Pope Francis called for peace on the Korean Peninsula and warned North and South Korea against mutual “displays for force,” as he started his first trip to the region on Thursday.
About an hour before Francis landed in Seoul on a five-day trip, North Korea fired three short-range rockets into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean military said. Two more were launched later in the day.
The pope’s visit – the first to the Korean Peninsula since John Paul II in 1989 – was seen as an opportunity for him to encourage reconciliation between North and South.
While the pope made no specific reference to the missiles, he warned against “mutual recriminations, fruitless criticisms and displays of force,” in a speech at the presidential Blue House – the first-ever to be delivered in English by the Argentine-born pontiff.
“Korea’s quest for peace is a cause close to our hearts, for it affects the stability of the entire area and indeed of our whole war-weary world,” he said.
South Korean President Park Geun Hye said the pope’s visit and message of reconciliation was a “blessing for all Koreans.”
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi downplayed the rocket launches, noting that they have taken place more than a dozen times this year. “I will not stress this fact as particularly significant,” he said.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was “not good that the North fired rockets on the day when the pope visited Seoul,” and urged Pyongyang to “end its reckless provocations.”
Francis started his visit, which is focused on the beatification of martyrs and a Catholic youth festival, by expressing solidarity with bereaved families from the sinking of the Sewol ferry on April 16, when about 300 people died.
“Those who died are very close to my heart,” the pope said after his plane landed at Seoul Air Base, where he was greeted by Park.
In keeping with his no-frills style, Francis was driven away in a small Kia Soul hatchback, rather than in a limousine.
Francis spoke of South Korea’s socio-economic challenges: A booming economy marked by growing inequality, a fiercely competitive educational and work ethic and the highest suicide rate among developed nations.
He stressed the need to show “special concern … for the poor, the vulnerable and those who have no voice, not only by meeting their immediate needs but also by assisting them in their human and cultural advancement.”
Relatives of Sewol ferry victims have been staging a sit-in for weeks, demanding a government investigation into the accident, and have appealed to the pope to support their campaign.
In a last minute change of plans, a delegation of about 30 lay Catholics, including North Korean refugees, two descendants of Korean martyrs, and four ferry victims’ relatives were added to the official party that welcomed the pope as he stepped off the plane.
On his way to Seoul, Francis sent an unprecedented message to Chinese President Xi Jinping. It is customary for him to write to countries’ leaders while crossing their airspace – but it was the first time that a pope flew over Chinese territory.
“I extend best wishes to Your Excellency and your fellow citizens, and I invoke the Divine blessings of peace and well-being upon the nation,” Francis said in a telegram.
Despite the message of goodwill, a Korean church spokesman said only about half of the young Chinese Catholics invited to the Asian Youth Days – the festival Francis is due to close Sunday – had made it to South Korea.
“We are very sorry and we regret very much that this has happened,” Father Heo Young Yeop said.
China broke off relations with the Holy See in 1951, and has set up a parallel, state-sanctioned Catholic Church. Catholics who have remained loyal to the Vatican often face harassment and are forced underground.
During his visit, the pope is due to beatify 124 martyrs, celebrate a stadium mass, urge Korean reconciliation in a special service, and meet sex slaves exploited by the Japanese during World War II.
More than 10 per cent of South Korea’s 50 million inhabitants are Catholics, and their numbers are rapidly growing. They have increased more than fourfold from about 1.3 million in 1980 to 5.4 million in 2013.
GNA
PDC
