President Moon: "COVID-19 Prevention Achievements at Risk... Religion Should Set an Example"

President Moon Jae-in is speaking at a luncheon meeting with Catholic leaders, including Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung (Archbishop of Seoul), at the Blue House on the 20th. August 20, 2020.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in said on the 20th, "The achievements in (COVID-19) quarantine are on the verge of collapse," and urged, "Religious groups should set an example so that the quarantine does not worsen any further and COVID-19 can be controlled."

On the same day, President Moon held a luncheon meeting with Korean Catholic leaders at the Inwang Room of the Blue House main building, saying, "The next week is critical, but this week is especially important," and added, "A moment of negligence that causes all efforts to be in vain must never happen."

President Moon stated, "Recently, confirmed cases have surged mainly in the metropolitan area, and our quarantine efforts are facing another serious crisis," and emphasized, "As the person responsible for quarantine, I am taking this very seriously." He continued, "If the quarantine situation worsens and social distancing levels are raised, the damage to our economy will be immeasurable, and employment will collapse, causing great difficulties in the lives of our people," and stressed, "The government will firmly respond to actions that disregard or violate quarantine rules, with the safety of the people as the top priority."

President Moon also addressed the Catholic leaders attending the meeting, saying, "It is more urgent than ever to unite the hearts of the people," and requested, "Due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, people’s hearts are very tired, irritated, and even filled with anger. I ask religious leaders to share courage and prayers to heal the difficult hearts of the people and to strengthen the power of solidarity for each other's safety."

Furthermore, he said, "This year, the Catholic Church reflected on the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War by offering peace masses for the Korean Peninsula in 16 dioceses nationwide, and since 2016, has held the Korean Peninsula Peace Sharing Forum annually to pray for peace," adding, "I hope the Catholic Church will always be with us in opening the path for dialogue and exchange between the North and South and in advancing peace on the Korean Peninsula."

Attending the meeting were Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung (Archbishop of Seoul), Archbishop Kim Hee-jung (Chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea and Archbishop of Gwangju), Archbishop Cho Hwan-gil (Archbishop of Daegu), Bishop Lee Ki-heon (Bishop of Uijeongbu), Bishop Kwon Hyuk-joo (Bishop of Andong), Bishop Lee Yong-hoon (Bishop of Suwon), Bishop Yoo Heung-sik (Bishop of Daejeon), Bishop Son Sam-seok (Bishop of Busan), and Father Kim Jun-cheol (Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea and Secretary General of the Catholic Central Council of Korea), totaling nine attendees.

Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung (Archbishop of Seoul) is speaking at a luncheon meeting with President Moon Jae-in held at the Blue House on the 20th. 2020.8.20
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Speaking on behalf of the attendees, Cardinal Yeom said, "Recently, infections have been rapidly occurring in religious facilities, and many people are worried about signs of a resurgence," and added, "Our Catholic Church is cooperating to the fullest extent with government guidelines and is informing parish priests to ensure thorough personal hygiene among believers." He also noted, "Pope Francis has prayed several times for the victims of COVID-19 and for those working to prevent the spread of the virus."

Cardinal Yeom further expressed, "We hope to overcome this crisis well through cooperation with the people," and added, "We will also unite our hearts in prayer with our believers and encourage everyone to faithfully fulfill their roles in their respective places."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.