Religion 17/05/11 Reformation anniversary is a call for ecumenicism in Korea - Catholics and Protestants required to unitedly work for the common good

[성기화 요셉]

Reformation anniversary is a call for ecumenicism in Korea

Catholics and Protestants required to unitedly work for the common good

Christian scholars at the "Korean Christian Unity Forum in Commemoration of 500th anniversary of the Reformation" held at Francis Hall of the Anglican Cathedral in Seoul on May 11. (Photo by The Catholic Times of Korea)

May 19, 2017

Korean Catholic and Protestant scholars encouraged the ecumenical movement to work together for the common good on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

The Commission on Faith and Order of Korean Churches organized the Korean Christian Unity Forum to commemorate Protestantism's historic break with the Catholic Church at the Anglican Cathedral in Seoul on May 11.

Titled, "Fruits of Continuous Dialogue," the forum discussed the value, meaning and contents of "From Conflict to Communion," a document released for the Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation this year.

The document, released by the Vatican and the Lutheran Federation in 2013, summarizes what happened in the 16th century, the controversies that arose and the ecumenical interpretation. It details modern ecumenism, its patterns of thought, language and agenda. Korean Catholic and Protestant scholars jointly translated the document and published it in Korean on May 11.

The Rev. Ahn Kyo-seong, professor at Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, said in his presentation, "The document is based, not on discrepancy, but in difference and coexistence. It stresses the hope for the common good via ecumenical dialogue."

After Rev. Ahn's presentation, Father John Song Yong-min, undersecretary of the Catholic bishops' conference and professor at Incheon Catholic University and other scholars held a panel discussion.

"The most important thing for the Christian unity movement is our efforts to create common good beyond our theological reflection," Father Song said.

"When we Christians join with the pain of our society and console our hurts together, we can overcome the wall dividing us and create stepping stones for further cooperation," he said.

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