. However, the overall potential growth rate is falling, people feel uneasy. Korea must overcome the problem of the low birth rate and raise the happiness level of the citizens.
      
Korea's version of the New Deal is promoted with the intent of opening a way for all the people to join hands and overcome these difficulties. From the perspective of the Catholic Church, this Korean version of the New Deal policy is positively evaluated in that it strengthens the social safety net for the socially underprivileged while pursuing harmony, coexistence, cooperation, and solidarity. However, the lack of awareness of the climate crisis and the great many labor problems is worrisome.

The Digital New Deal is a plan to transform digitally the foundations of the nation and industry. The Green New Deal plans to build infrastructure for new and renewable energy: wind and solar, and expand support for the supply of electric and hydrogen vehicles. The Human New Deal is a plan to raise investment and education in people to the highest level and to have a solid social safety net throughout life, and the more vulnerable groups to receive government subsidies.

In the Green New Deal, however, there is no specific goal related to the reduction of greenhouse gases, which is the core of the Green New Deal and there is no way to find a way to reduce the 'gray industry' centered on coal energy. It looks like it has stopped listing existing eco-friendly businesses.
 
Efforts to grow only the economy of human society while exploiting the global economy have ultimately resulted in destroying the global ecosystem. If we continue to do this, humanity and the creatures on the planet will suffer even more. "We must remember the warnings from scholars that in the worst case, we will be on the path to extinction."

On July 20th, labor-related civil society organizations held a press conference and raised their voices of criticism about the Korean version of the New Deal as "a labor-free work policy." It is pointed out that there were few countermeasures for the numerous problems in the domestic labor market, such as the dual structure of the labor market and the problem of non-regular workers, social conflicts resulting from this, the recent rapid increase of temporary jobs and the reality that nearly 1,000 people die from industrial accidents per year. 

Another criticism mentioned: "The Korean version of the New Deal does not contain measures for overall social structural reform such as easing inequality." The mid- to long-term policies necessary for decent jobs were not presented. To improve the quality of jobs, it is necessary to strengthen the bargaining power of trade unions as well as corporate responsibilities. This should be supported by the government's responsible labor supervision and policy implementation.

It is also pointed out that the Korean version of the New Deal is lacking in explaining how to solve the fiscal burden and how it will relate to the existing government policy of 'increasing income' and 'innovative growth'.

However, the Korean version of the New Deal is just beginning. The government and the public must constantly communicate and supplement policies on how to respond to the desperate situation of the times.

We must continue to sympathize with the policy direction and contents so that the government can come up with the right path and all work to achieve it.

New Vision For Parish Ministry

The Vatican's Congregation for Clergy on July 20, issued an instruction on pastoral care in the church's mission of evangelization and offers guidance in parish reforms and restructuring. A pastor in the Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic times gives the readers  his understanding of the document.

The key point is rediscovering the missionary calling of all believers, and at the same time to renovate the parish structure, and seeing that the parish is not limited to the boundaries. He thinks this decree in the current situation with the corona pandemic is significant in that it provides a direction for the parish community to go forward.
 
Cardinal Stella, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, emphasized: "The parish should not only think about self-preservation but must know how to look beyond the boundaries to proclaim the Gospel." 

The writer wonders whether parishes are not focused more on self-preservation than on evangelization. Cardinal Stella continues: "Maybe, until now, the parish has felt like a castle or palace to secure and protect… You have to remove the key, open the door, ventilate the interior air, and go outside." That's what the Pope has said many times, 'outward dynamism'. 
The world we live in is changing too fast. 

The renowned sociologist Zygmunt Bauman said:  all fields have become globalized and digitized, a society once based on a solid foundation becomes a liquid modern society, and everything becomes fluid. As mobility increases due to the development of communication and transportation, the existing small community meetings are weakened due to frequent movements based on work, travel, hobbies, etc., rather than forming community and staying in one place for a long time.  With the rapid increase of migrants around the world due to refugees, workers, and international marriages, we have new pastoring among these groups.

While feeling dizzy in the fast-changing world, he thinks the church is being tested to change to a more expansive vision of the parish mission in this coronavirus era. In particular, the new order announced by the Vatican document is very timely in that it provides an active opportunity to transform the parish.

Pope Francis once said that the church is like a field hospital. Now we should not stay inside the parish, but go outside the boundaries and testify to God's love. In other words, the parish minister must be 'missionary'.  The dichotomy between pastoring and mission activity has to be overcome; stereotypes of pastor and missionary has to be overcome.

In the mission-oriented Missionary Society of St. Columban, they are conducting activities for national reconciliation and unity called 'pastoral peace activities'. Mission agencies are now carrying out activities that were considered pastoral very naturally... This should also be the same as pastors becoming missioners.  The concept of pastoralism needs to be expanded, and become compatible with mission.
 
In anxiety and fear, during the Corona19 era, each parish has a variety of difficulties. The Mass has been reopened in all parishes, but there are many places where group activities have not returned. What would happen to the parish community if only Mass was allowed and all suspension of parish activity lasted for months? Only a few pastors would remain, and the rest would be pastors only in name.  

Perhaps the Corona19 era is urging the future fate of the church, or in short, the parish. You have to decide whether pastoral ministry is just for those who remain in the parish community, or at this opportunity to go beyond the parish boundary and become a 'missionary community' that heals, shares and cares for the poor and suffering.