Pope Urges Korean Reconciliation, Prays For Persecuted Iraq Christians

Pope Urges Korean Reconciliation, Prays For Persecuted Iraq Christians

dpa

SEOUL — Pope Francis called for Korean reconciliation Monday, and offered special prayers for persecuted Christians in Iraq during the final event of his five-day visit to South Korea.

Francis celebrated a Peace and Reconciliation Mass in Seoul’s Myeongdong Cathedral with 1,000 invitees, including South Korean President Park Geun Hye. North Korean authorities refused to send a delegation.

“Today’s Mass is first and foremost a prayer for reconciliation in this Korean family,” the pope said in his homily.

“What appears, from a human perspective, to be impossible, impractical, and even at times repugnant, [Jesus] makes possible and fruitful through the infinite power of his cross,” he added.

He urged Koreans to “show evangelical concern for the less fortunate, the marginalized, those without work, and those who do not share in the prosperity of the many,” and “reject a mindset shaped by suspicion, confrontation, and competition.”

The pope also led prayers “for the suffering people of Iraq,” and “for all the religious minorities who suffer in that land.”

Separately, he wrote on Twitter: “Lord, with so much violence in Iraq, may we persevere in our prayer and generosity.”

Applause broke out when Seoul Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo Jung thanked the pope for making the first papal trip to South Korea in 25 years, and first foray in Asia.

Francis also met seven Korean so-called comfort women — sex slaves exploited by Japanese troops during the Second World War who are demanding for an official apology and compensation from the Tokyo government.

The pope greeted the elderly women, who were seated in the front row, many of them in wheelchairs. He held hands with each, accepted a butterfly pin that is a symbol of their cause, and attached it to his liturgical garments.

At the cathedral, Francis also met representatives of other religions in Korea, including Buddhists, Confucians, Orthodox, and Protestants.

AFP Photo/Kim Hong-Ji

Interested in world news? Sign up for our daily email newsletter!

Advertising

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

Fox News Deceives Viewers About Its Own Reporter's Question To Biden (VIDEO)

Lucas Tomlinson

On the November 26 edition of Fox News Sunday, Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson declared, “The oldest president in U.S. history also continues to face questions about his age, even here in Nantucket,” followed by video of President Joe Biden reacting to a yelled question — “Mr. President, are you too old to be running for reelection?” — which was clearly Tomlinson’s own voice. In reporting the story to his Fox audience, however, Tomlinson did not make it clear that he was the one who asked the question.

Keep reading...Show less
Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Many liberal and progressive pundits have been predicting a "brain drain" from red states — skillful, college-educated doctors, university professors and teachers leaving because of oppressive MAGA policies. OB-GYNs are worried about draconian anti-abortion laws; teachers and librarians are under attack from the far-right Moms for Liberty.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}