Top Stories 25/02/26 Pope encourages Korean missionaries to proclaim faith ‘boldly'

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The Korean Missionary Society has 87 members, including 85 priests and two lay missionaries

Procession of the flags at the beginning of the Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul to mark the golden jubilee of the Korean Missionary Society on Feb. 26. (Photo: Seoul Archdiocese)

By UCA News reporter

Published: February 27, 2025 12:46 PM GMT

Updated: February 27, 2025 12:55 PM GMT

Pope Francis has commended the Korean Missionary Society on its 50th anniversary, encouraging the group to continue their worldwide missionary work.

The papal message was read out during a special Holy Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in the South Korean capital Seoul on Feb. 26, marking the missionary group’s golden jubilee. 

The message encouraged Korean missionaries to ensure their work “touches hearts and leads to a deeper encounter with Jesus Christ,” said a press release from Seoul Archdiocese.

The pope reminded that the anniversary serves “as an inspiration for ongoing dedication to the spread of the Gospel and fostering unity through faith worldwide.”

Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari, the Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, read out the message.

Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul presided over the Holy Mass, and other concelebrants included retired Cardinal Andrew Soo-jung Yeom of Seoul.

The event showcased the services that the missionary society was providing in various countries across the globe.

Ahead of the Holy Mass, a procession featuring representatives from the nine countries where the society engages in missionary work was organized to show its global footprint and dedication.

The procession included representatives from Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, China, Cambodia, Mozambique, the Philippines, Mexico, and the United States.

The society currently has 87 members, including 85 missionary priests and two lay missionaries.

The society was established in February 1975 at the request of the late Bishop Emeritus John A. Choi Jae-seon of Busan and was approved by the Korean Bishops' Conference.

It is credited for playing a key role in helping the Korean Church grow from receiving support to providing aid at national and international levels.

In Cambodia, the society runs KOMISO, a technical training institute established on the outskirts of western Phnom Penh, as well as a free medical clinic and a charity organization, according to the congregation’s website.

In Papua New Guinea, they serve in the Dioceses of Madang and Mendi, doing education and medical work in addition to ministering in parish apostolate.

Its members serve the Dioceses of Shinju and Taipei in Taiwan and take care of the parish, prison ministry, and a nursing home.

In China and Hong Kong, the priests teach in a seminary and take care of Hansen's Disease patients.  

Christianity started to grow in Korea in the 18th century as an indigenous lay movement and was emboldened by French and Chinese missionary priests.

The rulers of the Joseon Dynasty, which reigned over Korea from 1392 to 1897, outlawed Christianity, viewing the faith as a subversive religion conflicting with Confucianism-influenced Buddhist faith and a vessel for imperial foreign powers.

An estimated 10,000 Korean Catholics were martyred during the time of the Joseon rulers, when Christians faced persecution in the 18th and 19th centuries.

About 56 percent of the estimated 52 million South Koreans have no religion, about 30 percent are Christians, and 15.5 percent are Buddhist, according to government records.