This year, the Vatican and South Korea are celebrating the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. To mark the occasion, the Korean Embassy organized a Mass in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, celebrated by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The cardinal emphasized the close bond between the two countries, which began in 1963. He also touched on South Korea's history and the prosperity it had after a war that ended with the establishment of the Republic in 1948.
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Vatican Secretary of State
The country was slowly able to gain stability, economic prosperity and international authority. At the same time, the Church has offered its availability to accompany them on this path of national rebirth with generosity and expertise; strong in the broad freedom she has enjoyed since the proclamation of the Republic of Korea—a freedom for which the Holy See is grateful.
But Cardinal Parolin did not only focus on South Korea. He also spoke about the northern part of the peninsula and again reiterated the Holy See's call for reconciliation between the two nations.
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Vatican Secretary of State
In particular, I am thinking of the people in the northern part of the peninsula. It is important for me to reiterate once again that the Holy See shares wholeheartedly the aspiration of the Korean people for reconciliation and unity, supporting every effort for an ever-increasing recognition of the reality that all Koreans are brothers and sisters and members of one family.
Asia is one of the continents where Christianity has grown most rapidly in recent decades. In South Korea, there are almost 50% more Catholics than in 1999. The country will also host World Youth Day in 2027—one of the Church's most important events.
CA
TR: KG
