Seoul (AsiaNews) – The Eucharist, the evangelisation of the family and building small Christian communities are the main topics raised in the pastoral letters prepared by South Korea's Catholic bishops for 2005 and published last Sunday, first day of Advent.

In relation to the 'Year of the Eucharist' Pope John Paul II proclaimed in October of this year, the bishops said that the Eucharist remains at the centre pastoral projects, the heart and soul of Christian life.

Mgr Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, Archbishop of Seoul, said that "the renewal of the Church depends on each individual's capacity to renew him or herself through the teachings of the Gospels". Bishop Cheong asked "the faithful to actively take part in building beautiful families" adding that "ministering to families is the first step for realizing the evangelisation of the world."

In his pastoral letter titled 'Let Us Create Unity in the Word and the Eucharist', Mgr Paul Ri Moun-hi, Archbishop of Daegu, urged the faithful to focus their lives around the Eucharist. "With the Eucharist," he said, "we live in accordance with the Gospel and follow Christ's example to give love in our communities".

Mgr Andreas Choi Chang-mou, Archbishop of Kwangju, wrote in his pastoral letter that small Christian communities are very important because they are the basic unit in which families can experience the life of the Church. He added that "in preparing for the 70th anniversary of our diocese, let's reflect about ourselves, both personally and communally, in the light of Christ present in the Eucharist."

Other South Korean bishops reaffirmed the value of life and love and recommended going to mass, receiving the Blessed Sacrament, meditating about the meaning of the Sacred Scriptures, praying, reading the Bible and promoting dialogue within the family.

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