Han explained that leaders “at every level of society” now feel an “unspoken pressure to make their own the leadership style the Korean people have witnessed in Pope Francis…Therefore, it is safe to say that such ‘Francis syndrome’ will surely serve as a momentum for the Koreans to promote the culture of love, thereby contributing to authentic humanization of the Korean Peninsula in the long term.”
Pope Francis traveled to Seoul, South Korea on August 14-18, where he met with youth participating in the 6th Asian Youth Day, as well as with government officials, local Church leaders and heads of other faith traditions.
Marking the first time a Roman pontiff has visited the Peninsula since John Paul II in 1989, the voyage has had an impact on the entire Asian continent, particularly the youth, who were touched by the Pope’s heart-to-heart way of communicating, and those affected by the Sewol ferry disaster that happened earlier this Spring.
“Pope Francis has, at last, satisfied their quenchless thirst for true leadership. His coherence between words and actions, his simple lifestyle, his humility, the way he embraced the poor, the disabled, the outcasts greatly impressed them.” It is rumored that following the Pope’s visit, many Koreans are now purchasing the compact Kia Soul (the small car he chose for his use in Korea).
What the Korean people saw in the Pope was “a witness to hope,” the former ambassador explained. “The hope that, with the leadership of Pope Francis, the world can be made a better place to live in.” Speaking on the particular impact Pope Francis made on the Asian youth, Han noted that they viewed him as the Good Shepherd who came “not to be served but to serve and to give his life toa redeem many people.”
Drawing attention to how the Asian continent currently is home to over 60% of the world’s population, Han noted that, along with this number, come “flagrant inequalities” both in terms of one’s possessions, as well as in the exercise of political power. “More than half of the 900 million absolute poor in the world who survive on less than $1.25 a day are in Asia,” he stated, observing also how “women experience a very low level of gender equality in the world” and “the deprivation of the right to life of the unborn child is widespread.”
Noting the significance of choosing Korea for his first trip to Asia, the former ambassador explained that Pope Francis’ presence in a country suffering division for 70 years signifies that he came “to Korea and to Asia as pontiff, that is, as a builder of bridges with God and between peoples.” He came “as apostle of true peace, to encourage the Catholics and all the other Asians to dialogue and work together to overcome all the inhuman situations that occur in the continent to build a more equitable society, a more stable peace in the world.”
In this context, Pope Francis’ visit represents “a challenge to Korea as a nation and the Catholic Church therein to assume a greater role in pursuing authentic human development of peoples in Asia, particularly in the Korean Peninsula,” Han observed. “Both Korea and the Catholic Church well deserve to play such a role and (are) ready to embrace such a challenge,” he said. “The Pope’s visit will stimulate the ongoing renewal of the Catholic Church’s determination to take the lead in the evangelization of Asia, including the Korean Peninsula.”
At the same time, he continued, it will serve “as an effective catalyst to Korea’s constant willingness to assume its own responsibility for the humanization of Asia, particularly the Korean Peninsula, by promoting the culture of love, justice and peace.”
