Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Seoul (Agenzia Fides) – Reflect on the relationship between the family institution and the immigration phenomenon, its sociological implications, the prospects and pastoral needs of the Church: this was the central theme of the recent seminar organized by the Commission for the Family, of South Korea's Bishops' Conference.
The seminar addressed the many problems that afflict families in the various Asian countries and in Korea itself: poverty, immigration, the obligatory distancing of loved ones, the abuse of women and children, the problem of secularization and the loss of religious meaning.
In particular, reflecting on the relationship between “the family and immigration,” the danger of the “divisions within the family,” were addressed, as it is frequently the case when one of the two spouses must immigrate in search of work. Then, there was also the important question that touches upon both a political and social plain: the “family reunion.”
The migration flow into Korea (mainly from other Asian nations) presents various challenges to the Korean Church: there is the material, social, psychological, and spiritual aid that should be given to immigrant families, to which the Catholic Church is called to respond using the values of mutual support and generosity; the Church must then try to spread awareness in society so as to make a more efficient response both on a political and social level, in order to defend the dignity and fundamental rights of the immigrant families. Lastly, the seminar observed, from a pastoral viewpoint, there is a need for immigrant families to become active in the evangelization effort. Oftentimes, in coming to Korea, the Catholic families (like those from the Philippines) can make a great contribution to the local community in reviving the faith and in carrying out the “new evangelization” in other families. Thus, the immigrant families are a valuable resource for the local Church. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 13/1/2009)
