35,000 people mourn unification church founder at funeral
An estimated 35,000 mourners attended an emotion-filled funeral for Unification Church leader and founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon in the church's main compound in Gapyeong, east of Seoul, on Saturday, according to the church.
Moon's family and followers wept as the casket was carried into the CheongShim Peace World Center, a church-owned sports and cultural center, for the funeral service.
Moon will be buried on Mount Cheonseong, overlooking the church's estate which has its own general hospital, museum and schools in Gapyeong.
The self-claimed "messiah" died on Sept. 3 at the age of 92 due to complications from pneumonia.
Among the mourners at the service were Lord Tarsem King, a member of the United Kingdom's House of Lords from the Labour Party, and former Albanian President Alfred Moisiu.
During the service, Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, the seventh son and religious heir of the late founder, said the "indomitable spirit of the 'true father' is essential to overcoming all suppression and hatred remaining in the world."
He vowed to make full efforts to build a heavenly and id
Sep 15, 2012