In South Korea, Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox churches have been holding occasional ecumenical pilgrimages since 2006 to discuss key common issues in a conflicted society and to show solidarity for a peaceful world.
From November 25 to December 3, 2024, the Commission for Faith and Order of the Korean Churches (co-chaired by Bishop Lee, Yonghoon Matthias and Pastor Kim, Jong-saeng) visited the Holy See in Rome, the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Turkuye, Istanbul, delivering letters to representatives of the Holy See, the WCC, and the Orthodox Patriarchate, asking them to pray for peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula and to mediate for peace if possible. Sr. Cecilia Son of the Pastorelle Sisters also participated as a member of the Commission for Faith and Order of the Korean Churches.
The ecumenical pilgrimage and conferences were organized on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Commission for Faith and Order of the Korean Churches, which was created to promote the ecumenical movement of Christians in Korea. The pilgrimage is dedicated to “unity and coexistence,” especially in these times of various sufferings.
In Rome, the group visited the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity to reflect on the meaning of Christian unity and the social challenges of the Church in times of crisis. At the meeting on November 26, Archbishop Polavio Pace of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity welcomed the pilgrims. He invited them to “always ask the Holy Spirit for his grace to help us move together toward Christian unity through ecumenical journeys and listening, so that our diversity can be reconciled.”
On November 27, the pilgrimage delivered a letter to Pope Francis asking him to pray for peace in the world and, in particular, for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
From November 27 to 28, the pilgrims held meetings on various topics at the World Council of Churches (WCC) and an ecumenical pilgrimage focused on Protestants, while from November 29 to December 2, the pilgrims met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Orthodox Church of Istanbul and made a pilgrimage to Istanbul.
Sr. Son Cecilia Chung Myung. sjbp
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