Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - A service to man which as the Gospel teaches is a service to Christ. This awareness was the starting point for the work of Korea’s 1st National Caritas Congress held recently in Daejeon. The title of the Congress was “We are Caritas operators” and it was organised by the Korean Bishops’ Commission for Caritas Korea. Participants included representatives of 15 diocesan Caritas Centres and various Catholic aid agencies, experts, students and men and women religious.
The participants renewed their commitment to “serve the poor and Christ” and listened to a talk by the president Caritas Commission Bishop Lazzaro. The Bishop reminded those present of the sense of calling which should animate a Christian involved in serving the poor and he commented Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est, underlining that: “the Church is charity, love and Caritas workers must live their identity in love and be light of the world for those around them”.
Two other interventions were given at the Congress: Christian Social Service by Mr Do Geon-Chang, a researcher of Caritas Korea Academy; and Social Service in the Church and in Society by Prof. Park Seok don, a former teacher at Gyeongbuk University.
The participants expressed their commitment to continue the service of the poor and the needy and in particular the people of North Korea who suffer hardship and hunger.
Caritas Korea recently became the official referent for humanitarian aid to North Korea and in 2007 will assume the task of co-ordinating aid to the North hitherto the work of Caritas di Hong Kong. The North recognised Caritas Korea as the new channel for relations with the Rome based Caritas Internationalis. Since the 1990s Caritas Hong Kong had been the referent for cooperation programmes. The Church in the South looks with new hope to the North of the peninsula thanks to various signs for a new season of dialogue and good relations with North Korea generating cautious optimism in the community. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 14/07/2006 Righe: 28 Parole: 281)
