Catholics in South Korea’s Seoul Archdiocese joined the 1500th weekly Mass for reconciliation and unity in the Korean Peninsula, which has been celebrated since 1995. Source: UCA News.
“Regular Masses having been celebrated for nearly 31 years with unwavering dedication under one single orientation is a feat virtually unparalleled in the entire history of the Catholic Church in Korea,” Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul said on February 10.
“This demonstrates how crucial the tasks of peace on the Korean Peninsula and reconciliation and unity between North and South Korea are for our people,” the prelate said.
Archbishop Chung made the remarks during the homily at the Mass for reconciliation and unity at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Myeong-dong in Seoul.
The Korea Reconciliation Committee of the Archdiocese of Seoul has been arranging the Mass since it was founded in 1995.
The February 10 liturgy drew 400 participants, including Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari, former and inaugural chair of the Korea Reconciliation Committee Archbishop Choi Chang-mou, Costa Rican Ambassador to Korea Jorge Enrique Valerio Hernández, Unification Minister David Chung Dong-young, political leaders, government officials, priests, monks, and laypeople.
Over the past 30 years, there have been moments when peace on the Korean Peninsula seemed within reach, and periods when dialogue completely stopped, and tensions reached their peak, Archbishop Chung said, referring to topsy-turvy relations between South and North Korea.
He assessed that “the current reality is also a situation where it is unclear where and how to resume dialogue.” Nevertheless, he emphasised that “efforts to understand the other side and seek reconciliation are by no means a weak or unrealistic choice; rather, they are a more courageous decision.”
For effective dialogue, both parties need to give up “the stubbornness and we-are-better-than-you mentality within ourselves,” and added, “When we see each other as brothers and neighbours, entrenched relationships can truly be transformed.”
The first Reconciliation Mass was offered on March 7, 1995, by the late Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan (then Archbishop of Seoul and Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang). It continued uninterrupted except for a temporary pause during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Korean Catholics offer 1500th Mass for reconciliation, unity (UCA News)
