Pope Meets Korean Priests, Greets Them in Korean With "Good Morning"… Expresses Anticipation for WYD

Pope Leo XIV met with Korean priests and expressed his anticipation for the upcoming World Youth Day (WYD) while praying for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV granted an audience to Korean priests and nuns residing in Rome at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on the 5th (local time).

The event was attended by some 160 people, including Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.

"Although Korea was once a land of mission, it has now become a home of missionaries," the Pope said, adding, "At its root lies the memory of the faith and sacrifice of Korean martyrs."

He also emphasized, "Through their history, the Korean people have shown remarkable spiritual resilience. Enduring persecution, war, poverty, and division, they have known how to rise again and look toward the future."

He went on to urge, "I hope that you will be witnesses of hope to the young people participating in the Seoul World Youth Day next year, and artisans of peace in a divided Korean Peninsula."

Mentioning Father Thomas Choe Yang-up, the second Catholic priest of Korea and known as the "Martyr of Sweat," the Pope honored his sacrifice, saying, "For 11 years, he visited Christian communities across Korea to deliver the word of God and the sacraments, and ultimately devoted his life to service."

Notably, the Pope greeted those gathered by saying "Good Morning" in Korean during the audience.

The Pope is evaluated to have deepened his understanding of Korea by visiting the country five times starting in 2002 when he served as the Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine.

WYD established itself as an event where the Pope visits various countries around the world to meet with young people, commemorating Pope John Paul II's establishment of "World Youth Day" in 1985.

Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit South Korea for the first time since taking office for the event scheduled to be held in Seoul next summer.
(Photo: Capture from Vatican Media, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.