ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Catholic Bishops focus Advent Messages on Eucharist, Life and the Family

Monday, 29 November 2004

Seoul (Fides Service) -Eucharist, Life and the Family were the main focus of Advent Messages issued by Catholic Bishops in Korea, and in view of this special Year of the Eucharist, called by Pope John Paul II, the Bishops said the Eucharist must be the centre of all pastoral care and the centre of Christian life.
In his Message Archbishop Nicholas Cheng of Seoul said that “renewal in the Church depends on renewal of every individual Christian called to live in keeping with the Gospel”. He also underlined that “the first step in the evangelisation of the world” is to build families which are authentic communities of faith.
For his part the Archbishop of Daegu, Mgr Paul Ri Moun-hi, chose the theme of unity as the focus of his message, calling on his people to live united around the Eucharist, because the Eucharist, he said, “helps us to live according to the Gospel, united with Christ in a community of love”.
Archbishop Andreas Choi Chang-mou of Kwangju, suggested that families should form “small communities in which to share Christian life”. The Year of the Eucharist is also the year of the archdiocese’s 70th anniversary of institution and the Archbishop urged his people to make the Eucharist the centre of personal and community life.
Other Advent Messages focused on the sacred value of human life and the value of the season of Advent as an opportunity for more intense prayer, acts of solidarity and Bible Study in families.
Besides individual Messages to their respective dioceses, dealing with issues of local interest, as a Conference the Catholic Bishops of Korea addressed a Pastoral Letter for Advent to Korean Catholics with the title “The Family, place of love and life”, which took inspiration from the theme of a meeting of FABC, Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, in August held this year in Korea. The Bishops say every family must help to heal wounded and destroyed families. The letter recognises that the agent which sanctifies and evangelises the family is the family itself: all families are called to be communities of communion and love”.
The text offers practical suggestions, how to develop formation programmes, build small communities of families, form lay persons for family pastoral, offer human and spiritual counselling to divorced persons, remarried persons, persons suffering from domestic violence..
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 29/11/2004 righe 28 parole 289)


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