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Christians regret causing 'anxiety'

Protestants and Catholics pledge to be messengers of unity
Christians regret causing 'anxiety'
Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk
Published: April 26, 2011 10:23 AM GMT
Updated: April 27, 2011 01:17 AM GMT

Both Catholic and Protestant Churches expressed repentance over Easter for being sources of anxiety to society and not the messengers of reconciliation and happiness they should be. Celebrating Mass in Myeongdong Cathedral on Easter Saturday, Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk of Seoul said the Church would lose its reason to exist if it only pursues its own self-interest and welfare. Cardinal Cheong noted in his Easter message that "some people regret that local religions have been a cause of division and unhappiness, not a messenger of reconciliation and happiness" in society, for which "we should deeply repent." However, he insisted that such an evaluation reflects "that society still expects big things from the Church and its faithful." During a joint Protestant Easter celebration, Reverend Lee Sin-woong also said "the local Church should be leading people along the right path and giving them hope instead of being a source of worry." At the celebration organized by the (progressive) National Council of Churches in Korea and the (conservative) Christian Council of Korea (CCK), the CCK member insisted that "the Church should get back on right track through the resurrection of Jesus." In recent months, many Protestant groups have called for the CCK, the country's largest Protestant association, to be disbanded over bribery allegations during elections for the head of the organization. Meanwhile, Bishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik of Daejeon visited a social welfare institute for young people and celebrated Easter Mass on Sunday. Bishop You called on marginalized young people not to view the world through prejudiced eyes, saying "when we see the world through the resurrection, we can see a butterfly in a caterpillar."

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