Pope Francis warned of the “cancer” of despair that afflicts outwardly affluent societies and called on South Korean Catholics to reject “inhuman economic models” at a Mass for 45,000 people yesterday on the first papal trip to Asia in 15 years.
In an apparent reference to South Korea’s high suicide rate, he also warned of the “culture of death” that can pervade rapidly developing countries where the poor are marginalized.
It was the pope’s first public event following his arrival in Seoul on Thursday, which North Korea marked by firing a series of short-range rockets into the sea.
Photo: Reuters
A capacity crowd filled the World Cup stadium in Daejeon, about 160km south of Seoul, hours before the pope arrived for the Mass.
Among them were 38 survivors and relatives of victims of April’s Sewol ferry tragedy in which 300 people died, most of them schoolchildren.
During the Mass, Pope Francis offered a special prayer for the victims and their families, and urged Koreans “united in grief” to work together for the common good.
Before the Mass, he held a brief private audience with some of the relatives, and agreed to baptize the father of one of the student victims at the Vatican embassy in Seoul.
In his homily, Francis called on South Korean Christians to combat “the spirit of unbridled competition which generates selfishness and strife” and to “reject inhuman economic models which create new forms of poverty.”
He also spoke of the “cancer” of despair that can permeate societies where surface affluence hides deep inner sadness.
“Upon how many of our young has this despair taken its toll?” he said.
It was a message designed to resonate not just with South Koreans, but other emerging Asian nations where decades of rapid economic growth have thrown up stark social challenges.
Trees lining the streets leading to the stadium were tied with the yellow ribbons that have become the memorial symbol for those who died on the Sewol ferry.
“I’m a Protestant but I believe the papal visit will help heal the wounds from the Sewol disaster,” said one of the victims’ relatives, Kim Hyeong-ki.
Thousands without tickets for the Mass cheered and waved flags as the pope rode to the venue in an open-topped car, stopping from time to time to give a personal blessing to young children and infants held up by their parents.
As the pope entered the stadium, the capacity crowd rose, waving white handkerchiefs and shouting “Viva Papa” and “Mansei” (“Long live” in Korean).
The Mass was conducted on a raised, canopied stage with giant screens on either side for those high up in the stands, which were decorated with banners in Korean reading: “We Will Always Follow You” and “We Love You.”
In the last national census to include religious affiliation, conducted in 2005, close to 30 percent of South Koreans identified themselves as Christian, compared with 23 percent who cited the once-dominant Buddhism.
“I only hope the pope’s message of peace and reconciliation will spread to our brothers and Catholic followers in North Korea,” 46-year-old Daejeon businesswoman Helena Sam said.
The North pays lip-service to the freedom of worship, but maintains the tightest controls over religious activity and treats unsanctioned acts of devotion as criminal.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was