Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Seoul (Fides Service) – No to North Korea’s nuclear programme, yes to a resuming of peace talks and reconciliation between the two sides of the Korean peninsula, to lead in an era of peaceful and coexistence and harmony in the Far East.
These requests were made in a message “Peace on this Land”, issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Commission for Social Affairs headed by Rev. Augustine Cheong Myong-jo. The message calls on political and religious leaders and all people of goodwill to work together to find a peaceful solution to the question of North Korea’s nuclear programme.
The Commission warns: “The nuclear threat in North Korea is too dangerous to be used as an element of diplomatic tactics, because on it depends the destiny of the entire Korean people”, and calls urgently on all involved countries to “be builders of peace through sincere dialogue and tolerance, because peace is not built with arms: only order given by God is the key to peace, not the logic of power”.
The document recalls the essential conditions for peace: the four pillars underlined in Pacem in Terris and mentioned by Pope John Paul II in his message for World Peace Day 2003: truth, justice, love and freedom.
The Commission calls on Catholics to be the first to practice the love that Christ taught on the Cross and all believers to work together build a better world of solidarity, spirit of mercy and charity, values common to all religions. PA (Fides Service 20/10/2003 EM lines 30 Words: 313)
