Korean Catholic Bishops' Conference Publishes Commemorative Book for 25th Anniversary of Korea-Japan Bishops Exchange Meeting

25th Anniversary Commemorative Booklet '25 Years Together: A Journey of Fellowship and Unity' Published

On the occasion of the publication of the 25th anniversary commemorative booklet of the Korea-Japan Bishops' Exchange Meeting, Bishop Lee Yong-hoon, Chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (center, Bishop of Suwon Diocese), Bishop Ok Hyun-jin, Korea's liaison officer (left, Auxiliary Bishop of Gwangju Archdiocese), and Bishop Yoo Kyung-chon (right, Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul Archdiocese) are presenting the physical copies of the Korean and Japanese editions.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK) and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan (CBCJ) have published a commemorative booklet for the 25th anniversary of the Korea-Japan Bishops' Exchange Meeting titled "25 Years Walked Together: A Journey of Communion and Unity."

The booklet compiles records and materials from the 1st Korea-Japan Bishops' Exchange Meeting (1996) through the 24th meeting (2018).

The booklet is divided into three parts. Part 1 (Encounter and Communion) includes reflections from two bishops who contributed to the exchange from its inception to the present (Japan: the late Archbishop Okada Takeo, Korea: Bishop Kang Woo-il). Archbishop Okada Takeo passed away on December 18, 2020, two days after writing his reflection.

Part 2 (Exchange and Companionship) compiles the contents of the meetings from the 1st to the 24th, along with photos of the attending bishops.

Part 3 (Solidarity and Cooperation) contains joint messages issued by the bishops of both countries at the Korea-Japan Bishops' Exchange Meetings. A total of five joint messages have been released so far.

Additionally, the booklet includes forewords by the current chairmen of the bishops' conferences of both countries (Bishop Lee Yong-hoon and Archbishop Kikuchi Isao), greetings from former liaison bishops responsible for the Korea-Japan Bishops' Exchange Meetings (Bishop Lee Ki-heon and Bishop Nakano Hiroaki), and an appendix listing the dates, locations, and themes of past Korea-Japan Bishops' Exchange Meetings.