Seoul, South Korea, Aug 16, 2014 / 12:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has received a warm welcome from the Korean people, many of whom praise him for his acts of compassion, stating that he has the power to provoke a change for the better. “He is a symbol of hope that life is still beautiful. As I saw Pope Francis, I felt like Jesus came to save us,” Jinhee Yu told CNA after participating in the pontiff’s Aug. 16 Mass of beatification for 124 Korean martyrs. “Statistically, there are lots of Catholics in the world but it's hard to find the genuine Catholic spirit in real life,” she said. “The thing that’s important is not a number but a real action. Because of this Pope Francis can be a role model, especially for Catholics.” A young Catholic from the South Korean city of Andong, Jinhee attended the mass of beatification along with several friends, among whom was Seoul-native Okhee Moon. Speaking to CNA, Okhee also expressed her thrill at seeing Pope Francis, stating that “regardless of religion, Pope Francis is a guiding star to people around the world right now.” “Despite the fact that people have a different religions, our final destination is so similar, such as love, benevolence and peace,” she said. “I'm so thankful to see him, and through this wonderful experience I can feel that my faith has become much stronger. I wish that everyone will feel the same way as I do.” The sentiments of Jinhee and Okhee reflect the reactions of many Koreans to the presence of Pope Francis to their country, which has already made a strong impression on the youth. At an Aug. 15 gathering with youth of Asia at Solmoe Shrine, birthplace of the first Korean-born priest, St. Andrew Kim Taegon, who was martyred in the 1800s, thousands of youth from around Asia erupted in cheers as the pontiff diverted from his prepared remarks, encouraging them to never fear returning to Jesus. The gathering was part of his Aug. 13 – 18 visit to South Korea, which coincides with the Sixth Asian Youth Day. Tossing his typed-up papers aside, Pope Francis spoke off-the-cuff in English, explaining that “A beloved friend has told to me yesterday: ‘you must address these young people by heart.’”  When he asked the youth with a smile “Are you tired? May I go on?” his questions were met with swarms of young people cheering wildly, ready to hear the words of their Pope, whether they could understand the Italian he then spoke or not. Among the greatest things Pope Francis has been praised for is the compassion he has shown for the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster and their families. The ferry capsized earlier this year, killing more than 280 people, mostly high school students. With a stated reason for the capsizing of the ferry being a sharp turn and too much cargo, the incident has had a massive impact on South Korea as a whole, and has left many overcome with grief. Pope Francis met with victims’ families during his Aug. 15 Mass celebrating the feast of Mary’s Assumption into heaven, and baptized the father of one of the victims Aug. 16 at the Apostolic Nunciature of Seoul. Mihae Nahm, South Korea native who recently moved back after growing up in Canada, spoke with CNA Aug. 16, recalling how Pope Francis stopped his popemobile while entering the square to celebrate the beatification Mass for 124 Korean martyrs in order to listen to the representative of the ferry victims’ families who are calling for a greater government investigation into the incident. “That was totally against protocol,” she said, explaining that “Pope Francis really resonates and understands compassion, and puts himself into the shoes of these families who are really suffering.” “He’s there to reach out to them, he’s there to hear them, he wants to console them. That’s why I think he got out of his popemobile, totally out of protocol, went to the gate, let the man talk and he listened.” Referring to the moment as “beautiful,” Nahm stated that “That’s why Pope Francis is different. He is the Pope who really wants to say I’m one of you. I’m leading you, but I’m one of you and I’ve been through what you’ve been through.” Chaeri Lee, a youth from Seoul, also spoke with CNA Aug. 16 regarding the actions of Pope Francis toward families of the ferry disaster victims, stating that “I'm so thankful for Pope Francis’ sincere consolation for us. It's been a long time since a Pope has visited Korea and this is the right moment.” Joining the chorus of voices calling for peace in the country, Chaeri said that the “most significant thing we need is a peace.” “Nowadays, Koreans are suffering too much from political problems, social problems and so on. We want to solve these and make a better future,” she noted, stating that “The fact that the Pope visited Korea itself is a huge bless for us and I'm so happy.” Also sharing Chaeri’s sentiments is Kyumin Lee, a seminarian for the diocese of Seoul, who spoke to CNA Aug. 15 saying that “The Pope’s visit is very meaningful because it’s not only special to religious people, but to the whole country.” “He has a power to change things here, especially political problems such as corruption. We need to change it, and the Pope’s message about peace will be a good inspiration.” Read more

Seoul, South Korea, Aug 16, 2014 / 12:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A young man from Hong Kong was moved by Pope Francis’ off-the-cuff remarks during the opening celebration of the 6th Asian Youth Day, stating that the pontiff spoke to them “heart-to-heart.” “For the things that the Pope said (in Italian) I couldn’t hear clearly,” but understood that he “would like to talk heart to heart without following the speech. I was so touched by this because I felt that the Pope would like to talk much more” than time allowed, Giovanni Pan told CNA Aug. 15. “Another point is the moment when we said the Our Father, the Lord’s Prayer,” he explained, referring to the moment when Pope Francis and the thousands of Asian youth present joined hands and prayed the traditional prayer together. “From the stage I looked at the place where the Chinese and people from Hong Kong were, and I saw that many of them were crying. So I was so touched and I also cried.” Pan, 33, was one of three youths who spoke during the Asian Youth Day event, giving his testimony and asking questions to Pope Francis, as well as sharing his concerns about the world and modern society. Reflecting on the theme “Asian Youth! Wake up! The glory of the martyrs shines on you,” the event is one of the key motivations for Pope Francis’ Aug. 14 – 18 visit to South Korea. Taking place the second of his five day trip, the event was held at the Solmoe Shrine, which sits just south of the country’s capital, Seoul, and is the birthplace of the first Korean-born priest, St. Andrew Kim Taegon, who was martyred in the 1800s. In his speech during the youth event Pan jested about his Italian name, saying to the Roman “Me chiamo Giovanni,” which means “My name is Giovanni,” and ended by thanking the Pope in Italian, saying “Grazie.” He also asked the Pope how Hong Kong can host a future World Youth Day. After finishing their speeches, the three youth had the opportunity to greet Pope Francis. Walking to the back of the stage where he was seated, they each knelt down and kissed his papal ring. “When I knelt down before the Pope he touched my hand. He asked me a question, and the translation of a word,” Pan told journalists in an Aug. 15 press briefing, stating that “I actually didn't hear very clearly because it was so noisy at that time, so I just responded ‘yes.’” “Then the Pope talked to me in English. He told me to pray for him, and said that he would pray for the Church in China.” Referring to the moment when he put a scarf made for the Asian Youth Day around the Bishop of Rome’s neck, Pan explained that “I kissed his ring and then I took off this ribbon, and at that time the Pope himself bowed his head a little bit, so I put it on his neck.” “When I shook hands with him,” after, “I felt that his hand was so soft, so warm, just like the hand of my grandfather.” Going on, the youth described watching the event from his place on the stage, telling journalists that “Maybe I can share something I saw onstage that you didn't notice.” “The first thing is that the Pope didn’t want to follow the written script, because he wanted to talk heart to heart,” he noted. “What does heart to heart mean? When we three talked he used a pen to write some notes. Then when the Pope talked in Italian, I noticed that his finger always followed the notes he made, so it means he was answering our questions, even if he didn't answer them specifically.” After Pope Francis returned to his seat, Pan observed how he apologized to the two young girls who also gave speeches “because he felt so sorry that he confused their names, so he wanted to say sorry to them.” Particularly impactful for Pan were the Pope’s comments about North and South Korea, who he referred to as “one family” who speaks the same language. “There is only one Korea, but this family is divided,” the pontiff stated, explaining that “Your brothers and sisters in North Korea are speaking the same language, and that gives me hope for the future of the human family.” Explaining how the event was an important moment in his life, Pan told CNA that he now plans to “continue to pray, and I will follow what the Pope said.” “Just follow, and don’t be afraid. Whatever you want to get, just ask and just try it, just try it. For now this is me, this is Giovanni.” Read more

Seoul, South Korea, Aug 15, 2014 / 08:26 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Following their lunch with Pope Francis, a Chinese and a Pakistani youth said the pontiff was like a humble father who wanted to be near them. “He told us what the message of the Pope is for us, for the youth, for the whole world,” that it is “to evangelize with the Bible, evangelize with the words of Jesus. In my eyes, the Pope is living the life of Jesus. He's a living Jesus,” Alexander John told journalists during an Aug. 15 press briefing. John, a 33-year-old youth coordinator from Karachi, Pakistanwas one of 20 young Asian leaders who dined with Pope Francis this afternoon. He was chosen for the lunch by the executive secretary of Pakistan’s National Youth Commission. “For me meeting the Pope is like a dream come true,” John said, explaining that during the luncheon Pope Francis “listened to each and every single one of us, whatever we said.” “I have never seen a person at this level. He is so down to earth, so close and so warm. He met us so humbly,” John observed. “He had a short interview with each one of us. We told him our names and the countries we belong to, what we do.” “Meeting the Pope is a complete blessing. He really made my day. He really made my life." Also present during the Aug. 15 lunch was 22-year-old Suen Ka-Pop, who was the youngest of the group and works as the choir director at her home parish of Holy Redeemer Church in Hong Kong. Recalling the moment when she first decided to attend Asian Youth Day, Suen explained to those present at the Aug. 15 press conference that it was after having an intense spiritual encounter with God in a dream that her parish priest invited her. “That's when I found out that God loves me very much,” Suen stated, explaining that after that “one of the priests in my parish gave me the forms of the Asian Youth Day...I signed up immediately and payed the money immediately, therefore I'm here.” Suen said it was exciting for her to be at Asian Youth Day because “I used a lot of time to prepare for this event, to prepare my heart and how I can face God, and how I can face the Pope.” “Now that I'm here I find that I can make a lot of friends and also find my faith. I think that it's very valuable to be here, and very valuable to meet all of you here,” she said.  Suen said she asked the Pope two questions during lunch. The first was whether he would accept an invitation to visit Hong Kong, and the second was what he considers the mission of the Church's youth to be.  Pope Francis said he would try to visit Hong Kong but was unsure of his schedule, and that the youth of the Church need to “wake up and follow the father's step and become a focus of Jesus Christ, and shine like a sword.” Suen also gave the Pope an image she had made of a Chinese Virgin Mother. Upon receiving the image, the Pope said “Oh, it's your work? It's very nice, I like it very much.” “Another time I was very touched and I said 'I love you papa,' and his response was 'I love you too Bobo,’” referring to her nickname. She recalled how he told her “You're such a sweet girl' and touched my hand. Just like a father.” “In my heart he's very nice and friendly. He doesn't put himself as the highest, he just always wanted to be near us,” she said.  Pope Francis’ lunch with the young Asian leaders took place on the second of his five day trip to South Korea, which followed the theme: “Rise Korea, clothe yourself in light, the Lord’s glory shines upon you.” Before meeting with the youth, the Pope celebrated Mass in the Diocese of Daejeon’s World Cup Stadium where he met with families of the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster, and afterward traveled to the Solmoe Holy Ground to celebrate the beginning of the 6th Asian Youth Day. He arrived early and spoke to the youth in a lengthy off-script speech, given in Italian and English.   Read more