Korea and Lithuania, two former dictatorships "united in faith in Christ"
Daejeon (AsiaNews) - Although they may seem distant "the
Churches and the Catholic communities of South
Korea and Lithuania
are very similar: This is why it was very stimulating to help my European
brothers prepare for Easter. I am grateful
to God for this experience", says Msgr. Lazarus You Heung-sik, bishop of
Daejeon, who has just returned to his diocese after preaching the spiritual
exercises for Lent for the bishops of Lithuania: He speaks to AsiaNews about his experiences.
The
South Korean bishop arrived in Vilnius on Ash
Wednesday at the invitation of Msgr. Luigi
Bonazzi, Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania
and Estonia: "There
were even some bishops from Latvia
at the retreat, and this made me very happy. I am also grateful to Msgr.
Bonazzi, whom I met during my stay in Rome,
for giving me the opportunity
to experience this. "
Even if they seem far apart, with a few points of contact, from the standpoint
of faith Korea and Lithuania have
much in common: "Both churches are communities and young people, they both
survived a tough military-type regime and an ideology hostile to Christianity. Sure,
there Catholics are about 80% of the population while in South Korea we are
just over 20%, but this does not change much, because the total numbers - the
faithful and religious - are similar. Furthermore, it is their enthusiasm that struck".
The
European bishops of are emerging from Soviet rule, while South Korea
endured a brutal military dictatorship for several decades: "And this
makes dialogue and fruitful cooperation very easy. During the retreat we were
able to talk much ,
to compare our experiences and our expectations: this is the meaning of the
universal Church, the true sense of unity and brotherhood among Catholics.
"
In
addition to thinking together about Lent and the Paschal Mystery, the Korean
bishop gave his brother bishops some practical advice as well: "Like Korea,
Lithuania is also composed of different social strata: the difference between
countryside and city, for
example, is very important both from an economic standpoint and from that of development.
That's why I suggest they send priests to towns in rural areas and vice versa
for at least five years of pastoral work, like we do. In this way, they will get to know more
about their country. "
Although
it is an uncommon experience, this experiment was a great success: "In
faith and within the Church geographical origin is not important. And social,
political and economic diversities are just an incentive for mutual improvement. I'm really grateful
to God for this opportunity, which has enriched me in view of the holy Easter. "
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12/02/2016 15:14
18/02/2018 13:00
