Korean Church urged to push for Catholic patriot’s canonization

South Korea

Buddhist turned Catholic Ahn Jung-geun is hailed as an independence hero in Korea against imperial Japan

The Catholic Church in South Korea needs to make strong efforts for the canonization of Catholic patriot and independence hero Thomas Ahn Jung-geun, Catholic leaders said during a symposium in capital Seoul.

Catholic leaders exchanged opinions on what the Church needs to do to make local Catholics understand the life and faith of Ahn and what kinds of efforts are needed for his beatification, Catholic Times of Korea reported on March 20.

Representatives from the East Asia Evangelization Center in Cheonjinam of Gwangju, Dumoolmeori Evangelization Research Center, Ahn Jung-jeun Research Center of Daegu Catholic University and Catholic newspapers were among participants at the March 10 symposium.  

Thank you. You are now signed up to Daily newsletter

Speakers agreed that despite Ahn being a Catholic and independence hero, Korean Catholics remain passive in their efforts to promote him and many don’t even know he was a Catholic who died a hero’s death.

“It is important to educate Catholics and cultivate Ahn Jung-geun’s faith. It is more urgent than ever,” said Father Pius Kim Dong-won, director of East Asia Evangelization Center.

Daegu Catholic University’s former professor Andrew Lee Kyung-gyu said that Ahn committed a heroic act to defend Korea’s independence from Japanese imperial rule, sacrificed his life and was “inspired by his faith in Christ.”

“Ahn loved the Church and people with deep devotion and had a clear consciousness of sacrificing himself to get justice. We must look at him first to clearly understand his faith and actions”

The Church needs to rethink its position on Ahn and renew efforts to promote his ideals to pursue his beatification, he said.

Leo Hwang Jong-ryul, director of the Dumoolmeori Evangelization Research Center, echoed those sentiments.

“Ahn loved the Church and people with deep devotion and had a clear consciousness of sacrificing himself to get justice. We must look at him first to clearly understand his faith and actions,” he said.

Ahn Jung-geun was born on Sept. 2, 1879, in a Buddhist family in Haeju of Hwanghae province, now part of North Korea. He was the eldest of three sons and one daughter of his parents.

During his early years, Korea saw the Joseon dynasty (1392-1897) lose its grip on power in the country and become a protectorate under the imperial Japanese empire.  

Young Ahn was attracted to Christianity, which was spreading to Korea as a strong lay indigenous movement at the time. Ahn became a Catholic on Jan. 10, 1897, and took Thomas as his baptismal Christian name. He then married and fathered three children — two sons and a daughter.

After his conversion, Ahn became a collaborator with foreign Catholic missionaries serving in the country. He also secured funding from the Catholic Church to establish two Catholic schools where he served as the principal.

Anh also joined a nationalist movement to free Korea from Japanese occupation. As part of his independence struggles, Ahn shot dead Hirobumi Ito, the four-times prime minister of Japan and first Japanese resident governor-general of Korea, on Oct. 26, 1909, in Harbin, northeast China.

Ahn was arrested, tortured and executed by Japanese forces on March 26, 1910.

“Ahn acted in righteous defense of the nation. The Catholic Church does not regard killing committed to defend the nation from unjust aggression as a crime”

Though Ahn’s act triggered a Japanese backlash and consequent repression of Koreans, he is hailed as an independence hero and his act is seen as symbol of the nation’s resistance against Japanese imperialism.

For many years, the Catholic Church condemned Ahn’s actions and regarded him as a murderer. French MEP missionary Bishop Gustave Mutel, the former apostolic vicar of Korea (1890-1933), even refused Catholic sacraments for Ahn in defiance.

“Unless Ahn Jung-geun shows a public sign of repenting for his sins as a murderer, he cannot receive the sacraments as a child of the Catholic Church,” Bishop Mutel said, according to Catholic Times of Korea.

However, decades later the Church’s stance softened on Ahn. In 1993, Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan (1922-2009), then archbishop of Seoul, celebrated a memorial Mass on his death anniversary to pay tribute to him.

“Ahn acted in righteous defense of the nation. The Catholic Church does not regard killing committed to defend the nation from unjust aggression as a crime,” said Cardinal Kim.

In 2011, Seoul Archdiocese’s preparatory committee for beatification and canonization held a symposium to discuss the possibilities of canonization for Ahn. There has been no known progress on the efforts ever since.

Meanwhile, Ahn remains a popular subject in South Korea, featuring in research, drama, cinema, art, literature and music.

In 1962, Ahn was conferred South Korea’s Order of Merit for National Foundation for his contributions to the independence movement.

He is also hailed for promoting a pacifist vision for Asia, known as Pan-Asianism, based on the union of East Asian nations Korea, China and Japan, to defy European colonization.

Latest News