The "new" Korean martyrs bear witness to Christ at knife point
Seoul (AsiaNews) - The Korean Church "is waiting for the canonization of Paul Yun Ji-chung and his 123 companions, killed in hatred of the faith during the Byeongin persecution (first and second half of the 1800) and proclaimed Servants of God by the Pope in 2003". The bishop of Daejeon, Msgr. Lazzaro You Heung-sik, tells AsiaNews who plans to invite Pope Francis to Korea for the occasion.
By the same token, the local Bishops' Conference has prepared a site to present the life and martyrdom of these witnesses of Christ. The biographies of the martyrs emphasize the extreme violence carried out by the Korean kingdom against Catholics and firmness and love with which they responded to hatred and persecution.
The blood of the martyrs, says Msgr. You, "supports all of the Korean Church. By their example and their testimony they gave life to our faith. We soon hope to honor them as saints." AsiaNews proposes a series to present the brightest witnesses of this martyrdom, beginning with Paul Yun.
Paul Yun Ji-chung was born in 1759 to a renowned noble family in Janggu-dong, Jinsan, Jeolla-do. His adult name was 'Uyong'. Francis Yun Ji-heon, who was martyred in Jeonju during the Shinyu Persecution of 1801, was his younger brother.
Paul Yun, who was intelligent and trustworthy, devoted himself to studying from
an early age. He passed the first state examination in the spring of 1783.
Around that time Paul Yun came to know about the Catholic faith from John Jeong
Yak-yong, a son of his father's sister. He began to read books about it. He was
baptized by Peter Yi Seung-hun in 1787, having studied the Catholic doctrine
for three years.
Paul Yun taught the catechism to his mother, his younger brother Francis Yun,
James Kwon Sang-yeon, a son of his mother's sister, and introduced them to the
Catholic Church. He also endeavored to proclaim the Gospel, together with
Augustine Yu Hang-geom, a relative by marriage.
In 1790, when Bishop A. Gouvea of Beijing issued a decree prohibiting the
practice of the ancestral rites, Paul Yun and his cousin James Kwon burned the
ancestral tablet. When his mother, aunt of James Kwon, died in the summer of
the following year he performed the funeral ceremony according to the Catholic
rite instead of the Confucian rite. This was also his mother's wish.
Very soon, a rumor was spread that Paul Yun did not offer the funeral ancestral
rite and, that he had burned the ancestral tablet. When the rumor reached the
royal court it was furious. After a while the royal court ordered the
magistrate of Jinsan to 'arrest Yun Ji-chung and Kwon Sang-yeon.'
Upon hearing the news Paul Yun took refuge in Gwangchoen, Chungcheong-do and
James Kwon in Hansan, Chungcheong-do. Then, the magistrate of Jinsan detained
Paul Yun's uncle instead of them. When Paul Yun and James Kwon heard this news
they left their hiding places, and surrendered themselves to the magistrate of
Jinsan. It was around the middle of October, 1791.
At first the magistrate of Jinsan tried to persuade them to renounce their
faith. But they said that they could not renounce their faith under any
circumstances. They emphatically asserted that the Catholic teaching is the
true teaching. The magistrate, on realizing that he could not change their
minds, ordered that they be transferred to the Jeonju governor's office.
Paul Yun and James Kwon were interrogated from the day after they arrived in
Jeonju. The governor tried every means possible to get the names of other
Catholics from them, but his effort was in vain. They defended their faith with
determination and did not utter even one word that would do harm to the Church
or to other Catholics. Paul Yun, in particular, pointed out article by article
the irrationality of the Confucian ancestral rites by explaining the doctrine
of the Catholic Church. This infuriated the governor, and he ordered that they
be severely punished.
Paul Yun and James Kwon were already prepared to die for God. Their only answer
was; "We serve God as our 'Great Father', therefore, we cannot worship Him
by disobeying His Commandments."
The governor of Jeonju finally made them write their final statements and
submitted them to the royal court. Once again these upset the royal court and
tension ran high. The ministers of the royal court claimed that "Yun Ji-chung
and Kwon Sang-yeon should be beheaded." The king accepted the opinion of
the ministers, and finally permitted the execution.
The following is an excerpt from the governor's report to the royal court:
"Though the bodies of Yun Ji-chung and Kwon Sang-yeon were covered all
over with blood, they did not even groan. They refused to renounce their faith
in God saying, 'God's teaching is very strict, so we cannot disobey Him, though
we may disobey our parents and the king.' They said that it is a great honor to
die for God under the blade of a knife."
As soon as the judicial decision reached the Jeonju governor, Paul Yun and
James Kwon were dragged from their prison cell and taken outside the South Gate
of Jeonju. Paul Yun looked as happy as someone going to a banquet. He
ceaselessly explained the Catholic doctrine to the people who were following
them. On December 8, 1791 (November 13, by the Lunar calendar), they were
beheaded and died martyrs while praying to Jesus and Mary. Paul Yun was 32
years old.
The families had to wait for nine days to get permission from the governor to
release the bodies of Paul Yun and James Kwon for burial. They were surprised
to find that both martyrs looked as if they had just been decapitated and the
blood stains seemed bright and fresh. The faithful soaked handkerchiefs in the
blood of the martyrs and sent some of them to Bishop A. Gouvea in Beijing. Some
sick people, in danger of death, were restored to health on touching these
handkerchiefs.
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03/07/2013
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