Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - Christmas is for the Korean Catholic Church an opportunity to reflect and revive the spirit of the "new evangelization": This is what emerges from the pastoral Letters that the Korean Bishops spread in every diocese at the beginning of Advent, inviting the faithful to commit themselves to a new evangelization "burning life of faith."
As reported to Fides by the Episcopal Conference of Korea, the documents of the diocesan Bishops recall the 50th anniversary of the opening of the II Vatican Council (which falls in 2012) stressing the importance of the new evangelization, in accordance with the spirit of the Council.
In its pastoral letter entitled "New Evangelization in a new era, recalling the spirit of the II Vatican Council", Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jinsuk, Archbishop of Seoul, said that the II Vatican Council is "an essential compass to solve the problems of our contemporary society". The letter invites the faithful to "take the initiative of the new evangelization, based on the community spirit of the II Vatican Council".
In his pastoral letter entitled "Evangelization starting from the family", Mgr.Hyginus Kim Hee-joong, Archbishop of Gwangju, says: "In 2012, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary since its establishment, the Archdiocese of Gwangju intends to make a greater effort in the evangelization of the family as a strong base for the new evangelization". The Archbishop, therefore, announces that 2012 will be for the local community "The Year of the Family", hoping that Christian families may grow in faith, witness and proclamation of the Gospel.
Mgr. Thaddeus Cho Hwan-kil, Archbishop of Daegu (who in 2011 commemorates the centenary of the Apostolic Vicariate of Daegu) invites the faithful to pray constantly and to contribute concretely to the construction of the local Church, committing themselves to mission. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 01/12/2011)
