Pope Francis will make a five-day visit to Korea in August.
During the Aug. 14-18 trip, the pontiff will attend a Catholic youth festival to be held in Daejeon and preside over a ceremony to beatify 124 Korean martyrs who were killed for their beliefs during the Joseon Kingdom. Pope Francis, who was elected to succeed Benedict XVI a year ago, also plans to visit ''Kkottongnae,'' a community of people with physical disabilities.
We welcome the Argentine-born pope's visit heartily and hope that the papal trip will provide an opportunity to spread a message of love and peace across Northeast Asia, as one presidential spokesman commented.
Koreans have every reason to be proud that their country has been chosen as the sole destination in the pope's first Asian trip. This will be the third papal visit to Korea and the first since the late John Paul II's trip in 1989. The late pontiff canonized 103 Korean martyrs during his 1984 visit.
There's no need to overstate the meaning of the August papal trip ― primarily it's intended for Pope Francis to attend the sixth Asian Youth Day, but it's true that the visit will be an opportunity for the pope to show his special affection for Korea and its Catholics.
True, Korea is unique as far as Catholicism is concerned.
The Catholic Church has the third-largest faith following in Korea with about 5.3 million believers, which puts Korea fifth in Asia, but its congregation is growing at the fastest pace. Korea, the only country in the world to receive Catholicism without European missionary work, is a "land of martyrs.''
The 77-year-old pontiff has become a hot newsmaker with his humble and homespun style over the past year. Pope Francis is the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years, and has distanced himself from formality and authority to get closer to the people.
Pope Francis didn't hesitate to censure greedy capitalists, grappled with the thorny issues of sex scandals involving priests and overhauled the Vatican's coffers amid allegations of waste, corruption and money-laundering. He also made big waves last July by asking, "If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with goodwill, who am I to judge?''
We take special note of the papal trip, given that it will promote peace on the divided Korean Peninsula and bring hope to the poor and alienated. Speculation has it that the pope will appeal to North Korea for peace and reunification during a mass, and we sincerely hope that his remarks will help bring inter-Korean reconciliation and peace.
There will be no distinction between Catholics and non-believers in welcoming the pontiff. Hopefully, the papal visit will serve as an occasion for our society to be free from distrust and enmity.
During the Aug. 14-18 trip, the pontiff will attend a Catholic youth festival to be held in Daejeon and preside over a ceremony to beatify 124 Korean martyrs who were killed for their beliefs during the Joseon Kingdom. Pope Francis, who was elected to succeed Benedict XVI a year ago, also plans to visit ''Kkottongnae,'' a community of people with physical disabilities.
We welcome the Argentine-born pope's visit heartily and hope that the papal trip will provide an opportunity to spread a message of love and peace across Northeast Asia, as one presidential spokesman commented.
Koreans have every reason to be proud that their country has been chosen as the sole destination in the pope's first Asian trip. This will be the third papal visit to Korea and the first since the late John Paul II's trip in 1989. The late pontiff canonized 103 Korean martyrs during his 1984 visit.
There's no need to overstate the meaning of the August papal trip ― primarily it's intended for Pope Francis to attend the sixth Asian Youth Day, but it's true that the visit will be an opportunity for the pope to show his special affection for Korea and its Catholics.
True, Korea is unique as far as Catholicism is concerned.
The Catholic Church has the third-largest faith following in Korea with about 5.3 million believers, which puts Korea fifth in Asia, but its congregation is growing at the fastest pace. Korea, the only country in the world to receive Catholicism without European missionary work, is a "land of martyrs.''
The 77-year-old pontiff has become a hot newsmaker with his humble and homespun style over the past year. Pope Francis is the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years, and has distanced himself from formality and authority to get closer to the people.
Pope Francis didn't hesitate to censure greedy capitalists, grappled with the thorny issues of sex scandals involving priests and overhauled the Vatican's coffers amid allegations of waste, corruption and money-laundering. He also made big waves last July by asking, "If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with goodwill, who am I to judge?''
We take special note of the papal trip, given that it will promote peace on the divided Korean Peninsula and bring hope to the poor and alienated. Speculation has it that the pope will appeal to North Korea for peace and reunification during a mass, and we sincerely hope that his remarks will help bring inter-Korean reconciliation and peace.
There will be no distinction between Catholics and non-believers in welcoming the pontiff. Hopefully, the papal visit will serve as an occasion for our society to be free from distrust and enmity.
![[ANALYSIS] Tesla, BYD's price cuts unnerve LGES, Samsung, SK](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/b1cf8ba68d474cb69352bfe7ea9d14f0.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] How ATEEZ achieved worldwide success](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/c7723b56dde94eb4b260950d368fe8fb.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
