Posted on 12/09/2015 6:21:21 AM PST by marshmallow
South Korea's Catholic Church announced on Monday it had reached agreement with North Korea to send priests there on "a regular basis," seeking an opening in a country with a long history of tight religious control, AFP reported. The agreement, which should see priests leading services in Pyongyang on major holy days from next year, followed a visit to the North Korean capital by South Korean bishops last week. The announcement by the Catholic Bishop's Conference of Korea (CBCK) came at the end of a 4-day visit to North Korea by a delegation of 4 bishops and 13 priests, on the invitation of Pyongyang's state-run Korean Catholic Association (KCA), which has no link with the Vatican.
Although religious freedom is enshrined in the North's constitution, all religious activity is subject to extremely tight restrictions and completely banned outside of state-sanctioned institutions. There is no resident Catholic priest anywhere in the country and just one Catholic church building in Pyongyang, Changchung Cathedral. But experts say it holds no confessions, baptisms or sacraments. There are also two Protestant churches, but there are no Catholic priests, Protestant pastors or Buddhist monks in North Korea.
CBCK spokesman Lee Young Sik told AFP the first visit was scheduled for Easter in March 2016. "And then we will iron out details on how frequently they would visit and lead a mass there," Lee said.
(Excerpt) Read more at en.radiovaticana.va ...
Lumen Christi.
Deo gratias.
Kim Jong-un has his ulterior motives, but I very seriously doubt that his conversion is one of them.
So visiting priests will not do (celebrate, perform) confessions, baptisms or sacraments.
What on earth will they will do...?
The article said the Cathedral had no confessions, baptism or sacraments at the present time.
Here’s a quote from later in the article:
**The agreement, which should see priests leading services in Pyongyang on major holy days from next year, followed a visit to the North Korean capital by South Korean bishops last week. The announcement by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Korea (CBCK) ‎came at the end of a 4-day visit to North Korea by a delegation of 4 bishops and 13 priests, on the invitation of Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Catholic Association (KCA), which has no link with the Vatican. **
May the Lord bless these missionary priests and their spirit.
I think that the commies will list all those who even speak to a priest and lock'em up in a concentration camp.
That's MY read.
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