KOREA ARCHBISHOP WARNS CATHOLICS
AGAINST
ALLEGED MARIAN MIRACLE

GWANGJU, Korea (UCAN) -- The Archbishop of Kwangju in South Korea has warned Catholic clergy, Religious and laity against helping or joining a group whose claims to Marian miracles have been rejected by the Church.

Archbishop Andrew Choi Chang-mou of Kwangju (Gwangju) also asked Julia Youn Hong-sun and her volunteers not to propagate in his archdiocese the alleged miracles concerning her and her statue of Mary in Naju.

In his May 24 letter "Ending the Holy Month of Mary" sent to all archdiocesan parishes, Archbishop Choi requested Catholics to "obey the magisterium." He indicated that disobedience would be punished.

The archbishop made clear that he will regard Catholics who refuse to obey the magisterium as people "lacking in Church spirit" who "are not appropriate to undertake official duties in the Church."

"I sincerely ask all priests, Religious and laypeople in the archdiocese, and those involved in the events arising with the Naju statue of Mary, to receive my pastoral instructions in the spirit of obedience to the magisterium," Archbishop Choi said.

He also forbade publication or dissemination of any materials or the holding of commemorative events "relating to Julia Youn and her statue of Mary."

In particular, Archbishop Choi asked Youn not to insist that her personal experiences are supernatural and not to propagate them as private revelations.

He also asked all archdiocesan priests and Religious to ensure that they are not seen as promoting Youn or her statue of Mary among lay parishioners.

The archbishop added that he would not allow priests and Religious of other dioceses who do not follow his pastoral instructions concerning Youn to carry out pastoral activities in the archdiocese.

Youn has insisted that she received private revelations through her statue of Mary in Naju since it "started weeping" in 1985, after which it was visited by many Catholics, including several local and foreign bishops.

She also insisted that her weeping statue of the Blessed Mother has shed tears of blood and fragrant oil, and given her revelations.

Youn and her group even claimed that the Eucharist changed into a lump of bloody flesh in her mouth several times, including when she was given the Eucharist by Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

She has also claimed that the Eucharist fell "from heaven" several times when visiting bishops and her group were having Mass at her private chapel.

However, retired Archbishop Victorinus Youn Kong-hi, Archbishop Choi's
predecessor, declared in 1998 that there is no basis for considering as miracles the reported phenomena concerning Youn and her statue of Mary.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea confirmed the ruling of Archbishop Youn during its general assembly in March 1998.

The decision of Kwangju archdiocese was made in "close consultation with the Vatican," revealed Archbishop Cheong Jin-suk of Seoul, at that time president of the bishops' conference and bishop of Cheongju.

END