Peace between the Koreas, Seoul archbishop: 'The light of prayer, against animosity'

On the day the Church calls for reconciliation on the anniversary of the start of the war, Archbishop Chung Soon-taick urged people to pray "not to change the other, but to imitate God's boundless mercy and patience, choosing the path of peace". Tonight there are still 350 balloons loaded with rubbish from the North, while tomorrow the joint military exercises of South Korea, the United States and Japan begin.

Seoul (AsiaNews) - "Even though the situation between the two Koreas may appear bleak we Christians cannot remain in despair. On the contrary, it is precisely in this age of growing animosity that our prayer can illuminate our time with a greater light".

This is the message the Archbishop of Seoul Peter Chung Soon-taick issued on the occasion of today's Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and Unity of the Korean people, coinciding with the 73rd anniversary of the beginning of the war that led to the painful wound of separation between Seoul and Pyongyang.

The anniversary falls this year at a time particularly marked by tension. Seoul woke up to news of the launch of 350 more balloons carrying waste from the North to South Korea overnight, in what was the fifth such launch since late last month. About 100 balloons, carrying mostly waste paper and rubbish, landed in the capital and the northern part of Gyeonggi province.

For his part, President Yoon Suk Yeol paid a visit to the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which called at the naval port in the southeastern city of Busan, ahead of joint exercises between South Korea, the US and Japan that will kick off tomorrow and are aimed at countering the growing threats from North Korea.

In this, Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul, who is also the apostolic administrator of Pyongyang, called in his homily for a renewed commitment to peace and reconciliation, emphasising that it is crucial not to pass on a legacy of hatred to future generations. "Jesus himself," he explained, "showed that peace cannot be achieved through an 'eye for an eye' approach. Peace can only be achieved through dialogue". He urged the faithful to pray not for the transformation of the other, but to be able to imitate God's boundless mercy and patience by choosing the path of peace.

Reflecting on the resilience of the Korean people, the archbishop added: "Our people clung to the hope of overcoming poverty, which led to our economic development, and the hope of overcoming dictatorship, which led to the achievement of democracy. Now, we must cherish the new hope that we can overcome the divisions. This hope will surely bring true peace to the Korean peninsula'. Archbishop Chung concluded by calling on all those living on the peninsula to 'choose the path of forgiveness and reconciliation over that of hatred and resentment'.

Since 1965, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea has observed 25 June as the Day of Prayer for the Church in Silence. In 1992, the name was changed to 'Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and Unity of the Korean People.

The Archdiocese of Seoul established the Korean People's Reconciliation Committee in 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation. The committee organises masses and prayer meetings for peace sharing every Tuesday at 7pm at Myeongdong Cathedral. To date, 1413 Masses have been held, demonstrating the Committee's continued dedication to cultivating peace and unity through prayer and reflection.