Latest news with #KoreanCatholic
Korea Herald
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Culture Minister Yu In-chon to head delegation to pope inauguration Sunday
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon will lead the South Korean delegation to the formal inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on Sunday. Yu will attend the ceremony alongside South Korea's ambassador to the Holy See, Oh Hyun-joo, joining representatives and religious leaders from some 200 countries. Notable attendees include US Vice President JD Vance, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Britain's Prince Edward. Separately, prominent Korean Catholic leaders will be in attendance. They are Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, former archbishop of Seoul; Bishop Mathias Lee Yong-hoon, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea; and Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick. They will be joined by Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, the Vatican's prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States, presided over his first Mass on Friday, pledging to lead a humble church open to 'ordinary people.' His emphasis on advocating for the poor, migrants and women deacons — principles embraced by the late Pope Francis — signaling the potential for continuing tension with conservative traditionalists during his papacy.
Korea Herald
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Religious leaders laud Pope Francis' legacy in condolence letter
Religious leaders in South Korea praised the late Pope Francis, who died in Rome on Monday at the age of 88, for speaking out on behalf of the marginalized. The pope, who had battled a lung infection for over a month, was leader of the Catholic Church for 12 years. 'Francis gave a spiritual lesson to all of us, living a life fully dedicated to faith and love,' Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick said in a statement. 'Above all, he exemplified the commitment to the socially marginalized,' Archbishop Chung added, calling on Catholics to live up to the example of love and generosity set by Francis. The National Council of Churches in Korea, one of the four largest Protestant alliances in the country, described the pontiff as a friend of those who are suffering — the poor, migrants and refugees — always advocating for justice. 'The earthly language he used and the way he acted on his words were a demonstration of God's love, and his leadership moved churches everywhere,' said the Rev. Kim Jong-seng, the NCCK general secretary. The Ven. Jinwoo, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest Buddhist sect here, called Francis a teacher of mankind who helped bridge differences between religions. 'He taught us the value of peace and solidarity,' Jinwoo said. The Korean Council of Religious Leaders, a coalition of leaders representing seven major religions in South Korea, focused on a visit to Korea by Francis in 2014 that the council said 'had consoled the country as a whole.' On the first day of that five-day visit that began on Aug. 14, 2014, Francis met with and consoled families who lost loved ones in the Sewol ferry disaster that occurred in April that year. He was in Korea to beatify 124 Korean Catholic martyrs in Seoul, including Paul Yun Ji-chung, and to officiate Mass at Asian Youth Day. 'We will continue to work on advancing reconciliation between religions and love for mankind, living up to his spirit,' the council said. In a 2022 interview with local broadcaster KBS, Francis spoke of a visit to North Korea as part of aiding reconciliation on the divided peninsula. Former South Korean Moon Jae-in made the entreaty twice in his visits to the Vatican in 2018 and 2021 'When they invite me — that is to say, please invite me — I won't say no,' Francis said. The trip did not take place. Myeongdong Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Seoul, said plans on holding a memorial there would be announced soon.
Korea Herald
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Pope Francis, remembered for consoling Sewol victims' families, dies
Pope Francis, best remembered by Koreans for his visit to the country in August 2014, died in Rome Monday at the age of 88. He was the first pope to visit the Asian nation since Pope Saint John Paul II traveled here in 1989. During the five-day visit from Aug. 14, 2014, Francis met with and consoled bereaved family members of the April 2014 Sewol ferry disaster on the first day of his trip. He was in Korea to beatify 124 Korean Catholic martyrs in Seoul, including Paul Yun Ji-chung, and to officiate Mass at Asian Youth Day. Francis was asked twice by a Korean president to help broker peace on the peninsula, by visiting North Korea himself. Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in made the suggestion in 2018 and 2021 during his visits to the Vatican. The entreaty never came to fruition. In 2018, Francis replied that he would be willing to go if he received an official invitation, which never came. 'When they invite me — that is to say, please invite me — I won't say no,' said Francis in a 2022 interview with local broadcaster KBS, adding that 'the goal is simply fraternity.' Francis was expected to attend World Youth Day to be held in Seoul in 2027. In mid-March, Francis' memoir, the first-ever by a sitting pope, hit Korean bookstores. 'Hope: The Autobiography,' six years in the making, discussed in length the pope's childhood memories, reflecting on the world as seen by the son of Italian immigrants to Buenos Aires, Argentina. It also offers insight into his reform-minded thinking on major political and social issues.
