Catholics welcome planned summit between North, South Korean leaders

Published: 2007-08-08

SEOUL, South Korea (CNS) -- Catholic officials have welcomed the planned summit between the leaders of North and South Korea and expressed hope the meeting will further relations between the two estranged neighbors. Noting that both countries had "experienced ups and downs," Father Peter Pai Young-ho, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, expressed hope the summit will "encourage smooth communications between the two Koreas." He told the Asian church news agency UCA News Aug. 8 that he also hopes "the summit will be a good chance for a mutual exchange between religions in the North and South." The countries announced Aug. 8 that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was to meet South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, Aug. 28-30. The meeting will be the second between leaders of the two Koreas; the first was in June 2000. Thomas Han Hong-soon, president of the Catholic Lay Apostolate Council of Korea, told UCA News: "The more the leaders meet and dialogue the better will be relations between both Koreas. I hope the summit will promote peace on the Korean peninsula and human development in the two Koreas."

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