CHEJU, South Korea, April 4, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A prominent South Korean Catholic bishop is again warning that the nation's low birth rate will cause major problems as the nation continues to grey at a rapid rate.
Bishop Peter Kang U-il of Cheju, who serves as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, told AsiaNews that the nation faces “a national disaster” because of “government policies over the years.” The bishop specifically pointed to “the artificial birth control that has been imposed for decades.”
Kang U-il's comments came after the National Bureau of Statistics reported the incredibly low birth rate of the nation continues to fall, and has been negative for over a year.
The CIA Factbook estimates the country’s total fertility rate at 1.25 children per woman, ranking it 220th in the world.
It is not just the Church that is warning about a demographic winter. Nearly two years ago, the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs said government intervention would be needed to support families. “Too many people shy away from the idea of marriage and having children,” said the agency. “The government must put a new system in place that provides health care and insurance to those who decide to start a family. We also need a change of mentality, which is perhaps the most worrying factor.”
The Institute made the same appeal after the new statistics were revealed. For its part in the battle, the South Korean Church has launched a “Lenten Prayer for Life.” AsiaNews reports it will consist of “a chain of rosaries recited with the intention” that government policies promoting abortion “be abolished,” among other intentions.
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The Church has also promoted programs for families and opposed tax policies that harm large families.