Catholic Priests Hold Another Political Mass: "Yoon Government Appears to Condone Thieves"

The Emergency Response Committee of the National Priests' Group for Justice Implementation will hold a 'Monday National Mass for the Resignation of the Pro-Japanese Traitorous Prosecutorial Dictatorship and the Restoration of Sovereignty' at 7 p.m. on the 17th at Changdong Intersection, Masanhappo-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam.

This is the second national mass since the 'Monday National Prayer Meeting' held near Seoul City Hall on the 10th.

On the afternoon of the 10th, members of the Emergency Measures Committee of the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice held a Monday national prayer meeting condemning the government in front of Seoul City Hall.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

On the 17th, the Priests' Emergency Committee issued a statement titled 'The Owner Must Do It,' saying, "We reflect on the uprisings and revolutions at the historic sites of the Bu-Ma Democratic Uprising, the April 19 Revolution, and the March 15 Movement, Korea's first bloody democratization movement," and criticized, "Even though it was revealed that a U.S. intelligence agency wiretapped the Presidential Office, the victim is instead defending the thief."

Regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol, they continued, "There is a person who repeated the word 'freedom' more than thirty times in his inaugural speech. His predecessors, whom he follows, also emphasized freedom. Rhee Syngman, Park Chung-hee, and Chun Doo-hwan all used 'liberal democracy' to extend their power or justify oppression, even committing massacres. Answer this," they urged.

The Priests' Emergency Committee questioned, "'It does not mean I can do whatever I want without restraint.' It means I exist by myself because of myself. I want to ask, are you a free and autonomous human being?"

On the afternoon of the 10th, members of the Emergency Committee of the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice Nationwide held a Monday national prayer meeting condemning the government in front of Seoul City Hall.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

They added, "It has been revealed that a U.S. intelligence agency wiretapped the Presidential Office. It is bitter that the United States, which we have trusted and relied on as an ally and blood ally, is spying on us, but the Presidential Office's response is laughable," criticizing, "They should at least pretend to be angry, but instead, they say, 'The wiretapping claim is an absurd lie, much of it is forged, there was no malicious wiretapping, and we will consult with the U.S.,' thus the victim is defending the thief."

They continued, "Instead of nurturing leaders who will find the nation's future on their own, the goal of colonial education was to cultivate collaborators representing Japan's interests, and that trend continues to this day," adding, "Only the owner can clean the house dirtied by tenants," and "I hope young people keep the spirit of 'struggling' against injustice rather than 'competing' with peers."

The Priests' Emergency Committee plans to hold prayer meetings in rotation, following Masan Diocese, at Suwon Diocese on the 24th, Gwangju Diocese on May 1, and conclude in Seoul on August 16.

Earlier on the 10th, the group criticized President Yoon's remarks comparing the Itaewon disaster response, vetoing the amendment to the Grain Management Act, and the Cargo Solidarity transport refusal crisis to "North Korea's nuclear threat," saying, "It seems that only the top 1% wealthy, large corporations, Japan, and the U.S. matter to him."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.