ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Message from the Korean Bishops' Conference for “Catholic Schools' Week”

Seoul (Agenzia Fides) – A week to focus on reaching out to the youth, offering them values and methods that can help improve the welfare and human, moral, and civil progress of society. This is the goal of the “Catholic Schools' Week,” being promoted by the South Korean Bishops' Conference May 25-31, 2009. The initiative, now the fourth time it is being celebrated, reaffirms the Catholic Church's commitment to education and schooling, indicating the open questions, challenges, long-term objectives that are proposed by the Catholic institutes, schools, and universities present in Korea, in an effort to spread awareness among the population as to the “education emergency” decried by Benedict XVI, which is affecting the entire country. There is an urgent need to place public and private resources at the service of the new generations, which are also the future of the nation.
On the occasion of this special Week, the Bishops' Conference issued a message signed by Bishop Matthias Ri Iong-hoon of the Bishops' Commission for Education, in which he reflects on the growing division between rich and poor in Korean society, which is in turn reflected in the area of education. When children come from families with economic and social problems, it is more likely that they consequences of instability, disorientation, and dissatisfaction, which often lead to delinquency.
The message stresses the need to contribute to the education of children from poorer families, so that they can be offered the same opportunities as their peers. The text indicates that the Catholic schools should aim at providing an integral development for their students, contributing to their psychological, moral, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth, becoming areas that offer a special spiritual attention that reinforces Christian formation.
Catholic institutions offer lessons in the Catholic faith, however always with complete respect for the freedom of religion of each student. Catholic education, the message says, is not only important for the Church, but for all Korea, as it offers a patrimony of values that help to build peace, a correctly formed conscience amongst citizens, and a stable personality capable of upholding the common good. The ultimate reason for the Church's commitment in the area of education is to carry out her mission of love to all humanity.
“During Catholic Schools' Week, all Korean faithful should pray for education, that it will lead students to life and salvation, following the example of Jesus Christ, the true Teacher.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides 15/5/2009)