By Park Ji-won
Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul has reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage while also opposing discrimination due to sexual orientation.
According to a statement titled "Lesson from Catholic church on family and marriage" released by the archdiocese Wednesday to celebrate "Life Week," which is set to raise awareness on human life, Cardinal Yeom said "Gender ideology is defined as views that people can refuse the biological sex of man and woman and choose their individual sexual orientation. This is going against Divine Providence in which the creator made men and women differently and let them help with each other."
He added, "Living together without marriage and common-law marriage are considered as homosexuality and hurt the definition of family which is made with lifetime love and unity between husband and wife and to give birth and raise children."
However, the cardinal made it clear that what he said doesn't mean anyone can be discriminated based on sexual orientation or identity or face verbal or physical abuse, just because he doesn't recognize their right to get married.
Mentioning the proposed anti-discrimination bill, which is causing heated discussions, he stressed that "Some phrases in the bill, especially the policies in expanding the concept of family such as allowing cohabitation without marriage and common-law marriage, are largely different from the universal values in society and religious and ethical beliefs of the Catholic church."
The statement came amid an ongoing debate over the anti-discrimination bill and a series of suicides of sexual minorities recently. One of the highest-profile deaths was of Byun Hee-soo, a transgender rights campaigner who was discharged from her duty as a soldier after undergoing gender reassignment surgery and was in a legal fight with the military. Kim Ki-hong, a transgender activist and former music teacher, and Lee Eun-yong, a transgender playwright, were also found dead all within a short amount of time.
Religious groups have been divided over the anti-discrimination bill of Rep. Jang Hye-young of the liberal Justice Party, which was proposed last June 29. The bill stipulates punitive measures for acts of discrimination based on 26 categories, which include sexual orientation and sexual identity.
The Buddhist community has been supporting the legislation while Protestant and Catholic communities have been opposing the details of the legislation.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK), an episcopal organization of the Catholic Church in Korea, issued a statement last week for the first time opposing the details of the legislation. Also, some conservative Protestant churches such as the United Christian Churches of Korea (UCCK) have been opposing the passage of the law, claiming it will result in reverse discrimination.
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| Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul / Courtesy of Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul |
According to a statement titled "Lesson from Catholic church on family and marriage" released by the archdiocese Wednesday to celebrate "Life Week," which is set to raise awareness on human life, Cardinal Yeom said "Gender ideology is defined as views that people can refuse the biological sex of man and woman and choose their individual sexual orientation. This is going against Divine Providence in which the creator made men and women differently and let them help with each other."
He added, "Living together without marriage and common-law marriage are considered as homosexuality and hurt the definition of family which is made with lifetime love and unity between husband and wife and to give birth and raise children."
However, the cardinal made it clear that what he said doesn't mean anyone can be discriminated based on sexual orientation or identity or face verbal or physical abuse, just because he doesn't recognize their right to get married.
Mentioning the proposed anti-discrimination bill, which is causing heated discussions, he stressed that "Some phrases in the bill, especially the policies in expanding the concept of family such as allowing cohabitation without marriage and common-law marriage, are largely different from the universal values in society and religious and ethical beliefs of the Catholic church."
The statement came amid an ongoing debate over the anti-discrimination bill and a series of suicides of sexual minorities recently. One of the highest-profile deaths was of Byun Hee-soo, a transgender rights campaigner who was discharged from her duty as a soldier after undergoing gender reassignment surgery and was in a legal fight with the military. Kim Ki-hong, a transgender activist and former music teacher, and Lee Eun-yong, a transgender playwright, were also found dead all within a short amount of time.
Religious groups have been divided over the anti-discrimination bill of Rep. Jang Hye-young of the liberal Justice Party, which was proposed last June 29. The bill stipulates punitive measures for acts of discrimination based on 26 categories, which include sexual orientation and sexual identity.
The Buddhist community has been supporting the legislation while Protestant and Catholic communities have been opposing the details of the legislation.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK), an episcopal organization of the Catholic Church in Korea, issued a statement last week for the first time opposing the details of the legislation. Also, some conservative Protestant churches such as the United Christian Churches of Korea (UCCK) have been opposing the passage of the law, claiming it will result in reverse discrimination.
