A former South Korean ambassador to the Holy See backs senior priests who called for the resignation of Cardinal Nicholas Cheong, saying the cardinal made a mistake.

“What is important in Catholic Church is the episcopal collegiality. Cardinal Cheong’s remark on the river project broke it and brought the confusion and division among faithfuls,” said Bosco Seong Youm in an interview with the Protestant-run CBS radio program on Dec. 14

The former ambassador to Vatican from 2003 to 2007 pointed out that the documents from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea are stern against the project.

“It is the anti-environmental project disregarding the nature and no other opinion will follow on it,” he said. “Church’s teachings themselves do not change.”

The former envoy added there are followers of the Church’s social teachings and those who deny them.

“Now is the time to pray for the unity of the Church…and preserve the 2,000 year long Catholic tradition of the unity centering the ordinaries,” said Fabiano Choi Hong-jun asking the lay faithfuls to pray.

The president of the Catholic Lay Apostolate Council of Korea said “We should see the project in the eyes of God and try to be faithful followers to God.”

Related report
Korean priests demand Cardinal Cheong resign

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