Pope Francis (image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
SEOUL, April 21 (Korea Bizwire) — Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul wished Pope Francis, who died at the age 88 on Monday, eternal peace.
“Even though we say farewell to him, we should continue his love and sacrifice by practicing the gospel in our lives,” he said, offering a message of condolence over the pope’s death.
He also noted the pope’s lifelong dedication to the socially vulnerable, introducing examples like choosing the refugee-populated island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean Sea as his first pastoral destination and celebrating his first Holy Thursday foot-washing ceremony at a juvenile detention center.
The archbishop also recalled the pope’s beatification ceremony for Korean church martyrs in South Korea during his 2014 visit — the first time such a ceremony was held outside Rome.
He suggested praying for the pontiff “with whole hearts,” recalling his lifelong request that worshipers pray for him.
Lee Yong-Hoon, chairman of the Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference, also expressed his sorrow over Pope Francis’ death.
“I confess all the time with the pope was full of hope and wish him eternal peace with God,” he said.
He noted the pope’s special interest in South Korea’s Catholic history and the South Korean Catholic Church’s mission in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula, and, by extension, global peace.
“The pope expressed his sadness whenever a tragedy gripped our country and extended his comfort for the victims and their families as well as the whole nation,” he said, thanking his spirit of “solidarity.”
(Yonhap)
