10 years ago, Francis made his first trip to Asia as pope.
He traveled to South Korea from August 13-18 to celebrate the 6th Asian Youth Day and meet with young people, where he challenged them to create a better world.
POPE FRANCIS
August 15, 2014
Together with young people everywhere, you want to help build a world where we all live together in peace and friendship, overcoming barriers, healing divisions, rejecting violence and prejudice.
And during the beatification Mass for 124 Korean martyrs in Seoul, Pope Francis reflected on how their witness continues to bear fruit in the Korean church and around the world.
POPE FRANCIS
August 16, 2014
The legacy of the martyrs can inspire all men and women of good will to work in harmony for a more just, free and reconciled society, thus contributing to peace and the protection of authentically human values in this country and in our world.
The Catholic Church in South Korea has grown exponentially in the last 60 years: increasing from half a million in the 1960s to nearly 6 million today.
Following the trip, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea expressed the impact of the papal visit in a statement, saying:
Even though Pope Francis stayed in Korea only a few days, he inspired us fully with the consolation, compassion, and hope that many of us earnestly needed.
Francis' visit was the first time in 25 years that a pope had traveled to South Korea. The last papal visit was John Paul II in 1989 when he participated in a Eucharistic congress.
But this 2014 visit will not be the last papal trip to the country as the next World Youth Day will be held in Seoul in 2027.
KG
