Seoul archbishop urges Koreans to abandon ‘legacy of hatred’

By LiCAS News

“We need a commitment to build new relationships, even if our circumstances seem dark,” said Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul, referring to the strained relations between North and South Korea.

The prelate made the statement during a Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral, as part of the ‘Day of Prayer for National Reconciliation and Unity’ that marked the June 25 Korean War anniversary. 

Archbishop Chung drew parallels between past challenges and the present. “Just as we have overcome poverty and dictatorship with hope, we must also embrace the hope that we can overcome division. This hope will bring true peace to the Korean Peninsula,” he said. 

He criticized the retaliatory mindset of ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ proclaiming that peace could only be realized through dialogue, not through reciprocal animosity. 

He urged the faithful not to pray for changes in others but to embody peace and forgiveness in their own actions, inspired by “God’s mercy and patience.”

Archbishop Chung marked the Day of Prayer with a call to all residents of the peninsula to choose the path of reconciliation over conflict. 

“Let us all pray together so that everyone living on the Korean Peninsula can choose the path of forgiveness and reconciliation, not the path of hatred and hostility towards each other,” he said.

The ‘Day of Prayer for National Reconciliation and Unity’ was established by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea in 1965 and renamed in 1992. 

The Archdiocese of Seoul, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Liberation Day in 1995, established a Committee for National Reconciliation which promotes peace through regular Masses, prayer meetings, and initiatives for North Koreans and defectors.

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