by Benedict Sang M. Lee
Mary's Touch By Mail
Gresham, Oregon, U.S.A.
June 11, 2012

Julia Kim's original name is "Hong-Sun Yoon". "Hong-Sun", meaning "Doing good to everyone", is her first name and "Yoon" is her last name. "Julia" is from her Patron Saint received at the time of her baptism in 1981 and "Kim" is the last name of her husband, an employee in the agricultural department of the City of Naju, whom she married in 1972. In Korea, she is called "Yoon Yulia", which can sound confusing to the Westerners.

Hong-Sun was born in 1947 to a middle-class family in the small city of Naju (current population: 109,000) in the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, famous for large and delicious pears. In some of the earlier centuries, Naju had been a more important political and military center than Gwangju (20 km northeast of Naju; current population: 1.5 million and the capital of the South Junla Province). Hong-Sun's father was a respected scholar in Chinese literature and schoolteacher, but was killed by the invading North Korean soldiers in 1950. Her grandfather was forcefully taken to North Korea with no further information about him. Her younger sister also died of poor health during the war. Because of the extreme poverty during and after the war, Hong-Sun could not continue her education after elementary school, as her mother had difficulty in supporting their survival alone. Hong-Sun experienced many kinds of difficulties including harsh treatment at work. Frequently, she could not receive wages for her work and was beaten by her seniors who took her wages. Probably, the severe hardship during her early years was a preparation for the more painful life in her adult years. While struggling with difficulties in living, Hong-Sun did not neglect to extend kindness and assistance to those who were less fortunate than herself, frequently sharing with them whatever little she had. From her later teenage years, she worked in a beauty salon learning the trade of hairdressing.

Hong-Sun and her husband had two sons and two daughters, all grown-up and married now. In the late 1970s, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. As the cancer continued spreading and caused serious complications, the doctors eventually gave up and sent her home. While she was preparing for a certain death, her husband came home early from work one day, which he had never done before, and took Hong-Sun to the Catholic church in Naju. At that time, Julia was a Presbyterian and her husband, Man-Bok, previously had sometimes visited the Catholic churches. Hong-Sun said to the parish priest, "If there really is a God, he has been very cruel to me. Why should I drink this bitter cup (meaning death)?" The priest responded, "Lady, you are receiving more grace than me through your body." At that moment, she began feeling her whole body, which had been cold all the time, becoming hot and sweating profusely with the heat from the Holy Spirit. After she came home, she randomly opened the Bible and read the verses she saw: And a woman afflicted with hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. Immediately her bleeding stopped. Jesus then asked, "Who touched me?" While all were denying it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds are pushing and pressing in upon you." But Jesus said, "Someone has touched me; for I know that power has gone out from me." When the woman realized that she had not escaped notice, she came forward trembling. Falling down before him, she explained in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been healed immediately. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 8: 43-48). Hong-Sun felt that the Words of Jesus were also meant for her and said loudly "Amen". She immediately began recovering from the cancer and the complications. She was completely healed. Hong-Sun and her family were filled with joy, gratitude, and amazement. They took the instructions in the Naju parish church and were baptized on Easter Sunday of 1981. Hong-Sun and her husband received the baptismal names: Julia and Julio, respectively. Their children's new names were Rosa, Thomas, Theresa, and Philip. Julia opened her own beauty salon and became well known among her customers for her good skill and kindness. She and her husband were fervent in their prayer life and in working for the Naju parish. Julia also joined the Blue Army.

One evening, when Julia was praying in her room, she saw a vision of Jesus bleeding miserably from His torn Heart because of the sins of so many people in the world. She was deeply shocked and asked Jesus to allow her to suffer some of His sufferings so that He may suffer less, even by a little. This prayer was granted and, since then, Julia has been experiencing many different kinds of severe physical pains as well as inner sufferings almost every day. In recent years, her pains have further intensified probably because of the accumulating sins in the world including the continuing rejection of the messages and miracles in Naju by the clergy especially in Korea. On April 22, 2011, Good Friday, Julia and the pilgrims were doing the Stations of the Cross on the Blessed Mother's Mountain in Naju. Julia was suffering enormously and bleeding from her head and the wounds on her legs and back caused by (mystical) scourging while walking with great difficulty from one Station to the next. She could not bear the overwhelming pain very long and lost all the energy in her body and died at the 12th Station. Several priests, Sisters, and lay pilgrims witnessed and confirmed Julia's death. (For the photographs of that day, please visit our website: www.marys -touch.com). Then, Julia's soul was taken to Heaven and was before God the Father, Who said:

". . . I wish to send down the chastisement on this world filled with sins, but I cannot strike with my hand of justice lifted high because there is a little soul like you who so generously laid down even your life. . . Well, then, return to the world and cry out. If there were no soul like you in the world who is totally loyal and renders a completely devoted service to Me, the world filled with pitch-black darkness would have been reduced to ashes. So, I give you one more chance. Go and cry out without delay."

As soon as God the Father finished speaking, Julia saw Him breathing into her and giving a blessing to the world with His outstretched hands. The messages that Julia received from God the Father and Jesus on April 22, 2011 were the most recent ones. It is not certain if they were the last messages in Naju or not. From God the Father's Words above, we know that the terrifying chastisement on the world has been delayed (for a while) thanks to Julia's sufferings. God the Father gave us one more chance and sent His blessing to the world. Therefore, we are now walking through the last precious chance given to the world before the chastisement. Previously, the Blessed Mother has said repeatedly that prayers and sacrifices are still insufficient to stop the just anger of God from falling on the earth (despite Julia's enormous sufferings and prayers). The essence of all the messages and miraculous signs in Naju is to move and mobilize the hearts of more people to join the Blessed Mother's efforts by repenting their sins and reforming their lives and offering up more prayers and sacrifices for the conversion and salvation of other people.

The miraculous phenomena that Julia had experienced in the early years (such as the healing of her cancer, the vision of Our Lord bleeding, and the ability to know people's inner thoughts, the last of which was removed from her when she prayed that it be taken away.) were thought to be for the benefit of her private faith life and her own spiritual growth only. Gradually, however, the perception that the numerous signs and messages could not be just for one or a few individuals but must be for the whole Church and whole world has developed. To take just one example, the Blessed Mother began shedding tears through her statue in Julia's room just before midnight on June 30, 1985. On October 19, 1986, she began shedding not just clear tears but also tears of blood. So far she has shed tears and tears of blood for more than 700 days through the same statue. How can such powerful and lasting signs be just for a few individuals? The phenomenon of the tears was promptly reported to the parish priest and most likely to the Archbishop in Gwangju as well. The Naju pastor and several Sisters came and saw the statue shedding tears. While Pope John Paul II was visiting Siracusa, Italy, on November 6, 1994, he delivered a homily during the Mass, in which he spoke about the Blessed Mother's tears, which should also apply to the tears in Naju:

"Her tears confirm that there is a Mother in the Church and in the world. A mother weeps when her children are faced with threats of evil whether they are physical or spiritual. Her tears are tears of prayer. Oh, Blessed Mother of Tears! Look down at the sufferings in this world with your motherly mercy. Wipe away the tears from the eyes of those who are suffering, those who have become forgotten and fallen into despair, and those who have become victims of violence. After everyone sees the deep love in the Mother's Heart, let them shed the tears of joy. Praise to Jesus Christ!"

In Siracusa, the Blessed Mother shed tears through an image of hers on August 29, 1953. After the doctors' scientific examination, the Archbishop of Siracusa officially recognized the phenomenon as supernatural in September 1953. In October 1953, Pope Pius XII, added his confirmation during a radio broadcast.

As the number of visitors increased to hundreds and even thousands per day, the statue in Julia's apartment was moved on December 8, 1987 to a larger space called "the chapel" built with the donations from the faithful in Belgium. Fr. Raymond Spies, Julia's spiritual director until 1997 originally had come from Belgium before he worked in Japan as a missionary priest and, then, came to Korea (Note: The Gwangju Archdiocese stated in its Declaration of January 1, 1998 that no priest other than the Pastor of Naju could be Julia's spiritual director. Especially, Fr. Luke Hong-Chul Song, the Pastor of Naju from 2001 to 2005, severely persecuted Naju, even saying that he would demolish the chapel with a bulldozer and having made it impossible for Julio and Julia to attend Masses in the Naju parish church by requiring Julia to declare that all messages and miracles had been fabricated by her before they could be accepted back into the parish). Frequently, this chapel has become filled with a strong and pleasant heavenly fragrance similar to the scent of roses. On November 24, 1992, the Blessed Mother exuded fragrant oil from the head of her statue for the first time. Fragrant oil continued to flow down, and many little pieces of linen were soaked with the fragrant oil and sent to many of the priests and lay people around the world. In her message on April 8, 1993, the Blessed Mother said, "The fragrance and the oil that I give for the sake of all are gifts from God and also signs of my presence, love, and friendship."

To confirm the truthfulness of the Catholic Church's teaching that the Holy Eucharist is not just a sign of Jesus Christ Our Savior but truly and fully His Real and Living Presence with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, Our Lord has performed 13 miracles of the Eucharistic species changing into the visible and living Flesh and Blood of Our Lord on Julia Kim's tongue when she received Holy Communion between May 16, 1991 and February 28, 2010. Most notably, the miracle in a Vatican chapel on October 31, 1995 was personally witnessed by Pope John Paul II and, later in March 2001, was accepted by him as a true miracle. In addition, on three occasions, the Eucharist bled not in Julia's mouth but in a ciborium or a reliquary (November 24, 2002, May 6, 2005, and October 16, 2006). Also, on 16 occasions, the Eucharist descended from above without any indication of a priest's consecration of the host with one exception (The Eucharist that descended on Julia's hand on November 24, 1994 was brought by St. Michael the Archangel to the chapel from a Mass celebrated by a priest in sin according to the Blessed Mother's message). On September 22, 1995, the day of the Eucharistic miracle on the Blessed Mother's Mountain witnessed by Bishop Roman Danylak from Canada, Our Lord gave us the following message:

"If my priests, who celebrate Mass every day, truly believe and feel My Real Presence and live the sublime and amazing Divine Reality, numerous souls will be purified and live in the grace from My merciful Heart beyond expectations through this Real Presence of Mine. Make My Physical Presence known without delay. This world is now on the brink of destruction because of human degradation, apostasy and infidelity, but too many of my ministers are asleep. Thus, even my ministers are being misled by false prophets. The present disorders are tormenting Me and keep tearing apart My Heart. This also becomes a whip and keeps tearing apart My Mother's Immaculate Heart.  

My little souls who have been called! You will experience misunderstanding and persecution in the Church which has been wounded and divided. But I will always dwell in you and encourage and help you at your side. Therefore, do not fear but make known with trust My Living Presence in the Eucharist. I have shown signs repeatedly through my little soul to enlighten the many priests and numerous other children who say that they know My Real Presence and My breathing in the Eucharist with My Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, and yet do not really know it. Only very few children follow Me. Even many priests forget about the sublime simplicity of the Holy Eucharist, which is My Physical Presence, and of the Gospels which I teach, and they are trying to explain Me with deceptive talks and complicated reasonings. This is like throwing mud at simple people.

My beloved children! Do not reject My pleas which I make in this manner while being truly present in the Eucharist. If people do not want to acquire true understanding, do not follow My Will to bestow Love upon them, deny the Divinity and deny the Divine Origin (of the Eucharist), then, they will face the anger of God the Father."

In addition, beginning in November 2001, Our Lord's Precious Blood, and sometimes the Blessed Mother's tears of blood as well, came down on the numerous little rocks and some fallen tree leaves on the Blessed Mother's Mountain, in Julia's bedroom, and on the clothes of many pilgrims including some priests. These remind us of the record in Exodus 24:8, where it says that Moses had the blood of male calves be sprinkled upon the Israelite people as a sign of the covenant between God and them and also of the words in I Peter 1:2, where Peter says that he greets those who are obedient to Jesus Christ and are chosen to receive His Blood sprinkled upon them.

During the Korean Bishops' ad limina visit to the Vatican in 1991, Archbishop Victorinus Gong-Hee Youn of Gwangju reported to Pope John Paul II, "In my diocese, a statue of the Blessed Mother shed tears." In response, the Holy Father said, "In such matters, it is important to observe the fruits." Then, on October 31, 1995, one year before the Korean Bishops' next ad limina visit in 1996, the Holy Father witnessed the Eucharistic miracle through Julia in the Vatican chapel on October 31, 1995. The Holy Father also received much information about Naju through Archbishop Giovanni Bulaitis, the Apostolic Nuncio who had visited Naju on November 24, 1994. To the Korean Bishops in 1996, the Holy Father said: "Share the wonderful grace in Naju with other countries in Asia". We have also been informed that the Holy Father was looking at the photographs of the Blessed Mother shedding tears and tears of blood in Naju without stopping for about 40 minutes, with his hands slightly raised as he would during the prayers of the Mass.

Then, on January 1, 1998, the Gwangju Archdiocese shocked the faithful in the whole world by announcing a negative Declaration on Naju. When the Korean Bishops returned to the Vatican in early March 2001 for their ad limina visit, the Holy Father threw a serious question at the Bishops during a lunch meeting: "How is the situation in Naju?" None of the bishops was willing or ready to answer the Pope's question. Uncomfortable silence continued for a long time: the Pope anxiously waiting and the Bishops not knowing how to respond to the Holy Father's question. Even though the Pope's question was a brief one, it probably contained several specific questions such as: What have you done during the past five years about my request in 1996 to share the grace of Naju with other countries in Asia? Why did you announce the negative Declaration on Naju on January 1, 1998 without asking me first? How could you do so, if you remembered my request five years ago and if you knew about my position on the Eucharistic miracle in the Vatican on October 31, 1995? Finally, about 20 minutes later, Bishop Paul Kim of the Cheju Diocese in Korea, sitting next to the Holy Father, said: "Your Holiness! I will make a detailed report after the lunch". So, Bishop Kim alone made a detailed oral report to the Pope for about one hour, explaining the situation in Naju and the Korean Church in considerable detail. When Bishop Kim finished, the Holy Father expressed much joy and satisfaction. Obviously, he was extremely happy to hear such a sincere, honest, and detailed report on Naju and the Church in Korea from a Korean Bishop. He made a big smile despite some difficulty in making facial expressions because of his illness and embraced Bishop Kim's shoulders. The Holy Father told Bishop Kim that he would send instruction to the (appropriate) office. What the Holy Father said and did on that day as well as what he had done before concerning Naju were not his private actions but his official actions as the Supreme Shepherd of the Catholic Church. No one should harbor the imprudent idea that his words and actions about Naju probably were for his private devotion only.

The concrete fruits of the Holy Father's instruction became visible in May of the same year (2001). One of them happened at the shrine of St. Michael the Archangel at Monte Sant'Angelo, about 20 km east of San Giovanni Rotondo, St. (Padre) Pio of Pietrelcina's shrine. In the church at St. Michael's shrine, the photographs of the Eucharistic miracle on October 31, 1995 and explanation in Italian were displayed along with other Eucharistic miracles in Lanciano, Siena, Orvieto, and so on, all already officially recognized by the Church, which was an indication that the miracle through Julia in the Vatican was being presented to the public as one of the miracles recognized by the Church. After all, the Pope has the exclusive authority to make decisions on the miracles that occurred in the Vatican or Rome. The Italian pilgrimage guide mentioned that a display like this would not be possible without an explicit instruction or approval by the Holy See, as the Holy Father himself was involved in the miracle. The printed explanation in Italian on the wall said, "The Holy Father not only witnessed the Eucharistic miracle through Julia Kim on October 31, 1995 but he was one of the main participants in the supernatural phenomenon". This was a very correct observation, as it was obvious that Our Lord and Our Lady performed this Eucharistic miracle through Julia that day for Pope John Paul II. It was a powerful sign and message from God to the Pope for the benefit of the whole Church. It is also significant that the shrine of St. Michael the Archangel was chosen as the site for displaying the information on the Eucharistic miracle of October 31, 1995. The Angel had appeared there three times in 490, 492, and 493 A.D. signifying his victory over the devil and the consequent opening of a God-centered era (to last until the 15^th Century). We hear that the same display still continues at the shrine of St. Michael the Archangel, eleven years after the beginning of the display. In addition, the Holy See also gave permission to a major Catholic TV station in Italy to air the information about the Eucharistic miracle in the Vatican and the more general information about Naju all over Italy. The Pope's clear and forceful actions regarding the Eucharistic miracle through Julia Kim on October 31, 1995 as manifested by a public display at a world-famous shrine and a TV broadcasting all over Italy carried a strong message to the Universal Church and, especially, to the Church in Korea not to waste more time but carry out an objective and honest re-examination and, based on the results, approve Naju so that the evangelization of Asia and the re-vitalization of the Catholic Faith in the whole world may be facilitated.

On September 22, 1995, about a month before Julia's above-mentioned visit to the Vatican, Bishop Roman Danylak (a Ukranian Catholic Bishop presiding in Toronto, Canada), Fr. Joseph Finn (a theologian from London, Canada), and Fr. Aloysius Chang, a pastor in the Gwangju Archdiocese, celebrated a Mass on the Blessed Mother's Mountain in Naju. When Julia received the Holy Communion from the Bishop, the Eucharist on her tongue changed into visible and live Flesh and Blood in the shape of a heart (Please see the photographs of this miracle in our website: www.marys-touch.com, Photo Gallery #2). Bishop Danylak intently investigated this miracle and wrote a sworn testimony.

On September 17, 1996, Julia went to Malaysia and attended the Mass celebrated by Bishop Dominic Su and other priests in Sacred Heart Cathedral of the Sibu Diocese. Bishop Dominic Su, the Ordinary of the Sibu Diocese officially recognized this miracle in his letter to Archbishop Giovanni Bulaitis, the Apostolic Nuncio to Korea from 1991 to 1997. At the end of this letter, Bishop Su stated, "Our Lord Jesus performed this miracle in order to confirm our faith in His real presence in the Eucharist".

On February 28, 2010, Julia and her companions from Korea attended the Mass concelebrated by Archbishop Giovanni Bulaitis, the retired Apostolic Nuncio to Korea, and Fr. Aloysius Chang in a chapel under the jurisdiction of the Vatican. Mrs. CŠcilia Pohl from Germany was also present. During the Mass, the second Eucharistic miracle in the Vatican occurred through Julia. Archbishop Bulaitis wrote a detailed testimony together with other witnesses (several Italian Sisters, Mrs. Pohl, and Julia's companions from Korea) and reported this miracle to Cardinal Ivan Dias, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Several days later, Cardinal Dias reported this to Pope Benedict XVI. The Cardinal also gave the Holy Father a Eucharist that bled in a ciborium in Naju on October 16, 2006 that Julia had brought to Rome in obedience to the Lord's instruction. After hearing the Cardinal's report and seeing the Eucharist that bled, the Holy Father said, "I am positive on Naju." Mrs. Pohl wrote a detailed testimony after her return to Germany and sent the copies to priests and many lay people in Germany and Austria with a strong response from them. Mrs. Pohl has led pilgrimage groups of Germans and Austrians to Naju several times so far. The English version of Mrs. Pohl's testimony is available on our website (www.marys-touch.com).

While the grace from Heaven continues pouring down on the world through Naju, the Gwangju Archdiocese's tenacious efforts to prevent the information about Naju from spreading and to stop the pilgrims from coming to Naju also continue. Until now, the Gwangju Archdiocese has issued five Declarations to condemn Naju: (1) the first Declaration signed by Archbishop Victorinus Gong-Hee Youn on January 1, 1998; (2) the second Declaration under Archbishop Andrew Chang-Moo Choi on May 27, 2001 (who succeeded Archbishop Victorinus Youn near the end of 2000); (3) the third Declaration also under Archbishop Andrew Chang-Moo Choi on May 25, 2006; (4) the fourth Declaration also under Archbishop Andrew Chang-Moo Choi on November 19, 2007); and (5) the fifth Declaration under Archbishop Hyginus Hee-Joong Kim on May 1, 2011 (who succeeded Archbishop Andrew Choi in March 2010). The date of the last Declaration, May 1, 2011, coincided with the date of the Beatification of John Paul II, who had been a firm and fervent believer and supporter of Naju and had approved the Eucharistic miracle that he had personally witnessed on October 31, 1995. If the Congregation for the Causes of Saints had judged John Paul II's support of Naju incorrect or inappropriate, they would not have recommended the beatification of John Paul II to Pope Benedict XVI. It is not right that the Beatification of Pope John Paul II and the condemnation and persecution of Naju coexist. The Gwangju Archdiocese's announcing the fifth negative Declaration on Naju on the day of John Paul II's Beatification could be perceived as an insult to him and an act of defiance to the current Holy Father who approved the beatification.

In addition to the five negative Declarations on Naju, the Gwangju Archdiocese also issued a Decree on January 21, 2008, very soon after the Korean Bishops returned from their ad limina visit to the Holy See from the late November to the early December 2007. This Decree was relatively brief, but contained two drastic statements: (1) Fr. Aloysius Chang (a long-time supporter of Naju) is expelled from the Gwangju Archdiocese and (2) anyone, regardless of his or her status and diocese, who visits Naju is automatically excommunicated. Based on the five Declarations and the Decree issued by Gwangju Archdiocese, all of the Catholic dioceses in Korea keep the same negative position on Naju and persecute those who continue visiting Naju. The Korean priests and religious are completely forbidden to visit Naju, even though a small number of priests sometimes visit Naju dressed like laymen. The Declarations and the Decree issued by the Gwangju Archdiocese are discussed in more detail below.

Problems in the official announcements by the Gwangju Archdiocese

1. The Gwangju Archdiocese has never conducted scientific exminations of the evidence of the miracles in Naju; neither did they conduct any meaningful investigation of the witnesses

   If it happened in a Western country with a long Catholic tradition that the Blessed Mother's statue shed tears and tears of blood for hundreds of days and also exuded fragrant oil for many months, the Bishop of the area would not hesitate to order a scientific examination of the evidence and interview the witnesses. Doing so would be a proper and important duty for the Bishop. Especially in the cases of tears, blood, and oil, a prompt scientific examination is essential because the fresh and untouched condition of the evidence may not last very long. During the past 27 years since the first miracle in 1985, the Gwangju Archdiocese has not ordered a single scientific examination. A layman, a retired businessman, had been deploring this situation and, volunteering to pay the expenses and with the assistance of the volunteer workers in Naju, collected many samples of the evidence and brought them to the laboratory of Forensic Medicine at Seoul National University and also to another laboratory in Seoul which performs DNA tests for the police force and other clients. The samples presented were pieces of cloth stained with bloody tears from the Blessed Mother's statue; pieces of cloth stained with the blood from a Eucharistic miracle; and a dozen little rocks stained with the blood that descended on the Blessed Mother's Mountain in Naju. The test results confirmed that (1) all the blood samples were human blood; (2) the blood from the Eucharistic miracle belonged to one male human person with the blood type of AB, the same as in Lanciano and Torino, Italy; and (3) the blood that descended on the little rocks were mostly from one same male human being with blood type of AB, whereas the blood on two of the little rocks belonged to one female human person with blood type of B. Dr. Jung-Bin Lee, who was in charge of the DNA tests at Seoul National University, issued the complete test results on September 8, 2003. Dr. Lee was not a Catholic and had not been eager about examining the samples brought from Naju, but his interest grew substantially, as the samples collected and presented at different times produced exactly same results again and again, indicating that all of the blood samples belonged to one same male person (except two samples that belonged to a female person, most likely the Blessed Mother. Julia's blood type is "O".)

   Soon after the Gwangju Archdiocese's first negative Declaration was issued on January 1, 1998, a layman asked a monsignor in Korea about the Declaration, "Why did they issue the Declaration, when they had not done any scientific examinations or interviewed the witnesses?" The monsignor answered, "The phenomena in Naju have already been found to be in conflict with the Church teachings. Why should we concern ourselves with scientific examinations?" There is no question that the doctrinal soundness of the reported messages and miracles is more important than the results of scientific examinations or the testimonies by the witnesses. If the events in Naju were truly inconsistent with any of the Catholic Church Teachings, which are based on God's Revelations, the Gwangju Archdiocese's decision not to conduct any scientific examinations or interview the witnesses could be fully justified. For this reason, it seems important to review the Gwangju Declarations for its doctrinal soundness.

    

2. The alleged doctrinal errors of the phenomena in Naju served as the main grounds for Gwangju Archdiocese's condemnation of Naju

   It is stated in the Gwangju Archdiocese's first Declaration on Naju that the alleged phenomenon, that as soon as Mrs. Julia Youn received the Eucharist, it was changed into a lump of bloody flesh in her mouth is also contrary to the doctrine of the Catholic Church that says that even after the bread and wine are transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ with the formula of priests' consecration, the species of bread and wine remain (1.2). We believe that this doctrinal statement by the Gwangju Archdiocese itself is inconsistent with the true and authentic teachings of the Catholic Church and, therefore, is a distortion of the Church teaching and a doctrinal error. We have been taught by the Church that the consecration of bread and wine by a priest during the Mass results in the changes of the substances of bread and wine into the substances of Our Lord's Flesh and Blood without being accompanied by any changes in the species of bread and wine. In other words, the priest's consecration does not have the power or effect of changing the species of bread and wine in any manner. The Gwangju Archdiocese seems to have distorted this meaning and falsely insisted that the species of bread and wine must continue to remain unchanged even after the act of consecration is completed, which precludes the occurrence of any Eucharistic miracle and even condemns the natural changes of the Eucharist in the recipient's body or in the tabernacle over time as violating the Church doctrine. We believe that the Gwangju Archdiocese's assertion that the species of bread and wine must remain unchanged even after the consecration does not exist in the Church doctrine. We understand that it is among the most serious and dangerous evils in the Church when those with the teaching authority distort any of the authentic Church teachings and mislead the faithful.

   It is also stated in the Gwangju Archdiocese's first Declaration on Naju that the phenomenon alleged as a miracle of the Eucharist fallen from heaven is contradictory to the doctrine of the Catholic Church that says that only through the legitimately ordained priest's consecration does the sacrament of the Eucharist begin to exist (1.2). We believe that this statement also is inconsistent with the Catholic Church teaching and, therefore, is an error. According to what we have been taught by the Church, the power of Eucharistic consecration belongs to the legitimately ordained Catholic priests only and does not belong to the lay members of the Church or the clergy of other religions. This teaching was pronounced during the Fourth Lateran Council in the 13^th Century in order to condemn the Waldensian heresy that insisted that all members of the Church had the priestly power. We believe that the true teaching of the Church does not contain any concept that even Our Lord, Who is the Highest Priest and the source of all priestly powers, cannot form the Eucharist without relying on his ministers on earth, which seems to elevate the power of priests above the Lord's and condemn all of the miracles that have occurred to many of the Saints who received Communion directly from the Lord or through the Angels.

   The Gwangju Archdiocese condemned the reported supernatural events in Naju based on their version of doctrinal statements and imposed many severe prohibitions on the faithful based on the same doctrinal statements. If the Gwangju Archdiocese's doctrinal statements are really incorrect and are errors, its condemnation of Naju also collapses; likewise for all of its measures of prohibitions imposed on Naju and its pilgrims. To restore justice, the restrictions on the visits, prayer meeting, Masses, Confessions, and publications in connection with Naju should be lifted, if the doctrinal basis for these measures is found to be false. In the secular society, any laws and prohibitions that contradict the nation's Constitution are declared invalid and removed. The Church, which is the Teacher of the revealed truths from God, must maintain the strictest standards regarding the integrity and soundness of what her members absorb and, even more crucially, what the shepherds feed the minds of the members.

   The Declaration also mentions a problem in the Blessed Mother's message during Archbishop Giovanni Bulaitis' visit to Naju on November 24, 1994 which says that she had St. Michael the Archangel bring the Eucharist from a priest in sin. The Declaration says: According to the Church teaching, the sacraments administered even by a priest in grave sin if he celebrates in accordance with the intention of the Church, Christ and His Holy Spirit operate in him and, the message contradicted this teaching (1.2). However, according to the message from the Blessed Mother, what St. Michael the Archangel brought to Naju from the priest in sin was not just a host but the true Eucharist. Therefore, the validity of the consecration by the priest in sin was never denied. The Gwangju Archdiocese's complaint here arose from their misunderstanding of the facts, even though the Church teaching was correctly stated.

   The Gwangju Archdiocese also states in its Declaration as follows:

   Various strange phenomena which happened to Mrs. Julia Youn and in her circumference (phenomena arising from her body, and the statue of the Blessed Mother), personal vision also produce no evidence which prove that they are truly supernatural and thus from God. Perhaps, they can be said to show some preternatural power (1.3).

   It is the Gwangju Archdiocese itself that has neglected or refused to conduct scientific examinations and interviews with the witnesses and, therefore, blocked the way of finding out if the reported miracles were true or not. The Gwangju Archdiocese is blaming Naju for its own fault. Also, they said that these phenomena can be said to show some preternatural power. This is only a speculation based on their suspicion rather than a statement based on the Church teachings, physical examinations, and interviews with the witnesses. It would have been better if the Gwangju Archdiocese avoided such ambiguous and careless comments.

   It has been known that, in late 1997, there was a heated debate in the Korean Bishops' Conference before the Gwangju Archdiocese issued its first negative Declaration on Naju on January 1, 1998. When some of the Bishops spoke against the Declaration, several priests, who had studied in Europe under the famous theologians like Fr. Karl Rahner, Fr. Hans KŸng, and the like (also heavily influenced by Fr. Teilhard de Chardin and Fr. Leonardo Boff), had received doctoral degrees, and had returned home with a burning ambition to drastically reform and modernize the Church in Korea, insulted the Bishops by shouting at them: "Why are you trying to defend superstitions?" It was a most shameful moment in the history of the Korean Catholic Church.

    

3. The Gwangju Archdiocese's Declaration was a defiance to Pope John Paul II

   As mentioned earlier, Pope John Paul II advised the Korean Bishops during their ad limina visit in 1996 to share the wonderful grace of Naju with other nations in Asia. The Pope's advice was not a casual one or lightly taken. The Holy Father had already received substantial information about Naju by that time and probably even envisioned the future shrine in Naju serving as a bridgehead for evangelizing the nations on the huge Asian continent, where most of the populations are still pagans. Also during the same ad limina visit by the Korean Bishops in 1996, the Holy Father asked Bishop William McNaughton of the Incheon Diocese in Korea, "What do you think of Naju?" The Bishop answered, "I believe it is truthful." The Holy Father said further, "I also saw the Eucharist changed into Flesh and Blood in Julia's mouth." However, on January 1, 1998, two years after the 1996 ad limina visit, when the Bishops had heard the Holy Father asking them to share the grace of Naju with others in Asia, the Gwangju Archdiocese announced the Declaration condemn-ing Naju based on their distorted doctrinal statements and with the consent of other dioceses in Korea. The problems in their doctrinal statements still remain uncorrected. The Church teaches, "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2089) and also, "An apostate from the faith, a heretic or a schismatic incurs automatic excommunication and if a cleric, he can also be punished by the penalties mentioned in can. 1336, #1" (Canon Law #1364). Doctrinal errors, especially when sustained or promoted by the clergy, should never be left uncorrected for a long time, as they continue causing insidious damages to the life in the Church without fail.

    

4. The Gwangju Archdiocese was not in unity with the Holy See about the Declaration

   In late 1997, before the Gwangju Archdiocese's negative Declaration on Naju was issued (in January 1998), the priests of the Gwangju Archdiocese presented the draft of the Declaration to the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples (the CEP) in the Vatican. The CEP's approval was necessary, as it was the highest office in the Holy See for overseeing and guiding the Church in Korea, as Korea was (and still is) considered a mission territory with about 90% of the population being non-Catholics. The CEP officials examined the draft and did not approve it. The Gwangju priests made some cosmetic changes and re-submitted the draft. The CEP still did not approve it and instructed the Gwangju priests to get consent from all of the Bishops in Korea. As several of the Bishops in Korea were opposed to the Declaration, it was not possible to get unanimous agreement. Then, the Gwangju priests gave up hope at the CEP and contacted the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the CDF) and somehow succeeded in receiving the approval. At that time, we did not know who in the CDF gave the approval to the Gwangju priests. Then, in May 1999, a Catholic newspaper in Korea reported that a high official of the CDF, an Archbishop, visited Japan to attend a Blue Army conference and made a side trip to the harbor city of Busan in South Korea to meet Archbishop Victorinus Gong-Hee Youn from Gwangju (Busan is about 200 miles east of Gwangju). The contents of the meeting were not publicized. Then, Archbishop Victorinus Youn summoned Fr. Aloysius Chang to his office in Gwangju and told Fr. Chang that he had met the Archbishop from the CDF. Archbishop Youn then cautioned Fr. Chang not to be shaky about the Declaration but to obey its contents. Even though we did not know all the details of the conversation between the two Archbishops, it seemed clear that the Archbishop from the CDF came to see the Archbishop of Gwangju, because he was concerned about the many criticisms arising about the Declaration and wanted to hear from the Archbishop of Gwangju that he would remain firm about the Declaration. We have several questions about the approval of the Gwangju Archdiocese's Declaraiton on Naju by the Archbishop representing the CDF:

   1. The Archbishop of the CDF, who, we believe, gave the approval to the Gwangju Archdiocese for issuing the Declaration on Naju, did so despite the fact that Pope John Paul II had been clearly favorable on Naju, which must have been well known in the Vatican especially after the Eucharistic miracle on October 31, 1995. The Archbishop's decision and act contradicted the Holy Father's position on Naju.
      
   2. The Archbishop of the CDF, who approved the Gwangju Declaration, did so despite the CEP's refusal to approve the same Declaration and despite the fact that the CEP had been (and still is) the highest pastoral authority under the Pope over the Korean Catholic Church for the past several decades. He should have been more respectful to the position and decisions chosen by the CEP and sufficiently consulted with its officials before he considered approving the Gwangju Declaration. We wonder if this Archbishop of the CDF had sufficient information about the Church in Korea and sufficient authority in the Holy See to be able to abruptly reverse the position and decisions of the CEP. Also, even afterwards, this Archbishop of the CDF had to present his reasons for reversing the CEP decision to the CEP officials and others who wished to know what happened. In August of 1998, seven months after the Gwangju Declaration was announced, we at Mary's Touch By Mail received a letter from Archbishop Marcello Zago, O.M.I., the Secretary of the CEP thanking us for sending information about Naju and also encouraging us in seeking the truths and justice about Naju. (Archbishop Zago became ill in 1999 and died in 2001 at the early age of 68.) Back in March of 1998, the CEP also sent a letter to the Korean Bishops' Conference with a warning to three priests in Korea who had been active in criticizing the authentic Catholic Teachings and Tradition. One of these three priests was a leading member of the Gwangju Archdiocese's Naju Investigation Committee. He has been invited several times to speak at the conference in New Jersey hosted by We-Are-Church movement headquartered in Austria. All three priests are still actively spreading the Modernist errors in Korea, because the Bishops are lenient to dissident ideas. In the spring of 1998, the CEP sent another letter to the Korean Bishops concerning an article that another priest wrote in the official magazine of the Korean Bishops' Conference: "Pastoral Care", in which the priest proudly disclosed, "The real reason for the Gwangju Archdiocese's rejecting the phenomenon of Ôthe Eucharistic miracle' in Naju was to promote the unity with the Protestant brethren". The Gwangju Archbishop had to remove this priest (a Ph.D. in Doctrinal Theology from Europe) from his teaching position at Catholic University of the Gwangju Archdiocese. He had also been a key member (the general secretary) of the Naju Investigation Committee.
      
   3. We assume that the Archbishop of the CDF who approved the Gwangju Archdiocese's Declaration did examine the contents of the Declaration before he approved it. Then, he must have also noticed the doctrinal errors and other problems in the Gwangju Declaration. Even many of the lay people can see the obvious errors and ambiguities in the Gwangju Declaration and conclude that the Declaration simply does not provide sufficient credible grounds for justifying the negative conclusion on Naju. It seems that, when the doctrinal and other problems in the Gwangju Declaration are confirmed, the Archbishop of the CDF, who approved the Gwangju Archdiocese's Declaration, will not be free from the responsibility for its problems, as he exercised his enormously lofty authority and power to allow the Gwangju Declaration to be spread all over the world, which has subsequently been blocking countless people in the world from learning about Naju and visiting Naju and also stifling the progress toward the official recognition of Naju.
      
   4. His Eminence Josef Cardinal Ratzinger, the Prefect of the CDF from 1981 to 2005 and a giant pillar against the modernist errors, must have very well known about Pope John Paul II's thoughts and position regarding everything including Naju. A scientist from Bolivia, who met several Bishops in the CDF in 2003 and earlier, told us that he was convinced that His Eminence was positive on Naju. This makes us raise the question if the Archbishop of the CDF, who approved the Gwangju Archdiocese's Declaration, had fully informed the Prefect about its nature and contents before the Archbishop sent the okay sign to the Gwangju priests. The Gwangju priests have repeatedly said that they had been in close consultation and unity with the Holy See about the Declaration. We protest against this claim, as any high official of a Congregation in the Vatican alone does not represent the Holy See, especially when his position does not conform to those of the Pope and of another Congregation also competent on the issue.
      
      
5. The Decree, the last sword that the Gwangju Archdiocese drew

   In late November of 2007, the Korean Bishops again made their ad limina visit to the Vatican. Months before the Bishops left for Rome, the priest in Gwangju, who had been the leader in opposing Naju, cooperated with the staffs of the PD Note Book program in MBC TV, a commercial company in Seoul, to produce a DVD filled with fabrications and distortions for the purpose of slandering and permanently burying Naju. They planned to spread this DVD all over Korea and the whole world including the Vatican. (Note: On different issues, the staffs of the PD Note Book program had been sued by the Korean Government and, on a different issue, by a Catholic priest who founded and manages a charitable organization for the poorest in Korea for broadcasting untrue accusations. In both cases, the PD Note Book staffs lost in court and had to pay penalties. They have been known for their recklessness and poor credibility since a long time ago. Despite the many false accusations against Naju in the DVD, the Naju people have not sued the PD Note Book program makers in MBC TV Company.) The Gwangju priest gave copies of the Italian version of this DVD to Archbishop Andrew Chang-Moo Choi so that he could take them to the officials in the Holy See. The Bishops and priests at the CEP, however, had received the information about this DVD beforehand and judged it as not worthy to be considered by the Holy See. Thus, the CEP officials did not show any interest in it. Cardinal Ivan Dias, the Prefect of the CEP, met all the Korean Bishops on the last day of their visit and said, "Why are you not accepting Naju? Accept it." Archbishop Andrew Choi of Gwangju made a separate visit to the CDF, but the officials there also said the same thing. After he returned to Korea, Archbishop Choi told the priests in his Archdiocese: "The Holy See was like a public relations office for Naju!" He also said, "The priests in the Gwangju Archdiocese should pray more as Fr. Aloysius Chang". He made other similar comments as well, which sounded like telling the priests to soften their harsh position on Naju. These comments by Archbishop Choi were heard by Fr. Aloysius Chang, who was, at that time, leading a life of confinement in the Archdiocesan office building (to prevent him from visiting Naju). The Gwangju priests were greatly alerted and hurriedly drafted a Decree with extreme contents. They had Archbishop Andrew Choi sign it and announce it on January 21, 2008. It is stated in this Decree, "Fr. Aloysius Chang is expelled from Gwangju Archdiocese," and "Whoever visits Naju, regardless of his status and diocese, is automatically excommunicated." Many of the faithful around the world were shaking with fear and the number of pilgrims to Naju plummeted for several months, whereas many others who were better informed were lamenting over the extreme and abusive acts of the Gwangju Archdiocese.

   After receiving a copy of the Decree from Archbishop Andrew Choi dated January 21, 2008, Fr. Aloysius Chang mailed a letter to the Archbishop petitioning for the revocation of the expulsion order. A few days later, Fr. Chang received a brief letter from Archbishop Choi refusing his petition. Fr. Chang, then, went to Rome in the mid-February of 2008 and visited the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith, for Clergy, and for the Evangelization of Peoples pleading for help. At all three Congregations, Fr. Chang was received kindly and sympathetically by the monsignors and priests. They said that they had been well informed about the current situation in Korea and were willing to help Fr. Chang restore his status. On the last day in Rome, Fr. Chang had an audience with Cardinal Ivan Dias, the Prefect of the CEP who just came back from China. His Eminence said that the problem involving Fr. Chang could be resolved soon, but the recognition of Naju by the Church would take more time. He asked those who were present to pray harder that the Blessed Mother could remove the obstacle. A few weeks later, His Eminence sent a letter to Archbishop Andrew Choi of Gwangju which included the following instruction:

"As what is happening in Naju is considered a private revelation, the restrictions on the pilgrims and Fr. Aloysius Chang must be lifted. Fr. Chang can celebrate Mass."

This letter by the Prefect of the CEP was an instruction to the Gwangju Archbishop that he should lift the prohibitions announced in the Declarations on Naju. It also meant that extreme statements in the Decree must be revoked. The priests of Gwangju Archdiocese have admitted that they received this letter, but have not made its contents public. Nor has there been any written announcement from the Gwangju Archdiocese revoking its restrictions and prohibitions on Naju. His Eminence Cardinal Dias retired from his position in the CEP on May 10, 2011, but his official letter to the Gwangju Archbishop remains valid. Because of Cardinal Dias' letter and also because of the CDF's official neutral position on Naju of Non constat de supernaturalitate, which is discussed below, the Gwangju Archdiocese must allow non-official pilgrimages to Naju, prayer meetings, Masses, and Sacraments for the pastoral care of the pilgrims. However, the actual reality has not reached that level yet. The faithful still suffer from the restrictions and discriminations.

 

6. The conclusion in the Gwangju Archdiocese's Declaration contradicts the CDF's official position on Naju

The CDF's official position on Naju has consistently been Non constat de supernaturalitate, which means that the Congregation is not ready yet to conclusively discern Naju either positively or negatively. If the Gwangju Archdiocse had conducted scientific examinations of the evidence and interviewed the witnesses, the CDF would have been better ready to take a more certain position. In any case, the official position of the CDF indicates that it needs to observe and examine the situation in Naju further. In order to enable the CDF to do so, it is essential that the faithful be left free to access the facts of Naju and express their responses. In order to correctly evaluate the fruits, the Church officials must allow the tree to grow naturally instead of cutting it down or blocking the water supply. The fact is that the Korean faithful who visit Naju are still discriminated against in their parishes; and all priests and religious in Korea are still totally prohibited to visit Naju or to speak favorably about Naju. The CDF says: Non constat de supernaturalitate, but the Gwangju Archdiocese says the equivalent of Constat de non supernaturalitate which means Confirming that it is not supernatural. When the Church authorities contradict each other, the faithful are greatly confused and misled.

7. True obedience does not mean blind, unconditional obedience

The Second Vatican Council teaches as follows:

"Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1782)

Actually, the teachers of the truths from God need not use coercion at all toward the faithful, as the truths have the natural tendency and ability to resonate beautifully with the conscience of those who receive them filling their minds and hearts with joy and peace. On the other hand, the coercive methods bring fear, darkness, and pain to the victims and deprive them of true happiness and peace. If the events in Naju were not coming from God, they would make noises for a while but fade away eventually. On the other hand, if they are truly coming from God, men will not be able to put an end to them regardless of how hard they try and will be fighting God Himself (cf. Acts 5:38-39).

Ever since the announcement of the first Declaration, the Gwangju Archdiocese and other dioceses in Korea have pressured the faithful to blindly and unconditionally accept and obey the contents of the Gwangju Declaration on Naju without asking any questions. This cannot be the right way of guiding and teaching the people or tending the sheep. The shepherds in the Church have the authority to correctly guide people to God, but, at the same time, have the duty to respect the faithful's freedom and decisions that are based on their conscience. Unless there are obvious and, especially, intentional deviations from the right road, the shepherds must not use coercion. But, in the case of the documents and measures announced by the Gwangju Archdiocese about Naju, they have been forcing the faithful to accept and obey the contents of the Declaration regardless of whether they are right or wrong. True obedience is a most beautiful and necessary virtue in the Church, but the obedience that ignores our conscience and contradicts the true teachings of God cannot be acceptable or pleasing to God. St. Francis de Sales said that, if one obeys the erroneous or unjust orders from his superiors, he also sins. Demanding blind and unconditional obedience is a practice that belongs to the dark societies of mafia or dictatorships only.

In March 2001, Archbishop Andrew Chang-Moo Choi, who succeeded Archbishop Victorinus Youn, summoned Julia Kim and Julio Kim, her husband, to the education building at Naju parish church for an interview. During the meeting, Archbishop Choi made some tremendously significant comments. First, the Archbishop said, "The Naju Investigation Committee of the Gwangju Archdiocese examined the phenomena in Naju not by the standard of whether they were true or not but by the standard of whether they hurt the unity in the Church or not." He also said, "The phenomena in Naju are not compatible with the sentiments in Korea". These two comments by Archbishop Choi describe the situation in Korea very accurately. Naju was condemned by the liberal priests who dominated the Naju Investigation Committee, because they thought that what was happening in Naju was a threat to the modernization and secularization of the Korean Church that have been accomplished in the past several decades. Whether the events in Naju were truly from the Blessed Mother and the Lord or not has been outside their interest. The progressive liberal forces' priority has been to transform the Church into one that serves their interests and conform to their sentiments than truly serving God and observing His Commandments. Because of the tenacious efforts of the liberal priests since the mid-1960s, there have been enormous changes in how the people in the Korean Church believe and live. Of course, there still are a substantial number of priests and lay people who want to remain faithful to the authentic and traditional Catholic Faith and lament over the current situation, but they seem too weak to consolidate their efforts and fight against the tidal waves of the new spirit that is prevailing in the Church in Korea. The following is a summary of the major changes that have occurred in the Catholic Church in Korea:

1. Jesus is recognized only as a great teacher on the same level of Buddha, Confucious, Mensius, and others, while the belief in His Divinity is weakening and disappearing.
   
2. When the true Divinity of Jesus is not recognized, the supernatural nature of the Church that He founded also becomes forgotten. The Mass and all Sacraments are perceived only as mere signs without supernatural substance.
   
3. When Jesus is thought to be merely a human being and, therefore, a creature, people stop calling His Mother "the Mother of God". Neither do they want to pray the Hail Mary or the rosary. They find no reason to specially respect His Mother or pray for her intercession. In most churches in Korea, there is no morning Mass on Saturdays. This means that the Saturday Masses in honor of Our Lady have been eliminated, as the evening Masses are Vigil Masses for Sunday.
   
4. If the Divinity of Jesus and the supernatural nature of the Church are denied, the Resurrection of Jesus from death is also downgraded to the level of a myth or fable. The accounts of all other miracles performed by Jesus are also despised as fictions. (We need to keep in mind the stern warning issued by the First Vatican Council (1869-1870) regarding miracles: "If anyone shall have said that miracles are not possible, and hence that all accounts of them, even those contained in Sacred Scripture, are to be banished among the fables and myths; or, that miracles can never be known with certitude, and that the divine origin of the Christian religion cannot be correctly proved by them: let them be anathema" (DS #3034).
   
5. The doctrine of the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist becomes replaced by the Protestant idea that the bread and wine at the Last Supper only signify the Body and Blood of Jesus. There is no reason to pray before the tabernacle or humbly receive the Communion on tongue and kneeling. Kneelers have long since disappeared from almost all of the Catholic churches in Korea, and Communion in the hand has almost become a law. (Fr. Karl Rahner, a famous theologian who played an active role in the committees of the Second Vatican Council, said, "As the Eucharist is given to us as spiritual food, (the particles of the Eucharist) that do not have the appearance of food cannot be recognized as the Eucharist", and thus greatly promoted the sacrilegious practice of mishandling the Eucharistic particles in many churches around the world. We should thoroughly beware of those theologians who do not hesitate to alter the authentic Church teachings and invent new ones according to their own taste and based on their own authority. They are the wolves that bite and kill the sheep with the poison of their errors and bad examples.)
   
6. It is being forgotten that our sins are the greatest obstacles that prevent us from drawing closer to God and entering His Kingdom. Instead, it is being emphasized that God has always and necessarily resided within us and united with us as one. Accordingly, what we want is what God wants. What we choose and do cannot be a sin or a violation of the will of a God who exists outside us. Consequently, people easily ignore the need for doing repentance, Confessions, or reparation. As sin is no longer feared, the role of Jesus as our Redeemer and Savior is thought not important or relevant. If Jesus is not recognized as the only Savior for the human race, there is no reason to believe that the Catholic Church is the only Church established by God for our salvation (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church #751-870). Differences among religions become meaningless. Neither is there any need for missionary efforts any longer.
   
7. As the evil of sin is perceived as irrelevant, the idea of sanctification also fades away from our minds. The Protestant idea that we are saved solely by our faith with which we recognize Jesus as our Savior prevails. People no longer pay attention to St. Paul's teaching: "This is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). As the concept of sanctity disappears, the zeal to imitate the Saints also weakens. In many of the Catholic bookstores, the number of the books on the Lives of Saints has already been drastically reduced.
   
8. Many people, especially those infected with modernist theology, accept God as the Creator of the universe, but reject that God continues to be the Lord and King of the universe, constantly sustaining the world and our lives and intervening in the flow of human history to correctly lead people to sanctification and salvation. Thus, they develop a strong tendency to dislike and reject the special revelations like messages and miracles with which God intervenes in our life to help us. They like to believe that they themselves are the lords of history and refuse to go back to the God-centered life as in the Middle Ages. They also develop the tendency to ignore the legitimate authority that God has planted on earth, especially the Papacy. They do not hesitate to disobey the Pope or even to yell at their Bishops. In fact, they cannot be called the true children of God but are the enemy soldiers who infiltrated God's Castle (His Church) hiding in the Trojan Horse for the sole purpose of destroying the Church. (For more testimony on the situation in Korea, please read Bishop Roman Danylak's letter to Frau CŠcilia Pohl of Wuppertal, Germany, dated November 16, 2001.)

The Blessed Mother visited and spoke to Sister Mariana of Quito, Ecuador in the early 17th Century through her statue miraculously made by the Angels and St. Francisco under the name of Our Lady of Good Success. In her message, the Blessed Mother predicted that the Church would face a major crisis from the middle of the 20th Century. The Blessed Mother also promised that she would triumph through her miraculous intervention. It seems possible that her current spectacular and unceasing activities in Naju are her intervention that she mentioned in the message to Sister Mariana four centuries ago. The miracles associated with Our Lady of Good Success were recognized by the Church in 1611.

We also remember that Pope Leo XIII heard a conversation between Satan and Our Lord on October 13, 1884 (exactly 33 years before the Blessed Mother's apparition in Fatima). The Holy Father with several Cardinals and Bishops just finished the Mass, but, suddenly, the Pope's face turned white and he stood frozen for about 10 minutes, because he was hearing a conversation between Satan and the Lord. At that time, Satan was enormously proud and exultant over his rich accomplishments in causing errors, disorders, and wars in the world. Thus, he made a challenge to the Lord:

Satan: "I can destroy your Church."

Our Lord: "You can? Then go ahead and do so."

Satan: "To do so, I need more time and more power."

Our Lord: "How much time? How much power?"

Satan: "75 to 100 years, and a greater power over those who will give themselves to my service."

Our Lord: "You have the time, you will have the power. Do with them what you will."

The Holy Father immediately went to his office and composed the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel and issued the instruction that this prayer be offered at the end of every low Mass in all churches in the world. One hundred years after 1884 was 1984. By 1984, those who had been deeply infected with secularism and modernist theology had succeeded in misinterpreting and misusing the precious teachings of the Second Vatican Council and, thus, caused an alarming laxity in the traditional discipline regarding the Faith and morals in the Church. Satan could not succeed in destroying the Church as he had boasted, but certainly succeeded in causing a huge mess and deterioration in the Church.

Then, on June 30, 1985, one year after 1984, the Blessed Mother came to Naju, Korea, and began the miracles of shedding tears through her statue in Julia Kim's house. On July 18, 1985, the Blessed Mother gave her first message to Julia, exactly 155 years after Sister Catherine Laboure received the Blessed Mother's first message in the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity in Paris on July 18, 1830. During the 27 years since 1985, Our Lord and the Blessed Mother have been giving numerous important messages and countless miraculous in Naju, also healing countless people spiritually and physically. Through the messages and miracles, Our Lord and Our Lady are reminding us, in the most powerful and vivid manner, of the authentic Teachings and Commandments entrusted to the Church and of the Reality of Our Lord's Incarnation, Suffering and Death, and Resurrection that are being made present through the Mass and must also permeate all of our life of faith. Our Lord and Our Lady are trying to urge us to become totally faithful to His Teachings and Commandments and participate in the sacrifices and efforts of Our Lord and Our Lady to help save as many people as possible before the Great Chastisement comes. At the same time, Satan and his forces are frantically trying to prevent people from recognizing the true meaning and importance of the special revelations in Naju and, thus, to frustrate the Plan of Salvation that Our Lord and Our Lady are executing. Satan's interference, however, will not succeed, as the time allowed to him has expired. Already, we have entered the new era in which the Blessed Mother will defeat Satan and his forces with the power from the Holy Trinity and also with the help of the Angels and Saints in Heaven and her little, poor children on earth. She says that her Triumph is not far off and urges us to remain awake and work harder. Based on the credible messages, we believe that the time of her Triumph will coincide with the Second Pentecost and the opening of a New Era of Our Lord's reign especially through His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist.

Despite the Declarations and Decree of the local Church authorities in Korea, there still are a large number of people including some Bishops and many priests in the world who firmly believe in the truthfulness of the messages and miraculous signs in Naju. Compared with the total number of the faithful in the Church or the entire world population, however, those who are seriously interested in Naju are only a tiny minority because of the widespread rumor that Naju has been condemned by the Church. The true fact, however, is that, even though Naju has been rejected by the local diocese, it has never been negatively judged by the Holy See. There are countless witnesses in the world including some Bishops and many priests who have personally experienced the miracles and examined the messages in Naju and firmly believe their truthfulness. As explained in this testimony, the negative judgment on Naju by the local diocese has been based on its doctrinal errors and failure to conduct scientific examinations or interview the numerous eyewitnesses. We believe that the fundamental problem of this miserable situation is doctrinal, that is, about the faith. Those priests infected with the modernist heresies refuse to recognize the true supernatural nature of the true miracles and messages or to accept the Divinity of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. As a result, they do not believe in the supernatural contents of the Church, either. We believe that the task of resolving the current problem should be shared by all members of the Church through their self-examinations, prayers, and efforts to correct what has been wrong and harmful. At the same time, the vast majority of the members of the Church are looking to the highest Sacred Pastors in the Church, especially the Holy Father and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for leading them by decisively correcting the wrongs especially in handling the issue of Naju, as the local authorities in Korea have continuously displayed their inability to resolve the difficulties concerning Naju because of the powerful influence from the progressive liberal priests. Of course, the stronger leadership from the top will be faced with fierce resistance and criticisms from the liberal side, but Our Lord also went through extreme difficulties to complete His Mission. In her message in Naju on July 13, 1997, the Blessed Mother said, "The signs that I am giving you in this small country, Korea, which is my youngest child, are the signs for the Church in the whole world". On October 15, 2006, she said, "In order to prevent the disaster, Naju must be approved as soon as possible so that my messages of love, with which I have been appealing (to all) through the little soul whom I have chosen, working unprecedented miracles in Naju, repeating the same words again and again, and showing numerous signs, may be put into practice. Only then, the whole world can be saved." On October 19, 2006, Our Lord said, "I earnestly entreat My extremely beloved Pope, who is My Vicar and the Eldest Son of the Church. If Naju is officially approved, the Church threatened by heresies and infected with errors will be reformed, the clergy and religious will be sanctified, and it will become a place of salvation where sinners repent and even the numerous sinners who are walking toward hell will be saved. Therefore, make haste to help Naju to be officially approved. May peace be with you in the Love of My Mother and Me always."

Declaration: We owe sincere gratitude to the Bishops, priests, and lay people in different countries for some of the information contained in this testimony that we could not have obtained without them. Some of them have already left this world. We did not indicate their identities, though we are willing to do so if requested by the appropriate Church authorities. We deeply respect and admire their lofty integrity and fervent love for and loyalty to the Mother Church. We assure that all of the information contained in this testimony is true and correct to the best of our knowledge and conscience.

Praying for blessings on everyone who reads this testimony,

Benedict Sang M. Lee
Mary's Touch By Mail
P.O. Box 1668
Gresham, OR  97080 
U.S.A