Seoul (UCAN):  The Korean Catholic Church welcomed the latest leaders’ summit between the president of United States of America (US), Donald Trump, and the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, as an important step towards achieving denuclearisation and a lasting peace.
 
The two met on June 30 at the truce village of Panmunjom, which is a symbol of the divided Koreas. Trump became the first sitting US president to cross the border as Panmunjom lies just on the North Korean side of the Demilitarised Zone.
 

SEOUL (UCAN): At its recent plenary assembly, held from October 15 to 17, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea approved a new set of guidelines which revise the direction of priestly formation, defining it as more of a lifetime journey rather than something just for seminarians in order to train priests to properly serve the demands of the faithful and society.
 

SEOUL (UCAN): Over 100 Catholic deacons in South Korea joined an Ecumenical and Interreligious Pilgrimage of Catholic Deacons, a June 20 to 22 pilgrimage to places of worship for other religions in Seoul to promote religious tolerance and understanding organised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK).
 

SEOUL (UCAN): According to figures released on April 13 by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, a total of 96,794 young Catholics were baptised—representing a drop of 12.9 per cent compared to 2016.
 
It is the slowest rate of growth in the last decade, leaving Church authorities concerned about a continued wind-down as parishioners, in line with Korean society as a whole, are greying at the temples.