President Park meets Pope Francis
President Park meets Pope Francis
  • Korea IT Times (info@koreaittimes.com)
  • 승인 2014.10.21 19:16
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President Park Geun-hye met with Pope Francis in Vatican City on October 17, the last day of her visit to Italy after attending the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Milan.

The meeting came in return for the pope’s visit to Korea last August, the first papal trip to the Asian country in a quarter of a century.

President Park Geun-hye (left) meets Pope Francis in Vatican City on October 17.

During the talks, Park said that she hoped someday to receive the pope in a unified Korean Peninsula. The pontiff replied, “Let us pray for a peaceful reunification of the divided Korean Peninsula and for peace across Northeast Asia.”

The Korean leader listened to opinions from the pope on the World Bishops’ Conference, being held at the Vatican, that focused on international issues, such as the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa and global poverty, and on the importance of family. She also expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the pope’s dedication to peace and to the reconciliation of the world.

In response, Pope Francis said, “Protecting the creatures God created is man’s duty. God always forgives us. We humans do forgive, but only sometimes. Nature never forgives. If we are not to waste food, every mouth can be fed,” he continued, emphasizing the importance of self-restraint.

Pope Francis (center) welcomes President Park Geun-hye (right) as she visits Vatican City on October 17.
President Park Geun-hye (right) holds talks with Pope Francis at the Vatican on October 17.

“President Park herself visited Vatican City, home to the world’s Catholics, a meeting that came just two months after the pope’s visit to Korea. It’s quite an unprecedented thing to meet the leader of the world’s Roman Catholic Church once again,” said a Cheong Wa Dae official.

“This meeting is an occasion to reconfirm the pope’s special interest in the Korean Peninsula and the Korean people, as well.”


By Wi Tack-whan, Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writers
whan23@korea.kr


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