Seoul Marks 1,500th Weekly Mass for Korean Reconciliation

Every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. for the past 31 years, the same prayer has echoed through Seoul's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception: a call for peace and reconciliation between North and South Korea.

On February 10, 2026, Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung presided over the 1,500th Mass for Korean Reconciliation and Unity. Over 400 people gathered to mark the milestone, including diplomats, politicians, priests, and faithful parishioners who have kept this tradition alive since March 7, 1995.

The weekly Mass began on the 50th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan and the initial division of the peninsula. North and South Korea have been officially separated since 1953, when an armistice ended the Korean War, though the split began in 1945.

Archbishop Chung called the unbroken chain of weekly Masses "virtually unparalleled in the entire history of the Catholic Church in Korea." The services continued through three decades of shifting political winds, pausing only briefly during COVID-19 lockdowns.

"Over the past 30 years, there have been moments when peace on the Korean Peninsula seemed within reach, and periods when dialogue completely stopped and tensions reached their peak," the archbishop noted. Right now, he acknowledged, "it is unclear where and how to resume dialogue."

The Ripple Effect

But that uncertainty makes the Mass more important, not less. Father Jung Soo Yong, Vice Chairperson of the Korea Reconciliation Committee, pledged to continue praying "with more people" for peace and improved relations.

Archbishop Chung sees the prayers as already effective. "It is a Mass that has safeguarded peace on the Korean Peninsula, a Mass for self-reflection and preparing for a new future," he said.

The services invite participants to examine their own hearts first. "We must examine the stubbornness and we-are-better-than-you mentality within ourselves," the archbishop explained. "When we see each other as brothers and neighbors, entrenched relationships can truly be transformed."

The Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari has personally celebrated the Mass on Tuesdays whenever his schedule permits. His consistent attendance symbolizes the global Catholic community's support for Korean reconciliation.

"Efforts to understand the other side and seek reconciliation are by no means a weak or unrealistic choice," Archbishop Chung emphasized. "Rather, they are a more courageous decision."

The 1,500th Mass proves that sometimes the most powerful action is simply showing up, week after week, holding space for hope even when results aren't immediately visible.