RSSBuilding up a culture of organ donation is one way to honor the memory of the late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, who had pledged to donate his eyes upon his death, a Korean priest says.
Father Joseph Kim Yong-tae, director of Seoul archdiocese´s One-body One-spirit Movement, which encourages organ donations, calls for the promotion of such a culture of charity, noting the great need for organ transplants today to treat serious diseases.
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Father Joseph Kim Yong-tae |
In a commentary for UCA News, Father Kim, who is also director of Caritas Seoul, the local Church´s social-service organization, notes there was a rush of organ donation pledges in the country when news of the late cardinal donating his eyes broke.
According to the “The Korea Times” online, two patients received successful cornea transplants as a result of the cardinal´s decision.
Father Kim, in this commentary, analyzes the organ-donation culture in the country:
On Feb. 16, Cardinal Kim died. So many people across the country have commemorated his death. In Myeongdong Cathedral alone, more than 400,000 people paid their last respects to Korea´s first cardinal. This proves his great accomplishments during his life.
Moreover, he showed his great love for others by donating his eyeballs as his last gift. According to the Korean Network for Organ Sharing (KONOS), a government institute, after his donation was made known to the public, there was a big wave of organ donation pledges on the Internet — 10 times more than the day before.
Since South Korea´s first kidney transplant in 1969, organ transplants have emerged as an effective treatment for many serious diseases. However, it is also true that many patients have suffered from a severe lack of organ donations.
According to a KONOS report, as of last January, 14,509 patients are still waiting for an organ. December 2007 figures show that patients had to wait an average of 375 days to obtain an organ, and from 2003 to 2007, 4,085 people died while waiting.
A donor who is declared “brain dead” can give new life to seven patients, and new sight to two blind people.
In 1956, Pope Pius XII declared the Catholic Church´s official position on organ transplants, saying that in principle organs or tissues from a dead body can be used for therapy or scientific research.
In 1995, Pope John Paul II said in his encyclical “Evangelium Vitae” (Gospel of life) that donating organs in an ethically acceptable manner is a particularly praiseworthy example of giving one´s self totally, a heroic action to proclaim the Gospel of life.
In the local Church, the One-body One-spirit Movement arose out of preparations for the 44th International Eucharistic Congress in Seoul in 1989. To instill the spirit of the Eucharist in our daily lives, the movement started with about 3,700 Catholics, including the late Cardinal Kim and his priests, promising to donate their blood, as well as their eyes and other organs upon death. At that time, local society did not pay any attention to organ donation. So it was the first “mass movement” for such donations.
As of 2008, a total of 52,561 people have made pledges with the movement, which has the second largest number of donation pledges among the 295 organ donation registries in the country.
A big impetus came when many Seoul archdiocesan priests joined the campaign in 1997, followed by Suwon diocesan priests in 1998. Also, continuous efforts led to a sharp increase in laypeople´s participation.
According to KONOS, however, the 545,705 people in the country who have registered to donate their organs upon death as of 2008 represent only 1.16 percent of the country´s population. It is true that this number is very low compared with some other countries.
The culture of organ donation has not yet taken root in society here. A pledge is often disregarded when the bereaved family objects to removing an organ from the deceased.
The Church teaches that our life, a gift from God, will be most fruitful when we share it with our neighbors. Organ donation is a manifestation of our faith. Now, it is time for us to plant the culture of organ donation in the whole nation, beyond the Church. I think this is in line with the noble will of the late Cardinal Kim.
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