Top Stories 26/02/10 Korean Catholics offer 1500th Mass for reconciliation, unity

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First Reconciliation Mass was offered on March 7, 1995, by the late Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan, then archbishop of Seoul

South Korean Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul presides over the 1500th Mass for Reconciliation and Unity at Myeong-dong cathedral on Feb. 10. (Photo: Seoul Archdiocese)

By UCA News reporter

Published: February 13, 2026 10:03 AM GMT

Updated: February 13, 2026 10:50 AM GMT

Catholics in South Korea’s Seoul Archdiocese joined the 1500th weekly Mass for reconciliation and unity in the Korean Peninsula, which has been celebrated since 1995.

“Regular Masses having been celebrated for nearly 31 years with unwavering dedication under one single orientation is a feat virtually unparalleled in the entire history of the Catholic Church in Korea,” Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul said on Feb. 10.

“This demonstrates how crucial the tasks of peace on the Korean Peninsula and reconciliation and unity between North and South Korea are for our people,” the prelate said.

Chung made the remarks during the homily at Tuesday Mass for reconciliation and unity at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Myeong-dong, Seoul, the archdiocese said in a press release.

The Korea Reconciliation Committee of the Archdiocese of Seoul has been arranging the mass since it was founded in 1995.

The liturgy on Feb. 10 drew 400 participants, including Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari, former and inaugural Chairperson of the Korea Reconciliation Committee Archbishop Choi Chang-mou, Costa Rican Ambassador to Korea Jorge Enrique Valerio Hernández, Unification Minister David Chung Dong-young, political leaders, government officials, priests, monks, and laypeople.

Over the past 30 years, there have been moments when peace on the Korean Peninsula seemed within reach, and periods when dialogue completely stopped, and tensions reached their peak, Chung said, referring to topsy-turvy relations between South and North Korea.

He assessed that “the current reality is also a situation where it is unclear where and how to resume dialogue.” Nevertheless, he emphasized that “efforts to understand the other side and seek reconciliation are by no means a weak or unrealistic choice; rather, they are a more courageous decision.”

For effective dialogue, both parties need to give up “the stubbornness and we-are-better-than-you mentality within ourselves,” and added, “When we see each other as brothers and neighbors, entrenched relationships can truly be transformed.”

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said the milestone of the 1500th Mass is “deeply meaningful” and noted the cathedral is a place “filled with the spirit of reconciliation, forgiveness, life, and peace.”

The first Reconciliation Mass was offered on March 7, 1995, by the late Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan (then Archbishop of Seoul and Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang). It continued uninterrupted except for a temporary pause during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Every Tuesday evening, the "Prayer for Peace" by Saint Francis is offered simultaneously at Myeong-dong Cathedral in Seoul and Changchung Church in Pyongyang. This practice stems from an agreement reached on Aug. 15, 1995, between the Korea Reconciliation Committee of the Seoul Archdiocese and the official North Korean Catholic body, the Korean Catholic Association (KCA) of North Korea, to jointly offer Saint Francis' “Prayer for Peace”.

Prayer Meeting for Sharing Peace has also continued, where the Rosary is recited after the Reconciliation Mass each week.

Additionally, since Advent in 2015, which marked the 70th anniversary of liberation and division of Korea, the “Remembering One North Korea Church” campaign has been underway to pray for the 57 parish churches and approximately 52,000 faithful who resided in the North Korean region at the time of liberation.