Pope
on Korea trip: memory, hope, witness
(Vatican Radio) Memory, hope, witness: these are the three key
terms in which Pope Francis placed his recent visit to Korea, when he reflected
on the trip with pilgrims and tourists gathered in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican
on Wednesday for the weekly General Audience. After renewing his sentiments of
gratitude and esteem for the bishops of Korea and for the civil authorities who
hosted him, the Holy Father began to focus on the Church he discovered during
his voyage.
“The
Republic of Korea,” said Pope Francis, “is a country that has had a remarkable
and rapid economic development,” which he attributed in large part to the
industry and discipline of the Korean people. “In this situation,” he
continued, “the Church is the custodian of memory and hope: a spiritual family
in which adults pass the torch of faith that they themselves have received from
the elderly on to the young people,” of the new generation, so that, “the
memory of the witnesses of the past becomes new testimony in the present and
hope for the future.”
The
Holy Father went on to say that the beatification of 124 Korean martyrs and the
celebration of the sixth Asian Youth Day were concrete signs of this dynamic at
work in Korea and all throughout Asia. “Dear brothers,” he said, “in the
history of the faith in Korea we see that Christ does not erase cultures, does
not suppress the pilgrimage of peoples, who, through the centuries and
millennia, seek truth and practice love for God and neighbor. Christ does not abolish
what is good, but brings it to fulfillment.”
The
Pope also addressed the particular role of lay people in bringing the Gospel to
Korean shores and fostering the growth of the Church in the country. “The
Church took root in Korea and grew largely because of lay people, who saw the
attractiveness of the Gospel and sought to live like the first Christians, in
equal dignity and solidarity with the poor,” said Pope Francis in the
English-language remarks read following his principal Italian-language address.
The
Holy Father concluded with a prayer: that the Korean people might continue to
grow in faith and love, overcome every division and look forward to a future of
reconciliation and hope.
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