President Park Geun-hye met with Pope Francis as he began his visit to Korea on August 14.

President Park said that all Koreans welcome and are exuberant about the pope’s visit, as they have long waited for another papal visit after John Paul II’s trip here in 1989. The president also expressed her honor to meet the pope in person, a man who has cared for the vulnerable and worked for world peace. She thanked him for choosing to visit Korea first before any other Asian country.


The president continued to express her heartfelt gratitude for the pope having sent sincere letters and blessings to the Korean people and for praying for peace across the Korean Peninsula. “I also feel grateful to you for having sent words of condolences to, and for having prayed for, the families as well as the victims who lost their lives in the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry,” she added.

In response, the pope appreciated being welcomed with such hospitality. He mentioned that Korea is a great country that has a deep-rooted custom of respecting the elderly and which through hard work had risen to be one of the world’s economic powers. The pontiff also pointed out that he has noticed through their exchange of letters that President Park’s main concern is peace. When the pope said that peace is a God-given gift and that Korea is working hard to achieve the gift, the president responded that, “Peace is something worth trying to win.”

The president also said, “This year is very special since a new Cardinal of Korea, Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, has been elected and the pope has come to Korea, too.”

Pointing out that Roman Catholicism in Korea spread by word of mouth amongst the commoners, she said that, "The pope's beatification of 124 Catholic martyrs in Seoul is particularly meaningful."

The pope said that, “Korea has long worked on missionary activities. It’s because God chose the nation and the Koreans, too, took God as their own belief. I also remember that when I was an archbishop in Buenos Aires, I saw the Korean religious community setting up a church in unison and actively engaging in missionary work. I also know that many Korean missionaries are working hard worldwide.”

President Park also said that, “As the two Koreas still remain technically at war, the pope’s efforts and dedication to peace and reconciliation feel more valuable than ever.” She went on to say that the most urgent task facing her country is the issue concerning the separated families of North and South Korea and humanitarian efforts should be made to handle the issue.

In response, the pope said that he understood the pain from which those separate families suffer, as he acknowledged that nothing could be more important than family. “I assure you that Roman Catholic churches will step forward and help to deal with the longstanding issue,” he said.

He also called Korea a, “seed of peace,” in that Korea uses a single language and if the seed were only well-planted and well-cultivated, the peninsula would gradually become one.

“We will pray for that,” he said.

By Wi Tack-whan, Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writers
whan23@korea.kr