ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Catholic Bishops of Korea and Japan committed to regular meetings to re-read painful episodes of history in the light of truth and reconciliation

Seoul (Fides Service) - Recently Catholic Bishops of Japan and Korea met in Cheju, South Korea for their traditional annual meeting to exchange ideas and experience in an atmosphere of friendship.
A total of thirty one bishops attended the meeting, the tenth in the series, the first was in 1994: 18 Korean Bishops including Cardinal Stephen Kim and Bishop Andreas Choi Chang-mou, President of the Korean Bishops Conference and 13 Japanese Bishops including Bishop Augustine Nomura Junichi, President of the Japanese Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop Peter Okada of Tokyo.
The matters discussed included reciprocal understanding in view of facing present day challenges; joint pastoral initiatives of solidarity and co-operation, possible similar meetings of clergy and laity which might also be productive and useful. All agreed that these meetings help to strengthen friendship among the two peoples and that they should continue.
The Church in both countries is working to build bridges of reconciliation between the Korean and Japanese people.
In effect recently a book on the history or relations between the two peoples was published. The Book, produced by the Korean Pastoral Institute affiliated to the Korean Bishops’ Conference deals with questions of history and culture of these two neighbour countries and it intends to give young Koreans and Japanese correct discernment to understand modern history and build better reciprocal relations.
During their regular annual meetings Korean and Japanese Bishops stressed the need to re-read history in the light of the truth and reconciliation, in particular to reconsider with the help of history experts the events of World War II with criteria of truth and justice in view of authentic reconciliation.
Japan and Korea have long term disputes over events during the Japanese occupation of Korea in World War II. The Koreans deplore that fact that old history books make no mention of the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers in Korea or the deportation of Koreans to work as slaves and about 200,000 “comfort women” for Japanese soldiers. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 30/11/2004 Righe: 38 Parole: 393