Natural disasters "pose a serious
question to all believers, who wonder why God allows them.
But through
these disasters, God prepares great graces for humanity. And that is
what we must focus on. "
These are the words with which Mgr. Peter Kang
U-il, president of the Korean Bishops' Conference, said during his visit
to the diocese of Sendai in Japan, one of the hardest hit by the
earthquake and resulting tsunami in March.
The bishop made the visit with Mgr. Peter Lee Ki-heon, who
heads the Forum of reconciliation between the Japanese and Korean
bishops: the two have brought to their brethren the sum derived from the
special collections held throughout April in the Catholic dioceses in
South Korea.
An AsiaNews source, who was part of the delegation,
said: "More than the money, the closeness and friendship between
Catholics of both countries counted ".
Korea and Japan have not enjoyed good relations
for more than a century: the aggressive colonial policy of the Land of
the Rising Sun, stopped after the defeat in World War II, has caused
much pain in the Korean and Chinese populations that have since cooled
relations with Tokyo.
After the disaster of 11 May, however, both
Beijing and Seoul said they were "close" to the country.
The Catholic Church, in particular, has led this
reconciliation.
The bishops of Korea and Japan have been trying for
years to bring the faithful of both nations together and have even set
up an "exchange" of priests, who spend long periods in the parishes as
guests to re-open a channel of dialogue between the countries.
This
visit and the gift of Korean Catholics, the source explains, "the crown
years of hard work."
The two bishops have visited the cathedral of Sendai, badly
damaged by the quake, accompanied by the local bishop, Mgr. Tetsuo
Hiraga.
Soon after they went to the Support Centre set up by the diocese
after the disaster, where they met with the staff and the faithful.
Here Mgr. Kang found a welcome message written by children in
the area.
The bishop said it "breaks my heart to see the living
conditions of the survivors. But the presence of Divine Providence can be felt".
These two disasters, he concluded, "provide a new opportunity for
us all.
The faithful are questioning why God has allowed them, but we
should instead concentrate on the great graces which, through this, he
prepares for man.
Concern for others, compassion and mutual aid has been
reborn in Japan: this change is a seed from which a new horizon for
Japanese society is being born".