South Korean bishops hold day of prayer, fasting to prevent war with North

June 22, 2010

Amid escalating tensions between North and South Korea, the bishops of South Korea held a day of prayer and fasting on June 20 to prevent war. “War would be a terrible tragedy, and we want to prevent it, using the most powerful of weapons: prayer,” said Bishop Peter Kang of Cheju, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea. Fearing a humanitarian catastrophe in the North, Bishop Kang called upon the South Korean government to lift a 2008 ban on humanitarian aid shipments.

Approximately 10% of South Korea’s 48.5 million people are Catholic.

 

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Further information:

• Humanitarian aid for North Korea and new paths for dialogue and reconciliation: the President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea launches a call (Fides)
• S.Koreans cheer for N.Korea despite rising tensions (AFP)