Empty cradles, the alarm and the commitment of the Korean Church
by Joseph Yun Li-sun
South Korea is one of the countries with the lowest birth rates in the world. A social and economic issue that must be addressed before it's too late. The Bishop of Daejeon tells AsiaNews how the Church responds to this challenge: "We teach a new culture of life in the shadow of the Lord. But we also materially help families in need. "
Daejeon (AsiaNews) - Korea needs "a new culture of life. The Catholic Church always points this out, but for us Koreans it is a major challenge on the ground. We must strive to change social attitudes by example, teaching but also concrete help”, says Mgr. Lazarus You Heung-sik, bishop of Daejeon and president of the Episcopal Commission for Pastoral care for migrants.
The bishop is very familiar with the matter: "The problem of birth and of respect for life are central to the survival of our society. But there are many factors that threaten them: there is a cultural factor, of course, which, however, is in addition to a economic and labour system that penalizes births. The growth in standards of living is accompanied by an increased automation of industrial production, and this eliminates jobs: people are afraid, and think less and less of having children. "
Msgr. You fears are supported by data: out of a total of 222 nations world-wide, South Korea is 217th in annual birth rates. It has slipped downward in rankings yet again, rankings that have always seen the Koreans in the lowest places, where the average is 1.2 children per household, a figure similar to that of Taiwan, Japan and Macao, all countries with a high degree of well-being, but threatened by an aging population and social disintegration.
Having children, Msgr. You continues, "is the basis of Catholic teaching. Conjugal love has to pass through conception to make the family complete. The love of the Lord, then, does the rest. If you forget this factor it is useless to talk about anything else. Korean Catholics know this, but we're trying to improve their sensitivity towards this".
This stimulus does not pass only through good teaching: "We realize that the cost of living is a limit to births, and for about 10 years in my diocese we have been trying to help families with many children also from the material point of view. Each year, the Feast of the Holy Family, we give an award to the 5 largest families of the diocese. "
The award is consistent: "A scholarship to the tune of 5 million won (about 3 thousand Euros) for each winner. Funds that we collect through a collection among all the faithful, and we hope to continue to collect ever more generously. Life is a gift which should be fostered at all costs, and is a great challenge that we intend to win. "
The bishop is very familiar with the matter: "The problem of birth and of respect for life are central to the survival of our society. But there are many factors that threaten them: there is a cultural factor, of course, which, however, is in addition to a economic and labour system that penalizes births. The growth in standards of living is accompanied by an increased automation of industrial production, and this eliminates jobs: people are afraid, and think less and less of having children. "
Msgr. You fears are supported by data: out of a total of 222 nations world-wide, South Korea is 217th in annual birth rates. It has slipped downward in rankings yet again, rankings that have always seen the Koreans in the lowest places, where the average is 1.2 children per household, a figure similar to that of Taiwan, Japan and Macao, all countries with a high degree of well-being, but threatened by an aging population and social disintegration.
Having children, Msgr. You continues, "is the basis of Catholic teaching. Conjugal love has to pass through conception to make the family complete. The love of the Lord, then, does the rest. If you forget this factor it is useless to talk about anything else. Korean Catholics know this, but we're trying to improve their sensitivity towards this".
This stimulus does not pass only through good teaching: "We realize that the cost of living is a limit to births, and for about 10 years in my diocese we have been trying to help families with many children also from the material point of view. Each year, the Feast of the Holy Family, we give an award to the 5 largest families of the diocese. "
The award is consistent: "A scholarship to the tune of 5 million won (about 3 thousand Euros) for each winner. Funds that we collect through a collection among all the faithful, and we hope to continue to collect ever more generously. Life is a gift which should be fostered at all costs, and is a great challenge that we intend to win. "
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