Seoul, South Korea, Aug 14, 2014 / 04:16 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Among the people who greeted Pope Francis at his arrival in South Korea was a father of an adolescent who wanted to be a priest but died in the country's massive ferry accident earlier this year.   Danwon High School sophomore Seong Ho Park was killed in the April tragedy, and had voiced hope of one day becoming a priest. His father, Yun Oh Emmanuel Park, 50, welcomed the pontiff after he disembarked from the papal flight to Seoul from the Vatican on Thursday. Others who greeted the Pope upon his arrival to Seoul were parents of a professor who died in the accident and the widow of another victim. Additionally, Pope Francis was welcomed by two immigrants, descendants of some of the 124 martyrs that Pope Francis will beatify, two individuals with disabilities and some religious. The Archbishop of Seoul and Pyongyang's Aposotlic Administrator, Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, was among the nine bishops who received the Pope. The Sewol shipwreck occurred on April 16 about one-and-a-half miles off Byungpoong island. The ferry was transporting 475 people from Incheon to the city of Jeju. Three hundred and thirty passengers were students of Ansan, a suburb of Seoul, who were on a trip to a spa with their teachers. 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, and 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 will travel from the capital city of Seoul to Daejon, where he will celebrate the Sixth Asian Youth Day with thousands of young people expected to attend. He will also visit the rehabilitation center for disabled persons in Kkottongnae, as well as a shrine in Haemi for a closing Mass with Asian youth. Read more

Seoul, South Korea, Aug 14, 2014 / 03:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On the first day of his historic papal visit to South Korea, Pope Francis urged local bishops to not only remember their rich history of martyrdom but look to the future with hope and missionary zeal. “As pastors, you are responsible for guarding the Lord’s flock. You are guardians of the wondrous works which he accomplishes in his people,” the Pope said in his Aug. 14 address to the country's Catholic Church leaders. “Guarding is one of the tasks specifically entrusted to the bishop: looking after God's people,” he noted in his prepared remarks, adding that Korea's bishops are charged in particular with being “guardians of memory and guardians of hope.” 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 will travel from the capital city of Seoul to Daejon, where he will celebrate the Sixth Asian Youth Day with thousands of young people expected to attend. He will also visit the rehabilitation center for disabled persons in Kkottongnae, as well as a shrine in Haemi for a closing Mass with Asian youth.   Speaking to the Korean bishops' conference on Thursday, the Pope encouraged them to live their guardianship of memory by recognizing how the “seeds sown by the martyrs” have “brought forth an abundant harvest of grace in this land.” “You are the children of the martyrs, heirs to their heroic witness of faith in Christ,” he emphasized. “You are also heirs to an impressive tradition which began, and largely grew, through the fidelity, perseverance and work of generations of lay persons.” In this vein, the “great legacy handed down from your forefathers” can be seen today in active parishes and ecclesial movements, effective catechesis and outreach to youth, as well as Catholic schools and seminaries, he said. The Pope strayed from his prepared comments on several occasions, stressing that bishops should not be distant from priests, but should be available and attentive to their needs. He also warned them to beware of the temptations that accompany prosperity. In his prepared remarks, he reflected on how the Church in Korea has an essential place in the spiritual and cultural life of the country, lauding its “strong missionary impulse.” “From being a land of mission, yours has now become a land of missionaries; and the universal Church continues to benefit from the many priests and religious whom you have sent forth.” Pope Francis added, however, that being guardians of memory means more than just remembering and honoring the past, but drawing from these the riches the strength and wisdom to face the future.   “In addition to being guardians of memory, dear brothers, you are also called to be guardians of hope,” he stressed, “the hope held out by the Gospel of God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ, the hope which inspired the martyrs.” This hope is guarded, he explained, by “keeping alive the flame of holiness, fraternal charity and missionary zeal within the Church's communion.” A key part of this effort requires bishops to be close to their priests and to accompany them in their daily lives, affirm children and elderly in their societal importance, support education and remain steadfast in concern for the poor – particularly refugees and migrants. “Solidarity with the poor has to be seen as an essential element of the Christian life; through preaching and catechesis grounded in the rich patrimony of the Church’s social teaching, it must penetrate the hearts and minds of the faithful and be reflected in every aspect of ecclesial life.” Pope Francis also touched on the challenges faced by modern Koreans, especially what he called “a prosperous, yet increasingly secularized and materialistic society.” He warned of the temptation for bishops to not only draw “from the business world” in adopting plans to address the problem but also a lifestyle and mentality driven by power and success as opposed to the Gospel. “Woe to us if the cross is emptied of its power to judge the wisdom of this world! I urge you and your brother priests to reject this temptation in all its forms,” the Pope told the bishops. “May we be saved from that spiritual and pastoral worldliness which stifles the Spirit, replaces conversion by complacency, and, in the process, dissipates all missionary fervor!” Concluding his remarks, Pope Francis said that “with these reflections on your role as guardians of memory and of hope, I want to encourage you in your efforts to build up the faithful in Korea in unity, holiness and zeal.” “Memory and hope inspire us and guide us toward the future. I remember all of you in my prayers and I urge you constantly to trust in the power of God's grace.” Read more

Seoul, South Korea, Aug 14, 2014 / 02:18 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his first public address after arriving in South Korea, Pope Francis called government officials to work for an authentic and far-reaching peace, which requires forgiveness and cooperatio... Read more

Seoul, South Korea, Aug 13, 2014 / 06:55 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- South Koreans are full of joyful anticipation at the impending arrival of Pope Francis, according to the director of the nation's new branch of Aid to the Church in Need. The Pope's flight from Rome is set to land at Seoul Air Base at 10:30 am local time on Aug. 14 – 9:30 pm on Aug. 13 in Washington, D.C. “The whole country is looking forward to the visit of the Holy Father and is thoroughly well prepared for it,” Johannes Klausa, head of the newly-opened South Korean office of the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, said in a recent interview. “Needless to say, Korea is preparing not only with pop songs and plastic toys, but also with prayer groups, Scripture readings and with a special prayer for the papal visit. The priests are urging their parishioners to read up on the life and encyclicals of the Holy Father,” Klausa told Andre Steifenhofer, a writer with German branch of the charity, which is under the guidance of the Holy See. “In the secular bookstores too the tables are sagging beneath all the biographies and other books about Pope Francis.” Klausa's new office – Aid to the Church in Need's first in Asia – expands the ability of the Catholic charity as it provides assistance to suffering and persecuted Catholics in more than 140 nations. Pope Francis will be visiting South Korea Aug. 14-18, during which time he will participate in Asian Youth Day and will beatify 124 Korean martyrs of the 19th century. The theme of the visit is “Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” The Pope hopes to directly exhort each of the faithful in South Korea to live by this message. Klausa noted there have been “security issues” for the committee preparing for the trip, noting that Pope Francis “has officially requested that during his visit he is not driven through the city in a bullet-proof limousine, but in an ordinary Korean small car.” He said that the “Catholic Church in South Korea has a very high reputation. It is seen as tolerant and modest and enjoys moral authority and integrity in the public perception.” Klausa believes Catholics have a high reputation locally because the Church has always been on the “right side of history,” remaining faithful to the poor and oppressed during the darker times in Korea, “against the Japanese occupiers and later also against home-grown dictators, and stood up for democracy and human rights.” The Church in Korea “plays a major part in the social system today, has established universities and runs many social institutions such as hospitals, children’s and old people’s homes, and cares for the forgotten and the outcasts of society,” reflected Klausa. While admittance to different social circles is difficult in South Korea, he said – adding that “belonging to a particular social group is of central importance in Korea – much more important than in Western culture … Church communities are one of the few exceptions.” Klausa said the Church offers a welcoming home to those who seek community: religious worship is always reverent, emotional, and well-attended. “A great many Koreans only find their way to the faith in adulthood in fact. Of course there are also families that have been Catholic for generations, but these are a minority today. In the Church community people are welcomed with open arms, and as a result the parishes are also something of a gathering place for those seeking friendship, of all ages.” Because South Korea “exists in the glare of world public attention,” and is “one of the major conflict flashpoints on the world political scene,” Klausa believes that the Pope’s visit “may bring about new initiatives for the currently frozen relationship between the two Koreas.”  “Society is torn apart between tradition and modernity, poor and rich, progressive and conservative forces,” Klausa commented, noting that rapid development within the nation has caused some individual areas to be neglected. South Korea remains the economic powerhouse of the region, establishing itself as an Asian heavyweight, said Klausa. Because of this, Korean humanity has suffered since many people received riches before they learned how to handle them. “Among the important intentions for your prayers for Korea, apart from the constant need to pray for peace, reconciliation and reunification, one might include some less popular, and in some cases even taboo, social and political concerns,” stated Klausa. For example, Klausa urged prayers “for a 'deceleration' and a lessening of the intolerable pressure that is exerted from top to bottom within our bone-hard society,” asking the faithful from around the world to unite in prayer for South Korea.   Read more