Late Cardinal Lauded as Conscience of Korea

Citizens queue up to pay their respects to Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, Tuesday, whose body is lying in state in Myeongdong Cathedral, central Seoul. / Korea Times Photo by Cho Young-ho

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

From mothers with their children to politicians, hundreds of thousands of citizens formed an endless line outside Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral in central Seoul Tuesday to give homage to the late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan who passed away Monday.

President Lee Myung-bak and former President Kim Dae-jung were also among the group of visitors to the landmark cathedral to pay their respects to the country's first Roman Catholic cardinal who fought for the country's democratization.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also offered his condolences. ``Kim was the spiritual leader of Korean Catholics and also made invaluable contributions to the development of South Korean politics and society as the conscience of the age,'' Ban said.

Former President Kim said, ``He was never afraid of putting his beliefs into action during the country's dictatorial rule in the 1970s and 1980s. I was lucky to have received so much guidance and love from him.'' Kim, a former opposition leader and pro-democracy fighter who was imprisoned several times under authoritarian military dictatorships remembered the late cardinal as a man ``who had devoted his life to furthering democracy in Korea and help the people in poverty and suffering.''

Cardinal Kim's body is lying in state in a glass casket in the main hall of the cathedral.

Ordinary citizens who wanted to pay a last visit to the late cardinal filled all 1,200 seats of the main hall and queued along the road outside the cathedral. Park Suk-hee stood at the end of the line, but she said she had expected the long queue.

Volunteers showed the way and helped those waiting to pay their respects, braving the freezing weather. Kim Ok-sun said, ``I have been guiding people since seven in the morning. The volunteers will take turns during the five-day mourning period.'' ``I also helped when Pope John Paul II passed away in 2005. This time, the memorial service is much more organized.''

Kwon Ok-hee, a devout Catholic, brought her two children to the cathedral to bid farewell to the late cardinal. ``When we saw the news of his death, our church had its own condolatory mass. Today, I came here to pray for the cardinal with my children,'' she said.

An elderly man who attended an elementary school with Kim paid a visit too. ``It was a long time ago and I don't remember much about his schooldays. But I feel sorry for his death as a Catholic,'' said Shin Sun-man, 86.

Lee Su-jin, a university student, paid his respects and spoke of gratitude about Kim. ``Though I am not a Catholic, I hope he rests in peace,'' Lee said.

A lot of people took pictures of Cardinal Kim's photos displayed in front of the cathedral in his memory.

Representatives from other religions paid their respects to the late cardinal. The Christian Council of Korea, the National Council of Churches in Korea and Venerable Kyongsan, or Jang Eung-chul, leading the Won Buddhist visited Myeongdong Cathedral, as did Superior Monk Jigwan of the Jogye Order of Buddhism.

The memorial hall housing Cardinal Kim's coffin will be open to the public from 6 a.m. to midnight for those who want to pay their respects before his funeral service at 10 a.m., Feb. 20. Kim's body will be laid to rest in the Catholic Priests' Cemetery in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr

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