Humble, Solemn Farewell to a Great Spiritual Leader
Korea’s 1st Cardinal Leaves Legacy of Compassion, Forgiveness and Love
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Koreans bid a final farewell to the much beloved spiritual leader Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan in a modest funeral ceremony at Myeongdong Cathedral, central Seoul, Friday morning.
Cardinal Kim, the country's first Roman Catholic cardinal, died Monday at the age of 86. Since his death, more than 400,000 people have paid their last respects to him at the cathedral.
The funeral ceremony was solemn and low-key, befitting Cardinal Kim, who was known as a humble man and champion of the poor and oppressed. Even his cedar coffin, which was placed at the center of the cathedral, was simply adorned with a cross, his motto and his name.
Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, who succeeded Kim as archbishop of Seoul, presided over the funeral Mass. ``Cardinal Kim was everyone's apostle of love and peace. Although he was suffering from the infirmities of old age, until his last breath, he did not lose his humanity or smile,'' Cheong said in his homily.
Around 800 people, including Kim's family and close friends, Catholic clergymen, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, Culture Minister Yu In-chon, and ambassadors from Britain, Spain, Germany and Australia, attended the nearly two-hour-long ceremony. Another estimated 10,000 people braved the cold weather to watch it on big screens outside the cathedral. Many were seen wiping away tears throughout the Mass.
Kim fought for democracy and human rights in the 1970s and 80s, speaking out against the authoritarian governments. ``As a huge supporter of the democratic movement in the '70s and '80s, the mental anguish he must have gone through both as a priest and as a human being is unimaginable. He developed lifelong insomnia during that time,'' Cheong said.
Cheong also read a message from Pope Benedict XVI: ``(Cardinal Kim) devoted himself to the Catholic diocese in Seoul. As a member of the College of Cardinals, he cooperated with loyalty to the pope. Cardinal Kim will be remembered with gratitude.''
There were five eulogies during the mass, including one by the Apostolic Nuncio, or the Vatican's representative to Korea, Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, and one from President Lee Myung-bak read by Prime Minister Han.
President Lee hailed the cardinal as a true leader of all Koreans, especially the poor. ``In these days, where the mentality of 'you're either with us or not,' he taught us to respect others and to talk with open minds. Yet he never lost his principle… The message the cardinal left with us through his words and actions is to be grateful, to love and to share. Though the cardinal has left us, he will always remain with us in our hearts,'' Lee said.
After the mass, eight pallbearers, young priests from the Seoul Catholic Archdiocese, carried the cardinal's coffin outside the cathedral. People bowed their heads, while some wept openly, as the cardinal's coffin passed by.
The coffin was placed inside a black funeral hearse and taken to the Catholic Priests' Cemetery in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul.
Skies were overcast as 2,000 attended the burial rites held at the cemetery. Cardinal Cheong prayed: ``Let (Cardinal Kim) be elevated to the rank of saint by the Lord's mercy and may he rest in peace,'' before the coffin was lowered into the grave.
As remaining family members wept, a red banner inscribed with the late Cardinal's name and titles was placed over the coffin. Incense was burnt and holy water sprinkled over it. Then shovels of dirt were heaped on by remaining family members and bishops. Sounds of prayer grew louder as dirt covered the coffin, and hymns were mixed with them to bid a final farewell to a beloved man.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was holding a press conference with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan at the same time as the funeral, also paid tribute to Kim.
``I want to take a moment to pay tribute to the late Cardinal Kim. He was a great spiritual leader not only for Korea and the people of Korea but for the world. I know that he will be remembered by Koreans and all who cared about democracy, human rights and human dignity,'' Clinton said.
Cardinal Kim was born in 1922 in Daegu, the youngest of eight siblings in a poor but devoutly Catholic family. His grandfather was persecuted for being a Roman Catholic and died in prison.
Kim studied philosophy at Sophia University in Tokyo from 1941 to 1944 and the Catholic University of Korea from 1947 to 1951. He was named Bishop of Masan in 1966, Archbishop of Seoul in 1968 and raised to the rank of Cardinal-Priest by Pope Paul VI in 1969. He retired in 1998.
― Korea Times Intern Hwang Sung-hee contributed to this article.