SEOUL (UCAN) -- Catholic university students from East Asia say they recognize that "healthy" food from organic farming is important to establish proper relationships with God and the whole ecosystem.

This message emerged from the East Asia Program on "Understanding Ecosystem Through Food" that the Seoul Federation of Catholic University Students (SFCS) and the Asia Pacific Team of the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) conducted Aug. 4-11. Thirty-four students, priests and Religious from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macau and Taiwan took part in the program.

IMCS has been organizing such activities annually since 1998 to help students develop awareness of their own reality and to raise their voices within their respective regions.

Paul Seo Yoon-ho, SFCS's president, told UCA News on Aug. 12 that his local preparatory committee chose the theme because environmental problems have worsened and become a sensitive issue. The participants from East Asia understood and recognized its significance without difficulty, he noted.

The meeting was a good opportunity for participants to witness organic farming and discuss its value among themselves, he said, especially for those who came from Hong Kong and Macau, where there are no farmlands.

"Through the process, the participants recognized that organic food and farming have something to do with not only food itself but a proper relationship with the whole ecosystem," he said.

The program involved Masses, a lecture on eco-theology, group sharing, watching videos on healthy and "fast" foods, a cultural-exchange program, a tour of Catholic shrines and scenic spots in Seoul, and a two-day exposure trip to an organic farm in Goesan, Chungcheongbuk-do province. Goesan is about 110 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

During the exposure trip, the participants helped local farmers by cleaning tomato fields after harvest, mending and weeding greenhouses.

Anabela Yu Sin-sam, 21, told UCA News on Aug. 12 that organic food is not popular in Macau, and "the issue of choosing between organic farming and genetically modified food is quite new to me."

Yu, who came for the program with other three Macanese (people of mixed Chinese and Portuguese descent), said the exposure and discussions have helped her see that all creatures have a relationship with God. "In this sense, the program broadened my faith," she concluded.

"As a small action upon our return to Macau, we will research whether the government requires labels for identifying organic or GM food," she added. "If not, we will ask for that requirement, to help people know the reality."

Xavier Chan Wing-tat from Hong Kong told UCA News on Aug. 13 that his city has no farmland, so all agricultural products are imported.

"Hong Kongers are relatively rich and waste food because they have no idea about what agricultural production means," he continued. "Catholic students should at least respect farmers and farming, and regard GM food as harmful to the human body. IMCS holds many meetings on various levels, so we can inform Catholics and other people about such issues."

Thelese Yamashida Emi from Japan told UCA News on Aug. 13 that labeling meat in Japan has become a "hot" issue because food companies reportedly deceive consumers by labeling imported meat as domestic so as to make greater profits.

In her view, few students in Japan seem interested in social concerns, so she hopes she can help other Catholic students recognize such issues.

Father Joseph Lee Seung-min, the chaplain of SFCS, told UCA News on Aug. 13 the food issue is not an isolated problem, since it also indicates destroyed relationships between farmers and consumers, as well as God and the ecology system as a whole. "Rather, it is quite a big and deep problem," he said.

He said he hopes that when the participants return to school, they will practice what they gained from the program, no matter how small it may be.

Adrian Anthony Pereira, IMCS Asia Pacific coordinator, told UCA News on Aug. 13 that the annual program theme is decided by each host country or territory.

The next host is Macau, he said, but the theme has not been chosen yet.

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