On the anniversary of the beginning of the war, the Church invokes reconciliation. Bishop Chung Soon-taick invited people to pray “not to change others, but to imitate the unlimited mercy and patience of God, choosing the path of peace.” Last night they launched 350 balloons loaded with garbage from the North again, while tomorrow the joint military exercises of South Korea, the United States and Japan begin.
Seoul () – “Although the situation between the two Koreas may seem bleak, Christians cannot remain in despair. On the contrary, precisely in this moment of growing animosity is when our prayer can illuminate our time with greater light,” said Archbishop of Seoul Peter Chung Soon-taick on the occasion of the Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and Unity of the Korean People. which the Church celebrates today, coinciding with the 73rd anniversary of the beginning of the war that led to the painful wound of the separation of Seoul and Pyongyang.
This year the anniversary coincides with a moment particularly marked by tension. Seoul woke up to the news that another 350 garbage-laden balloons had been launched from North Korea to South Korea overnight, marking the fifth such episode since late last month. About 100 balloons, mostly loaded with paper and trash, landed in the capital and northern Gyeonggi province.
For his part, President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the American aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) that stopped at the naval port of the southeastern city of Busan, with a view to the joint exercises of South Korea, the United States and Japan that begin tomorrow and whose objective is to counter the growing threat from North Korea.
In this sense, the Archbishop of Seoul Peter Chung Soon-taick, who is also the apostolic administrator of Pyongyang, called in his homily for a renewed commitment to peace and reconciliation, stressing that it is essential not to transmit a legacy of hatred to future generations. “Jesus himself,” he explained, “demonstrated that peace cannot be achieved with the logic of ‘an eye for an eye.’ Peace can only be achieved through dialogue.” He exhorted the faithful to pray not for the transformation of others, but to be able to imitate the limitless mercy and patience of God by choosing the path of peace.
The archbishop reflected on the resilience of the Korean people and added: “Our people have clung to the hope of overcoming poverty, which led to the economic development of our country, and to the hope of overcoming dictatorship, which allowed us to achieve democracy. . Now we must nourish the new hope of overcoming divisions. “This hope will certainly bring true peace to the Korean Peninsula.” Archbishop Chung concluded by inviting all those living on the peninsula to “choose the path of forgiveness and reconciliation rather than hatred and resentment.”
Since 1965, the Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference has celebrated the Day of Prayer for the Church in Silence on June 25. In 1992 the name was changed to “National Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and Unity of the Korean People.” The Archdiocese of Seoul established a Korean People’s Reconciliation Commission in 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of liberation. The Commission organizes prayer meetings to share peace every Tuesday at 7 pm at Myeongdong Cathedral. To date, 1,413 masses have been celebrated, demonstrating the Commission’s ongoing dedication to cultivating peace and unity through prayer and reflection.
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