Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul has called on the faithful to stand united in hope and conviction as South Korea faces deepening political uncertainty.
In his 2025 Easter message, released ahead of Easter Sunday on April 20, the prelate urged a national reflection on values and a commitment to overcoming hardship through solidarity.
The archbishop addressed the country’s recent impeachment crisis and political unrest, framing them as a moment for collective discernment rather than division.
“The recent historic event of impeachment should serve as a moment for our society to reflect on the true values we ought to pursue, beyond mere political change,” Archbishop Chung said.
“The challenges we face will not disappear easily, but if we unite with hope and conviction, we can overcome them,” he added.
He described the current situation—marked by the aftermath of martial law, a Constitutional Court ruling to remove the president, and partisan strife in the lead-up to national elections—as a period when “hope seemed under threat.”
Amid “economic hardship and anxiety about the political future,” he commended citizens for beginning “to nurture hope through solidarity and active civic consciousness.”
The archbishop’s message was issued as part of the Catholic Church’s observance of the Jubilee Year 2025, which Pope Francis has declared the “Pilgrimage of Hope.”
Chung grounded his call for solidarity in the spiritual meaning of Easter, presenting the resurrection of Jesus not as a spectacular event, but as a quiet act of consolation and healing.
“The Risen Jesus quietly comes to those who sit in despair and grief, symbolized only by the ‘empty tomb.’ It is a gentle victory and a mystery of salvation that brings us comfort and healing,” he said.
He urged the faithful to recognize that Christ’s resurrection does not offer magical solutions to worldly problems, but a deeper assurance of divine presence in human suffering.
“What we firmly believe is that the Risen Christ does not turn away from human suffering. Rather, He is mysteriously present beside us in our trials,” he said.
Referencing Scripture, he stressed that hope is nurtured through endurance and faith, not through visible outcomes.
The prelate urged the faithful to become “witnesses of hope” and “heralds of God’s mercy,” especially during the Jubilee Year. He encouraged believers to proclaim the Gospel to those who have lost meaning and direction in life.
