SPOTLIGHT 26/02/10 Korean Church wants Asian bishops to warn against unapproved Maria

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The alleged miracles related to Mother Mary of Naju are not recognized by the Korean Church and the Vatican

A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is seen at a shrine in Naju, South Korea. The alleged miracles associated with the Naju shrine are not approved by the Korean Church and the Vatican. (Photo: najumary.or.kr)

By UCA News reporter

Published: February 17, 2026 11:59 AM GMT

Updated: February 17, 2026 12:14 PM GMT

The Catholic Bishops in Korea want bishops across Asia to inform local Catholics of a Marian shrine operating in Korea without approval, where an expelled priest reportedly continues to celebrate sacraments illicitly.

The Standing Committee of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Korea, which met in Seoul on Feb. 10, decided to ask the regional forum of bishops' forum — the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) — to inform their Catholics that the Marian shrine in Naju, in the Gwangju Archdiocese, operates without the Church’s approval.

Earlier, on Jan. 12, the conference’s secretary general, Father Lee Cheol-su, issued a pastoral letter reiterating that the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith had issued several notices urging people not to be swayed by those promoting devotion to the Naju shrine.

In their latest circular, the Korean bishops also reminded the Archdiocese of Gwangju to issue notices prohibiting devotion to the shrine and the distribution of all promotional materials related to it.

The circular alleged that Julia Yoon and her followers not only openly defied the Magisterium (the Church's teachings) but also misled many by falsely claiming the shrine would soon receive the Church's approval.

The shrine in southwest South Korea claims to attract ‘tens of thousands’ Catholics from across Korea and various parts of Asia, despite Church leaders publicizing its functioning without hierarchical approval.

The Koran bishops’ latest decision followed media reports that Julia Kim Yoon, who founded the shrine, and her followers continue to hold masses, liturgies, and gatherings in private locations to encourage public devotion to Mary.

In 2024, the Gwangju Archdiocese warned the faithful about Alexander Kim Dae-sik, a priest expelled from the Salesian congregation in 2022, who reportedly continued to celebrate sacraments illicitly at the Naju center.

Julia Kim, 79, a Protestant-turned-Catholic mother of four, founded the shrine in the late 1980s after claiming to have had Marian apparitions.

On June 30, 1985, she claimed that her statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary began shedding tears. She also claimed to have been miraculously cured of terminal cancer. Her claims attracted Catholics, prompting Church officials to investigate the claims.

In 1998, then-Gwangju Archbishop Victorinus Youn Kong-hi declared that the reported events were “not of supernatural origin.”

Last year, Malaysian Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching and Singapore Archdiocesewarned Catholics from visiting the Naju shrine to avoid "excommunication."

This report is brought to you in partnership with the Catholic Times of Korea