South Korea can be sure of Vatican support in reconciling differences with North Korea. “You are always welcome,” South Korea’s Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-jong was told when he asked if President Moon Jae-in could visit. Last month Moon, who is a practising Catholic, sent Archbishop Kim to the Vatican on his behalf. Kim is South Read more
A society where morality and human rights matter; where corruption is expunged; where there is a “president for the people”; and where there’s hope for a reunited country. These are among the expectations South Koreans have for their new president, Moon Jae-in. In a congratulatory message from the Korean Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong Read more
South Korea’s Catholic Church has announced it has agreed with North Korea to send priests to the isolated communist state “on a regular basis”. This should see priests leading services in Pyongyang on major holy days from next year. The move followed a visit to the North Korean capital by South Korean bishops last week. Read more
South Korea’s parliament has approved a bill that will require the nation’s clergy to pay taxes from 2018. South Korea has an estimated 360,000 priests and monks whose earnings will be re-classified as “religious income”, rather than the current label of “honorarium”. A sliding scale means those earning 40 million won (US$34,500) or less a Read more
(RNS) Pope Francis departs next week (Aug. 14) on a five-day trip to South Korea, his first to Asia and the start of an important new papal focus on the region. In January, Francis will return to visit Sri Lanka and the Philippines, and a trip to Japan — where the pope wanted to go Read more
They are all in their 80s now — these former POWs during the Korean War. One recalls in rapid-fire bursts how Father Emil Kapaun sneaked out of the barracks at night, risking his life to bring back morsels of food for his fellow prisoners. Another remembers seeing the young American priest use a rock and Read more
The Catholic Church is like Fiat-Chrysler. Slumping in Italy and Europe, it is coming back strong in the United States and has its most promising market in the rest of the world. With a clue about who the future pope will be. The nation that has the largest number of Catholics today is Brazil, with Read more
A South Korean Christian group is permitted to light up massive steel Christmas trees near the border with the North, despite North Korea warning South Korea of “unexpected consequences”. Following the warming of ties, South Korea halted its tradition of lighting up Christmas trees in 2003, but the South lit a tower last year as relations deteriorated Read more
Japan and South Korea churches are working together in an effort to alleviate suffering in the light of the Japanese earthquake. Japan’s closest neighbours have begun to set aside long-term animosities in an effort to help the region most affected by last week’s devastating earthquake. With a drive to help Japan spreading across South Korea, Read more