IMboni Samuel Radebe’s Visit to Mother Han: A Journey of Spirit, Sacrifice, and Solidarity

The leader of The Revelation Spiritual Home traveled to Korea to meet with the detained leader of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. by Massimo lntrovigne

/Mboni Radebe interviewed in front of the detention center after visiting Mother Han.

Our world is too often dulled by cynicism and fract ured by political and relig ious controversy. Yet. some moments pierce through w ith the clarity of spiritual t ruth. One such moment unfolded in Seoul on November 4, w hen IMboni Samuel Radebe, the South African spirit ual leader and founder of The Revelation Spiritual Home (TRSH), made an extraordinary pilgrimage to visit Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, affectionately known as Holy Mother Han, the Mother of Peace, in the Seoul Detention Center w here she is det ained .

This was no ordinary visit. It was a testament of love. sacrifice, and transcendent solidarity.

IMboni Radebe-often mistakenly called “Prophet Radebe” in media reports. a misnomer that obscures the unique role of an IMboni in African Indigenous Spirituality-left behind conferences. responsibilities. and his th ree school-age children to fly over sixteen hours with his w ife to Korea. His purpose: to stand beside a woman he calls a “t rue, authentic leader,” unjustly detained under what many, including scholars like me, regard as ill- founded and politically motivated charges.

As the authors of a recent book on Dr. Radebe and TRSH, published by Cambridge University Press, my wife. Rosita. and I have thoroughly studied his teachings. His message is not Christian, though he count s many Christians among his friends. It is a bold reclamation of African Indigenous Spirituality, going beyond Christianity and Islam, wh ich he regards as colonial impositions, and restoring the original African sources. Yet. in th is moment. he stood shoulder to shoulder w ith followers of the Unification Church (now known as the Family Federation for World Peace an d Unification). defending relig ious liberty and honoring Mother Han’s universal mission for peace.

l/v1boni Radebe addressing the Family Federation devotees gathered outside the jail.

After meeting Mother Han, Dr. Radebe add ressed t he faithful gathered outside t he j ail in a speech that moved many to tears. His words resonate with spiritual depth: “W hen I heard, I quickly left everything behind. I was scheduled to attend some conferences, but I left everything to attend Holy Mother Han. With all her love and giving, she has made an investment. Sometimes, good people p lant a lot, but they harvest little. Especially when you are planting good seeds, it seems as if you are reaping little. Because the world is fallen and is evil, and it does not accept good seeds. But those who are good in the world plant good seeds. So, I’m one of them. I have pushed everyth ing because Holy Mother Han planted good seeds. I travelled quickly for more t han sixteen hours w ith my w ife. We left our three children behind because they are still in school with our little one. And we have to come here. Holy Mother Han: I went to see her earlier on. I was worried about her: 82 years old, in this condition. But when I saw her, I was very surprised. She was shining, very excited, very excited to see me. I was very surprised. I was speaking to her, encouraging her. She is a true, authentic leader. She said to me: ‘No, don’t worry about me. The Creator is watching over me.’ She was worried about me, worried about my wife and me, asked about my children, and asked if I’m well taken care of And that was not my concern. My concern was her. Her concern was me. Before I go, she’s very worried about South Korea. Then she said to me, ‘Go out and speak to South Koreans; speak to Christian leaders.’ As I’m speaking to you now, th is is a moment when you must be strong. You must be strong. Relationships are only strengthened in hard times, not easy times. Our relationship with the Holy Mother Han is being strengthened during this period. And w hen she comes out, we w ill emerge stronger, stronger than before, m uch stronger than before. So attend to her in this moment. Your energy w ill travel to her. Because energy travels. You’re not wasting tim e here. Even if she can’t see you physically, your energy travels to her, strengthens her, and gives her strength. Thank you very much.”

These were not the words of a political operative or a diplomat. They were the words of a man who sees beyond boundaries-national, doctrinal, institutional-and recog nizes the sacred in the suffering of a fellow spiritual leader.

Mother Han, at 82, remai ns radiant. Her concern was not for herself, but for Radebe, his wife, and their children. Her spirit, as Radebe described, was “on fire.’’ An d in return, he called on all present to be “on fire” for her-because energy travels, and in t his moment, faith must become action.

As someone w ho stood in vig il last week outside the prison with my wife, Rosita, and hundreds of Family Federation believers, I felt the chill of the Korean nig ht pierced by the warmth of prayer. Now, knowing that IMboni Radebe made this j ourney, I feel that warmth magnified. His visit was a spiritual alignment, a declaration that truth transcends borders, and that authentic leaders recognize each other in the crucible of adversity.

IMboni Radebe’s spirituality d iffers from that of Mother Han. He is a voice of African Indigenous Spirituality and a key figure in Africa’s spiritual renaissance. Yet he came to Korea for w hat w ill be remembered as a historical meeting. In an interview, he described “attending to hear as attending to t he Divine,” and concluded: “W hat should we do now? We should stand up. We cannot be quiet when such things happen . . Let’s stand up and do something. Let’s shout!”

IMboni Radebe’s trip set an example for us all. He reminded us that there are moments when true spirituality is measured by courage rather than creed.

TAGGED W ITH: RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. RELIGIOUS PERSECUTIO N. SOUTH A FRICA. SOUTH KOREA . THE REVELATION SPIRITUAL HOME. UNIFICATION CHURCH

Massimo lntrovigne Massimo lntrovigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR). an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. lntrovigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Encicloi;iedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the lnterdiscii;ilinarv. Journa l of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press’ Nova Religi,Q. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the “Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions” of the Organization for SecuritY. and Co-oi;ieration in Euroi;ie (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.

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