South Korean Catholic bishops said Monday they will send a delegation of priests to North Korea on a regular basis to jointly celebrate major feasts.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK) made the announcement after returning from a four-day trip to the communist country. The visit was made at the invitation of the North Korean Catholic association.
CBCK said the delegation will hold services at Changchung Cathedral in Pyongyang, the sole Catholic church in North Korea, on major Catholic feasts every year.
The South Korean organization also said it has discussed with its North Korean counterpart ways to enhance cooperation among Catholics in the two Koreas, with both agreeing to facilitate humanitarian and priesthood exchanges in the future.
"The meeting laid the foundation for further cooperation and exchange among Korean Catholics," a CBCK official said at a press conference in Seoul.
The latest trip was aimed at helping promote reconciliation between South and North Korea as this year marks the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
North Korea's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but in practice, the North's regime deals harshly with those involved in "almost any religious practices," meaning that religious freedom does not exist, the U.S. State Department said last month. (Yonhap)