ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Week of Prayer across bamboo curtain for brother and sister Christians in North Korea

Seoul (Fides Service) - Seven days of intense prayer to ask God to grant light and protection to brother and sister Christians in North Korea: this initiative 19-25 September will involve Korean Christians in South Korea and overseas.
“The vast needs and profound spiritual darkness experienced by Christians in North Korea calls all believers in Christ to offer urgent and intense prayers”, say the promoters, members of a network of Catholic and Protestant organisations.
In recent years Christians in North Korea have been allowed to practice their faith but there are no resident Catholic priests or religious.
Even at the darkest moments Catholics in south Korea have never lost hope of a new floruishing of the faith in North Korea and today this hope is stronger than ever” said Rev. Matthew Hwang in-kuk vicar general for the archdiocese of Seoul in charge of relations with Pyongyang. Many local priests have volunteered to work on the other side of the curtain of bamboo: all want to work for national reconciliation.
It is since 1989 with official recognition of Catholicism and the establishing of the North Korean Catholic Association Life that began anew for the Catholic Church in north Korea. Today Catholics here live and practice the faith but only at home. From time to time they are visited by representatives of the North Korean Catholic Association.
The Church in south Korea says Catholics in north Korea are about 3,000 with only one place of worship, a small Catholic church in Pyongyang. According to other sources besides Catholics there are about 12,000 Protestant Christians in the North and the capital hsa two Protestant.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 15/09/2005 Righe: 26 Parole: 260)