Willow’s words of wisdom:
I think we shocked people a bit yesterday mentioning the Korean Catholic Church and Boknal. Let’s start by saying that Mom believes it’s important to respect people’s religious beliefs and we are in no way claiming authority on any religion – this is simply facts that we are sharing.
The consumption of dog meat among the Korean Catholic clergy is believed to have begun when Catholics were being persecuted in the 19th century, and many fled to the mountains, where, because of a lack of protein, ate dogs. And it is said that when the majority of French missionaries first came to Korea after the 1886 establishment of relations between France and Joseon Dynasty, poor church members wanted to welcome them but had little to offer, so they killed their own dogs to serve them. Modern day Catholics believe that they are celebrating the bravery and struggles of their ancestors by consuming the celebratory dog meat. Church leaders, unlike many others in South Korean society, openly and unashamedly, express their passion for eating dog meat.
It seems to us that such treatment of animals not only diminishes South Korea in the eyes of the world, but also makes a mockery of the Roman Catholic Church as a protector and defender of a society’s most defenseless. Pope Francis himself chose the name “Francis” to honor Francis of Assisi who was the patron saint of animals and ecology and a celebrated champion of the poor. We wish Pope Francis would be vocal about the dog meat industry as it could truly provide a promising commitment of real change. We don’t quite understand why he hasn’t yet – even post his visit there almost 5 years ago.
Two years ago, Mom secretly recorded an interview they had with a member of the Myeongdong church who told them that they needed to understand a pet dog versus a meat dog and that they are different and therefore it’s ok to eat them. Mom tried to explain how wealthy South Korea is and that this tradition doesn’t apply anymore. They don’t want to change and don’t believe they should. It’s an ongoing battle that will hopefully gain a lot more attention in the upcoming year.
This is one of the most popular petitions available to sign that has almost reached 50,000 signatures, if you are interested. Thanks for reading friends!! Keep sharing our facts so more people can become aware!! Paw Power!!
