By Kang Gahui and Yoon Hee Young

Churches and cathedrals nationwide on April 17 held large-scale outdoor Mass and worship services to mark Easter.

Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick held Easter Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in the capital's Jung-gu District.

As Mass was held the day before social distancing measures were lifted on April 18, an estimated 700 worshipers attended the event in observing the government's cap of 70% of capacity at houses of worship.

The archbishop said in his Easter message, "May the grace of the Resurrection and life be with the entire world," adding, "We sincerely pray for our fellow brethren in North Korea and those suffering from the war in Ukraine to soon find peace and enjoy the joy of the Resurrection."

A combined 74 Protestant denominations and Christian councils from the nation's 17 metropolitan cities and provinces held a unified Easter service at Yoido Full Gospel Church in the Yeouido area of Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu District. The 12,000-seat facility was filled to 70% of capacity to commemorate Easter.

Outdoor Mass was also held to mark Easter including a unified service for "those in hardship" at Marronnier Park in the capital's Jongno-gu District and those for "free unification of Korean churches" at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu District.

President Moon Jae-in, a devout Catholic, in a congratulatory message on his Facebook account called the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, "who overcame suffering and death, is a message of hope that brightens the entire world."

He added that just as people's faith has grown stronger with the glory of the Resurrection, he hoped that faith in recovery and taking a leap forward would also grow more.

President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, who attended the unified service in Yeouido, called self-sacrifice, commitment and resurrection "the core of the spirit of Christ" per a service brochure he read that urged unification of a divided society. Running national affairs from the perspectives of national interest and the public as well as effectively complying with the people's wishes are the first step toward integration, he added.

kgh89@korea.kr