ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Catholic Bishop issues message for “Labour Day”

Wednesday, 28 April 2004

Seoul (Fides Service) - Unemployment, illegal work, illegal immigrants are some of the problems afflicting South Korea which the local Catholic Church is committed to helping to solve in the light of the Church’s Social Teaching. This was affirmed by Bishop Boniface Choi Ki-san, Bishop of Incheon, in a message for “Labour Day”, May 1, for Catholics also the Feast of St Joseph the Worker. In Incheon diocese the Day is marked with special prayers and initiatives.
In his message titled: “What ever you do for one of these little ones, you do it to me” (Mt 25,40), the Bishop addresses problems with regard to work and social and economic conditions in South Korea.
Among other things Bishop Boniface denounces growing unemployment “which not only deprives people of the right to work it also violates of human dignity”, and he said that a priority of the local Church was to “to give special pastoral care to unemployed youth who are the hope of the Church and the nation and they are in danger of becoming a generation suffering from depression”.
According to observers the success of the liberal-progress Party URI, in recent elections in South Korea, reveals the people desire for a better economy, and more jobs on the labour market.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 28/4/2004 lines 22 words 220)


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