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Catholic Church in South Korea

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Catholic Church in South Korea
Korean:한국의 가톨릭 교회
Cathedral Church of Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception
TypeNational polity
ClassificationCatholic
OrientationAsian Christianity,Latin
ScriptureBible
TheologyCatholic theology
GovernanceCatholic Bishops' Conference of Korea
PopeFrancis
PresidentMatthias Ri Iong-hoon
Apostolic NuncioAlfred Xuereb
RegionSouth Korea
LanguageEcclesiastical Latin,Korean
HeadquartersSeoul
Origin27 December 1593
Other name(s)Thiên chủ giáo ( "Religion of the Lord of Heaven" )
Official websiteenglish.cbck.or.kr
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TheCatholic Church in South Korea(calledCheonjugyo,Korean:천주교;Hanja:Thiên chủ giáo;lit.Religion of the Lord of Heaven) is part of the worldwideCatholic Church,under the spiritual leadership of thePopeinRome.

In 2020, it had 5,841,000 members (11.28% of the population) with almost 5,000 priests and 9,000 nuns serving across 1,842 parishes.[1]

History

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SpanishJesuitpriestGregorio Céspedeswas possibly the first Catholic missionary in Korea, said to have arrived in Busan on 27 December 1593.[2][3]At the time of theJapanese invasions of Korea (1592–98),Japanese leaderKonishi Yukinagamarried a Korean Christian woman, who had adopted Julia as her name.[4]Macaureceived an influx of African slaves, Japanese slaves as well asChristian Korean slaveswho werebought by the Portuguese from the Japaneseafter they were taken prisoner during theJapanese invasions of Korea (1592–98).[5]

However, Catholicism (and Christianity in general) in Korea more generally began in 1784 whenYi Seung-hunwas baptized while in China under the Christian name of Peter. He later returned to Korea carrying religious texts, and baptized many fellow countrymen. The Church in Korea continued to grow without formal missionary priests.

During the 19th century, the Catholic Church was targeted by the government of theJoseondynasty chiefly for the religion's opposition toancestral "worship",which the Church perceived to be a form of idolatry, but which the state prescribed as a cornerstone of Korean culture.

Despite a century-long persecution that produced thousands of martyrs –103 of whom were canonizedbyPope John Paul IIin May 1984, including the first Korean priest,St. Andrew Taegon Kim,who was ordained in 1845 and martyred in 1846 – the Church in Korea expanded. The Apostolic Vicariate of Korea was formed in 1831, and after the expansion of the Church structure over the next century, the current structure of the three Metropolitan Provinces, each with an Archdiocese and several suffragan Dioceses, was established in 1962.

In 1899, "the Sinch'uk Rebellion, a Confucian-led and -organised popular uprising", made a "most barbarous massacre" of from 500 to 600 victims. It was in reaction to promises of tax exemptions by lay-assistants and desecration of "spirit-shrines" by Catholics, after the arrival of two French priests to Cheju.[6]

Current status

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Government surveys showed that in 2020, more than 45% of South Koreans practice no religion, that about 22% are Buddhists, and that 29.2% are Christians with 11.1% being Catholics and 18% being Protestants, meaning that Christianity is the largest religion.[7]

The Catholic Church in South Korea has seen significant growth in recent years, increasing its membership from 7.9% of the population to 11% over the past twenty years.[8][9]At the end of 2017 there were 5,813,770 Catholics in South Korea – 11.0% of the population.[8]In 2017, the Church grew by 1.3%, with over 75,000 adult baptisms.[8]Part of this growth can be attributed to the Church's relatively positive perception by the general public because of its role in the democratization of South Korea, its active participation in various works of social welfare, and its respectful approach to interfaith relationship and matters of traditional Korean spirituality.[10]

There are 15 dioceses including three archdioceses – Seoul, Daegu, and Gwangju – and amilitary ordinariate.

In North Korea under the communist regime, Christianity is officially suppressed, and unofficial estimates by South Korean Church officials place the number of Catholics there at only 5,000.[11]The North Korean Catholic Church, ecclesiastically united with South Korea, is composed of the two dioceses ofDiocese of PyongyangandDiocese of Hamhung(suffragan to the Metropolitan Archbishop of Seoul), and the onlyterritorial abbeyoutside Europe, theTerritorial Abbey of Tokwonor Dokwon.

South Korea (and by extension the Catholic Church in all Korea, north and south) has the fourth largest number ofsaintsin the Catholic Church since 1984 as categorized by nation,[12]a number which includes theKorean Martyrs.

Pope Francis' visit

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Pope Francisaccepted an invitation to visit South Korea in August 2014. The four-day visit (14–18 August) culminated with a Papal Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Seoul on 18 August. During a mass on 16 August, the Popebeatified124 Korean Catholicmartyrs.[13]An invitation for North Korea's Catholics to attend was declined, due to South Korea's refusal to withdraw from military exercises which it had planned with the United States.

Dioceses and archdioceses

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South Korea has fifteen territorial dioceses (three archdioceses and twelve dioceses) and one military diocese:[14][15]

Dioceses of Korea

Province of Seoul

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Province of Daegu

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Province of Gwangju

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Other

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Inculturation

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Catholicism in South Korea is unique in that it hasinculturatedwith traditionalConfuciancustoms that form an integral part of traditional secular Korean culture. As a result, South Korean Catholics continue to practiceancestral ritesand observe many Confucian customs and philosophies.[16][17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Catholics and Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-08[permanent dead link]
  2. ^Donald F. Lach(15 July 2008).Asia in the Making of Europe, Volume I: The Century of Discovery.University of Chicago Press. p. 721.ISBN978-0-226-46708-5.
  3. ^Chai-Shin Yu (1 January 1996).The Founding of Catholic Tradition in Korea.Jain Publishing Company. p. 141.ISBN978-0-89581-892-8.
  4. ^Daniel Tudor (2012)."4 Christianity".Korea: The Impossible Country.Tuttle Publishing.ISBN978-1462910229.Retrieved2 February2014.
  5. ^Kaijian Tang (2015).Setting Off from Macau: Essays on Jesuit History during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.BRILL. p. 93.ISBN978-9004305526.Retrieved2 February2014.
  6. ^David J. Nemeth (1987).The Architecture of Ideology: Neo-Confucian Imprinting on Cheju Island, Korea.University of California Press. pp. 145–.ISBN978-0-520-09713-1.
  7. ^Catholic population of S. Korea grows by 50% in 20 yearsVatican News 16 January 2020
  8. ^abc"Catholic Church in Korea Statistics 2017".Archived fromthe originalon 13 April 2018.Retrieved12 April2018.
  9. ^"Statistics of the Catholic Church in Korea, 1997".CBCK.Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea.Retrieved13 April2018.
  10. ^"5 Reasons For Explosive Growth In The Korean Catholic Church".
  11. ^"With New Cardinal and New Martyrs, Church Is Growing in South Korea | Daily News | NCRegister.com".www.ncregister.com.Archived fromthe originalon 8 March 2014.
  12. ^Kamm, Henry (7 May 1984)."POPE CANONIZES 103 MARTYRS IN SEOUL".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved5 June2021.
  13. ^Rupert Wingfield-Hayes (16 August 2014)."Pope Francis beatifies 124 South Korean Catholic martyrs".BBC.
  14. ^GCatholic.org:Catholic Dioceses in South Korea
  15. ^Catholic-Hierarchy:Current Dioceses in South Korea
  16. ^Park, Chang-Won (10 June 2010).Cultural Blending in Korean Death Rites.Continuum International Publishing Group. pp.12–13.ISBN978-1-4411-1749-6.
  17. ^Sang-Hun, Choe (19 July 2006)."Quest for perfect grave keeps Korean feud alive - Asia - Pacific - International Herald Tribune".The New York Times.

Further reading

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  • [1]The Founding of Catholic Tradition in Korea
  • [2]The Origin of the Roman Catholic Church in Korea: An Examination of Popular and Governmental Responses Catholic Missions in the Late Chosôn Dynasty
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