In The Faith - A Chronicle of the Christian Faith

“Despite the risks, some Christians practice their faith – sometimes with official sanction, often at great risk.”

North Korea’s Stalinist system is based on total devotion of the individual to an ideology promoted by the late leader Kim Il Sung and his successor, Kim Jong Il. Many outsiders say the ideology largely resembles a religion or cult, and refugees’ accounts say those who oppose it are dealt with severely, often ending up in prison camps. Despite the risks, some Christians practice their faith – sometimes with official sanction, often at great risk.

Estimates vary greatly on how many practicing Christians there are in North Korea. Estimates of the number of Roman Catholics range from 2,000 to 40,000. The number of Protestants is also estimated to be in the thousands.

There is only one Catholic church operating in the country. It is the Chan Chung cathedral in the capital, Pyongyang, where more than 100 people attend Sunday Mass, sometimes celebrated by foreign priests who are periodically allowed to visit.

One of those priests, an ethnic Korean from the United States, spoke to a reporter aboard a flight from Pyongyang recently. He says indigenous Protestant ministers but not Catholic priests do live in North Korea. In a bid to prevent eavesdropping by fellow passengers – who likely included a group of North Korean government officials – he converses quietly, and in Spanish.

“We are outsiders, struggling with patience,” he said. “We are not allowed to communicate with parishioners. We are only permitted to celebrate Mass, give Communion, but not hear confessions, and most people do not appear to know what confession is. It is hard to explain. It is very sensitive.”

[ Full Story @ VOANews.com ]

Source: VOANews.com © 2005 Voice of America

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Filed under: Society and Culture, Persecution, Church and State