(ZENIT News / Seul, 02.21.2024).- Catholic experts in South Korea are urging the Catholic Church in the country to consider the possibility of adopting a hybrid church model that utilizes both online and in-person services, given the post-COVID situation, as expressed in a Pastoral Document of the Catholic Church in Korea.
The document, published on January 31st by the Korean Catholic Pastoral Institute of the national bishops’ conference, is based on a survey aimed at understanding the changes and perceptions among Catholics after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The current system of parishes and faith communities, which is based on the centrality of physical space, has been shaken by COVID-19,” noted Father Kim Hye-jong in the document.
Father Kim highlighted that the pandemic has revealed a concerning issue: the perception that there are many things in life that can replace Sunday Mass or devotional activities.
Several experts collaborated in drafting the pastoral document, each contributing sections on religion, liturgy, theology, and pastoral care.
Kim suggested that, in addition to in-person liturgy, non-presential faith education and care should be complementary, not substitutes.
Franciscan Father Park Moon-soo, who works at the Pastoral Research Institute of the Diocese of Uijeongbu, emphasized that, given the aging and decreasing mobility of current active participants, in-person meetings are not the solution.
Park called for adopting a hybrid approach to liturgical and devotional services, acknowledging that the aging and decreasing mobility of believers will make in-person meetings less effective.
Father Park also criticized the passive role played by religious institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic in responding to policies and containing the spread of infection.
Meanwhile, Father Hee Wan Jung, director of the Catholic Institute of Culture and Theology, pointed out that “religion has been reduced to a cultural element in the process of secularization.” He asserted that “faith has taken a back seat to economic life, health, and various existential problems for people of faith.”
Regarding the pandemic situation, South Korea reported around 30.6 million cases of COVID-19 and 34,093 deaths due to the virus, according to CNN data. Globally, a total of 674.3 million cases of COVID-19 infection and 6.8 million deaths were reported, according to CNN data.
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