Conservative bias?

Cardinal-designate Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul talks to reporters at Incheon International Airport last Sunday before leaving for the Vatican to attend a formal ceremony on Saturday (KST) when his title becomes official. / Yonhap

New cardinal in hot water over controversial interview

By Kim Tong-hyung

Cardinal-designate Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul is at the center of a controversy over an interview he gave to an Italian newspaper, in which he blasted a group of Korean priests who have been critical of the Park Geun-hye government.

The 71-year-old, a polarizing figure in the Korean church that is becoming increasingly divided over political issues, is currently staying at the Vatican to attend a formal ceremony on Saturday (KST) after which his title becomes official.

In its Friday edition, L’osservatore Romano quoted Yeom as describing the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice (CPAJ), a left-leaning group of priests who actively engage in social and political debates, as “entirely irrational.”

Among senior members of Korea’s Catholic clergy, Yeom has been the most outspoken critic of the CPAJ, accusing them of going against the principles of the Roman Catholic creed by getting involved in secular matters.

CPAJ’s diocese in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, sparked controversy by calling for the resignation of President Park during a special mass in November last year. The priests, led by Park Chang-shin, questioned the legitimacy of the 2012 presidential elections as investigations revealed that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) sought to exert influence on it, with the purpose of helping Park, the governing party candidate.

The L’osservatore Romano reporter asked Yeom about the issue and quoted him as saying: “I think the arguments of the CPAJ priests are entirely irrational. Today, we are living in a democracy, and should the head of state in power lose the support of the public, we will have the opportunity to elect a new leader after five years.”

Yeom then broke into a lengthy criticism of the CPAJ, according to the article.

“I think that the CPAJ was putting up an important and agreeable fight before the country’s democratization in 1987, but the political environment of today is entirely different. There is no dictatorship to fight,” Yeom said according to the newspaper.

“Instead of protesting against the current government, the CPAJ should focus their energy on the needs of the people and find ways to let faith contribute to the advancement of the society. If they continue with their current ways, they will be sidelined. If the church begins conveying an image of division, that would be regrettable.”

The article touched off a furious reaction from Yeom’s critics, who have been consistently criticizing him for holding conservative bias, being quick in his criticism of protesting priests but withholding comments on the government suppression of striking labor unionists and other social issues.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul went on the defensive, claiming that Yeom was misunderstood and misrepresented because the reporter translated the interview into Italian.

“The interview was conducted in English. The reporter apparently erred on a lot of expressions while translating the words into Italian,” it said.

“During the conversation, Yeom also made it clear that he opposes the claims that priests from the CPAJ should be excommunicated, but that part wasn’t included in the article.”

Yeom, who is among the 19 prelates from around the world who will be elevated to the rank of cardinal, will be the third Korean cardinal, following the late Stephen Kim Sou-hwan (1922-2009) and Nicolas Cheong Jin-suk.