By Kim Hyelin and Yoon Sojung

In a special article President Moon Jae-in contributed on Oct. 16 to the L’Osservatore Romano, the daily newspaper in the Holy See, he said that he hoped to transform separation and confrontation into prosperity through peace.

In this article, President Moon also hoped that relations between the Holy See and North Korea can also be revitalized.

President Moon wrote that he was pleased to meet the Holy Father on the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the Holy See.

He expressed his gratitude to the Holy See for showing strong support for the peace on the Korean Peninsula by saying, “Together with the people of the Republic of Korea, I express my profound feeling of gratitude for the solid and firm support expressed by Pope Francis in favor of peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

President Moon also said that, “In recent months, the prayers and the blessing of the Holy Father have given great encouragement and hope to the Korean people on their way to peace.”

He added that he believes Catholicism will always accompany the journey of the Korean Peninsula which pursues the goal of inclusion.

President Moon particularly asked for the Holy See to support inter-Korean exchanges by the Catholic Church. He said, “On the occasion of my visit to Pyongyang last September, Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-jong, Archbishop of Gwangju, also went there, as a representative of the Catholic Church in Korea, to foster relations between the Church in the South and that in North.”

“In this regard, I am grateful to the Holy See for the special attention and for the guarantee of support so that these relations can develop further,” he added.

President Moon said that, “We will resolutely pursue the realization of democracy, of permanent peace on the Korean peninsula and the construction of a country of inclusion.”

“I hope that the blessing of the Holy Father and the prayers of the Catholic Church will always accompany the journey of the Korean people.”

President Moon, currently on a European trip, will attend a mass for Peace on the Korean Peninsula in Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 17. He will meet with Pope Francis at noon the next day to deliver an invitation to the Pope from Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea to visit Pyeongyang.

Korea.net will broadcast live the mass and President Moon’s speech on its portal operated in nine languages.

kimhyelin211@korea.kr