[In depth interview]Cardinal lives lessons of St. Nicholas

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[In depth interview]Cardinal lives lessons of St. Nicholas

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Cardinal Cheong Jin-suk By Kim Hyung-soo

Cardinal Cheong Jin-suk, the Catholic Archbishop of Seoul, had a busy year. Most recently, he traveled to the Vatican on Nov. 21 to meet Pope Benedict XVI and fellow cardinals, and returned on Dec. 6. The JoongAng Ilbo interviewed the cardinal a week after his return to Seoul.
Cardinal Cheong was born in 1931 in Seoul to a family that has been devoutly Roman Catholic for four generations. He was an altar boy in his childhood. His dream in his younger days, however, was far from the cloth ― he wanted to become an inventor when he entered Seoul National University as a chemistry major. But the start of the Korean War in 1950 dashed his dreams when he saw the disastrous effects of weapons, which were human inventions. After the war, Chung changed the course of his life and entered theological college at the Catholic University of Korea.
In 1970, Chung became the youngest bishop in Korea at age 39. Last March, he became the second cardinal of Korea, after Kim Sou-hwan, who was ordained in 1969. Cardinal Kim positioned himself as a socially active leader, as he has made remarks about the social and political problems, especially during the military regimes in the 1970s and 1980s. Meanwhile, Cardinal Cheong stays rather reserved on social and political issues. Instead, he is very firm in the issues like lifestyle and the home.

Q. What did you talk about with Pope Benedicto?
A. The pope said that Korean society is no exception in suffering difficulties. He was especially worried that materialism is threatening life. Then he added that the Church would be able to contribute overcoming this problem.

Can you be more specific about what “threatening life” means?
A human life should be respected from the moment it is conceived to the time it naturally ends. However, we have this serious issue of abortion, and Korea is no exception. This has the pope worried.

Does the pope have any plans to visit Korea?
Actually, Bishop Jang Ik mentioned in the meeting with the pope that the late Pope John Paul II visited Korea twice and asked Pope Benedict XVI about his plans to visit Korea. The pope did not give any specific answers. But I understand that the pope has to plan ahead to visit a group of neighboring countries. I think a visit to Korea would be possible only when he has such plans.

Yesterday was Christmas. What is the meaning of Christmas to you?
When God created human beings, he created us to be happy. But just look around. So many people are unhappy. Why? It’s because they have become distant from God. A newborn baby is happy with its mother. God is the parent of the human race. This is why Jesus Christ came into the world, in order to connect a newborn baby and the mother.

Why did human beings become estranged from God?
Because of greed. Greed estranged human beings from God. God is a being that exists everywhere. Thus, God cannot be estranged from human beings. It’s only human beings that get estranged from God.

So what should we do to get closer again to God?
We should remain in the territory of our conscience. However, the greed of people leads them to break that fence of conscience and to commit crime. Jesus taught us how to stay in that fence, by loving each other.

What is the definition of love?
It’s the love of caring about people other than yourself. Jesus taught us to love our neighbors like our own selves. What is true love? It’s the love that makes me the same as others. God did not create just one human being. He created many. Therefore, we should know that there is God inside other people. Loving your neighbors is like loving God in them.

Sounds like a difficult job. What should we do in our daily lives?
People cannot live alone. We have to live together, and to do so, we have to respect each other. We should not expect others to respect us first, but we should respect others first to get their respect. We should love others, instead of waiting for them to love us. That would be the solution.

What does it mean to pray?
It’s a dialogue with God. It’s talking with the existence that enabled us to be in this world.

Some people pray for luck and some people pray for repentance. What makes a true prayer?
People seek what they want in their prayers. If their prayers are answered, they think there is a God. If not, they fall into despair, thinking that there is no God. However, a prayer is not about asking for something that you want. It is seeking something that God wants. Only then will God answer your prayers.

I heard you say, “Spend your day in a meaningful way” many times. What do you mean?
I am truly grateful whenever I open my eyes in the morning. I say, “Thank you, my Lord, for giving me this day.” My life is a life that is given for free. This is why I cannot let even a moment float away.

Is there a particular reason?
I was a soldier during the Korean War. When our unit walked on the frozen Namhan River, I felt the ice breaking all of a sudden right behind me. Then I saw my fellow soldiers falling through the ice and drowning to death. I could have died there, too. It was then I knew that my life is not mine. Every single day feels like my last day in this world.

Did you pray then?
I always prayed during the war. I prayed to understand the meaning of my life. That was the most desperate prayer for me.

Why did you choose to be a priest?
My life after the war seemed to mean nothing. I thought, what would be the best thing I could do in return? It was living my life for others. That was why I went to seminary. However, I have to say that I fulfilled my ambition, too. Still, I did my best to live my life for others.

Cardinal Cheong’s baptismal name is Nicholas, after St. Nicholas. This saint is famous for saving three young sisters when he was the bishop of a small city around 300 A.D.
When he learned that the poverty-striken father of the women was trying to sell them as prostitutes, the saint gave the father a bag full of gold. This is why St. Nicholas is considered a gift giver. Later, the Protestants in the Netherlands called him Sinter Klass, and in the United States, he was called Santa Claus. St. Nicholas was known for donning the color red, which has inspired today’s Santa Claus costume.
Cardinal Cheong remains true to his baptismal name. He said that his motto is “Omnibus omnia,” meaning “Give everything to everyone.” To make things simple, he spoke of the word “omnibus.”
“A car used to be property only for the rich. However, a bus was made for everyone. This is the spirit of ‘Omnibus Omnia.’”
Asked about what the next president of the country should do, Cardinal Cheong said that he should keep in mind that the will of the public is the will of heaven.
“The president should do things that everyone wants. The president should not do something that he alone thinks is right.”
What is his wish for the New Year?
Cardinal Cheong smiled warmly and said, “I hope for everyone’s happiness. I hope there will be no unemployment and no fights at home.” Then he added, “Happiness, actually, is simple.”


By Baek Sung-ho JoongAng Ilbo [sujiney@joongang.co.kr]
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