Koreans mourn Pope Francis, look back on his Korea legacy

People recall leader who stood by the marginalized, hoped for peace on Korean Peninsula

People in line to pay respects to the late Pope Francis at a memorial at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul on Tuesday (Yonhap)

Acting President Han Duck-soo paid respects to Pope Francis on Tuesday, joining a faithful throng mourning the late pontiff at a memorial at Myeongdong Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Seoul.

“Francis left a legacy of deep spiritual teaching and faith for the world’s Catholics and the Church,” Han said. “I express my deepest gratitude (to him) for showing love for the poor and marginalized.”

The sentiment was widely echoed throughout the day.

“I feel at a complete loss, not as a Catholic but as a human being searching for the kind of decency the pope always showed,” said Jang Gil-ja, a lifelong Catholic who paid tribute to Francis at Myeongdong Cathedral altar that opened to the public at 3 p.m. Catholic leaders paid homage in the morning, led by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung and Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick.

The 88-year-old pontiff had been an icon in Korea, even to non-believers, said Hyun Myung-sook, an atheist.

The allure lies in the man himself, Hyun added, referring to the pope who was known for advocating for justice for the marginalized.

Comforting the bereaved

One of the striking memories many Koreans have of the pope dates to his August 2014 visit to Korea, the first since Pope Saint John Paul II’s second visit to Korea in 1989.

On Aug. 14, the first day of his five-day trip, Francis met with and consoled bereaved family members of the Sewol ferry disaster that occurred in April that year. He went on to meet with grieving loved ones of Sewol victims on multiple occasions throughout his visit.

The exchanges took place upon landing at Seoul Air Base, the following day at the Mass of the Assumption of Mary celebrated at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, and on the third day during a car parade at Gwanghwamun Square.

Francis was in Korea to beatify 124 Korean Catholic martyrs in Seoul, including Paul Yun Ji-chung, and to officiate a Mass at the Sixth Asian Youth Day.

Koreans were also moved by the pope’s words eight years later in 2022. He said a prayer for the victims of the Itaewon crowd crush in October that year, which killed 159 mostly young adults out to enjoy Halloween festivities.

“Young people tragically lost their lives. Let us pray for them,” Francis said during Mass at St. Peter’s Square.

Reconciliation of Koreas

Francis was just as invested in his message of peace as he was in advancing solidarity. Reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula, where the two Koreas technically remain at war, was a topic in which Francis took a deep interest. Though an armistice ended the fighting of the 1950-53 Korean War, no peace treaty has been signed since.

“When they invite me — that is to say, please invite me — I won’t say no,” Francis said of the possibility of visiting North Korea to help broker peace in a 2022 interview with local broadcaster KBS. Then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in had floated the idea each time he visited the Vatican in 2018 and 2021.

Entreaties for a papal visit to North Korea, which never came to fruition, were made by a number of South Korean presidents. A devout Catholic, former President Kim Dae-jung sought the same intervention from Pope John Paul II when he visited the Vatican in March 2003, the first for a sitting Korean president.

The ripple effect of the pope’s visit would translate to “influence and blessing unimaginable now,” Kim said at the time, crediting the pontiff with potential breakthroughs in not just inter-Korean rapprochement, but international peace.

John Paul, however, was more hesitant than Francis. “I don’t yet have such plans. But if that happened, that would be a miracle,” John Paul said.

Korean Catholics’ sorrow over Francis’ death deepened over a much-awaited attendance by the pope at World Youth Day in 2027, a global event Seoul will host.

Korea is the second Asian country to host the event after the Philippines in 1995, a selection some Catholics say is evidence of Korea’s growing foothold within the Roman Catholic Church.

“It’s a shame that we don’t get to see the pope in person,” said Hwang Jeong-cheol, who plans on taking part in the event, which is expected to be draw some 800,000 Catholics around the world.

Currently, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea is preparing to send a three-member delegation to the pope’s funeral, taking place at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Vatican.

Former Seoul Archbishop Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung will lead the team, joined by CBCK president Bishop Mathias Lee Yong-hoon and Lim Min-kyun, the organization’s public relations director.