Seoul, Chondogyo members join anti-Park protests: She has created chaos in the country
Seoul ( AsiaNews) - Religions are increasingly united in their stand against abuses committed by the South Korean National Intelligence Service (Nis) and the attitude of President Park Geun - hye, who instead of opening an investigation into the allegations made by the democrat opposition has launched a smear campaign against any opponent. Particularly at the expense of a Catholic priest, Fr . Park, who finds himself in the middle of a violent political campaign after having made some very controversial statements during a sermon.
After Catholics
, Protestants
and Buddhists,
even Chondogysts took to the streets in Seoul yesterday to
announce the publication of a manifesto against the Blue House - the residence
of the South Korean president - and ask for " justice and truth." Religious
leaders have asked Park to manage " in a responsible way " NIS interference
during the presidential elections in December 2012, which Park won by a narrow
margin against the democrat Moon Jae -in .
The
group also rejected the executive's labeling "a traitor" all those who
ask for truth and justice : according to one of the placards displayed during
the event (see photo) "religions do not create division and confusion; Park
and the political
interference in the institutions have plunged the country into chaos and
reduced public confidence in the State . "
Chondogyo (literally means " teaching the way of Heaven " ) is
a monotheistic and syncretistic religion born between the nineteenth and
twentieth century in Korea. It
is a faith related to the nationalist and spiritual Donghak movement, whose
primary goal was to revitalize the traditional Korean culture in the face of
increasingly vexing imposition of Western mores and customs . From
the doctrinal point of view, Chondogyo is a syncretism of Buddhism , Taoism, Confucianism ,
shamanism and ancestral Korean Christianity. From Christianity in particular the
Chondogyo have drawn their organizational approach to society. At
the moment this faith is practiced by about three million people.
On
22 November, a priest of the Diocese of Jeonju was targeted for having given a homily
that was highly critical of the executive and attacking the militaristic policy
of the government, which "forces" the DPRK to respond with military acts . The South
Korean government lashed out at Fr. Park
Chang -shin , accused of being an "enemy of the fatherland" and
placed him under investigation for "various criminal charges". The archbishop of Seoul , Msgr. Andrew
Yeom Soo- jung , said that Catholics " have a duty to address political
issues " but urged priests and consecrated persons to act " prudently
, without direct involvement ."
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