The headline statistics are, admittedly, impressive. According to South Korea’s Catholic Pastoral Institute, Church membership in the country rose by 48.6 per cent between 1999 and 2018; Suwon diocese reports a phenomenal hike of 89.1 per cent. Altogether 5,866,510 South Koreans identify as Catholics – that’s 11.1 per cent of the population – and all during a period when Protestant expansion has become sluggish.
A sharp-eyed analyst has plenty to grumble about, though. Most of the growth occurred in the earlier part of the period and, distressingly, weekly attendance at Mass has not followed quite so spectacular a trajectory.
