|
(An unofficial translation of
Archbishop Andrew Choi's letter to Julio and Julia Kim in Naju dated February 4, 2005.
Translated
at Mary's Touch By Mail in Gresham,
Oregon, U. S.
A. on Feb. 14, 2005)
February 4, 2005 THE WORD IS THE LIGHT OF LIFE
Dear Julio and Julia,
I pray that you and your
family will be filled with God's graces and mercy.
The purpose of this letter is
to urge you to make an important decision.
Since Julia said that she could not read any books other than the Bible,
she may not be able to read this letter, either. If that is the case, I ask Julio to read this
letter to her. I hope that this letter
will be read to her without fail and that both of you will give me a reply
together.
My predecessor, His Excellency
Archbishop Victorinus Gong-Hee Youn, made a pastoral decision with the love of
an affectionate father on January 1, 1998 and advised Julia and her followers
not to produce or distribute any more printed matters or other promotional
materials about the so-called "miracles" and other strange phenomena
and not to continue to hold religious events and devotional gatherings in
groups any longer. Instead of obeying
these instructions, they have protested and demanded a re-investigation. Furthermore, they have distrusted and
criticized the members of the investigation committee and behaved in ways that
do not conform to Archbishop Youn's judgment and pastoral advices.
After I was installed as the
Ordinary of the Kwangju Archdiocese, her followers have continued demanding a
re-investigation through direct and indirect channels, but I have judged that
their reasons were not valid and refused their demands. On May 5, 2001, I issued a pastoral letter
titled "In the Month of the Blessed Mother", reconfirming
Archbishop Youn's judgment and advices and advised (the faithful) to be
obedient to the Church.
In the mean time, several of
the clergy and laity who have visited Julia's house in Naju petitioned me or
the Holy See, but I have personally responded to them whenever deemed necessary
and have also sent replies to the Holy See.
Especially on March 24,
2001 during the Ad Limina visit, I met Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and
conversed with him for almost two hours.
I expressed my opinion about Julia of Naju to him, while two other
Korean bishops were also present.
On May 13, 2003, I interviewed Julia and Julio in
the education building at the Naju
Parish Church. Fr. Luke Hong-Chul Song (Pastor of Naju) and
Fr. Chrysostomus Kye-Hong Kim (Chancellor of the Archdiocese) were also
present. Fr. Aloysius Hong-Bin Chang
professed the Creed and read his pledge of loyalty (to the bishop). I explained to him why his priestly functions
were being suspended. Then, I listened
to what Julia and Julio had to say.
During this meeting, I asked
Julia and Julio to resume their normal and faithful life in the parish and also
to read the book: "The Ascent of Mount Carmel" by St. John of the
Cross. Because Julia said that she could
not read any books, I said that it would be okay if Julio read the book loudly
for her or read it himself first and then tell her the contents. Then, I asked them who was doing the
financial management such as buying the land on the mountain, taking up
collections during events (Translator's note: There has never been any collection taken up
in prayer meetings or any other devotional gatherings in Naju), selling
publications and other items, handling expenses, and keeping the accounting
records. As Julio and Julia said that
they were handling financial matters under their own names, I told them that,
as such things required transparency and needed to be readily available for
objective inspections, they should maintain accurate records so that the Bishop
could inspect them. I asked this,
because I needed to be kept informed as the Ordinary who had the duty of
guiding and overseeing any activities that were carried out in the name of (the
Catholic) religion within the diocese.
On July 11, 2003, at 3 p.m., I met Julia and Julio again in my
office located in Im-Dong, Kwangju. As Julia was holding a New Testament in her
hands, I asked, "Last time you said you could not read any books. How come you are carrying a Bible?" She answered, "When did I say that I
could not read the Bible?" I said,
"If you had told me that you could not read any books except the Bible, I
would not have misunderstood you."
When I asked Julio if they had brought the financial papers and had read
the book: "The Ascent of Mount Carmel", he said that they had
not read the book yet and had not prepared the financial papers yet,
either. I emphasized again that they
should prepare the financial documents by early August when I intended to visit
them in person. I also advised them
again to return to the parish, attend Masses, and lead a normal life as
parishioners.
On August 7, 2003, at about 2 p.m., I visited "the Blessed Mother's
Mountain" together with Fr. Chrysostomus Kye-Hong Kim and another priest
from the Archdiocesan office. I saw a
vinyl tent set up on the ground and
the Stations of the Cross on the mountain slopes. On the Way of the Cross, covered with little
rocks, the spots where they said that blood had come down were marked. On the hill, there were life-size statues
that appeared to have been imported from abroad. On the way down, I saw a spring, but could
not see how much water was in it as the facility was closed and locked. I met a person who was working there and asked
him if he knew the meaning of Matthew 18:15; he said he did not know. He said that he had been a lay missionary
(working at a mission chapel on an island) and had given the Blessed Mother's
statue to Julia, which later began weeping, as a gift to Julia.
Then, the man guided us to
Julia's house. There was a glass door at
the entrance to the Chapel. Copies of
Archbishop Youn's Declaration and mine were posted on the door, but they were
not easily readable because of the small print.
Inside the Chapel, there were all kinds of promotional publications and
"miraculous evidences" displayed in glass cases. On the ceiling were lights or cameras. In the front were the Blessed Mother's statue
and a glass case containing a large host (Translator's note: In this glass case on the floor in the front
of the Chapel, there only is a photograph of the Eucharist that descended on
August 27, 1997 during Fr. Raymond Spies' visit. There is no real Eucharist or host in this
case.) Outside the Chapel was a
large water tank, which probably contained water from the mountain. Then, we entered a room with Julia and Julio
and asked them if they had the financial papers ready (Translator's
note: Julia's house is located next to
the Chapel, and is separate from the Chapel). They did not present me any papers. So, I asked them two questions. First, what is the meaning of the verse from
Mark 3:20-30:
"Those who insult the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven", and,
second, how they understood the verse in Matthew 18:15-18 urging the faithful to follow the
judgment of the Church. Instead of
giving sincere answers, they asked back, lacking humility, and did not engage
themselves in the conversation.
Toward the end of November of
2004, through Fr. Aloysius Hong-Bin Chang, I urged Julio and Julia to make a
confession, fulfill their ordinary duty of presenting offerings to the Church,
and reconcile with the Church community before Christmas as mentioned in the
Church guidebook. I have been informed
that they did not go to Fr. Luke Hong-Chul Song (Naju Pastor) or carried out
their duties as members of the Church. (Translator's
note: Soon after Julia and Julio
received the Archbishop's message from Fr. Aloysius Chang, they did contact the
parish office to ask if they could return to the parish church as asked by the
Archbishop, but Fr. Song only repeated his previous demand that they fully
accept the Archbishop's Declaration and renounce all the messages and signs
before he would welcome them back into the parish. They could not betray the Lord and the
Blessed Mother and, thus, were not allowed to return to the
parish church.)
Now I give you an official
advice once again. I ask you to prepare
and submit to me the records of donations collected during events held on
"the Blessed Mother's Mountain" and "Julia's House" (Translator's
note: The Chapel is called "the
Blessed Mother's House, never "Julia's House".), make their
confessions, make offerings to the parish before the end of Lent 2005, and
submit the financial papers and the report (that they have complied with the
Bishop's advices) to me through Fr. Luke Hong-Chul Song, who oversees several
parishes in the Naju area, on or before the second Sunday of Easter, which is
Divine Mercy Sunday. If they fail to
submit the papers, I will decide that Julio and Julia do not belong to the
Catholic Church community and will publicly declare this.
I have been praying especially
for the two of you since the time I was installed as the Ordinary of the
Kwangju Archdiocese and will continue to do so.
I sincerely ask you to reconcile with the Church and be obedient to the
teaching authority of the Church. I want
to stress that our salvation comes from our believing in Jesus Christ and
leading our lives according to His teachings and not from promoting miracles or
chasing after them. Our Christian Faith
is what is contained in the Creed that we profess at baptism. If one does not profess the Creed or live
according to its contents, he cannot be said to be a true Catholic. Receive sacraments and reconcile with the
Church community. And humbly be obedient
to the Bishop, who is the shepherd in the local Church, and to the Pastor whom
the Bishop sent, and work with the community.
I wish that you lead a life of
reconciliation and unity accompanied with a sincere and obedient spirit and
behavior as children of God and members of the Church community, which is the
Mystical Body of Christ. I await your
response.
Signed by: Archbishop Andrew Chang-Moo Choi
Ordinary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kwangju
Copies: Apostolic Nuncio, All the diocesan bishops in Korea, Fr. Raymond Spies, and
the Pastor of Naju
|
