SEOUL (UCAN) - The Catholic Church in South Korea has apologized for its pro-imperialism attitude, negligence of traditional culture and its failures to work for the unity of the Korean people.
"As sisters and brothers united in the mystical Body of Christ, we want to confess and repent our wrongs of the past," South Korean bishops said in the seven-point document "Reformation and Reconciliation."
As part of the reparation program all parishes countrywide were asked to hold a penitential rite on Dec. 3, the start of Advent.
The document was posted on the website of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea on Dec. 1. The bishops confirmed the apology text during its special meeting Nov. 9-10.
The document cited Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter "Tertio Millennio Adveniente" (The Coming Third Millennium), which said that acknowledging the weaknesses of the past is an act of honesty and courage that helps Catholics to strengthen their faith.
"We confess straightforwardly that we, as disciples of Christ, have not carried out the mission" that the Church is called to impart to people the grace of salvation fulfilled by Christ, the bishops said.
During the period of persecution, the local Church, with little knowledge of the outside situation, had sometimes tried to obtain freedom of faith by relying on foreign military powers, they confessed.
They added that the Church had created cultural conflicts with local society and introduced Western culture, which opposed the Confucian rites of venerating ancestors, one of the main reasons for persecution of Catholics.
In addition, the Church pursued its interests by taking advantage of the unjust pressures of foreign powers, which caused sufferings among Koreans, the bishops said.
The bishops also expressed regret for restrictions imposed by the Church on Catholics who led the liberation movement against Japanese rule (1910-1945). They said they regretted such moves in the name of the separation of Church and State.
Concerning the division of the two Koreas, the bishops expressed regret for neglecting their duty to overcome division and the failure to strive toward reconciliation and unity of the Korean people.
With its anti-communist line, the Church had witnessed hundreds of "martyrs" during the Korean War (1950-53), in which several million people perished.
The Church also repents that it has not made sufficient effort to solve conflicts between regions, classes and generations in the nation and to promote human rights of the marginalized such as the handicapped and immigrant workers, the document said.
It said the Church has not made enough efforts to lead all human beings created by God, specially the youth, to live together in mutual love and understanding.
The Church has not followed the example of Jesus who "did not come to be served but to serve" (Mark 10:45), the bishops said.
Sometimes the clergy did not give moral or ethical examples to society and fell into authoritarianism or took excessive interest in the external growth of the Church, they added.
They said the local Church has not fully understood the spiritual and cultural values, and the social and moral virtues of other religions in South Korea, which is a multireligious society, the document said.
In conclusion, the bishops pledged, "We promise to do our best to build a better world of justice and peace."
The local Church has prepared the document since the pope asked God's pardon for "the sins of the sons and daughters of the Church" in March in light of the Jubilee of the Year 2000.
END
UCAN
4. desember 2000