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| Myeongdong Cathedral is seen in this 2017 file photo. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Catholic Church shares need for anti-discrimination legislation, but is against same-sex marriage
By Park Ji-won
The Catholic Church showed its support for the legislation of an anti-discrimination law but also made it clear this doesn't mean it backs same-sex marriage or the existence of genders other than male and female.
This is the first time the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK), an episcopal organization of the Catholic Church in Korea, has issued a statement about the anti-discrimination bill which has polarized religious communities.
The CBCK released a statement Monday that, "Regarding the anti-discrimination bill proposed by Rep. Jang Hye-young, we agree on its primary purpose to ban any types of discrimination and hope that it can prevent the abuses of human rights."
However, the CBCK said it was also concerned about some of its elements.
It said this was based on subjects addressed by Pope Francis in his book "The Joy of Love," which stated: "We would like before all else to reaffirm that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration, while 'every sign of unjust discrimination' is to be carefully avoided, particularly any form of aggression and violence."
"The bill itself doesn't mention same-sex marriage. But there are various movements that deem unions of same-sex people something akin to marriage or God's view of family. We are against such movements," the CBCK statement reads. "The bill mentions three different types of gender; male, female and a third gender and sexual identity as a way of people's perception toward their gender. But this cannot be used as grounds to deny that there exist only two genders; male and female."
"The love between man and woman and the importance of marriage and family form the basis of human dignity in the Constitution. So, love and family should be protected by society and the nation and they should not be ignored under the name of anti-discrimination," the CBCK said.
It also expressed concerns about "reverse discrimination" from the legislation. "The anti-discrimination law can promote the destruction of human life, artificial conception, selection of life or death based on genetics and the allowance of sexual minorities to adopt children."
The statement comes as religious communities stand divided over Jang's anti-discrimination bill, which was proposed June 29. The bill calls for punitive measures for acts of discrimination based on 26 categories, which include sexual orientation and sexual identity.
Protestant churches are vocal critics of the bill, although a small number of church leaders are sympathetic about the need for the protection for minorities from discrimination.
The Buddhist community welcomes the legislation.
The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), an association of protestant church denominations, is divided over the bill. Some support it as it is to protect the socially vulnerable and to show the Christian values of love and equality. But the Protestant Church of Korea, one of its largest members, vehemently opposes the bill, demanding NCCK Secretary General Lee Hong-jung clarify his position on the issue. Lee has publicly supported the legislation.
The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the nation's largest Buddhist order, and some NGOs also support the legislation.
The issue has been a hot potato in religious communities for more than a decade. Similar bills were proposed in 2007, 2010 and 2012 on anti-discrimination, but failed to be legislated largely because of opposition from politically-powerful conservative protestant churches.
