ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Bishops of Korea and Japan have been walking a common "synodal" path since 1996

Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - The experience of a "synodal path" that responds to the needs of the people has united the Catholic bishops of Korea and Japan for almost thirty years. The bilateral meetings of the bishops of both countries reached a new stage in 2024 with the 26th Korea-Japan Episcopal Meeting, which took place in Korea from 11 to 14 November. The days were marked by dialogue, prayer and the preparation of joint pastoral initiatives in an atmosphere of fraternity and communion.
"The Japanese and Korean bishops have been walking and working together on the principle of synodality since 1996. We will continue to support each other and promote greater exchanges, not only among us bishops, but also at all levels of the Church, especially among young people. We look forward to World Youth Day 2027 in Korea," said to Fides Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, Archbishop of Tokyo, who attended the meeting.
This year, therefore, World Youth Day, which will be held in Korea in 2027, was also on the program. "World Youth Day in Seoul will be a pilgrimage of hope that includes both Korea and Japan, a pilgrimage of hope for young people," affirmed Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi.
On November 13, the bishops of both countries celebrated a joint Mass at the Sanjeong-dong Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Gwangju, presided over by Archbishop Simon Ok Hyeon-jin, who said in his homily: "I hope that through the Korean-Japanese episcopal meeting, which realizes fraternal unity in God, we can promote sincere reconciliation between Korea and Japan and become neighbors in heart". The bishops visited the cemetery together to commemorate the victims of the wars of the last century.
On the history of the bilateral meetings, Cardinal Kikuchi explains: "The meeting was and is a voluntary activity of each bishop in Japan and Korea and not an official event of the bishops' conferences, especially because it was the initiative of a small group of bishops who wanted to meet and reread the history of the two countries with the eyes of faith." In the past centuries, the cardinal said, "Japan and Korea have a long history of relations, cultural exchange and trade, but there were also painful moments in recent history when Japan took control of Korea and left deep wounds in the people of Korea." To heal these wounds, "some bishops decided to form a group to study history together and publish a joint history text. That was the beginning of the meetings. At first it was not easy to talk about the past, but our bishops overcame the barrier and created a real fraternal atmosphere," recalls Cardinal Kikuchi. "At first there were only a few, but later almost all the bishops came willingly and deepened the friendship, so that every year a meeting was held alternately in Japan and Korea. Since I became bishop in 2004, I have felt that this meeting is now really almost an official event of the two bishops' conferences, given the large number of participants. And it is a symbolic meeting of cooperation, communion and synodality."
The pioneers of the joint initiative included Bishop (later Cardinal) Stephen Fumio Hamao, then vice-president of the Japanese Bishops' Conference, and Archbishop Paul Ri Moun-hi, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea. The two were convinced that the Churches of both countries, united by faith in Christ and not representing "national interests", can promote benevolent and peaceful relations by striving for mutual understanding and recognition of each other's suffering. In view of the aim of the first meeting, the text "Korean History for Young People: Toward a Joint Recognition of History" was published in 2004, which was published in Japanese in November of the same year. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 15/11/2024)

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