Card Yeom against abortion and the death penalty, for the "sacred dignity" of human beings

The archbishop took part in a Youth Meeting for Life with thousands of young people and religious leaders. People must “accept every life as it is from the moment of conception". Likewise, “The death penalty is a serious insult and a sin against this fundamental right to life.”

Seoul (AsiaNews) – South Korea’s Constitutional Court has to rule on the constitutionality of existing laws on abortion and the death penalty. Against this backdrop, Card Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, archbishop of Seoul, reiterated Catholic doctrine in the defence of life, asserting that “Every human being has a sacred and inalienable dignity, and life is inviolable from the moment of conception."

The meeting at which the prelate spoke was held last Sunday in the South Korean capital. Organised by the Committee for Family and Life of the South Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK) together with March for Life Korea, the event attracted thousands of young people and religious leaders

"What we should do is to accept every life as it is from the moment of conception under the responsibility of both father and mother at the same time,” said the archbishop.

“[G]iven that every life is under the common responsibility of our society, we should try to improve the overall social welfare system to support parents to give birth and raise their children”.

Two days before the meeting, the prelate officiated the solemn Spring Mass in the presence of Catholic lawmakers (pictured).

In his homily, he said that "embryos should be protected and respected as independent beings, not considered as property of mothers or fathers. Human dignity cannot be decided by the vote of a majority or judged on the basis of socio-economic standards.”

The prelate also addressed the issue of the death penalty. "Human life,” he stressed, “is the most important and fundamental gift; it is the source of all human rights," he added, quoting from Pope Francis. “The death penalty is a serious insult and a sin against this fundamental right to life.”

• south korea
• catholic doctrine
• abortion
• death penalty
• constitutional court
• card andrew yeom soo-jung