ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Keeping the flame of peace alive: Peace pilgrimage for young Catholics and Mass for refugees from North Korea

Thursday, 12 September 2024 peace reconciliation human rights faith pilgrimages youth

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF

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Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - The desire for reconciliation and peace on the Korean peninsula must be promoted daily on a human, political, social and spiritual level: with this conviction, the Committee for National Reconciliation of the Archdiocese of Seoul organizes initiatives aimed at keeping the "flame of peace" alive between South and North Korea, especially at a time when bilateral relations are tense and difficult.
In recent days, the Catholic Church of Seoul organized an international peace pilgrimage for young people in the demilitarized zone, the strip that separates North and South Korea. The pilgrimage, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Unification, entitled "Winds of Peace", which has been held every year since 2012, was attended by about 300 young people, most of them Koreans, but also representatives from Spain, Slovakia, Malaysia and other countries.
Led by priests and religious, the young people experienced the walk with the intention of becoming "apostles of peace." The pilgrims first visited the Odusan Unification Observatory and looked north over the Imjin River, according to a press release from the Archdiocese of Seoul. The clear weather also offered a spectacular view of the Han River in the south and the Imjin River in the north, which flow together and then flow into the West Sea. The young people also looked out over Hwanghae Province in North Korea, which made them aware of the reality of division. The young people then rode the "Unification Train," the KTX, which has exhibitions and multimedia experiences that allow a kind of "time travel" between the past and the future. They then deepened their understanding of peace and reconciliation between the two parts of Korea by listening to the testimony of a refugee who fled North Korea about ten years ago. During the pilgrimage, which was full of spiritual moments, the young people prayed for peace on the Korean peninsula by reciting the prayer "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace" of St. Francis.
This pilgrimage has given me the opportunity to reflect on what peace is," said Raffaella Kim I-soo, a 21-year-old Korean. Brother Daniel, who led the Taizé prayer meeting during the pilgrimage, said: "For reconciliation and peace, we can do something today, now. And in prayer, the young people can perceive this." Another initiative to pray for peace was the thanksgiving service celebrated on Saturday, September 7, in the church of the border town of Uijeongbu, attended by North Korean refugees living in the South. The meeting was organized in collaboration with three diocesan committees for reconciliation from the dioceses of Seoul, Suwon and Uijeongbu, who invited North Korean refugees and their families living in South Korea. “The pain of division is deeply felt by North Koreans who are separated from their families who still live in the North,” said Father Ignatius Sooyong Jung, vice chairman of the Seoul Reconciliation Committee, who presided over the Eucharist. The priest recalled a phrase often used in reference to brothers and sisters in faith who have lived or still live across the border: “As long as you remember them, they will live. And your wishes will come true as long as you pray for them.” “In today’s Mass, let us remember and pray together for our beloved family members who have died, for our relatives and neighbors who live far away from here, and for the hometown of each of you: let us ask God for the grace to be able to visit them again one day,” said Father Jung. Anna Han, a refugee from North Korea who currently lives in Seoul, said: “I met friends from my hometown who live in Gyeonggi Province, and we had a long-awaited reunion. I fondly remember my family in the North and prayed for my relatives during the Mass. I hope to return to my hometown one day.” “Every year at New Year and Thanksgiving, I take my children to places where I can see North Korea up close and tell them stories about my relatives in the North. The pain of division is very present in the hearts of North Koreans,” said Francesca Romana Mikyung Kim, a Catholic and leader of the Seoul-based group North Korean Defectors Team, one of the organizers of the meeting. The group plans more cultural, social and spiritual initiatives for the coming year. According to Father Jung of the Seoul Reconciliation Committee, there are currently about 34,000 North Korean refugees living in the South, more than 90 percent of whom have been permanently integrated into South Korean society for more than five years. "While in the past the support of the Catholic Church was mainly for the initial integration phase, now the spiritual and pastoral accompaniment of these people is needed. This Mass, which involved three dioceses, was an opportunity for believers and non-believers to come together and pray," added Fr. Jung.
The Archdiocese of Seoul established the Committee for Reconciliation in Korea in 1995, reaffirming the responsibility and role of the Catholic Church for reconciliation and unity on the Korean peninsula. The Committee is engaged in various pastoral, educational and spiritual activities dedicated to peace and reconciliation on the peninsula. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 12/9/2024)