In the 19th century, when the number of people migrating from Western Europe to the new continent exploded, the Catholic Church was concerned about the state of their faith and urged people to pay attention to them. In the 20th century, the Holy See p...
In the 19th century, when the number of people migrating from Western Europe to the new continent exploded, the Catholic Church was concerned about the state of their faith and urged people to pay attention to them. In the 20th century, the Holy See published documents on the pastoral ministry of immigration and began to provide institutional assistance. In other words, the roles to be played by the departure and host church are presented in detail. In the second half of the 20th century, the Catholic Church referred not only to permanent types such as immigration, but also temporary types such as tourism and pilgrimage, and recommended appropriate pastoral ministry for each type.
Recently, the three Popes also expressed their concern and pastoral care for immigration by delivering messages on “World Day of Migrants and Refugees”. In particular, the Popes made the refugee issue important and urged hospitality to them. In addition, the Popes emphasized the hospitality to people of other races, religions, and cultures within the diversity of cultures and religions. And the Popes mentioned that the church should take the lead in hospitalizing and protecting those who had to leave their hometowns for various reasons.
Korean Catholic Church has also been interested in the immigration phenomenon since the 1970s, right after the publication of catholic church documents. However, despite the fact that there were many immigrants in Korea at that time, the focus was not on the role of the departure church, but on helping them to live their religious life at the host church. Later, the Korean Catholic Church turned to the domestic situation and began to express interest in foreigners residing in Korea through migrant workers or international marriages. Therefore, the Catholic Church in Korea should also realize and practice the fact that it should pay more attention to the problem of the people on the move and welcome them more actively.