Church in South Korea growing, slowly

April 27, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs 0 Print

CNA Staff, Apr 27, 2020 / 11:30 am (CNA).- The number of Catholics in South Korea increased by less than 50,000 in 2019, continuing a trend of slowing growth after a peak following the 2014 apostolic visit by Pope Francis to the country. 

According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, there are 5.91 million Catholics in South Korea’s 16 dioceses; an increase of 48,000 over to 2018’s total. Catholics make up 11% of the national population. 

Overall, the number of Catholics in the country increased by 0.8%, which is slightly lower than last year’s increase of 0.9%. In recent years, the Catholic population in South Korea has grown by an average of 1% each year. 

Like many countries, South Korea’s Catholic population is aging. About one in five South Korean Catholics are over the age of 65, and only 8.5% of Catholics are age 19 or under. A total of 14% of priests are over the age of 65.

South Korea’s flock saw the largest overall percentage increase in 2014, when it increased by 2.2%. Pope Francis visited the country in August of that year, the third visit by a pope to the country. Pope John Paul II visited South Korea in 1984 and again in 1989, when the country hosted the 44th International Eucharistic Congress.

These numbers come as South Korea is grappling with an outbreak of COVID-19, a disease which has seen much of its spread in the nation come from a single member of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. About half of South Korea’s nearly 11,000 confirmed coronavirus infections stem from “Patient 31,” a member of that church who did not abide by isolation rules after coming down with COVID-19. 

The Catholic Bishops’ Association of Korea refers to Shincheonji Church of Jesus as a “pseudo-religious organization” and a “cult.” The church was founded in 1980 by a man who believes that he is the second coming of Jesus. 

In 2017, the conference created the "Korean Catholic Task Force on Newly-risen Religions” specifically to combat the growing popularity of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. 

Another source of outbreak were 30 Catholic pilgrims who tested positive for the illness after returning to South Korea from a trip to the Holy Land. Korean Air Lines restricted travel to Israel after these infections were discovered.  

South Korea suspended the public celebration of Mass in late February, and re-opened churches–albeit with strict social distancing requirements–on April 26.

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Taiwan voters reject same-sex marriage

November 27, 2018 CNA Daily News 1

Taipei, Taiwan, Nov 27, 2018 / 05:58 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The people of Taiwan voted against the recognition of same-sex marriage in a series of referendums last weekend, reinforcing the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.

The advisory vote was held on November 24. Three referendum questions in favor of traditional marriage passed by significant margins, while two questions in opposition failed, according to the Straits Times.

A Taiwanese high court ruled in 2017 that it was unconstitutional to ban same-sex marriages. The ruling gave the lawmakers of Taiwan two years to develop a same-sex marriage law, but the government has been in a deadlock. The two years will be up in May 2019.

The government used the newly revised referendum law, which offers the people a chance to vote on any question which receives 280,000 signatures. In order to pass, the questions must then be approved by a quarter of the eligible voters and exceed the number of votes in opposition.

Three referendum questions favored the traditional definition of marriage, including the question, “Do you agree that Civil Code regulations should restrict marriage to being between a man and a woman?”

Two questions put forth by advocates for same-sex marriage did not pass, including the question, “Do you agree that the Civil Code marriage regulations should be used to guarantee the rights of same-sex couples to get married?” The Taiwanese people also voted against adding LGBT education to the national curriculum.

The referendum was an advisory vote. Shiau Hong-chi, a professor of gender studies at Shih-Hsin University, told the Guardian that same-sex marriage will still have to be handled in court.

“The referendum is a general survey, it doesn’t have very strong legal implications,” he said. “One way or another it has to go back to the court.”

Earlier this month, Archbishop John Hung Shan-chuan of Taipei spoke on the Church’s stance on same-sex marriage in a closed-door conference. According to UCA News, the archbishop stressed that the Church sees all people as brothers and sisters, but cannot change God’s design for marriage.

While the Church does not condone discrimination, “we cannot support same-sex marriage and same-sex union,” he said.

“During the review of the Civil Code by the Legislative Yuan, I have clearly stated the attitude of the Catholic Church: the legalization of same-sex marriage and same-sex union is not in line with our teachings. The Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conferences in 2016 and 2017 respectively clearly stated our opposition.”

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