No and Amen 26.12.2018
Christians in North and South Korea No and Amen
In South Korea, the churches are flourishing, North Korea is officially governed by religious freedom, but religious communities are constantly under surveillance. Colorful prayer ribbons are stitched to the border fence from the South Korean side. The wishes: reunification and disarmament.
By Corinna Mühlstedt
A sign on the inner Korean border shows the distance to the two capitals Seoul and Pyongyang. (PA / dpa / Daniel Kalker)
"We Christians in North and South Korea yearn for peace and unity. We ask the churches around the world for support so that we can shake off the chains of the Cold War that still hold us captive. "(Lee Hong Jung)
"Dialogue at eye level, political, seems to me the only way to reach peace. I learned that myself in North Korea: When the partners sat opposite me, the doors were open. "(Notker Wolf)
The most important thing for Korea is now to seize the opportunity for peace and dismantle enemy images - on both sides. When we meet each other, we will find that the others are also people and often even Christians. (Peter Prove)
Experiences of three Korea experts: the representative of the Korean Council of Churches, Lee Hong Jung, the Benedictine abbot, Notker Wolf, and the Director of International Affairs of the World Council of Churches, Peter Prove.
More than half a century ago, the Korean War ended with a ceasefire without a peace treaty.
Since then, the Korean Peninsula has been divided into: the Communist People's Republic of North Korea and the US-backed Republic of South Korea. In both parts of the country huge weapons arsenals are stored.
Nuclear Test Site Punggye-ri in Northeastern North Korea (Uncredited / APTN / AP / dpa)
As tensions between North Korea and the US escalate in the summer of 2017, the nightmare of a nuclear war threatens to come true. In August news channel N-TV announces:
"The US Department of Defense and President Trump vigorously warn North Korea of all activities that could lead to the end of the regime and the destruction of its people ..."
South Korea's politicians stand between all chairs at this time. But the churches in the country are appealing to the approximately 15 million Christians in Korea and call the government to account:
One of Korea's most popular folk songs, "Arirang", is heard at light demonstrations and ecumenical prayer vigils in the South Korean capital Seoul. It formulates the yearning of the people for reconciliation and unity. On leaflets stands:
"The world must listen to the Korean people: we are determined against a new war on our peninsula."
"As Korean Christians, we feel a historic responsibility to overcome the division of our country and create a nuclear weapon-free zone. May churches around the world help us to make the voice of peace heard! "
In South Korea, about one third of the population professes a Christian church, just under 20 percent are Buddhists. There are also countless smaller religious communities. The majority of Koreans follow the philosophy of Confucianism.
Solidarity of the Pope
In their anti-war protests, Korea's Christians receive immediate support from other faith communities and, not least, from international church organizations:
From Rome, Pope Francis assures the Koreans of his solidarity during an interreligious dialogue meeting with the "Korean Council of Religious Leaders" in September.
"I keep praying that God give peace and reconciliation to Korea. May the consciousness of our friendship strengthen us, to go forward together. "
And the secretary-general of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Olav Fykse Tveith, explains in an open letter:
"In view of the dangerous situation on the Korean Peninsula, we urge the international community to seek peaceful solutions. And we rely on the power of the churches to promote dialogue. "
In April 2018, what seemed impossible before happened: North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae In meet at the inter-Korean border, in Panmunjom, and sign a historic statement:
"We announce to 80 million Koreans and around the world that there will be no war on the Korean Peninsula and a new era of peace will begin. We shared the resolve to quickly end the split in Korea and the Cold War relic. We are determined tousher ina new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity. "
South Korean President Moon Jae In (r.) Welcomes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the border in Panmunjeom on 27.4.2018. (MAXPPP / Kyodo / dpa)
Two months later, the first spectacular encounter between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump will take place in Singapore. She is also doing well. Peter Prove sums up on the part of the World Council of Churches:
"These political summits of Panmunjom and Singapore we experienced like miracles. The statements that have been passed reflect many steps that the churches have been encouraging for decades. It has finally become clear that dialogues continue as conflicts. "
A look at the history of Korea shows the importance of Christianity in the Confucian-influenced "land of the morning silence": The Catholic Church reached Korea in the 18th century from China. In the 19th century, evangelical missionaries from the United States settled there.
Brutal persecution
Soon after, German missionary Benedictines from Santa Ottilie founded monasteries in Korea. Abbot Notker Wolf remembers:
"In 1909 the first of us Ottilians drove to Seoul, the first seminary in Seoul was built by us, and a crafts school was started. But then came the big surprise: the Japanese occupied Korea in 1910 and forbade us from continuing to run schools ... "
Notker Wolf at the congress filmtonart Film Music Day at the beginning of the 32th Munich Film Festival (imago / D. Bedrosian)
Faced with the threat of the Japanese military, the missionaries retreated to the remote north of the country - today's North Korea - and built new communities there.
But the invasion of Soviet troops and the outbreak of the Korean War finally brought their work to an abrupt end there, according to today's Presbyter of the Missionary Benedictines, Jeremias Schröder:
"From 1949 to 1952, the new Communist rulers brutally persecuted our confreres and the sisters who worked with us. There have been 38 deaths, partly because of hardship in prison, partly because of executions, partly in a separate concentration camp. "
The fate of the Benedictines corresponds to that of most Christians in North Korea: many were killed, others were lost, some managed to escape to the south.
The Korean War was not least an ideological conflict between the communist regimes of Asia and the United States. He claimed about 4 million victims nationwide. In 1953 he ended with a truce and the division of Korea along the 38th parallel. A peace treaty does not exist until today.
The communities are growing
Reconstruction in the devastated country took a long time. Until the 1980s, South Korea was struggling with dictatorships. Then the young democracy took root and experienced an economic miracle. Skyscrapers with colorful neon signs shot up like mushrooms, as well as churches of all denominations. Notker Wolf summarizes:
"The Church of South Korea flourished very quickly and became very strong, especially because during the time of the dictatorship it was very much on the side of the persecuted and repeatedly pointed to human rights. The church has tremendous credibility in South Korea and that's what makes it so appealing. "
This applies equally to Protestant and Catholic communities. One third of the approximately 50 million South Koreans are Christians today. The scandals of the Catholic Church, such as sexual abuse of children and priestly cover-up, are not an issue in Korea.
Some monasteries of the Benedictines count hundreds of religious, reports Jeremias Schröder:
"If you travel to Korea today, then you will find a truly thriving Christianity, which is lived with great fervor, in a very convincing form. And there is also very strong awareness of your own mission history: Christianity is a gift, and it is also an assignment. "
Bastion of communism
Unlike South Korea, North Korea, which has only about 20 million inhabitants, has hermetically shielded itself from the outside world for decades. The country is considered the last bastion of radical communism.
From South Korea, pilgrims regularly visit the demilitarization zone, which separates them from the communist north. Colorful ribbons with prayers are stapled to the border fence. They express the hope of the Koreans for a reunion. The Secretary-General of the South Korean Christian Council, Rev. Kim Young Ju, recalls:
"After the Korean War, any encounter between North and South Koreans was strictly prohibited. It was not until the 80s that the ice between our two states was gradually broken. This is due not least to the international commitment of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. In 1986, he first facilitated a meeting between Christians from North and South Korea in Switzerland. At that time, we finally started talking and praying again. It was an incredible experience for us all and awoke the longing for a reunion. "
North Korea is officially governed by religious freedom, but religious communities are only allowed to operate under the strictest state control. On behalf of the World Council of Churches, Peter Prove traveled several times with delegations and gained a differentiated picture:
"In North Korea, there is a so-called" Christian Association ", to which we have regular contact. It is small and comprises about 12-15000 Christians of different denominations. This Christian Association was founded in the 1980s by the family of the mother of dictator Kim Il Sung - a deeply religious woman. The leaders of the association can still rely on the support of a part of this family. This gives them support and even political significance. "
Everything under control
Dictator Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994, gave North Korea its current identity and is deeply revered throughout the country. The current ruler, Kim Jong Un, is his grandson. The situation of the Christians in North Korea is by no means hopeless against this background, explains Peter Prove:
"I have often been confronted with the assertion that all Christians in North Korea are persecuted to this day. That's definitely not true. According to our observation, there are problems with the regime for Christians only when they become missionary outside of the controlled areas. "
Last but not least, says Peter Prove, he visited a small Protestant seminary in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, and found that it provided a simple but solid theological education. However, the Catholic Church does not have a training center throughout the country and is thus in a much more difficult situation:
"We also have contact with an official" Association of Catholic Christians "in North Korea, but it is tiny and has only a few hundred members. In addition, there seems to be no ordained priest nationwide. But the situation is not hopeless here. As a World Council of Churches, we have an exchange with Catholic interlocutors around the globe and help as much as possible. "
In North Korea, the people have been suffering from a famine for years. It is the result of the mismanagement of the communist regime and the economic embargo with which Western countries want to prevent the North Korean state from expanding its nuclear program.
Connections to Taizé
Help for the suffering population often comes from international church institutions such as Caritas or Diakonie. A group from the Taizé Ecumenical Community recently visited humanitarian projects in North Korea.
"It was impressive to see how isolated the country is, how isolated people are and how grateful they are for contacts",
reports Brother Alois. The situation, according to the Prior of Taizé, shook him. The main concern today is for the international community "to be given a greater awareness of this difficult and bad situation of separation, that there is still no peace treaty, that people on both sides - North Koreans, too, let us be very clear - agree Reunification hope and that does not progress. "
The international confederation of Benedictines built a 100-bed hospital a few years ago under the leadership of Notker Wolf in a North Korean free-trade zone. The South Korean Benedictines promote the clinic to this day, says Jeremias Schröder:
"We visit this hospital relatively regularly, deliver medication there and support the development and development. We see this as a bridge. We do not rule out that there might be Catholic Christians in isolated, remote places in the underground, but we have no contact with them at first. "
Submissive gesture of a mayor
After all, Notker Wolf was pleased during his last visit to North Korea on the unexpected gesture of a politician:
"The mayor gave us a dinner. At first he said at the table: "Please do not forget to pray." - We also prayed. And then he told us that he was in Rome. And this gentleman told us: you do not believe how much we appreciate it, that you are coming right now because all the world is against us. And you from the Catholic Church, you come to us now and help us. "
Notker Wolf considers that a drastic economic boycott of North Korea is wrong: Political feuds should not be fought on the backs of the people, but most importantly, one must respect each nation's fear for its identity:
"North Korea wants to be independent, wants to be fully recognized, like every nation. And they think they can do that only by producing nuclear weapons. I was told by government officials in 2006, "Had Saddam Hussein really had the atomic bomb, he would not have been attacked by the Americans." - They are almost paranoid about the Americans, about an attack. If we give them identity and give them, I am convinced that we will find a more peaceful way. "
Interests of Russia, China and the USA
South Korean Christians are convinced that peace between the two parts of the country has not only failed due to the attitude of communist ideologues. He was and is also the massive political interests of Russia, China and the US in the way, says the South Korean Christian Council in a publication:
"The US 2001 attacks on Afghanistan and 2003 on Iraq were understood in North Korea as warnings that something similar might happen to their own country. Since then, many Koreans have been worried that Korea's civilization may be threatened or even wiped out by a new war. "
Because they know: The international arms industry is making enormous sums of money for the nuclear upgrading of the Korean Peninsula. The Secretary-General of South Korean Christian Council Kim Young Ju therefore emphasizes:
"We Christians in North and South Korea today agree: we want to put an end to the rule of violence and weapons on our peninsula and to build ways in which we find each other peacefully."
An icon for the dictator
The political summits in Panmunjom and Singapore opened doors to such paths in 2018, says Peter Prove:
"These meetings have created a whole new atmosphere. They express many of the demands that we Christians have been advocating for years, but which seemed utopian for a long time. These include the desire to sign as quickly as possible a peace treaty between the two parts of Korea in order to end the state of war that has existed since 1950. Such a contract would create trust and a basis for solving further problems. "
In addition, it would be necessary to mitigate the sanctions against North Korea and not only to dismantle the nuclear arsenals there, but also in South Korea, indeed worldwide, explains Peter Prove. For those who demand security for themselves must grant them to others.
"With an ecumenical delegation from the World Council of Churches in the early summer of 2018, we once again visited both parts of Korea. In South Korea, government officials thanked us and said that President Moon Jae In felt strongly encouraged by the commitment of the churches. Shortly afterwards, we had a similar conversation with our interlocutors in North Korea, in which politicians expressly acknowledged our commitment to peace. "
For this reason, as usual in Asia, gifts were exchanged with the conversation partners, says Peter Prove, and an equally surprising and symbolic gesture is experienced:
"We brought to the North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un an Orthodox icon that shows Christ as the" Prince of Peace ". We had to declare that it is a spiritual representation that motivates us as Christians to work for peace in the world. And this icon was gladly accepted as a gift for Kim Jong Un. "
Footprint of peace
In June 2018, a mixed delegation of North and South Korean Christians traveled to Geneva for the World Council of Churches to celebrate its 70th anniversary with guests from all over the world. The head of the North Korean delegate Myong Chol Kang once again thanked the ecumenical movement on this occasion:
"You've done a lot to make peace on the Korean peninsula a reality. The whole world welcomes this new era in the face of the immense dangers that threatened us just a few months ago. Now everything depends on how we implement the statements of Panmunjom and Singapore. We continue to ask for your support! "
Young participants of Asian Youth Day in South Korea take a "selfie" with the Pope. (AFP / Osservatore Romano)
Pope Francis visited at the same time the World Council of Churches and came with the guests from Korea into the conversation. Four months later, South Korean President Moon Jae In traveled to Rome and delivered a message from North Korea to the Pope. Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said shortly afterwards on the Vatican Radio:
"The president of South Korea has informed the pope of the interest of North Korean leader Kim Yong Ju to receive him in Pyongyang. And Pope Francis has confirmed his readiness for such a visit. Now we have to wait and see how the whole thing can be formally shaped. Because a journey of this kind requires extremely thorough planning. "
Archabbot Jeremiah has recently talked with representatives of the Catholic Church in Korea about the subject.
"Our Korean confreres are deeply involved in the efforts of the Episcopal Conference there to achieve reconciliation with the North. And so it is great joy now that so much movement has come into the subject. There is great euphoria in the country. But within the Church of South Korea, it is also clear that such a visit must be prepared very seriously. "
Is Francis traveling to North Korea?
It was important to weigh security issues and political concerns of all kinds, according to the Benedictine. But one thing is certain: the desire of a communist dictator whose regime once murdered thousands of Christians to receive the Pope was a small sensation and a chance for peace.
"If Pope Francis succeeds in traveling to North Korea, it will of course open doors. From the pope's point of view, it is clearly a message of peace, of reconciliation in this divided peninsula. And the hope we have is that such a visit can also set the life of the Church in North Korea free again. Our Korean confreres would be thrilled if there was a chance to start working there again. "
Christians in North and South Korea No and Amen
In South Korea, the churches are flourishing, North Korea is officially governed by religious freedom, but religious communities are constantly under surveillance. Colorful prayer ribbons are stitched to the border fence from the South Korean side. The wishes: reunification and disarmament.
By Corinna Mühlstedt
A sign on the inner Korean border shows the distance to the two capitals Seoul and Pyongyang. (PA / dpa / Daniel Kalker)"We Christians in North and South Korea yearn for peace and unity. We ask the churches around the world for support so that we can shake off the chains of the Cold War that still hold us captive. "(Lee Hong Jung)
"Dialogue at eye level, political, seems to me the only way to reach peace. I learned that myself in North Korea: When the partners sat opposite me, the doors were open. "(Notker Wolf)
The most important thing for Korea is now to seize the opportunity for peace and dismantle enemy images - on both sides. When we meet each other, we will find that the others are also people and often even Christians. (Peter Prove)
Experiences of three Korea experts: the representative of the Korean Council of Churches, Lee Hong Jung, the Benedictine abbot, Notker Wolf, and the Director of International Affairs of the World Council of Churches, Peter Prove.
More than half a century ago, the Korean War ended with a ceasefire without a peace treaty.
Since then, the Korean Peninsula has been divided into: the Communist People's Republic of North Korea and the US-backed Republic of South Korea. In both parts of the country huge weapons arsenals are stored.
Nuclear Test Site Punggye-ri in Northeastern North Korea (Uncredited / APTN / AP / dpa)As tensions between North Korea and the US escalate in the summer of 2017, the nightmare of a nuclear war threatens to come true. In August news channel N-TV announces:
"The US Department of Defense and President Trump vigorously warn North Korea of all activities that could lead to the end of the regime and the destruction of its people ..."
South Korea's politicians stand between all chairs at this time. But the churches in the country are appealing to the approximately 15 million Christians in Korea and call the government to account:
One of Korea's most popular folk songs, "Arirang", is heard at light demonstrations and ecumenical prayer vigils in the South Korean capital Seoul. It formulates the yearning of the people for reconciliation and unity. On leaflets stands:
"The world must listen to the Korean people: we are determined against a new war on our peninsula."
"As Korean Christians, we feel a historic responsibility to overcome the division of our country and create a nuclear weapon-free zone. May churches around the world help us to make the voice of peace heard! "
In South Korea, about one third of the population professes a Christian church, just under 20 percent are Buddhists. There are also countless smaller religious communities. The majority of Koreans follow the philosophy of Confucianism.
Solidarity of the Pope
In their anti-war protests, Korea's Christians receive immediate support from other faith communities and, not least, from international church organizations:
From Rome, Pope Francis assures the Koreans of his solidarity during an interreligious dialogue meeting with the "Korean Council of Religious Leaders" in September.
"I keep praying that God give peace and reconciliation to Korea. May the consciousness of our friendship strengthen us, to go forward together. "
And the secretary-general of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Olav Fykse Tveith, explains in an open letter:
"In view of the dangerous situation on the Korean Peninsula, we urge the international community to seek peaceful solutions. And we rely on the power of the churches to promote dialogue. "
In April 2018, what seemed impossible before happened: North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae In meet at the inter-Korean border, in Panmunjom, and sign a historic statement:
"We announce to 80 million Koreans and around the world that there will be no war on the Korean Peninsula and a new era of peace will begin. We shared the resolve to quickly end the split in Korea and the Cold War relic. We are determined tousher ina new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity. "
South Korean President Moon Jae In (r.) Welcomes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the border in Panmunjeom on 27.4.2018. (MAXPPP / Kyodo / dpa)Two months later, the first spectacular encounter between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump will take place in Singapore. She is also doing well. Peter Prove sums up on the part of the World Council of Churches:
"These political summits of Panmunjom and Singapore we experienced like miracles. The statements that have been passed reflect many steps that the churches have been encouraging for decades. It has finally become clear that dialogues continue as conflicts. "
A look at the history of Korea shows the importance of Christianity in the Confucian-influenced "land of the morning silence": The Catholic Church reached Korea in the 18th century from China. In the 19th century, evangelical missionaries from the United States settled there.
Brutal persecution
Soon after, German missionary Benedictines from Santa Ottilie founded monasteries in Korea. Abbot Notker Wolf remembers:
"In 1909 the first of us Ottilians drove to Seoul, the first seminary in Seoul was built by us, and a crafts school was started. But then came the big surprise: the Japanese occupied Korea in 1910 and forbade us from continuing to run schools ... "
Notker Wolf at the congress filmtonart Film Music Day at the beginning of the 32th Munich Film Festival (imago / D. Bedrosian)Faced with the threat of the Japanese military, the missionaries retreated to the remote north of the country - today's North Korea - and built new communities there.
But the invasion of Soviet troops and the outbreak of the Korean War finally brought their work to an abrupt end there, according to today's Presbyter of the Missionary Benedictines, Jeremias Schröder:
"From 1949 to 1952, the new Communist rulers brutally persecuted our confreres and the sisters who worked with us. There have been 38 deaths, partly because of hardship in prison, partly because of executions, partly in a separate concentration camp. "
The fate of the Benedictines corresponds to that of most Christians in North Korea: many were killed, others were lost, some managed to escape to the south.
The Korean War was not least an ideological conflict between the communist regimes of Asia and the United States. He claimed about 4 million victims nationwide. In 1953 he ended with a truce and the division of Korea along the 38th parallel. A peace treaty does not exist until today.
The communities are growing
Reconstruction in the devastated country took a long time. Until the 1980s, South Korea was struggling with dictatorships. Then the young democracy took root and experienced an economic miracle. Skyscrapers with colorful neon signs shot up like mushrooms, as well as churches of all denominations. Notker Wolf summarizes:
"The Church of South Korea flourished very quickly and became very strong, especially because during the time of the dictatorship it was very much on the side of the persecuted and repeatedly pointed to human rights. The church has tremendous credibility in South Korea and that's what makes it so appealing. "
This applies equally to Protestant and Catholic communities. One third of the approximately 50 million South Koreans are Christians today. The scandals of the Catholic Church, such as sexual abuse of children and priestly cover-up, are not an issue in Korea.
Some monasteries of the Benedictines count hundreds of religious, reports Jeremias Schröder:
"If you travel to Korea today, then you will find a truly thriving Christianity, which is lived with great fervor, in a very convincing form. And there is also very strong awareness of your own mission history: Christianity is a gift, and it is also an assignment. "
Bastion of communism
Unlike South Korea, North Korea, which has only about 20 million inhabitants, has hermetically shielded itself from the outside world for decades. The country is considered the last bastion of radical communism.
From South Korea, pilgrims regularly visit the demilitarization zone, which separates them from the communist north. Colorful ribbons with prayers are stapled to the border fence. They express the hope of the Koreans for a reunion. The Secretary-General of the South Korean Christian Council, Rev. Kim Young Ju, recalls:
"After the Korean War, any encounter between North and South Koreans was strictly prohibited. It was not until the 80s that the ice between our two states was gradually broken. This is due not least to the international commitment of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. In 1986, he first facilitated a meeting between Christians from North and South Korea in Switzerland. At that time, we finally started talking and praying again. It was an incredible experience for us all and awoke the longing for a reunion. "
North Korea is officially governed by religious freedom, but religious communities are only allowed to operate under the strictest state control. On behalf of the World Council of Churches, Peter Prove traveled several times with delegations and gained a differentiated picture:
"In North Korea, there is a so-called" Christian Association ", to which we have regular contact. It is small and comprises about 12-15000 Christians of different denominations. This Christian Association was founded in the 1980s by the family of the mother of dictator Kim Il Sung - a deeply religious woman. The leaders of the association can still rely on the support of a part of this family. This gives them support and even political significance. "
Everything under control
Dictator Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994, gave North Korea its current identity and is deeply revered throughout the country. The current ruler, Kim Jong Un, is his grandson. The situation of the Christians in North Korea is by no means hopeless against this background, explains Peter Prove:
"I have often been confronted with the assertion that all Christians in North Korea are persecuted to this day. That's definitely not true. According to our observation, there are problems with the regime for Christians only when they become missionary outside of the controlled areas. "
Last but not least, says Peter Prove, he visited a small Protestant seminary in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, and found that it provided a simple but solid theological education. However, the Catholic Church does not have a training center throughout the country and is thus in a much more difficult situation:
"We also have contact with an official" Association of Catholic Christians "in North Korea, but it is tiny and has only a few hundred members. In addition, there seems to be no ordained priest nationwide. But the situation is not hopeless here. As a World Council of Churches, we have an exchange with Catholic interlocutors around the globe and help as much as possible. "
In North Korea, the people have been suffering from a famine for years. It is the result of the mismanagement of the communist regime and the economic embargo with which Western countries want to prevent the North Korean state from expanding its nuclear program.
Connections to Taizé
Help for the suffering population often comes from international church institutions such as Caritas or Diakonie. A group from the Taizé Ecumenical Community recently visited humanitarian projects in North Korea.
"It was impressive to see how isolated the country is, how isolated people are and how grateful they are for contacts",
reports Brother Alois. The situation, according to the Prior of Taizé, shook him. The main concern today is for the international community "to be given a greater awareness of this difficult and bad situation of separation, that there is still no peace treaty, that people on both sides - North Koreans, too, let us be very clear - agree Reunification hope and that does not progress. "
The international confederation of Benedictines built a 100-bed hospital a few years ago under the leadership of Notker Wolf in a North Korean free-trade zone. The South Korean Benedictines promote the clinic to this day, says Jeremias Schröder:
"We visit this hospital relatively regularly, deliver medication there and support the development and development. We see this as a bridge. We do not rule out that there might be Catholic Christians in isolated, remote places in the underground, but we have no contact with them at first. "
Submissive gesture of a mayor
After all, Notker Wolf was pleased during his last visit to North Korea on the unexpected gesture of a politician:
"The mayor gave us a dinner. At first he said at the table: "Please do not forget to pray." - We also prayed. And then he told us that he was in Rome. And this gentleman told us: you do not believe how much we appreciate it, that you are coming right now because all the world is against us. And you from the Catholic Church, you come to us now and help us. "
Notker Wolf considers that a drastic economic boycott of North Korea is wrong: Political feuds should not be fought on the backs of the people, but most importantly, one must respect each nation's fear for its identity:
"North Korea wants to be independent, wants to be fully recognized, like every nation. And they think they can do that only by producing nuclear weapons. I was told by government officials in 2006, "Had Saddam Hussein really had the atomic bomb, he would not have been attacked by the Americans." - They are almost paranoid about the Americans, about an attack. If we give them identity and give them, I am convinced that we will find a more peaceful way. "
Interests of Russia, China and the USA
South Korean Christians are convinced that peace between the two parts of the country has not only failed due to the attitude of communist ideologues. He was and is also the massive political interests of Russia, China and the US in the way, says the South Korean Christian Council in a publication:
"The US 2001 attacks on Afghanistan and 2003 on Iraq were understood in North Korea as warnings that something similar might happen to their own country. Since then, many Koreans have been worried that Korea's civilization may be threatened or even wiped out by a new war. "
Because they know: The international arms industry is making enormous sums of money for the nuclear upgrading of the Korean Peninsula. The Secretary-General of South Korean Christian Council Kim Young Ju therefore emphasizes:
"We Christians in North and South Korea today agree: we want to put an end to the rule of violence and weapons on our peninsula and to build ways in which we find each other peacefully."
An icon for the dictator
The political summits in Panmunjom and Singapore opened doors to such paths in 2018, says Peter Prove:
"These meetings have created a whole new atmosphere. They express many of the demands that we Christians have been advocating for years, but which seemed utopian for a long time. These include the desire to sign as quickly as possible a peace treaty between the two parts of Korea in order to end the state of war that has existed since 1950. Such a contract would create trust and a basis for solving further problems. "
In addition, it would be necessary to mitigate the sanctions against North Korea and not only to dismantle the nuclear arsenals there, but also in South Korea, indeed worldwide, explains Peter Prove. For those who demand security for themselves must grant them to others.
"With an ecumenical delegation from the World Council of Churches in the early summer of 2018, we once again visited both parts of Korea. In South Korea, government officials thanked us and said that President Moon Jae In felt strongly encouraged by the commitment of the churches. Shortly afterwards, we had a similar conversation with our interlocutors in North Korea, in which politicians expressly acknowledged our commitment to peace. "
For this reason, as usual in Asia, gifts were exchanged with the conversation partners, says Peter Prove, and an equally surprising and symbolic gesture is experienced:
"We brought to the North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un an Orthodox icon that shows Christ as the" Prince of Peace ". We had to declare that it is a spiritual representation that motivates us as Christians to work for peace in the world. And this icon was gladly accepted as a gift for Kim Jong Un. "
Footprint of peace
In June 2018, a mixed delegation of North and South Korean Christians traveled to Geneva for the World Council of Churches to celebrate its 70th anniversary with guests from all over the world. The head of the North Korean delegate Myong Chol Kang once again thanked the ecumenical movement on this occasion:
"You've done a lot to make peace on the Korean peninsula a reality. The whole world welcomes this new era in the face of the immense dangers that threatened us just a few months ago. Now everything depends on how we implement the statements of Panmunjom and Singapore. We continue to ask for your support! "
Young participants of Asian Youth Day in South Korea take a "selfie" with the Pope. (AFP / Osservatore Romano)Pope Francis visited at the same time the World Council of Churches and came with the guests from Korea into the conversation. Four months later, South Korean President Moon Jae In traveled to Rome and delivered a message from North Korea to the Pope. Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said shortly afterwards on the Vatican Radio:
"The president of South Korea has informed the pope of the interest of North Korean leader Kim Yong Ju to receive him in Pyongyang. And Pope Francis has confirmed his readiness for such a visit. Now we have to wait and see how the whole thing can be formally shaped. Because a journey of this kind requires extremely thorough planning. "
Archabbot Jeremiah has recently talked with representatives of the Catholic Church in Korea about the subject.
"Our Korean confreres are deeply involved in the efforts of the Episcopal Conference there to achieve reconciliation with the North. And so it is great joy now that so much movement has come into the subject. There is great euphoria in the country. But within the Church of South Korea, it is also clear that such a visit must be prepared very seriously. "
Is Francis traveling to North Korea?
It was important to weigh security issues and political concerns of all kinds, according to the Benedictine. But one thing is certain: the desire of a communist dictator whose regime once murdered thousands of Christians to receive the Pope was a small sensation and a chance for peace.
"If Pope Francis succeeds in traveling to North Korea, it will of course open doors. From the pope's point of view, it is clearly a message of peace, of reconciliation in this divided peninsula. And the hope we have is that such a visit can also set the life of the Church in North Korea free again. Our Korean confreres would be thrilled if there was a chance to start working there again. "
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