SEOUL (UCAN): The Catholic Church in South Korea launched the Korea Caritas Association which aims to become the official communication channel between the government and the Church’s various social welfare groups.
The association was launched by Bishop Basil Cho Kyu-man of Wonju at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul on December 1, the Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation [CPBC] reported on December 6.
Bishop Cho presided over the inaugural Mass and the first general meeting of the association. He urged members to not become “middle managers” but good leaders inspired by St. Paul, the Apostle.
“In a world where love seems to have left and only work remains, we need to recall the definition of love given by St. Paul,” the bishop said, referring to the First Letter to the Corinthians, which speaks about definition of love.
“If we do our social work without losing that sense that we are nothing without love, we will not fall into ‘self-welfare’ and priests and religious will not be reduced to ‘middle managers,’” Bishop Cho said.
He lamented that many welfare organisations worldwide operate with the Latin word “caritas” [love] included in their names, yet many “have become numb to love.”
The association’s inaugural meeting was attended by 69 of 75 members along with priests and religious from across the country.
The gathering elected Bishop Cho as its first chairperson of the board and Father Jung Sung-hwan, secretary general of Caritas Korea, as its first executive director.
The association seeks to ease the difficulties in communication between the Church’s welfare wings and the government departments.
The Church in South Korea runs various social welfare projects at the regional, diocesan, religious congregation, and organisational levels that cover millions of people in the country and overseas.
Facilities and organisations at various locations have faced difficulties in communication and response due to varying laws and guidelines at local government departments, CPBC reported.
The laws and policies that have been revised in recent years have also been used as tools to regulate Catholic social service facilities without considering “their special characteristics,” the report stated.
The association did not reveal the details of any specific cases of issues that were faced by the Catholic organisations.
It said that it aims to represent 103 Catholic social welfare organisations, 1,297 affiliated facilities, and more than 20,000 workers nationwide in a dialogue with the government. It aims to help them carry out their work following the spirit and values of Catholic social teachings.
In its founding declaration, the association said that it will “serve as the right and good voice of Catholic social welfare to the public and as a focal point for all Catholic social welfare facilities,” CPBC reported.
