ASIA/NORTH KOREA - Catholic priests from South Korea participate at mass in Pyongyang

Seoul (Agenzia Fides) – A delegation of 12 South Korean priests visited North Korea and participated in a celebration of Mass in Pyongyang. Fides learned that the priests in question, members of the Association of Catholic Priests for Justice, (CPAJ), arrived in Pyongyang from Beijing for a five day visit. The celebration of Mass, the priests said, was offered for the reunification of the two Koreas. The priests were invited by the Association of Catholics of the North (government controlled): this is the first visit by a Catholic delegation since 2008.
According to the government of Seoul, which authorised the mission, this move could lead to visits by other groups of the civil society, “in the logic of promoting exchange of a religious type not political”, said an official of the Seoul government.
The Association of Catholic Priests for Justice, (CPAJ is a voluntary union started in 1974 by South Korean clergy, it has some 500 members, committed to requesting unity with the North. At the moment the Association is requesting the abolition of South Korea’s National Security Law, seen as a major obstacle to authentic rapprochement and reconciliation with fellow Koreans of the north. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/10/2015)

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