Catholicism is Busting Out All Over - in China & South Korea
Fascinating article by Sandro Magister here.
Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk of Seoul, told Magister in an interview that:
“Over the past ten years the Catholic Church in Korea has gone from less than three million faithful to over five million,” recounts cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, who has been archbishop of Seoul since 1998. “And vocations also continue to flourish. By now we are 10 percent of the population, the highest percentage in Asia after the Philippines and Vietnam. In Seoul, we make up 14 percent of the population, and we have launched an initiative called the Evangelization Twenty Twenty Movement, with the aim of reaching 20 percent by 2020. Particularly promising is missionary activity among the young soldiers, whose ranks have swelled to 18 percent Catholic as of last year.”
He sounds pretty intentional about that.
posted by Sherry W @ 10:51 AM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
I've always been fascinated by the differences in Christianity between South Korea and Japan. Christianity in Korea seems to be very healthy, and even in Atlanta we have hundreds of Korean churches of all denominations. Most Japanese, on the other hand, tend to view Christianity as a part of Western culture and therefore irrelevant to them. In an effort to make the Church relevant, the bishops in Japan address the country's social problems from a Catholic perspective, but rarely mention Christ to the public at large. Hence the lack of growth.
Interesting.
I must agree. Japan still has some of the isolationist element to it that seems to shy away from anything Western or Foreign. Korea on the other hand has taken what it can from western cultures and measured the value it more. Korea is also influenced by the war that never ended and the constant exposure to various western ideas from its allies (namely the US). Some are good, some are bad ideas (can any one say Britney Spears and the like....).
I spent a my year there in the military hanging out with a missionary. He wasn't there for the Korean people so much as he was there for the American GIs! His purpose was to minister to us, the Koreans had plenty of missionaries within they're own people! Its quite humbling to think of our culture needing missionaries from other countries!
Post a Comment
<< Home