Catholic Leadership Speaks Out Against President
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
The Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, an influential religious group in Korea with a long history of political activism, is speaking out against the President Lee Myung-bak administration.
The group convened a meeting to discuss the public backlash against American beef imports, and led a public outdoor mass in front of City Hall Monday evening.
``It's been difficult to watch the disorder taking place and the government and law enforcement authorities' new hard-line approach,'' the association stated. ``We gathered Monday to admonish the current administration for its lack of humility.''
The police allowed the gathering to take place on Seoul Plaza, categorizing it as a legitimate religious gathering. The Catholic group estimated the number of participants at around 10,000.
The association wields a major influence over South Korea's Catholic population which number more than 4.7 million, according to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea.
The Catholic leadership group, established in 1974, has a history of fighting against authoritarian rule. Currently the group is also advocating the public make greater efforts toward reunifying Korea, safeguarding the environment and abolishing the National Security Law.
According to the group's official Web site, its leaders are taking a critical view of how the Lee administration has been handling the current political crisis. The group said the government is resorting to strong-arm tactics to try to resolve the issue.
The Lee administration has been tough in its stance over the past few days in dealing with what it described as violent protest groups.
Additionally, a group of influential civic and educational leaders in Korea, including present and former leaders from Korean Buddhist Jogye Order, Chungang University and Sung Kyun Kwan University, met in Seoul and issued a public statement. The leaders said both the Lee administration as well the opposition political parties bare responsibility for the current political crisis.
``President Lee must understand the public's criticism. His administration must start anew and focus on boosting the economy and improving social welfare,'' the group said. The leaders also urged opposition political parties to take immediate steps to convene the new National Assembly.