 |
|
Pope Francis gives his Easter sermon from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Apr. 1. (AFP/Yonhap News)
|
The pontiff called for wisdom and dialogue to resolve North Korean nuclear issue
During his Easter sermon on Apr. 1, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the North Korean nuclear talks would bear fruit and that the Korean Peninsula would be visited by peace and reconciliation. During a message delivered from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, the Pope listed scenes of conflict and pain in various parts of the world and said that Jesus’ resurrection shows the fruits of hope and dignity to a world that is racked with injustice and violence and that suffers from such problems as deprivation, exclusion, hunger, unemployment, refugees and slavery. The Pope also called on all political and military leaders to immediately halt the slaughter that continues today. “We implore fruits of dialogue for the Korean Peninsula, that the discussions underway may advance harmony and peace within the region,” the Pope said. Leading up to the inter-Korean and the North Korea-US summit, the Pope also called upon officials in South and North Korea, as well as Korea’s neighbors, to make an active effort to resolve the conflict. “May those who are directly responsible act with wisdom and discernment to promote the good of the Korean people and to build relationships of trust with the international community,” he said. The Pope also brought up the Palestinian conflict, noting that even defenseless people had been victims in a recent clash and calling for reconciliation in the Holy Land. While Francis did not explicitly hold Israel responsible, he was implicitly condemning an attack by Israeli troops on Mar. 30 that led to the death of 16 Palestinians. “We beseech fruits of reconciliation for the Holy Land, also experiencing in these days the wounds of ongoing conflict that do not spare the defenseless…so that dialogue and mutual respect may prevail over division and violence,” he stated. More than 80,000 people attended the Easter mass held at St. Peter’s Square. On Easter, the square was decorated by 50,000 daffodils, tulips and roses from the Netherlands. By Lee Bon-young, staff reporter Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
