CATH NEWS REPORT:An artillery attack by North Korea on South Korea's Yeonpyeong-do Island has damaged the island's only Catholic Church, said ucanews.com.
All Catholics, including Father Joseph Kim Tae-heon, the parish priest, are safe as they evacuated to a bomb shelter as soon as the island came under North Korean shelling on Monday.
While 80 percent of the residents have since left, the parish priest has opted to stay on the island with those remaining.
Two shells fell on the church premises. Windows of the main church building were damaged. The old rectory was partly demolished and a van was destroyed, said Father Johannes Kim Yong-hwan, chancellor of Incheon diocese.
There are about 450 Catholics among the 1,700 local residents on the tiny island near the maritime border with North Korea on the Yellow Sea.
According to South Korea military, the November 23 surprise attack killed two marines and two civilians, and injured 13 marines and three civilians.
All Catholics, including Father Joseph Kim Tae-heon, the parish priest, are safe as they evacuated to a bomb shelter as soon as the island came under North Korean shelling on Monday.
While 80 percent of the residents have since left, the parish priest has opted to stay on the island with those remaining.
Two shells fell on the church premises. Windows of the main church building were damaged. The old rectory was partly demolished and a van was destroyed, said Father Johannes Kim Yong-hwan, chancellor of Incheon diocese.
There are about 450 Catholics among the 1,700 local residents on the tiny island near the maritime border with North Korea on the Yellow Sea.
According to South Korea military, the November 23 surprise attack killed two marines and two civilians, and injured 13 marines and three civilians.
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