Seoul (AsiaNews) - Saeteomin "are our brothers in faith and life. As believers and as a Church we must work, work harder so that these exiles from the North feel accepted and can live as we live all of us, with the same hopes and prospects ". This was the focus of the message signed by Msgr. Simon Ok Hyun-jin, president of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and foreign residents, sent to the dioceses in Korea marking World Day for Migrants.
The message is titled "Migration, a pilgrimage of faith and hope," and is addressed to the immigrant community living in South Korea. In the text Msgr. Ok stresses the need of pastoral care for the new "multicultural" forms of family and invites the faithful to bring to maturity a new sense of hospitality towards Saeteomin, the North Koreans who flee the regime and try to rebuild their lives in the South.
These exiles are frowned upon by the average of the South Korean population, which almost always considers them "spies of the regime" and try to keep them near the bottom rung of the social ladder: "The Church - writes Msgr. Okay - and all the faithful must be committed to making sure that these our brothers and sisters can find decent living standards at the same level of South Korean citizens. We must work even harder for this purpose".
On the other hand, adds the prelate, welcome and acceptance "is the basis of our religion. 'I was a stranger and you welcomed me', says Jesus, and in the same way we welcome migrants and ensure that their fundamental rights are respected. We must make sure these people will be able to return to their homelands with pride and self-respect after they have made a contribution for our country not just simply get paid for their labors. "