Seoul, South Korea, Aug 17, 2014 / 06:39 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- At the concluding Mass of his historical trip, Pope Francis urged the faithful to embrace Christ's message of forgiveness and reconciliation, stressing earlier in his visit that there is only “one Korea.” “This...is the message which I leave you,” the Pope told the congregation gathered at the Aug. 18 Mass held at the Myeong-dong Cathedral in Seoul. “Trust in the power of Christ’s cross! Welcome its reconciling grace into your own hearts and share that grace with others!” “I ask you to bear convincing witness to Christ’s message of forgiveness in your homes, in your communities and at every level of national life.” The Pope's Aug. 13-18 trip follows an invitation from the president of the Korean Republic, Park Geun-hye, and the bishops of Korea. During his time, the Pope traveled from the capital city of Seoul to Daejon, where he celebrated the Sixth Asian Youth Day with thousands of young people. He also visited the rehabilitation center for disabled persons in Kkottongnae, as well as a shrine in Haemi for a closing Mass with Asian youth. Speaking off-the-cuff to young people earlier in the week, the Pope addressed the division between North and South Korea, emphasizing that the two are “one family,” and calling for prayers of re-unification while stressing repentance and forgiveness. He then paused and invited those gathered spend a moment praying in silence for unity between the two countries. At the closing Mass on Monday, the Pope reiterated this message, saying that his visit culminates with imploring God for “the grace of peace and reconciliation.” “This prayer has a particular resonance on the Korean peninsula. Today’s Mass is first and foremost a prayer for reconciliation in this Korean family.” Pope Francis reflected that unity, reconciliation and peace are “gifts” which are inextricably linked to conversion of heart, and which have the power to “alter the course of our lives and our history, as individuals and as a people.” “At this Mass, we naturally hear this promise in the context of the historical experience of the Korean people, an experience of division and conflict which has lasted for well over sixty years,” he said. “But God’s urgent summons to conversion also challenges Christ’s followers in Korea to examine the quality of their own contribution to the building of a truly just and humane society.” The pontiff noted that Jesus asks us, as seen in the day's Gospel reading from Matthew, to forgive without hesitation. “In telling us to forgive our brothers unreservedly, he is asking us to do something utterly radical, but he also gives us the grace to do it,” Pope Francis emphasized. “What appears, from a human perspective, to be impossible, impractical and even at times repugnant, he makes possible and fruitful through the infinite power of his cross.” “The cross of Christ reveals the power of God to bridge every division, to heal every wound, and to reestablish the original bonds of brotherly love.” Pope Francis then reflected on the blessings he experienced during his visit to “this beloved country,” especially noting the “presence of so many young pilgrims from throughout Asia.” “Their love of Jesus and their enthusiasm for the spread of his Kingdom have been an inspiration to us all,” he said. The Pope also praised the work of local priests, “who daily labor in the service of the Gospel and the building up of God’s people in faith, hope and love.”   “I ask you, as ambassadors of Christ and ministers of his reconciling love, to continue to build bridges of respect, trust and harmonious cooperation in your parishes, among yourselves, and with your bishops.” “Your example of unreserved love for the Lord, your faithfulness and dedication to your ministry, and your charitable concern for those in need,” he added, “contribute greatly to the work of reconciliation and peace in this country.” “Dear brothers and sisters, God calls us to return to him and to hearken to his voice, and he promises to establish us on the land in even greater peace and prosperity than our ancestors knew,” Pope Francis concluded. “May Christ's followers in Korea prepare for the dawning of that new day, when this land of the morning calm will rejoice in God’s richest blessings of harmony and peace! Amen.” Read more

Haemi, South Korea, Aug 17, 2014 / 02:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Addressing thousands of young people from across Asia, Pope Francis emphasized the urgent need to “wake up” and spread Christ’s love throughout the continent, pointing to t... Read more

Seoul, South Korea, Aug 17, 2014 / 01:24 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday morning Pope Francis baptized 62-year-old Lee Ho-Jin – the father of one of the victims from the Sewol Ferry tragedy earlier this year – who took on the baptismal name “Francis.” Vatican Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi reported that the baptism was celebrated in 20 minutes without Mass. It was officiated by a Korean priest, who is acting as the Pope's translator, with Pope Francis conducting the immersion and anointing. According to the nunciature in Korea where the the baptism took place, the ceremony was attended by Lee Ho-Jin's son, daughter, and a priest of the Suwon diocese. On Aug. 15, Fr. Lombardi told CNA that the Pope met with some of the family members from the ferry tragedy before a Mass with thousands of Koreans at the World Cup stadium in Daejon earlier in the week. He approached, blessed and “touched the head of each one of them and he shared his closeness” with them, Fr. Lombardi said. Lee spoke to the Pope, the Vatican Spokesman said, after “having made a long pilgrimage carrying a cross and praying for his young son who died on the ferry.” Fr. Lombardi underscored that Lee “solicited baptism. Obviously, he was not Christian and that is why he asked for it, but it is clear that he has had preparation with prayer, and with this pilgrimage that he made, we can say that he has been on a spiritual journey.” According to official sources, the cause of the ferry's shipwreck of Sewol was a sharp turn. At least 36 people were officially declared dead, an d around 280 have not yet been found. Announced by the Vatican in March, the Pope's Aug. 13-18 trip follows an invitation from the president of the Korean Republic, Park Geun-hye, and the bishops of Korea. During his time, the Pope traveled from the capital city of Seoul to Daejon, where he celebrated the Sixth Asian Youth Day with thousands of young people. He also visited the rehabilitation center for disabled persons in Kkottongnae, as well as a shrine in Haemi for a closing Mass with Asian youth. The Preparatory Committee for the 2014 Papal Visit to Korea reported that it is the first time in 25 years that a Pope has baptized a Korean since a group were baptized by Pope John Paul II in 1989. Read more

Seoul, South Korea, Aug 16, 2014 / 09:28 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis visited the House of Hope rehabilitation center for children with disabilities in South Korea on Aug. 15 where he was welcomed in a festive and joyful environment. The Pope arrived Kko... Read more

Seoul, South Korea, Aug 16, 2014 / 09:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A deep understanding of our identity as Christians is needed to combat the modern tendency to reduce the faith to superficiality, Pope Francis told 68 bishops from 35 countries gathered during his trip to South Korea. “Without a grounding in Christ, the truths by which we live our lives can gradually recede, the practice of the virtues can become formalistic, and dialogue can be reduced to a form of negotiation or an agreement to disagree,” he warned in an Aug. 16 address at the shrine in Haemi. In his remarks, the Pope zeroed in on the theme of Christian identity, outlining both major threats to it in today's society as well as ways the bishops can embrace it and evangelize more fully. Announced by the Vatican in March, the Pope's Aug. 13-18 trip follows an invitation from the president of the Korean Republic, Park Geun-hye, and the bishops of Korea. During his time, the Pope traveled from the capital city of Seoul to Daejon, where he celebrated the Sixth Asian Youth Day with thousands of young people. He also visited the rehabilitation center for disabled persons in Kkottongnae, made a trip to the shrine in Haemi for a closing Mass with Asian youth. Speaking to the bishops on Sunday, Pope Francis said that the first and most insidious threat to Christian identity lies in the “deceptive light of relativism” – which, “obscures the splendor of truth and, shaking the earth beneath our feet, pulls us toward the shifting sands of confusion and despair.” “Here I am not speaking about relativism merely as a system of thought,” he clarified, “but about that everyday practical relativism which almost imperceptibly saps our sense of identity.” This dynamic spills into another threat against Christian identity, which is the temptation to reduce the faith, and the hide behind the security of simplifying it into “easy answers, ready formulas, rules and regulations.” “Faith by nature is not self-absorbed; it 'goes out,'” he stressed. “It seeks understanding; it gives rise to testimony; it generates mission.” Addressing the specific challenges to the Asian Church, the Pope emphasized that dialogue is an essential part of the region's mission. “But in undertaking the path of dialogue with individuals and cultures, what should be our point of departure and the fundamental point of reference which guides us to our destination? Surely it is our own identity, our identity as Christians.” “We cannot engage in real dialogue unless we are conscious of our own identity,” he said. “Nor can there be authentic dialogue unless we are capable of opening our minds and hearts, in empathy and sincere receptivity, to those with whom we speak.” Christian identity, he noted, begs the questions of whether or not it is being lived out in Church  catechesis and youth ministry, service to the poor, and fostering of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. “Finally, together with a clear sense of our own Christian identity, authentic dialogue also demands a capacity for empathy,” he said. “We are challenged to listen not only to the words which others speak, but to the unspoken communication of their experiences, their hopes and aspirations, their struggles and their deepest concerns.” “When we look out at the great Asian continent, with its vast expanses of land, its ancient cultures and traditions, we are aware that, in God’s plan, your Christian communities are indeed a pusillus grex, a small flock which nonetheless is charged to bring the light of the Gospel to the ends of the earth,” the Pope concluded. “May the Good Shepherd, who knows and loves each of his sheep, guide and strengthen your efforts to build up their unity with him and with all the members of his flock throughout the world.” Read more

Seoul, South Korea, Aug 16, 2014 / 07:44 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- En route from visiting a rehabilitation center in Kkottognae and on his way to meet with Korean religious, Pope Francis stopped and prayed for a few minutes at local cemetery for aborted chi... Read more