The religion of progress and development or how Christianity transformed Korea. Korean Christianity: pages of history Christian Church in South Korea
The 110th anniversary of the first Divine Liturgy in Korea is a special date for me. With the blessing of the church leadership, since 2000 I have been serving in pastoral obedience in the Republic of Korea and have been engaged in the spiritual care of Orthodox Russian-speaking citizens living on its territory. My ministry takes place within the Korean Metropolis of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and during my stay in Korea I was able to become closely acquainted with the life of Korean Orthodox parishes, with the achievements in the missionary field of Greek brethren, as well as with the problems that Korean Orthodox believers face today.
Currently, the Orthodox Church in the Republic of Korea is represented by the Korean Metropolis of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Greek presence in Korea dates back to civil war in Korea 1950-53. In 1949, the last Russian head of the Spiritual Mission in Seoul, Archimandrite Polycarp, was forced to leave South Korea. And in June 1950, civil war broke out on the Korean Peninsula. The only Korean priest remaining in the Mission, Alexey Kim Eui Han, went missing in July 1950. For several years, the Orthodox Christians of Seoul and its suburbs found themselves without any kind of pastoral care. During the civil war, a contingent of UN troops was sent to Korea. As part of this continent there was a Greek Orthodox chaplain, Archimandrite Andrei (Halkilopoulos). In 1953, he discovered an Orthodox community in Seoul, began restoring damaged mission buildings, and began performing services. In 1955, a congress of Orthodox believers in Korea decided to move to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Communication with the Moscow Patriarchate was interrupted at that time. At first, the Korean community was under the jurisdiction of the Greek Archdiocese in America, and since 1970 it became part of the New Zealand Metropolis of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
By the decision of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on April 20, 2004, a separate Korean Metropolis was formed on the territory of Korea, the first head of which was Bishop Sotirios (Trambas), who served in Korea for more than 30 years in the rank of archimandrite and bishop. In May 2008, Metropolitan Sotirios was replaced as head of the Korean Metropolis by Metropolitan Ambrose (Zograph), who had previously served in Korea for more than 10 years.
The Korean Metropolis of the Patriarchate of Constantinople today includes seven churches, several chapels and one monastery. There are seven Korean priests and one deacon serving in the metropolis. There are temples in the cities of Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Jeonju, Chunchon, Ulsan. The largest community of believers is in Seoul, usually Sunday services at the Seoul Cathedral of St. About 100 people visit Nicholas. A remarkable fact is that most of the parishioners of the Seoul Cathedral are made up of three large families, who are descendants of Koreans who were once baptized by Russian missionaries. Family traditions are very strong in Korea, and if the head of the family visits a particular temple, then very often other family members follow him. Now among the parishioners of the cathedral there are 90-year-old elders who once served Russian priests at the altar and remember prayers and chants in Russian. Cathedral of St. Nicholas is located near central Seoul. Built in the tradition of Byzantine architecture and designed by a Korean architect, it was consecrated in 1968 on a new site in the Mapo district. This Orthodox church is the only one in Seoul and therefore is visited by Orthodox believers from different countries - Russia, America, Romania, Greece and others. The temple was painted in the traditions of Byzantine painting by icon painters from Greece, who regularly come to Korea and paint Korean temples for free. The cathedral choir performs chants adapted from Russian and Byzantine melodies. Worship services are held entirely on Korean. Divine services of the daily cycle have been translated into Korean, including the Divine Liturgy, Matins and Vespers, the main chants of the main church holidays and Sundays. However, the Menaion and Octoechos still remain untranslated. Divine services are regularly held for foreigners foreign languages- Russian, English, Greek in the church of St. Maxim the Greek, located on the territory of the cathedral.
Every Sunday after the end of the service, all parishioners participate in a joint meal. After the meal, parishioners are usually divided into age groups and study the Holy Scriptures. The same order is followed in other churches of the metropolis - in Busan, Incheon and Jeonju, which are regularly visited by about 50 people. In Chunchon and Ulsan, communities consist of 2-3 families. The total number of all Orthodox Koreans is several hundred people. On average, about 50 people are baptized annually throughout the metropolitan area.
The communities of each temple annually hold joint events for parishioners - field trips, sporting events, and pilgrimage trips to the holy places of Israel, Egypt, Greece and Russia are organized. IN last years Publishing activity intensified in the metropolis. Among the recently published books are the lives of saints for children, books of theological content, including “Essay on Mystical Theology” Orthodox Church» Vladimir Lossky. There are translated lives of some Russian saints - Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Luke Voino-Yasenetsky, Holy Martyr Elizabeth. Russian parishioners take part in the work on translations. IN Lately An increasing number of patristic works of the first centuries of Christianity are coming out of print, published by Protestant publishing houses.
Orthodox camps are regularly organized for children in summer and winter. Students who go abroad to receive spiritual education receive a scholarship from the funds of the metropolis.
The Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord is located 60 kilometers northeast of Seoul in the mountains. Now Metropolitan Sotiriy permanently resides in it and the only Korean nun is obedient to it. The monastery is often visited by Orthodox Koreans, and the patronal feast of the monastery gathers believers from all over Korea. The metropolis plans to build a theological school on the territory of the monastery.
Russian-speaking diaspora in Korea
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Diplomatic relations between Russia and Korea were established in 1990 and since then the flow of Russians coming to Korea has been constantly increasing. Since the mid-90s, a community of Russian parishioners gradually began to form at the only Orthodox church in Seoul. Initially, they attended services held in the Church of St. Nicholas in Korean, and later, especially for them, from time to time, divine services began to be held in Russian. By the end of the 90s, the Russian community in Korea had grown noticeably and in 2000, Bishop Sotiriy sent a request to the Moscow Patriarch to send a Russian clergyman to Korea. With the blessing of Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Hieromonk Theophan (Kim) was sent to the Republic of Korea.
A small underground temple was provided for services in Russian St. Maximus Greek. In this temple, utensils that remain from the Russian Spiritual Mission are stored and used. Among the most valuable relics are the iconostasis, liturgical vessels, altar gospels, a shroud with an embroidered image of the Savior, crosses, and icons. In the altar there is an antimension inscribed by Archbishop Sergius (Tikhomirov), who after the death of St. Nicholas of Japan headed the Japanese Orthodox Church and later the Russian Spiritual Mission in Korea. The church also displays the liturgical vestments of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, who at one time supported the Japanese and Korean spiritual missions with valuable gifts. On the walls of the Church of St. Maxim the Greek are modern icons of Russian saints, painted by Greek and Russian icon painters. Divine services in Russian are usually held there on two Sundays a month and on major holidays. To the rest Sundays I travel to other cities in Korea - Busan, Ulsan, and others, where Russian-speaking parishioners live, and perform services in the churches of the metropolis. The largest part of the Russian-speaking flock is concentrated in Seoul, where parishioners also come from nearby cities for services - Suwon, Ilsan, Ansan, Chunchon and others.
The Russian community in Seoul is currently part of the community of the Church of St. Nicholas. Russian parishioners participate in most events organized by the Metropolitanate and the community of St. Nicholas. In addition to divine services, these include participation in conferences, joint trips to nature, and the organization of children's camps. At the end of the services, after a joint meal, traditionally, conversations with Russian parishioners are held on spiritual topics and classes on the Holy Scriptures. Several people participate in maintaining the website of the Russian community, where its life is reflected, news, announcements, schedules of services and other information are posted. In addition to services in Russian and Korean, I also perform other sacraments and services. Together with parishioners, we visit hospitals and prisons where Russian citizens are admitted, and, as far as possible, provide them with spiritual and material assistance. A small Russian community has been formed in Busan, in the south of the country - the second largest city in South Korea and a major port center.
A story about the current state of Orthodoxy on the Korean Peninsula would be incomplete without mentioning how Orthodoxy is presented in North Korea. In August 2006, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (now Patriarch) consecrated the newly built Holy Trinity Church in the capital of North Korea, Pyongyang. The temple was built with funds from the North Korean side on the personal instructions of Kim Jong Il, who showed genuine interest in Orthodoxy during his visits to Russia. During the construction of the temple, we tried to maintain the main points of traditional Russian temple architecture. The iconostasis for the temple was painted by masters of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. During the construction of the temple, several Koreans underwent theological training within the walls of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary for two years, two of whom were ordained to the priesthood and are currently serving in the newly consecrated temple. The main parishioners of the temple are employees of the Russian and other Embassies in the DPRK. Help in organizing the church life of the community is provided by clergy of the Vladivostok and Primorsky diocese, who regularly travel to North Korea and share their experience with North Korean clergy.
This is a brief overview of the current situation of Orthodoxy on the Korean Peninsula, which over the 110 years of its history has experienced many difficult moments, but through the efforts of the clergy of the metropolis it has been firmly established on Korean soil and is attracting new followers.
Speech at the conference “110 years of the Russian spiritual mission in Korea” held in Vladivostok, March 2, 2010.
Posted on September 18, 2017 Posted By: Presvytera Theodoti Categories:Interview with Metropolitan Ambrose of Korea on the website “Amen. gr» regarding the recent visit of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church to Seoul.
Over the entire period of the existence of the Orthodox Church in such a country as favorable to all Christian denominations as Korea, as it is also commonly called - the Land of Morning Freshness, there have been about four periods of spiritual and missionary work, which ultimately became the basis for the creation of a strong Orthodox CHRISTIAN community. These results, of course, are the results of the ascetic work of Bishop Zela, Metropolitan of Korea Sotirios (Trambas) and also his follower, and now the administrator of the Korean Metropolis, Bishop Ambrose (Zographos), who, with their enormous efforts, with the support of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, created the Center of Orthodoxy in Korea.
This work is carried out and expanded with the support of the Holy Orthodox clergy in collaboration with a small but active flock, which is united and open to the outside world in a country where traditional foundations and customs are aimed at maintaining a certain closeness of family foundations and isolation. The Orthodox Metropolis in Korea, namely its priesthood and parishioners, represent an image of a spiritual community, which is characterized by strong internal ties, cohesion, the desire to help each other and cordiality, which are characteristic of the souls of those Koreans who hospitably received the first missionaries of the Orthodox Christian Church.
However, this multifaceted work, which the best way testifies to Orthodoxy can be undermined not by external factors, but by internal church ambitions and claims, which are more reminiscent of political sentiments than fraternal relations within the framework of the holy canons and decisions that have been adopted over the centuries by Local and Ecumenical Councils. At least, this opinion is clearly evident in an interview with Metropolitan Ambrose of Korea, which followed the recent visit of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church to Seoul.
According to Metropolitan Ambrose, he was warned about the upcoming visit at the last minute, and therefore expressed his regret that the Moscow Patriarchate ignored the Korean Metropolis. “This is not acceptable in accordance with spiritual orders, when representatives of the Government of the Russian Federation inform about the arrival of representatives of the spiritual mission, and in particular, Bishop Sergius and about his desire to visit the metropolis,” Metropolitan Ambrose said in relation to the fact that he was warned only for a week before the visit.
Metropolitan Ambrose expressed his deepest regret and spoke rather sharply that such uncanonical actions of the Russian Orthodox Church, according to him, have taken place over the past few years on the part of official representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church in relation to the recognized legal order of the Korean Metropolis and noted that “ It is not me who is under threat, but the Church of Christ itself”.
Below is the full interview with Metropolitan Ambrose of Korea.
YoursIN Your Eminence, what can you say about the book “In Search of Harmony” recently published in Korean, written by Moscow Patriarch Kirill, as well as the Russian delegation led by Bishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk? Could you describe this visit?
I am very glad that you asked me this question and I want to express my gratitude for giving me the opportunity to discuss this issue. As you correctly noted, the Russian delegation Also also visited the Korean Orthodox Metropolis during her visit to Seoul (June 14-17) in the person of Bishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, Dmitry Petrovsky and other officials of the Russian embassy in Seoul.
What do you mean by “also visited”?
Because, as far as I know, the Russian delegation Also had visits to high-ranking representatives of the Roman Catholic, Anglican and other Protestant churches, met with the mayor of Seoul, these meetings were always accompanied by diplomats from the Russian embassy in the Republic of Korea. And now the question. For what purpose did Russian diplomats accompany and participate in meetings of the Russian clergy with representatives of the Korean Orthodox Metropolis, non-Orthodox Christians and the mayor of Seoul? I leave it to the readers of this interview to answer this question for themselves.
Do you know about the real reasons for this communication, or were these meetings of a purely official nature?
To answer your question, I want to mention the visit of the Russian delegation to Korea. Last February, a representative of the Russian Embassy in Korea requested a meeting with me. The only purpose of this meeting was to give me a book written by Moscow Patriarch Kirill, “In Search of Harmony: Freedom and Responsibility,” which had already been translated into Korean.
After my brief acquaintance with this book, I noted that it was published by a Protestant publishing house, and translated into Korean by a person who, according to Russian representatives, is the only responsible person in the affairs of the so-called “Russian Orthodox mission in Korea.” In addition, I noticed that the foreword to this book was written by a Catholic Cardinal of Korea, as well as an Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Korea. I immediately expressed my dissatisfaction and sent a corresponding note due to the fact that the Russian Patriarch did not say a word in the book about the Orthodox Korean Metropolis.
A week before the presentation of the book in the building of the Russian Embassy in the Republic of Korea (June 15), the same participants invited me to this event and informed me that Vladyka Sergius would pay a visit to Korea and about his desire to visit our Orthodox Metropolis, and also reported that the Moscow Bishop wants to meet with me at this presentation. Since I did not have the opportunity to fully express my opinion on this matter due to the fact that this meeting took place immediately after the Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. Nicholas and the distribution of antidoron, I only made it clear to the Russian representatives that everything that had been undertaken up to now time, was carried out inappropriately and incorrectly. Everything was done wrong.
What do you have in mind?
What I am saying is that the Russian side completely ignored the existence of the Orthodox Church in Korea, and only at the last moment, in order to only nominally comply with the formal order, they invited me to this event. I have already said that this is not an acceptable practice in organizing meetings of the clergy, when government representatives inform about the upcoming visit of Bishop Sergius and his intention to visit the Korean Metropolis. I can imagine what would have happened if I had done something similar, for example, through the diplomatic representatives of Greece in Russia, notifying that I was going to visit the Department of External Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow.
A week before the event at the Russian embassy, to which I was officially invited for the first time, a representative of the embassy handed me an envelope with a letter from Bishop Sergius, which was written in Russian and Korean. It officially announced the upcoming event and that the head of the Russian Orthodox Church wanted me to meet with Bishop Sergius.
Did you answer him?
Of course, I answered him, not only by regular letter, but also by email, so that he could definitely receive my answer before arriving in Korea. I said that I would be very glad to receive him in our metropolis on a certain day and time, and also said that it would be very good if we performed Divine Liturgy on Sunday at our church.
Did he answer you?
He did not, but Mr. Petrovsky, who is responsible for the Asian region in the Department of External Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, answered.
That is, from what you have just described, we can conclude that the agreements on the meeting were not carried out properly, namely, you wrote to a representative of the church, and an official employee answered you?
Naturally, this goes against generally accepted etiquette in interchurch relations, but I tried not to attach much importance to this for the sake of maintaining peace and love between us. However, I want to comment on the response I received. “With great regret, His Eminence Bishop Sergius cannot respond positively to your proposal to take part in the Divine Liturgy and show our unity in Christ through the Communion of the Holy Gifts, due to the fact that on Saturday, June 17, he is flying from Seoul.” When I read this, I immediately remembered what happened during the 10th General Assembly WCC (World Council of Churches) in Busan. I always remember with sadness how during this assembly I was supposed to meet with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. I greeted him, invited him to Korea and informed him that on the coming Sunday (November 13, 2016) representatives of the Orthodox Church present at the assembly will take part in the Orthodox Divine Liturgy in the temple in Busan, as well as in Seoul, where There will also be a service especially for those visiting Seoul to see the capital. To this, unfortunately, he answered me that he would serve the Divine Liturgy at the Russian Consulate in Busan. With this one answer, he crossed out the unity of the Orthodox Church through the Holy Eucharist, since all Orthodox, local Koreans and those who came to Korea for a while and are Orthodox, took part in the Eucharists in Seoul and Busan, whose churches have sufficient capacity. On the other hand, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the lobby of the Russian Consulate in Busan in the presence of only about five or six Russian parishioners!
But in the end, did the Russian delegation still visit the Orthodox Metropolis in Seoul? What was discussed at this meeting? 
On Friday, at one o'clock in the afternoon on June 16, a delegation consisting of Bishop Sergius, Mr. Petrovsky and employees of the Russian embassy visited our Metropolis. A day later, an article appeared in the news column on the Moscow Patriarchate website describing our meeting.
During the meeting we spoke in a direct, open manner and in a loving atmosphere. We thought that the representatives of the delegation understood the accuracy of our position and therefore we did not imagine that it would be public and thus covered in the media. When we saw the article, we were very upset. And even despite the fact that they published, it would seem, only a report on our meeting, we think that we have the right to comment on the facts that were presented not as they really were, but as some representatives of the Russian side wanted .
That is, you want to say that the event was covered biasedly?
Yes, unfortunately, it is biased. I am very sorry that I have to utter this particular word. But it is worth noting that on the part of our Russian brothers, diplomacy and rationalism rather prevail than brotherly love.
Firstly, I think it is simply a terrible offense that the article completely ignored information about the presence of our Slavic priest Roman Kavchak at the meeting.
Do you think there were certain reasons for this?
Yes, because o. Roman is Ukrainian and belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and not to the Moscow Patriarchate. To make it more clear, I want to make some historical excursion on this matter. During our meeting (as well as on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate), the authors of the article reported that from 2000 to 2011. Pastoral care for the Russian-speaking residents of Seoul, as well as other cities of Korea, was carried out by the Russian hieromonk Feofan Kim. This is half true. His Eminence, Bishop Feofan of Kyzyl and Tuva, with whom we currently have wonderful fraternal relations, arrived to serve in Korea at the invitation of Metropolitan Sotirios of Korea (and now Pisidia), who contacted the Moscow Patriarchate through the Ecumenical Patriarchate, since Father Theophan was in clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate, since this was assumed, as we have already said, by the etiquette of intra-church communication. But while serving in the Republic of Korea, Fr. Feofan performed his duties not as a priest of the Moscow Patriarchate - he was a priest of the Korean Orthodox Church and therefore at every service he commemorated the memory of Metropolitan Dionysius, who has now passed on to the Lord, and since 2004, when the status of the Korean Orthodox Church rose from the exarchate to the metropolitanate, he commemorated the metropolitan Sotiria.
It is very difficult to read the texts of the articles of the Moscow Patriarchate, which states that the history of Orthodoxy in Korea began with Russian missionaries in 1900, which in fact it was, but only until 1949. But, as they say, the process was suspended due to for the “American occupation authorities.” Was Korea under US occupation in 1949?
This is a falsification of history. But the truth is that the last Russian archimandrite Polycarp (Priymak) was expelled from Korea by the Korean authorities for reasons the disclosure of which is not within my competence.
The second problem is that after Father Polycarp was deported in 1949, the Moscow Patriarchate sent Father Theophan to Korea, who arrived only in 2000, and was in full obedience to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church of Korea as a continuator of the work of the first Russians missionaries of the first generation of Orthodoxy in Korea. However, they completely ignored the enormous work of the Greek military priests who served here during the Korean War, as well as the spiritual work of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Korea, which began in 1955 and continues to the present day. In 2011, when the Moscow Patriarchate elected Vladyka Theophan as Bishop of Kyzyl and Tuva and he left Korea, we asked the Ecumenical Patriarchate to send him a replacement for our Russian-speaking parish.
Before Bishop Theophan was elected bishop and ordained, I asked him to recommend a Russian priest who could replace him. However, despite the fact that he inquired among his priest acquaintances, both monastic and married, about the possibility of their service in Korea, no one responded. During his ordination by Patriarch Kirill in Moscow, there was also a group of representatives of the Orthodox Church of Korea, consisting of five people, who symbolically represented our entire community. Patriarch Kirill asked me what he could do to help in this situation. I told him that the Ecumenical Patriarchate was already aware of the problem and that we were awaiting an answer. And soon after that we had the honor of welcoming priest Roman Kavchak.
Father Roman is a wonderful priest and a wonderful family man. I often tell him that he is a great gift from God to our church. His moral principles and worldview, his enormous efforts helped him become loved by everyone, as well as unite Russian and Ukrainian parishioners in our church, despite the fact that there are political differences between the countries. This fact was also highlighted by a journalist from the most popular Korean newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, who visited our temple on Sunday, October 25, 2015 (at that time the hostilities between Russia and Ukraine were in full swing). He saw that representatives of both countries were participating in the organization together. international fair on the territory of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The next day, Monday, an article was published entitled: “Russians and Ukrainians are destroying the borders (of differences) in Seoul,” where the peacekeeping role of Orthodoxy was mentioned.
What became clear to a non-Christian Korean journalist is for some reason incomprehensible to some Orthodox Christians, apparently susceptible to nationalist ideas that are fundamentally alien to Orthodoxy. Therefore, in the end, I want to say that since Priest Roman devoted himself to serving absolutely all Russian-speaking Orthodox parishioners located in Korea, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church should recognize and honor his work, and not ignore him due to any ideological considerations. I am delighted and touched by Father Roman’s care for patients from various countries, adults and children, who are being treated in Korea in oncology clinics. Despite the circumstances and time of day, weather, he is always in a hurry to help them.
Was there anything else that puzzled you during the delegation's visit?
We can start with this. The visit itself and the goals it pursued were carried out under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The presentation of Patriarch Kirill's book was just an excuse for the visit. Based on the itinerary of the Russian delegation, it was obvious what was planned, including visits to other countries in the Asian region, where Orthodox parishes are also located. Let's dot the i's for our reader by pointing out that in all these Asian countries the Ecumenical Patriarchate has carried out active missionary work for more than 40 years. He built churches and parishes, appointed a priesthood that was trained and trained, not to mention opening the Holy Metropolis in Hong Kong to testify to the truth of Orthodoxy. Despite all this, the Moscow Patriarchate did something absolutely unprecedented - it appointed Vladyka Sergius “the head of the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in the countries of East and Southeast Asia.” Has there ever been such a title for a priest in the history of the Church?
Are there churches in the Republic of Korea that belong to the Moscow Patriarchate?
In the imagination of many people far from Korea, yes, but in reality no. An anti-canonical situation has now developed in Korea, which the Moscow Patriarchate is complicating even more instead of resolving it. Its representatives, as I understand it, do the same in other countries where Orthodox parishes are under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Could you explain what an “anti-canonical” situation is?
It's a long story, but I'll try to keep it as short as possible. In February 1993, Korean priest Justinian Kang was defrocked for persistent violations of discipline and misconduct. When he learned that he was being excommunicated from the church, he became furious and burst into the office of Bishop Sotirios with accusations and threats, saying that he would achieve the deportation of the Bishop from Korea. Soon after, he left for Russia, presumably to study language and theology at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, hiding the fact that he had already been defrocked and excommunicated. The authorities responsible for accepting applicants did not understand the situation and did not contact the Metropolis of the Korean Orthodox Church, although they should have done so, and accepted him as a student.
In the end, after the Ecumenical Patriarchate intervened in this matter and appealed to the Moscow Patriarchate, Justinian was expelled from the Academy. When this happened, he behaved inappropriately, expressing his indignation by shouting, and committed indecent acts towards one of the students, which his fellow students still remember with grief. After this, Justinian returned to Korea, presenting himself as a priest. At this time, he joined the schismatic ROCOR and Archbishop Hilarion of the ROCOR (currently Archbishop of the Eastern USA and New York), and began to actively participate in their activities as a priest and head of the ROC mission in South Korea.
Hilarion, as a schismatic priest, began to visit Korea and conduct his schismatic activities; he continues to do this in other Asian countries, which are under the patronage of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the house of the former priest Justinian, turning it into a “parish”, where he performed many non-canonical actions. This brings us to the idea of the Agreement on Unity between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, which was adopted in May 2007. Archbishop Hilarion did not end his relationship with the priest Justinian, who was removed from the church by the Ecumenical Patriarchate for disrespecting the canonical order.
This “cover” provided to Justinian by Metropolitan Hilarion led him to act absolutely thoughtlessly, declaring to Orthodox and non-Orthodox people that he was a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church and belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate. We expressed our protest about this to the Moscow Patriarchate through the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In response to this, the Department for External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate stated that although they do not recognize Justinian as a priest, Metropolitan Hilarion recognized him, which is why Justinian, with the help of Hilarion, committed uncanonical actions in Korea. Metropolitan Sotirios, in order to protect the parishioners of the Korean Orthodox Church, was forced to publish an article in our weekly news column that Justinian had been excommunicated.
You see, Vladyka Sotirios was not going to make this fact public out of respect for Justinian’s family and himself for several years. But as a result of the publication of the article, Justinian sued Bishop Sotirios for slander and insult, and therefore the oldest head of the Korean Orthodox Church for the first time in his life had to go through courts and proceedings in his advanced years. This is what “gratitude” turned out to be for the help that Vladyka Sotirios provided to Justinian and his family over many years. When he first came to church, in need and burdened with family hardships, Vladyka provided him and his family with a house, money for living and for his children’s schooling, provided him with medical insurance, and so on. We also helped him with his studies, since at that time he did not even have a high school diploma.
In order to better imagine the scope of the uncanonical actions of the former ruler of the schismatic church Hilarion and the result to which the irresponsibility of the Moscow Patriarchate led in this regard, I would also like to mention the following. On June 23, 2009, Hilarion arrived in Korea and tonsured the married Justinian as abbot, and his wife Elena as abbess, thereby, as it were, founding two monasteries. One for men with the rector “Hieromonk Justinian”, who had previously been excommunicated from the church, and one for women with his wife in the role of abbess. And even more horrifying is the fact that the “monasteries” were located in a house in which a married couple lived! Therefore, Vladyka Hilarion is the world’s first founder of two monasteries under one roof, where there were neither monks nor nuns. I am very interested in how the Moscow Patriarchate assesses this situation, where the sanctity of the priesthood and monasticism was disgraced.
So you want to say that he tonsured a married man as a monk?
Of course, that's how they even presented it on their website. It will be noteworthy for Vladyka Hilarion and all those who were involved in this sad story to know that Justinian, even despite his relationship with Hilarion, until his death, tried in every possible way to deny the fact that he was excommunicated from the church. Therefore, at times he resorted either to friendly appeals in letters or to direct threats against His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch and Metropolitan Sotirios, apparently because it seemed to him that he was acting uncanonically when communicating with Vladyka Hilarion. In the church archives you can see his letters and his persistence in unrepentance.
By the way, was Justinian's son also ordained?
Yes. The day after Justinian’s “tonsuring,” on June 24, 2009, Vladyka Hilarion ordained his son Paul as a priest in their home (and according to other sources, right in the hotel where Hilarion was then staying) and appointed him responsible for the Russian Orthodox Church in Korea. He did this secretly, not in the presence of the flock and witnesses, which is completely contrary to the accepted practice of the Church and, of course, he understood the anti-canonical nature of his actions. It should also be noted that Pavel Kang broke off relations with the Korean Orthodox Church for 25 years. He had no theological education and was not even familiar with the basic canons. He also got married without any embarrassment in the Anglican Church when he was still Orthodox. And this person is in charge of the Russian Orthodox Church in Korea - a sad situation!
Your Eminence, as the legitimate shepherd of the Orthodox Church in Korea, did you notify the Moscow Patriarchate of the current situation? Did you talk about it during the recent visit of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church?
I informed them in detail, but, unfortunately, we (all those who participated in the meeting from our side) noticed that they were trying to hide the uncanonical behavior and actions of Lord Hilarion. The amazing thing is that they know everything, since they admitted it on their part, but still included Pavel Kang among those representatives of the recent delegation who met with leaders of other faiths and churches, with the mayor of Seoul. The only thing he didn't meet was us.
The purpose of this was to present Kang as responsible for the Orthodox churches and the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Korea. And the fact that Vladyka Sergius, without official permission from the municipal authorities of the city of Incheon, performed an act of remembrance on Memorial complex The “Varyag” of the sailors who died on February 9, 1904 only shows the lack of respect of the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church for the canonical order.
Can this be considered an illegal action?
Of course, the memorial service was not held on the territory of the Russian Embassy, where it can be held without permission, but in a public place where the monument is located.
Did they explain to you the situation regarding the position of Lord Hilarion, namely what you just told about?
Bishop Sergius replied that Patriarch Kirill is very strict in this matter. When we insisted that the anti-canonical actions of Bishop Hilarion undermine the authority of the Orthodox Church as a whole, and in to a greater extent authority of the Moscow Patriarchate, they responded that “they treat him with tolerance, based on the principles of oikonomia.” Our response to this was that, based on the Holy Canons, Vladyka Hilarion should be removed from the church for all his anti-canonical actions, since he considers himself a member of the ROCOR, which has entered into an agreement on unity with the Russian Orthodox Church, in which, like in any Orthodox Church, violations of the canons unacceptable. As is known, inappropriate use of the principles of “economy” is harmful and does not contribute to the strengthening of the Church.
Did you also raise the issue regarding who is responsible for the mission of the Russian Orthodox Church in Korea?
To everything we told them, they answered that they knew about it and their answer was the same - oikonomia. Bishop Sergius also advised us to show attention and love to Paul, since he is still suffering from the loss of his father, who died three years ago, asked us to contact him, begin communication and together serve the Divine Liturgy twice a month in the presence of Father Roman . In addition, he advised that Paul be taught theology, liturgy, and other necessary knowledge. To this I told him about the following incident.
One day two years ago, Pavel Kang visited our Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. That day I noticed that a man had been sitting in the church for several hours in a row and asked Deacon John if he knew who this man was. When I heard that it was Pavel Kang (I had never seen him before), I invited him to my office to talk. I tried to speak to him as politely and politely as I could, because I knew that he was a victim of his father's behavior. I brought him my condolences and tried to convince him that he should not continue to live like this, because he is still a young man and can change his path to salvation and free himself from this sad situation in which he found himself.
It seemed to me that he understood me perfectly. In addition, he expressed his desire to meet with Vladyka Sotirios in our Transfiguration Monastery in order to discuss this situation together, since his father was excommunicated from the church during the management of the Metropolitan Sotirios. However, at that time Vladyka was in Pisidia, and I promised Pavel that I would organize a meeting upon the Metropolitan’s return. He (Paul) agreed. As a gift, we offered him a spiritual book from our publishing house and said that we would contact him as soon as possible. When Bishop Sotirios returned to Korea, we immediately tried to organize a meeting.
We called Pavel many times, but he never answered. We tried to contact him through his sister during an event at the Anglican Church where she works as a secretary, but again there was no response. In this regard, I specifically asked Vladyka Sergius: “What else can we do for Paul?” And so it is clear that he does not want to make contact with the Korean Orthodox Church. He replied: “Do as they do in monasteries, for example in Vatopedi, as the venerable Ephraim, who is my spiritual father, says.” He explained to us that if problems arise among the monks, Ephraim treats them with oikonomia (lenience). We must do the same with Paul.
To this I replied that the difference is that the problems that we encountered in this situation with Paul cannot exist either in Vatopedi or in any other monastery, since they relate more to the Church and society. Pavel does not want to make contact with us, does not want to cooperate, but continues the work started by his father. “Please, Your Eminence,” Vladyka Sergius insisted, “show your understanding of this problem and help him. We ask that you work with us regarding this person.”
Your Eminence, are you saying that they prefer to refer to oikonomia instead of denouncing an anti-canonical action, and therefore you, as a pastor established by the church, will need to accept an anti-canonical action for the sake of “oikonomia”?
Yes, if we talk about it nicely. But if we call a spade a spade, we would say that they are shamelessly misleading us. Let me give an example, as it was in Indonesia, where the church does not belong directly to our spiritual subordination, but which is our subject. During our conversation about Justinian Kang, in order to shed light on the uncanonical actions of Metropolitan Hilarion, we raised the issue of Daniel Bamband Dwi Byantoro, who was excommunicated.
We told them that Daniel Bamband, an Indonesian, was introduced to Orthodoxy in Korea and was baptized while studying in Seoul in 1984 by Archimandrite Sotiri Trambas. Soon after graduation, he, as a full scholarship holder, began to study theology at the Orthodox School of the Holy Cross, located in the USA and belonging to the Greek Archdiocese of America, where he was ordained a priest by the hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and received a salary from the Orthodox Eastern Mission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Russian representatives replied that they understood all this, but, unfortunately, apparently, it still did not affect their consciousness. Because no one is able to clearly and intelligibly explain to anyone that in Indonesia the main missionary work carried out by the Ecumenical Patriarchate was “appropriated” by the Moscow Patriarchate!
How could this happen?
This happened because Metropolitan Hilarion received Daniel Biantoro after he was excommunicated by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In addition, Daniel brought with him several Indonesian priests, who were subordinate to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, under the subordination of Metropolitan Hilarion. He not only “took” our priests, but also appropriated the parishes and their land properties, which were purchased and built by Metropolitan Sotirios, head of the East Asian Orthodox Mission, who spent not only all his funds from Greece, but also donations from the missionary association and private persons
As I already said, all this work was presented as the result of the activities of the Moscow Patriarchate, despite the recognition of the unconventional and illegal actions of Bishop Hilarion.
This is very typical of the method of double standards and demagoguery, in particular when the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Department for External Relations, Mr. Nikolai Balashov, says in one of his letters from 2009: “Metropolitan Hilarion in no way wants to encroach on the power of the Church of Constantinople.” . And in the same letter, he writes that “we are now engaged in a detailed study of the practical aspects of this issue, which is related to the state guarantee of the Orthodox community and their private property in Indonesia.”
We can say that it is simply impossible to believe...
It's hard to believe, but unfortunately, this is more than true.
If you had a chance to meet Metropolitan Hilarion, what would you tell him?
I would tell him that he must respect the work of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the “vineyard” of our Lord in the countries of Far East and Southeast Asia, namely the work of Metropolitan Dionysius of New Zealand, who is the Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in India, Korea, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Indonesia, and who, despite his advanced age, visits, builds and continues to build churches and parishes in these countries.
I would tell him to respect the work of Bishop Sotirios, who founded many parishes, which he, as a “coming priest” in the words of the Apostle Paul, now took over and owns. I would humbly remind him of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said “others labored, but you came to reap someone else’s harvest.”
I would remind him of the missionary work of the Apostle Paul, about which he speaks so emotionally in Chapter 15 of his Epistle to the Romans: “I have always promised to preach where the name of the Lord Jesus Christ has not yet been heard, because I do not want to build on the foundations of others.” " And in the end, as I always remind myself, I would tell him that the time when we leave this world is approaching. Let us repent, “since we still have time to repent,” so that at the end we can say to ourselves: “I fought to the last, I ran to the end of the road, I believed.”
It would be a miracle if this actually turned out to be the case...
Let's pray, the Lord is great. After all, that’s why we sing in the psalms: “Among the gods there is no one like You, O Lord, and there is no work like Yours... for You are great and work wonders - You, O God, are the only You.”
Your Eminence, I would like to return to the topic of your meeting with the delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate. On what issues were you particularly persistent?
On the issue of canonicity. In other words, as has now become obvious, the Moscow Patriarchate is trying to legislatively penetrate the territories that are under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Korea and other countries. On our part, we asked that they not destroy the canonical order established in the Korean Orthodox Church. As a result of the inspiring initiatives and efforts of Bishop Sotirios in Korea, we have only one head of the church for all Orthodox parishioners, regardless of their nationality or language.
This, as you know, was the canonical order from the time of the Ancient Church until the 19th century, when, as a result of population migration from countries of Eastern Europe in the Western and in the USA this system was replaced by the anomalous order of having several bishops of different nationalities within one city. It's the same as having several fathers in one family! We insisted, and I repeat again, that the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church do not try to change the existing model in the Korean Orthodox Church, which was the main goal of the negotiations at the Episcopal Assembly held in 2009 and which had the goal of resolving all canonical anomalies in the Orthodox diaspora. We called for what is simply obvious, but, as you can see for yourself, what is obvious to many is not so to some, for whom national interests are above canonical rules.
You mentioned earlier the “inspiring initiatives and efforts” of Lord Sotirios. Could you tell me what they were?
Thanks for this question. Immediately after the fall of communism in the Eastern Bloc countries in the 90s, Lord Sotirios foresaw that he would have to turn his attention to the immigrants from Slavic countries who began to appear in Korea. He began to collect them one by one, catechized and baptized the unbaptized, conducted wedding ceremonies for the unmarried, while at the same time studying the Old Church Slavonic language in order to serve the Divine Liturgy in a language understandable to the Slavic flock, which was especially important on the days of the Great Church holidays.
He also hospitably received Slavic pilgrims in his Transfiguration Monastery and in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Seoul. He helped some financially, and employed others. Also, Vladyka Sotirios built the Church of Maximus the Greek on the territory of the metropolis, the first stone of which was laid by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in 1995. In order for services to be constantly conducted in the Church Slavonic language, as I mentioned earlier, Vladyka Sotiriy did everything so that the Russian-speaking parishioners had their own Russian-speaking pastor.
Thus, now everyone who lives in both Seoul and Busan has the pastoral care of a Slavic priest. Our unification with them by faith in spiritual life, in our temple and in their language allows their children to attend our Sunday schools, go to winter and summer camps, and participate in all possible events held by our metropolis.
Therefore, answering your previous question, we asked representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church not to touch what was created by Bishop Sotirios with the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in cooperation with the Korean priesthood and other Orthodox believers.
In conclusion, we drew attention to one more issue, which is the most important in missionary work. We said that always and everywhere we teach that the Orthodox Church throughout the world is one. However, if a process such as the creation of local dioceses in different countries, including in Korea, separated from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, will take place, this will cause double negative consequences. Firstly, among the Orthodox in Korea. They will begin to ask themselves which church they should go to. And secondly, in relation to the ROCOR and Protestants. Then they will rightly be able to ask us the question of how we differ from them. They have many directions within one current, and we will have many self-governing patriarchies. They will tell us that we are not one church as we claim.
In this case, the Russian Orthodox Church can respond to this with the argument that “they are here only for Russians...”
Such a statement is not based on good principles, because here national interests come before the unity of the Church. Here in Korea we never say “Greek Orthodox Church,” but instead we use the phrase “Orthodox Metropolis in Korea.” Therefore, ALL Orthodox parishioners living in Korea, who are “under the wing” of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, receive support and feel cared for. We have learned from our Mother Church of Constantinople to think and behave globally. For example, I was sent by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to serve here in Korea, not as a Greek priest, but as an Orthodox priest called to serve in the universal spirit in the Orthodox Church of Korea.
Just think what could happen if, after the Russians first begin to lay claim to the construction of parishes, and then to the formation of their dioceses, then then our brothers from Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, etc. will be able to demand the same, since there are a lot of people from these countries here. And in the end - I hope this will not happen - we will lose faith in our witness to the unity of Orthodoxy on Korean soil.
It is for this reason that I ask all people of good faith: “Do you want to work in Korea? Are you interested in spreading Orthodoxy in this country? Then let us cooperate for the Glory of God without any other objectives dictated by political and nationalist ideologies and other unimportant reasons.” Some people respond to this by saying, “I want to, but...” There is no BUT in the work of the Lord. When you decide to preach the Holy Scriptures, you must do so unconditionally. If you do not feel that the Orthodox Church is one family, then it is better to stay home. Enough harm has already been done by ethnophelites in the Orthodox environment. The growth of this “cancerous tumor” must be stopped so that it does not spread to new missionary parishes. Show humanity and sacrifice in action general work. “The word of the Lord is living and glorious.” There is enough work for everyone, for it was said “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Isn’t it a pity to see how many spend their precious time and mind on opposing the canons and diplomatic squabbles, rather than devoting themselves to serving our one Church? I do not doubt for a minute that this is a great sin.
When exactly did the claims from the Moscow Patriarchate begin?
They began a long time ago, almost immediately after the collapse of the communist regime. Until now, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church have made many attempts, both directly and also through the Russian embassy.
Could you be more specific about what exactly was done that you know about?
About twenty-five years ago, representatives of the Department of External Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church contacted the National Council of Churches of Korea and requested in writing a large sum of money for the construction of a temple in Seoul. Representatives of the Council of Churches contacted us to find out our opinion, and they also showed us the letter itself from the Russian Orthodox Church. We explained to them that we already have a church for Russian-speaking parishioners, so they decided that there was no need to finance the construction of another church.
Your Eminence, lately we have been hearing a lot of talk regarding North Korea. Taking this opportunity, I would like to ask about the Orthodox church in Pyongyang. Who built it?
The Holy Trinity Church was built by the North Korean Government by decision of the father of the current leader. From Seoul, Metropolitan Sotirios, being the Metropolitan of Korea, three times sent containers filled with valuable necessary materials for the construction and equipment of the temple. Additionally, he sent a crane to install the dome and went to install it himself. His Eminence visited North Korea as administrator of the Metropolis, since the Korean Orthodox Metropolis includes the entire Korean Peninsula. When the temple was rebuilt, the head of the Department for External Relations, and now Patriarch of Moscow Kirill, with the help of the Russian embassy in North Korea, arriving in the territory that is under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, consecrated the temple.
From that time until now, our Russian brothers have been publishing various materials on various resources, which, unfortunately, are duplicated in Greek, that the temple in Pyongyang belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church, which is not true, and the North Koreans themselves note this. And that's not it. I would like to note that the Orthodox Committee of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Pyongyang five times invited Vladyka Sotirios to visit them in North Korea, and the last time Vladyka went there accompanied by the priesthood of our metropolis in order to serve the Divine Liturgy together in the new Church of the Holy Trinity. During the visit, members of the Committee expressed their best wishes and thanked the Bishop for his contribution to the construction of the temple.
Mr. Papachristou, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to express my opinion. We love Russians and the Moscow Patriarchate, and we look with regret at how it is represented by people with a worldly outlook and a non-Orthodox spirit. Bishop Sotirios, in addition to what he has already done for the Russians in Korea, continues his work for our Russian brothers in Pisidia, despite his advanced age. I reminded the Russian delegation at the meeting that Bishop Sotirios, during difficult economic times, was able to build two churches in the Pisidian Metropolis for the needs of the Russian parishioners living there.
He organized the arrival and service of two Russian-speaking priests and he himself has always invariably helped and continues to help parishioners in their churching and spiritual growth in every way. I want to say that even as a child, as I remember, we prayed for those countries that fell under the influence of communism, for those martyrs who suffered for the sake of their faith. I want to end with what I said to Vladyka Sergius: “We love you and we have nothing against you personally, but we cannot agree with what you are doing because “It’s not me, but the Church of Christ itself that is under threat”.
Christianity is not officially prohibited in North Korea, but the authorities are biased towards it. Foreign media often make statements that Christians are being persecuted, ending up in labor camps, where they are tortured and killed.
According to statistics provided by the international organization Open Doors, North Korea ranks first in the world in terms of oppression of Christians.
The emergence of Christianity on the peninsula
Christianity began to spread in Korea in the late 18th century when the country opened its borders to foreigners. Diplomatic, trade and religious missions flocked to the peninsula, bringing with them a new religion for the Koreans.
The Protestants had the greatest influence on the spread of Christianity, although initially they were met with more than hostility.
The Bible spread in the country thanks to Robert Thomas, a missionary from America. Upon arrival in the country, he was captured and killed right on the ship. However, before his death, he managed to throw overboard several copies of the Bible in Chinese, which were then distributed, copied by hand.
After liberation from Japan, Christianity was banned in North Korea. It was considered a method of Western propaganda that harmed the spread of communist ideas. The first relaxations regarding religion began only in the mid-70s of the twentieth century, when North Korea set a course for establishing foreign policy relations.
However, there is still no official religion in the country, although freedom of religion is formally respected.
Protestantism in the country
North Korea has a legalized government body, the Korean Christian Federation, which has been operating since 1974. Under her patronage, the first Protestant church was opened in the country. All Christian organizations that are part of it are strictly regulated by the intelligence services.
Regular services are not held in controlled churches, but exceptions are made for tourists and during major religious holidays.
It is believed that underground, outside the department of the Christian Federation, there are up to five thousand Protestant communities, which include up to 35 thousand North Koreans.
Among all the branches of Christianity, the DPRK authorities have the most intolerant attitude towards Protestantism. This is due to historical events. During the Korean War and the famine of the 90s, humanitarian missions arrived in the country, bringing weapons and propaganda literature along with food and supplies.
It is also known that they conducted intelligence activities in favor of the United States and South Korea. Therefore, the DPRK authorities were convinced that it was better not to have anything to do with Protestants. Orthodoxy in the DPRK The first Orthodox church in North Korea opened in 2002. During this period, relations between Russia and the DPRK, broken during the collapse of the Soviet Union, were re-established, and the opening
Orthodox church
became a gesture of peace on both sides. During the construction of the church, four students from Pyongyang were sent to Moscow, who took an accelerated course at the theological seminary and became clergy in the temple.
The story of North Korean Christian Yi Sang Ok, who served her sentence in a labor camp and then managed to escape from the country, gained publicity online. She does not disclose details about what violation she was imprisoned for, and explains her release and successful escape by the fact that she accepted the Christian faith.
Her story is replete with details about how Christians are abused in North Korean labor camps simply because of their religion.
The climax is the description of a scene in which molten metal is poured onto the Christians, and their bodies turn to ash.
Another story involves the fact that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the execution of members of the Moranbong musical ensemble, who were suspected of simultaneously distributing the Bible and filming a pornographic video. According to the testimony of defectors and the South Korean media, the girls were run over by tanks, and those who did not die during such an execution were buried alive.
However, it later turned out that the story has no relation to reality: “Moranbong” continue to perform, and the former soloist of the ensemble (who was credited with a love affair with Kim Jong-un) went to the opening of the Olympics as part of the official delegation. There is practically no real information about how severely the rights of Christians are violated in North Korea. Most of the information comes from unverified sources - from the South Korean media and refugees from the country, who often exaggerate the facts. However, we can say with confidence that religion is not favored in the DPRK: as in the Soviet Union, in North Korea “opium of the people” is considered a direct rival of the state, and therefore is not encouraged among the population. The Republic of Korea(Korean: 대한민국?, 大韓民國? taehan minguk, - listen)) is a state in East Asia located on the Korean Peninsula. The capital is Seoul. An unofficial name for a country, widely used in media.
mass media
- South Korea
- Largest cities
- Busan
- Incheon
- Gwangju
Daejeon
Ulsan Orthodoxy in South Korea
As of 2011, the number of Orthodox Christians in South Korea is estimated at 3 thousand people, which is about 0.005% of the country's population. The Orthodox churches in the country are represented by: the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which has on the territory of the country the Korean Metropolis, headed since 2008 by Metropolitan Ambrose (Zographos) and the Korean Spiritual Mission in the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, headed by Priest Pavel Kang.
Story
early years
The history of Orthodoxy in Korea began with the establishment of the Russian Spiritual Mission by decree of the Holy Synod of July 2-4, 1897, whose task was to care for Russian Orthodox Christians living on the Korean Peninsula, as well as preach Orthodoxy among the local population. The fact of the mass resettlement of Koreans in the late 19th - early 20th centuries to the territory played a certain role in the creation of the Mission. Russian Empire. In January 1897, there were about 120 Russian employees and 30 Orthodox Russian Koreans living in Seoul. On April 17, 1903, the solemn consecration of the church took place in honor of St. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Chong-dong) in the center of Seoul. Since the Japanese occupation of Korea, the church's activities have undergone various difficulties.
During the Russo-Japanese War the church was closed. By the beginning of the revolution, in addition to the church in Seoul, the Korean Mission had five parishes in the province, with several hundred Christian Koreans. However, the mission suffered disaster due to the loss of its livelihood. Some of the property was sold, some was rented out. In these difficult conditions, support was provided from non-believers: from the head of the Mission of the Anglican Church, Bishop Mark Trollope, and the pioneer of Russian trade in Korea, the Jew Moses Akimovich Ginsburg. In addition, the Russian Embassy in Tokyo, which operated until 1925, provided some assistance. In 1937, on the estate of Yu.M. Yankovsky “Novina”, located near the port of Chongjin, the Resurrection Church was built for Russian emigrants who came to North Korea from Manchuria for the summer. By the period 1936-1939. include attempts to revive missionary activity in Korea. In 1936, the construction of a church-chapel was organized in Ompo (North Korea).
However, starting in 1940, the Japanese administration consistently expelled preachers from Korea and in 1941 completely banned Orthodox services in the Korean language. After the end of the war and the occupation of Korea in 1945, oppression of Christians in the north began, which contrasted with American support for Christians in the south and thus caused "religious emigration" to the south.
On August 13, 2006, the temple in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang was consecrated.
During the construction of the temple, several Koreans underwent theological training at the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, two of whom were ordained to the priesthood and are currently serving.
A request from the Russian Embassy in 2009 for a plot of land to build a church in Seoul was refused. According to the Korea Times newspaper, the place that the embassy requested is located next to the historical building of the Russian Diplomatic Mission, where in 1896-1897. The king of Korea had been in hiding since the Japanese coup and led the country.
Subordination
From its founding until 1908, the Korean mission was under the jurisdiction of the St. Petersburg diocese, and from 1908 to 1921 - under the jurisdiction of the Vladivostok diocese, from 1921 to 1944 under the authority of the Tokyo diocese, since 1944 - under the authority of the Harbin and East Asian diocese . After the end of World War II, the decree of Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow and All Rus' dated December 27, 1945 confirmed the presence of the mission under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Russian spiritual mission in Korea continued its activities until 1949, when the South Korean authorities expelled the last head of the mission, Archimandrite Polycarp, from the country and seized its property. In 1953, the Greek archimandrite in South Korea began to reorganize the existing parish in Seoul. In 1955, the remaining parishes, which in those years did not have the possibility of contacts with the Russian Orthodox Church, came under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the property of the Russian spiritual mission after the Korean War was subordinated to the American Archbishop (1955), and since 1970 - to the Australian-New Zealand Metropolis . .
Organization
Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Korean Metropolitanate, according to 2007-2008 data, consists of 7 church communities, making a total of 25 churches and chapels, 9 priests and 2 deacons.
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
- The mission is subordinate to the Sydney and Australian-New Zealand diocese.
- Holy Trinity Skete and Temple of the Holy Righteous Anna, Samcheok, Gangwon Province. Korean Orthodox Mission, Community of the Nativity Holy Mother of God
, Gumi city, Gyeongsangbuk-do province.
- Moscow Patriarchate
Most Russians who come to South Korea quickly become convinced that this is a predominantly Christian country. This is reminiscent of the incredible abundance of churches, street preachers encountered at every step, crowds of people at Sunday services and much more. Although statistics claim that Christians make up slightly less than half of the country's religiously active population, these figures do not reflect the main thing: the “zeal in faith” characteristic of Korean Christians, especially Protestants. Korean Buddhists, as a rule, limit themselves to declaring themselves as such, and never appear in “their” temples. Christians take religious rituals very seriously.
Meanwhile, Christianity is a new phenomenon for Korea. The spread of this religion began here relatively recently, at the end of the 18th century. At that time, Korea was in a state of severe moral crisis. Orthodox Confucianism, which for a long time played the role of the official ideology of the country, seemed to many to be too scholastic, divorced from real life and lost in the labyrinths of their own speculative constructions. The desire to find some new ideas led to the fact that some representatives of the Confucian intelligentsia began to pay attention to Christian Catholic works, which (translated into the ancient Chinese language, well known to all educated Koreans) from time to time came to Korea from China. At the end of the 1770s. In Seoul, a circle of young nobles arose who studied Christianity from the books at their disposal. In 1784, one of the members of this circle, Lee Seung-hun, managed to achieve the right to visit China as part of the Korean diplomatic mission. It was not so easy, because in those days travel abroad from Korea was limited. Lee Seung Hun met with foreign missionaries in Beijing, was baptized, and returned to his homeland with numerous Catholic writings. Thus, 1984 marked the 200th anniversary of Korean Christianity, an anniversary that local Catholics celebrated with considerable pomp.
Lee Seung-hun and his like-minded people began active missionary work, and the number of supporters of the new faith among the Korean nobles began to grow rapidly. Concerned about the penetration of alien and strange teachings, the Korean government, usually distinguished by religious tolerance, decided to take drastic measures and, on pain of death, banned the propaganda of Christianity. However, the ban did not stop supporters of the new faith, and in 1791 the first martyrs appeared in Korea. From that moment on, the Korean government waged a desperate struggle against Catholics for almost a century, organizing in 1785-1876. ten large-scale campaigns to eradicate the "Western heresy". Many Korean Christians died on the chopping block and in prison. Foreigners, mainly French and Chinese, also shared their fate. Catholic priests, who illegally entered Korea from China (the entry of foreigners into the country was then strictly prohibited) and rarely returned alive. However, the Catholic community continued to exist and grow. By the time Christianity was legalized in the 1870s. The number of Catholics in the country exceeded 10,000 people. By the middle of the 19th century, the first Korean priests appeared, who were secretly sent by the community to study at a seminary in Macau and, having completed training there, returned illegally to their homeland.
If we compare Korea with other countries of East Asia, it is clear that the history of early Korean Christianity is quite atypical. First, Catholic Christianity entered Korea without the direct participation of Western missionaries, through books. Secondly, its spread was quite fast, successful and, again, was not the result of the activities of foreign representatives.
The spread of Protestantism in Korea followed a more standard pattern. The decisive role in its penetration into the country was played by Western missionaries, whose activities began in Korea in the 1880s, shortly after the “opening of the country” in 1876. The decisive role in the mass spread of Protestant Christianity was played by the Americans, the first of whom was the Presbyterian Horace Allen , who arrived in Korea in 1884. The active work of missionaries led to the fact that by the beginning of the century a noticeable Protestant community had formed in the country. At the very end of the last century, Orthodox missionaries appeared in Korea, but their successes were very modest. It is significant that now there are twenty times fewer Orthodox Koreans than... Muslim Koreans, although Islam, which came here in 1951, is also not the most popular religion in Korea.
Although at the beginning of the century Christians made up a relatively small part of the country's total population (1.5% in 1911), they played a special role in the many transformations that were then taking place in Korea. Missionaries opened the first Western hospitals and schools in Korea and contributed to the dissemination of modern scientific and technical knowledge. A very noticeable part of the first Korean “Westerners” were Christians (mostly Protestants); Protestants also took an active part in the national liberation movement.
It is curious that Protestantism and Catholicism are considered different religions in modern Korean statistics. This is partly due to linguistic reasons: Protestants call their creed "kidokk" ("Teaching of Christ"), while Catholics call themselves followers of "cheonjug" ("Teaching of the Heavenly Lord"). This also affects translations. When a Korean, speaking in English or Russian, calls himself a “Christian,” this almost always means that he is a Protestant, and not a Catholic or, say, Orthodox.
During the period of colonial rule, Korean Christianity faced considerable difficulties. The Japanese were understandably suspicious of both Christianity itself, fearing that it could become a source of penetration of Western ideas, and of missionaries, whom they saw as potential Western agents. In contrast to Christianity, the authorities tried to introduce Japanese versions of Buddhism in Korea, but without much success. The colonial authorities achieved even less success in their attempts to inculcate Japanese paganism - Shintoism, which remained for most Koreans a religion not just alien, but deeply hostile.
In the twenties and thirties, an important metamorphosis occurred with Christianity in Korea, which largely determined its subsequent fate: it began to be perceived as a national religion, completely losing the shade of “Westernness” and “foreignness” that was characteristic of it earlier. This is the fundamental difference between the fate of Christianity in Korea, on the one hand, and in most Asian countries, on the other. This was largely due to the fact that in Korea the colonialists were not Europeans, who in those days were very fond of emphasizing their commitment to Christianity, but pagan Japanese. Therefore, in Korea, unlike the colonies of Western powers, missionaries were persecuted and were perceived by the people not as ideological agents of power, but, on the contrary, as opponents of the colonialists. Almost the entire new Korean intelligentsia, including most of the leaders of the anti-colonial movement, consisted of people who were educated in Christian educational institutions and, as a rule, from there they carried out devotion to this faith. Finally, during the colonial period, churches were the place where Korean speech continued to be heard; their publications were published in colloquial language, typed in the national script.
1945 brought dramatic changes in the position of Korean Christianity. From that moment on, Christianity, which for almost two centuries was a religion either directly prohibited and persecuted, or at least not encouraged by the authorities, acquired a semi-official status. Of course, the Korean constitution provides for the separation of state and church, but under the conditions of the enormous influence of Protestant-Catholic America and the obvious Christian sympathies of the Korean elite, Christianity, especially Protestant Christianity, found itself in particularly favorable conditions. Preachers who came to Korea from the USA in large numbers also contributed to this. After the Korean War, the number of Christians in Korea began to increase rapidly. If in 1940 Christians made up only 2.2% of the country's population, then in 1962 - 12.8%, and in 1990 - 23% (we must remember that approximately half of Koreans do not profess any religion).
During the period of right-wing dictatorships (1948-1987), the relationship between Christianity and the authorities was quite contradictory. On the one hand, the bulk of the Korean clergy consistently held anti-communist views, which, in particular, was facilitated by the persecution of Christians in North Korea. The traditional ties of Christians with America also affected the political orientation of Protestant churches. Finally, the share of Christians among the Korean economic and political elite in the period after 1945 was very large and continued to grow, which also made Christian churches proponents of maintaining the existing system. At the same time, Korean Christianity did not become an appendage of secular power. In practice, Korean Christians, especially Catholics, played the most active role in opposition movements, and Catholic cathedrals, which enjoy an unofficial but generally respected right of asylum in Korea, were often the scene of anti-government protests. These actions significantly raised the authority of the church, especially among the intelligentsia and the eternally oppositional Korean students.
Be that as it may, Korea, along with the Philippines, is the only predominantly Christian country in East Asia, and this circumstance leaves a significant imprint on its entire life.