South Korean Roman Catholics pray during a Mass at the Myeong Dong Roman Catholic Church in Seoul in this file photo. (Photo by AFP)
In commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Catholic and Protestant scholars in Korea have urged Christian churches to remember this history and to continue their dialogue about Christian unity.
"The Catholic Church needs to reflect on the 500 years since the Reformation, during which it denigrated the meaning of the Reformation and tried to justify the faith of the Catholic Church," said Father John Song Yong-min, co-chair of the Theology Committee for the Commission on Faith and Order of Korean Churches.
"The church needs to see the Reformation not as a deviation from the Catholic Church but as a move to a more personal relationship with God beyond the church hierarchy or formalities," he said.
Father Song argued that for the Catholic Church to be authentic, it needs endless reformation of itself.
Anglican priest, John Park Tae-sik, the other co-chair of the committee, said, "This year will be a time of challenge to all Christian denominations to remember the spirit of the Reformation. Protestant churches should especially look back on their paths after the Reformation and reflect whether they have been following the spirit correctly."
The start of the Reformation is sometimes dated back to Oct. 31, 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.
After the Reformation, numerous Protestant denominations were established. However 500 years later, churches are now looking towards greater Christian unity.
Park said, "Christian unity is the mission of all Christians and we need to create an ongoing dialogue."
Meanwhile, Father Song stressed the need for a grass-roots level Christian unity movement. "In our daily lives, we need to meet Christians of different denominations and share our joy as Christians, rather than have theological debates. This real 'dialogue' among us will be the seed of hope for Christian unity," he said.
Catholics and Protestants have a history of working for Christian unity in the country. In 2009, for the first time, Korean Christian churches prepared a special guidebook, used in many places around the world for observances of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 18-25. Catholic and Protestant bodies published the resources suggested for use for the 2009 Unity Week, based on the materials the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Churches in Korea jointly prepared.
The guidebook contained prayers for services, biblical and theological reflections, specific prayers for each of the eight days in the unity week, and information on the ecumenical situation in Korea.
For a number of years, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches have jointly published materials for the week.