Bishop Dupont marks 70 years of priesthood in Andong
Now 93, the French missionary arrived in Korea after the country’s civil war. In 1969 he became the first bishop of a small diocese in a rural region that had welcomed people displaced by the conflict. Speaking to the Catholic Times, he said he was proud of what Koreans have achieved. With respect to today's concerns, he says: “accept what the Lord gives us.”
Andong (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Catholic Church of South Korea recently celebrated Bishop René Marie Albert Dupont’s 70 years of priesthood dedicated entirely to serving the Catholic Church in Korea.
The 93-year-old prelate, a missionary with the Missions Etrangères of Paris, served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Andong from 1969 to 1990.
A native of Orléans (north-central France), he was ordained a priest in his native country on 29 June 1953, arriving in Korea as a missionary in 1954, a year after the end of the Korean War.
As a result of the conflict, Andong became a centre for thousands of people displaced by the fighting. And Fr Dupont was at their side, helping the local community develop. Even after his retirement, he continued to live in the diocese, welcoming with a smile all the people who come to visit him, South Korea’s Catholic Times reports.
Since 1954, he has seen the country change profoundly. “At that time, it was a very underdeveloped country,” he says. “Today I tell everyone that I feel proud; our people have gone from having nothing to improving step by step.”
He has some regrets. The population is dropping due to the collapse of marriages, and rural areas such as the Diocese of Andong are emptied by migration; nevertheless, he is proud that he never gave up on his faith.
“When poverty was widespread and the diocese distributed relief supplies, there were those who said: When this ends, no one will come to us. I didn't think so. When supplies ran out, no one abandoned their faith."
In this same spirit, he urges the faithful to look at today's challenges.
"The diocese of Andong has fewer members today than when it was founded,” he notes. “We don't have young people. Many parishes do not even have Sunday catechism. But I say: Do not be pessimistic, do not envy other dioceses, accept what the Lord gives us. We just have to help each other and serve the Lord in any way we can."
In his writings he speaks a lot about joy, which for him is "sharing goodness with others".
To those who ask him for an assessment of his 70 years of priestly life he replies: “I tried to listen to the Lord in silence rather than telling my story. I pray for an hour a day in silence before the Lord. I ask Him to let me know how to accept what He wants me to do. I have always lived like this in my life as a priest. There's nothing else to do.”
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