Bishops of Japan and Korea: 'Peace is not based on weapons'

The Bishops of Korea and Japan have issued a joint appeal for peace in the region, at the conclusion of their joint meeting, held in Kagoshima from 14 to 16 November.

"The current situation in northeast Asia is very worrying," they said. "The countries of North Asia are looking for stability and prosperity with their military power, forming alliances with other great powers of the political system. This creates threats and anxieties in all nations and generates tensions for security in all countries. We, Bishops of South Korea and Japan, launch an appeal to express a hope of peace for North-East Asia."

This is the 23rd joint assembly among the Bishops, who regularly hold an annual meeting to strengthen the ties of mutual cooperation and solidarity and to help build justice and peace in East Asia.

In the concluding note of the meeting, the Bishops express satisfaction for the meeting that "for 23 years has helped to reflect on the devastating history of the two countries and to build a bright future of reconciliation" and report of "having deepened our relationship and sharing on economic and cultural aspects."

The Bishops express "sincere hope for peace in Northeast Asia," rejecting any possible idea of war. "God urges us to eradicate in everybody the wrong conviction that peace can be guaranteed by nuclear weapons or militarization. These, on the contrary, only increase the risk of war. We would like to emphasize the principle expressed in Pacem In Terris by John XXIII, which emphasizes that 'true peace can only be built thanks to mutual trust', not counting on arsenals (n. 61). In addition, the poor and the environment continue to suffer, while astronomical sums of money are spent on weapons. For the sake of God and all humanity, may the leaders of the nations make every effort to dialogue for peace: they have a great responsibility for world peace."

The statement concludes: "Violence is a crazy way of undermining human dignity and causing disastrous consequences for all humanity. Any kind of violence can only be overcome by building trust and love and solidarity among humans. We, Korean and Japanese Bishops, commit ourselves to peace by living actively in fraternal love, entrusting in God's power, not military power."