Venerable Hyein, head of the Education Institute of the Korean Buddhist Mita Order and abbot of Hwaeomsa Temple in Daejeon, commented on the recent arrest of 95-year-old ManHee Lee, Chairman of Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

Venerable Hyein pointed out, “The Buddha taught that if prejudice and attachment take root in the mind, one cannot see the true nature of things correctly.”

In particular, he criticised the actions of a senior public official, who is entrusted with upholding the rule of law and justice, for publicly calling for severe condemnation and punishment of a specific religious group before the court had reached a verdict. He emphasised that such conduct should not be taken lightly.

The monk stated, “Article 20 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, which establishes the principle of separation of religion and state, serves as a cornerstone of democracy by requiring both the government and religious organisations to respect each other’s spheres of authority and refrain from interfering in one another’s affairs.”

He continued, “Stigmatising a particular religion and fuelling public hostility against it undermines the constitutional principle of separation of religion and state. It is a serious matter that could erode public confidence in the judiciary.”

He further emphasised, “Judgments influenced by prejudice will ultimately leave society with distrust rather than justice.”

He further lamented, “The current situation, in which an elderly religious leader has been detained on the grounds of flight risk and potential destruction of evidence, is a matter that our society must carefully reflect upon.”

He added, “Given that multiple rounds of compulsory investigations have already been conducted, it is difficult not to question whether sufficient consideration was given to the physical condition, health, and human dignity of a 95-year-old individual in reaching this decision.”

Source: vo.la/kvd9yUz