SEOUL (UCAN) -- Bosco Seong Youm says his Catholic faith helped him better execute his job as South Korean ambassador to the Holy See.   

Seong, 65, returned to Seoul after his posting in Rome from June 2003 until this past September. He is not a career diplomat and was professor of medieval philosophy at Jesuit-run Sogang University in Seoul when the government named him ambassador. He formerly served as director of the lay-run Woori Theology Institute.   

The onetime Salesian seminarian earned a doctorate at Pontifical Salesian University in Rome after studying there 1981-86. As professor of medieval philosophy, he has written several Latin textbooks. Seong, who speaks fluent Italian, is married to a Presbyterian theologian. One of their two sons is a Salesian seminarian. 

Seong spoke to UCA News on Oct. 18 about his life and work as ambassador, about the late Pope John Paul II and the present pope, and about his close ties with the local Church. The interview, conducted at Seong's residence in Seoul, follows: 

UCA NEWS: What was your experience as ambassador during the past four years?   

BOSCO SEONG YOUM: The Korean embassy to the Vatican does not undertake trade or consular works and has only three diplomats, including the ambassador. I was busy there since the Vatican has an important role in international politics.   

My major job was to explain Korean government policy and the Korean Church situation to Vatican prelates. I also attended various events held by some 80 embassies to the Holy See and strengthened ties between South Korea and other countries. Besides, I met Korean priests and Religious who study in Rome to encourage them. Personally, it was a special and precious experience, since I could directly observe how the Catholic Church operates at the heart of the universal Church. I had a little trouble with the other two diplomats at the embassy, but Vatican officials and diplomats from other countries offered me friendship, which encouraged me to overcome that.   

Did your Catholic faith clash with Korea's interests? 

Though I am Catholic, my original duty was to give top priority to national interests. Personally, it was a good opportunity to express my respect and love to the pope who is the supreme leader of the Catholic Church. In principle, however, I acted as a diplomat and all the Vatican officials including the pope treated me as an ambassador. My religious status as a Catholic was helpful to my official work as a diplomat, who should pursue national interests. Surely some negotiations or lobbying went more smoothly.   

How did you reconcile Vatican City as state with the Holy See?    

Vatican national interests could be seen in ensuring that the Catholic Church is respected in each country and that its humanitarian contribution be carried out without hindrance. Thus the Catholic Church wins very favorable conditions through the good combination of two systems -- the Vatican City state and the Holy See. The Holy See has been making efforts at being the "teacher and mother" for society. 

Furthermore, the Holy See tries to exercise moral and spiritual authority going beyond just the boundary of a religious body. Since politics is an essential element of human life, it is very meaningful that the Vatican City state was guaranteed "its absolute and visible independence and indisputable sovereignty in international affairs" through the signing of the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy in 1929.   

During your term, you served two popes.   

Pope John Paul II was well known to the whole world since he visited 129 countries, including South Korea twice, in 1984 and 1989. I think his pastoral travels abroad contributed to making Catholicism widely known.   

The late pope continued to observe current issues in the world and did not stop to raise a voice for peace and the marginalized, even while he was ill in bed. Some 90 heads of state attended his funeral. This proved that the Catholic Church, which has 1.2 billion Catholics, plays an important role on humanitarian and international political levels, and also exercises moral and spiritual authority over the international community. At that time, I think, Catholics must have felt strongly that the Catholic Church is closely united with all human destiny, going beyond just the boundary of religion.   

However, Pope Benedict XVI's style is quite different from his predecessor's. The theologian-pope is scholarly and somewhat bureaucratic since Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, had been the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for 22 years. But I think the German pope has been doing well as head of the Catholic Church, because he has accumulated much experience since he started his pastoral work. Yesterday (Oct. 17), I could see the pope's strong will to renew the Vatican through his appointing 23 new cardinals, including one from Asia.   

Will the pope visit Korea?   

When Pope Benedict first met with ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, he told them he came from a country (Germany) which suffered a lot because of its division in the past. So, I told the pope: 'I am from the only country in the world that is still divided' and asked him to help in the reconciliation and unification of North and South Korea by simultaneously visiting both Koreas. The pope replied, 'I really hope so' with a bright smile, though, I think it was a formal response.   

Your wife is a Presbyterian theologian. How did Vatican prelates react?   

Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, showed much interest. Vatican prelates helped us live more harmoniously since they thought we lived out the ecumenical spirit in our daily life and participated together in diplomatic or Catholic events without any conflict. Furthermore, even Korean Protestant pastors in Rome cooperated positively with the Korean embassy for holding diplomatic events. People in the Vatican do not exclude people of other religions. I think it is because the Vatican has many diplomats from various religions. I was very impressed by the Vatican prelates' understanding and tolerance of diverse religions.   

What motivated you to work closely with the Catholic Church?    

In the late 1970s when I started my social life, I chose translation as my means of living. I translated mostly Church books and documents from Religious congregations. In the 1970s, nearly all the books in the Korean Church were translated from foreign books because the local Church then had few Korean writers.   

Under the military dictatorship of the late (South Korean) president Park Chung-hee (1962-79), many young people felt inclined to Marxism. Young Catholic laypeople and priests, and Protestant pastors did not have a theoretical foundation for a pro-democracy movement on the basis of Catholic Church social teaching and the Bible. Then Gustavo Gutierrez published his book A Theology of Liberation, based on the positive elements of Marxism, Catholic Church teaching and the experience of lay participation and struggle. I translated the book to provide Korean Christians with a foundation that was assimilated and universalized in Christianity, which is larger than only Marxism.   

My translation works are rooted in the Bible and the Church's tradition. I felt the need to introduce the writings of the Fathers of the Church to Korean Catholics. So, I decided to study Latin literature to prepare for it. Such efforts resulted in the publication of Saint Augustine's De Civitate Dei (city of God) in 2004. I started the translation in 1999 and completed it in 2003. Even though City of God was written in the 5th century, I believe it is second to none in the field of historical theology. This book tells us about our historical consciousness, and the individual, communal, social and historical responsibility.    

Translation, which is a channel for cultural exchange, makes each other's culture enriched. Such exchange gave birth to a unique Korean Catholic spirituality and theology. During the past four years that I served as ambassador, I couldn't translate the writings of the Fathers of the Church. I will focus on the translations now that I am no longer ambassador.   

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