Changchung Cathedral

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Changchung Cathedral
Exterior of Changchung Cathedral
Religion
Affiliation	Catholic Church
District	Diocese of Pyongyang
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Cathedral
Leadership	Korean Catholic Association
Status	No bishop
Location
Location	Changchung, Songyo-guyok, Pyongyang, North Korea
Location in Pyongyang
Geographic coordinates	39°00′25″N 125°46′40″E / 39.00694°N 125.77778°E / 39.00694; 125.77778
Architecture
Completed	1988 (1988)

Changchung Cathedral (Korean: 장충성당) is the nominal cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pyongyang, North Korea, located in the Changchung neighborhood of Songyo-guyok, Pyongyang. It is one of only four official Christian places of worship in Pyongyang. It operates under the Korean Catholic Association.^[1]

Before the division of Korea, Pyongyang was the city with the highest number of Christian believers in Korea, and was known as the "Korean Jerusalem".^[2] By 1945, nearly 1⁄6 of its citizens were Christians. Therefore, Pyongyang was made into the only diocese in northern Korea.

After the division of Korea, however, the Communist government under Kim Il Sung persecuted Christians as imperialist collaborators and spies; even the famous Christian Nationalist Cho Man-sik, initially more influential than Kim, was arrested and shot. Much of the Catholic community was either killed or imprisoned, and many more fled south.

The original cathedral, built of red brick in the late 19th century, was destroyed in the Korean War by American forces. Earlier, in 1949, the last formal Bishop of Pyongyang, Francis Hong Yong-ho, had been imprisoned by the communist government; he later disappeared. His death was acknowledged by the Holy See in 2013, although the exact date of death is unknown.^[3]

In 1988 a new cathedral was opened in East Pyongyang. At the same time, two nondenominational Protestant churches were opened in an effort by the government to show religious freedom.^[4]

The cathedral is operated by the Korean Catholic Association and is not affiliated with the Holy See.^[1][5] Because of the strained relations with the Holy See, the cathedral currently has no bishop or even an ordained priest.^[4][2] There is no resident priest either. Masses are occasionally offered by foreign clergy when they visit Pyongyang.^[1] In 2015, an agreement was reached between the Korean Catholic Association and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, allowing South Korean priests and bishops to celebrate Mass and administer the sacraments in the Cathedral on major feast days.^[6]

There is a noodle factory associated with the church that receives financial support from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul and Catholic Koreans in the United States.^[1]

• Roman Catholicism in North Korea
• Bongsu Church
• Chilgol Church
• Church of the Life-Giving Trinity

• Foster-Carter, Aidan (2000-12-23). "Pyongyang Watch: Some of that old-time religion". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 2001-06-09.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Changchung Cathedral.

• 360 virtual tour of Changchung Cathedral
• Video of the Changchung Church
• Photo
• Photo
• Article featuring the church
• Article (in Russian)
• Changchung Cathedral at Naenara