Pope asks Korean Catholics to carry on witness of martyrs ahead of WYD
December 16, 2023 at 8:00 a.m.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In preparation for World Youth Day 2027, South Korea's young Catholics must maintain the Christian witness of their country's martyrs who laid the foundation for the Catholic Church's "vibrant" community in the country, Pope Francis said.
Korea's martyrs "sowed the seeds for what has become a blossoming and vibrant church" in South Korea, the pope wrote in a telegram to Bishop Matthias Ri Iong-Hoon of Suwon, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, to mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and the Holy See. The Vatican released the text Dec. 11.
Some 10,000 Christians were martyred in Korea before Christianity was tolerated by the Joseon Dynasty in the late 19th century. St. John Paul II canonized 103 Korean martyrs in Seoul in 1984, and Pope Francis beatified another group of 124 martyrs there in 2014.
"The youth of today are the heirs of this great testimony of faith, and I pray that they will carry on this precious witness to Christ as they prepare for the World Youth Day 2027," the pope wrote.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, celebrated a Mass to mark the anniversary of diplomatic relations at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome Dec. 11. Korean Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy, was among the concelebrants.
In the telegram, Pope Francis expressed his hope that relations between South Korea and the Holy See would allow for collaboration on "matters of common concern, especially peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula."
The pope expressed his gratitude for the growth of the local church and for its contributions to Korean society, which he said "will continue to bear cultural and spiritual fruits, especially for those marginalized, impoverished and without hope."
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In preparation for World Youth Day 2027, South Korea's young Catholics must maintain the Christian witness of their country's martyrs who laid the foundation for the Catholic Church's "vibrant" community in the country, Pope Francis said.
Korea's martyrs "sowed the seeds for what has become a blossoming and vibrant church" in South Korea, the pope wrote in a telegram to Bishop Matthias Ri Iong-Hoon of Suwon, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, to mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and the Holy See. The Vatican released the text Dec. 11.
Some 10,000 Christians were martyred in Korea before Christianity was tolerated by the Joseon Dynasty in the late 19th century. St. John Paul II canonized 103 Korean martyrs in Seoul in 1984, and Pope Francis beatified another group of 124 martyrs there in 2014.
"The youth of today are the heirs of this great testimony of faith, and I pray that they will carry on this precious witness to Christ as they prepare for the World Youth Day 2027," the pope wrote.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, celebrated a Mass to mark the anniversary of diplomatic relations at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome Dec. 11. Korean Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy, was among the concelebrants.
In the telegram, Pope Francis expressed his hope that relations between South Korea and the Holy See would allow for collaboration on "matters of common concern, especially peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula."
The pope expressed his gratitude for the growth of the local church and for its contributions to Korean society, which he said "will continue to bear cultural and spiritual fruits, especially for those marginalized, impoverished and without hope."