Pope Francis’s visit creating some tension between Catholics and Blue House

Some object to President Park’s presence at events, arguing she undermines the pope’s message of humility

By Cho Yeon-hyun, religion correspondent

With Pope Francis starting his five-day visit to Korea on Aug. 14, tension is being felt between certain Catholic figures and the Blue House about the pope’s itinerary. The pope’s scheduled visit toKkottongnae, a controversial facility for the disabled in South Chungcheong Province, had already triggered controversy, and now some members of the church are concerned about the possibility that President Park Geun-hye will attend more events on the pope’s itinerary. Allowing the president to attend would defeat the purpose of these events, these figures argue.

Pope Francis has a busy itinerary in Korea, with several masses, stops at holy sites, and meetings with the disabled and members of monastic orders. A special effort was made to ensure that the pope had a chance to meet with vulnerable members of society, including the families of victims of the Sewol tragedy, former comfort women, and dismissed Ssangyong Motor workers, sources say.

Along with the private mass held at noon immediately after arrival at the Vatican embassy, the pope’s accommodations during his visit, he will be holding four masses during his time in Korea. All of these masses are open to the public and were planned in consideration of vulnerable people.

On the morning of Aug. 15, the mass for the assumption of the Virgin Mary will take place at Daejeon World Cup Stadium. After the mass, two fathers of victims of the Sewol tragedy who are now in Daejeon after carrying a cross all the way to Paengmok Port at Jindo, are planning to present the cross to the pope.

When the beatification mass takes place at Gwanghwamun Square on Aug. 16, 600 family members of the Sewol victims are expected to be inside the safety barrier along with around 170,000 Catholic believers who are coming from dioceses around the country. On the afternoon of Aug. 17, the pope will attend the closing ceremony for Asian Youth Day at Haemieupseong Fortress in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province.

On Aug. 18, the pope’s final day in Korea, he will offer a mass for peace and reconciliation at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul. Representatives from three groups are being invited to this event: the former comfort women, dismissed Ssangyong Motor workers, people affected by the 2009 Yongsan Tragedy and Gangjeong Village in Jeju Island, and the residents of Miryang displaced by the construction of electricity transmission towers.

After personally receiving the pope at Seoul Air Base on the morning of Aug. 14, President Park also held an official welcoming ceremony for him at the Blue House. But when the Blue House announced that it was in the final stages of arranging for Park to attend another event with the pope, some Catholic figures expressed their concern that this could detract from events that were planned for the benefit of vulnerable members of society.

“Since President Park took office, there have been too many people who have been hurt by the abuse of public power. Because these people earnestly wanted to meet the pope, the preparatory committee put a significant amount of effort into inviting vulnerable members of society to these events. Many people are concerned that it would defeat the purpose of these events if the Blue House suddenly starts asking for the president to attend,” said one Catholic priest on condition of anonymity.

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