This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am local time and was held in the Paul VI Hall. There, His Holiness, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy as well as other corners of the world.
During his discourse, the Pope spoke of his recent Apostolic voyage to the Republic of Korea on the occasion of the 6th Asian Youth Day.
As is the custom, synopses of the catechesis were presented in various languages and the Holy Father spoke particular greetings to each group of the faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded as it always does: with the recitation of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In recent days I completed an apostolic journey to Korea and today, together with you, I thank the Lord for this great gift. I was able to visit a young and dynamic Church, founded on the witness of the martyrs and animated by a missionary spirit in a country where ancient asiatic cultures meet the perennial newness of the gospel.
I wish once again to express my gratitude to my dear brother bishops in Korea, to Madam President of the Republic, to the other Authorities and to all those who assisted in any way with my visit.
The significance of this apostolic voyage can be condensed into three words: memory, hope and witness.
The Republic of Korea is a country which has had a noteworthy and rapid economic development. Its inhabitants are hard workers. They are disciplined, ordered and strive to maintain the strength inherited from their ancestors.
In such circumstances, the Church is entrusted with memory and with hope: she is a spiritual family in which adults pass on to the youth the torch of faith that they in turn have received from the elderly; the memory of the witness of the past becomes a new witness for the present and a hope for the future. From this perspective we can better understand the two principal events of this voyage: the beatification of 124 Korean martyrs, who are now added to those who had been canonized thirty years ago by Saint John Paul II; and the encounter with the youth on the occasion of the 6th Asian Youth Day.
Young people are always looking for something that makes life worth living, and the martyrs bear witness to something, indeed, to Someone for whom it is worthwhile even to give your life. This reality is the love of God, which took on flesh in Jesus, the Witness of the Father. During the two moments of the trip which were dedicated to the youth, the Spirit of the Risen Lord filled us with joy and with hope which the youth will carry with them to their various countries and these gifts will do them much good!
The Church in Korea also preserves the memory of the primary role that the laity have played since the dawn of faith in the work of evangelization. In fact, in that land, the Christian community was not founded by missionaries, but by a group of young Koreans during the second half of the eighteenth century (1700s), who were fascinated by some Christian texts, studied them and chose to follow them as a rule of life. One of them was sent to Peking in order to be baptized and then this lay person in turn baptized his companions. From this first nucleus, a great community developed; from its very beginning and for a century afterward, this community endured violent persecution, including thousands of martyrs. Therefore, the Church in Korea is founded on faith, on the missionary spirit and on the martyrdom of the lay faithful.
The first Korean Christians took as their model the community of apostles in Jerusalem, practicing fraternal love which transcends all social differences. In the same way, I have encouraged Christians today to be generous in sharing with the poorest and those who are excluded, according to the prescripts of chapter 25 of the gospel of Matthew: As you have done this even to the least of my brothers, you have done it to me (Mt 25:40).
Dear brothers and sisters, in the history of faith in Korea, we see how Christ never negates a culture, never overrides the journey of a people who throughout the centuries and the millennia seek the truth and practice love for God and for their neighbours. Christ does not abolish anything that is good, but he helps it to grow, helps it to flourish.
However, Christ fights against and defeats the evil one, who sows the weeds of discord between one person and another, between one people and another; leading to exclusion because of idolatry and the worship of money and sows the poison of emptiness in the hearts of the young. Yes, Jesus Christ has fought this fight and has won the battle through his sacrifice of love. If we remain in him, in his love, we too, like the martyrs, can life and bear witness to his victory. With this faith, we prayed, and now we pray that all the sons and daughters of the Korean land, who suffer the consequences of war and division, might discover the way that leads to fraternity and reconciliation.
This voyage was illuminated by the Feast of Mary, Assumed into Heaven. From her place on high, where she reigns with Christ, the Mother of the Church accompanies the people of God on their journey, she sustains us when we are fatigued, comforts those who face trials and opens the way to hope. Through her maternal intercession, may the Lord always bless the Korean people, give them peace and prosperity, and bless the Church that lives in that land, so that it may always be rich and full of the joy of the gospel.
This catechesis was then summarized and spoken in various languages. The Holy Father in turn offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful who were present at the General Audience. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to the young altar servers from Malta, and I thank them for their faithful service in Saint Peter’s Basilica this past month. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, including those from the United Kingdom and Japan, I invoke the joy and peace of the Lord Jesus. God bless you!
During his discourse, the Pope spoke of his recent Apostolic voyage to the Republic of Korea on the occasion of the 6th Asian Youth Day.
As is the custom, synopses of the catechesis were presented in various languages and the Holy Father spoke particular greetings to each group of the faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded as it always does: with the recitation of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In recent days I completed an apostolic journey to Korea and today, together with you, I thank the Lord for this great gift. I was able to visit a young and dynamic Church, founded on the witness of the martyrs and animated by a missionary spirit in a country where ancient asiatic cultures meet the perennial newness of the gospel.
I wish once again to express my gratitude to my dear brother bishops in Korea, to Madam President of the Republic, to the other Authorities and to all those who assisted in any way with my visit.
The significance of this apostolic voyage can be condensed into three words: memory, hope and witness.
The Republic of Korea is a country which has had a noteworthy and rapid economic development. Its inhabitants are hard workers. They are disciplined, ordered and strive to maintain the strength inherited from their ancestors.
In such circumstances, the Church is entrusted with memory and with hope: she is a spiritual family in which adults pass on to the youth the torch of faith that they in turn have received from the elderly; the memory of the witness of the past becomes a new witness for the present and a hope for the future. From this perspective we can better understand the two principal events of this voyage: the beatification of 124 Korean martyrs, who are now added to those who had been canonized thirty years ago by Saint John Paul II; and the encounter with the youth on the occasion of the 6th Asian Youth Day.
Young people are always looking for something that makes life worth living, and the martyrs bear witness to something, indeed, to Someone for whom it is worthwhile even to give your life. This reality is the love of God, which took on flesh in Jesus, the Witness of the Father. During the two moments of the trip which were dedicated to the youth, the Spirit of the Risen Lord filled us with joy and with hope which the youth will carry with them to their various countries and these gifts will do them much good!
The Church in Korea also preserves the memory of the primary role that the laity have played since the dawn of faith in the work of evangelization. In fact, in that land, the Christian community was not founded by missionaries, but by a group of young Koreans during the second half of the eighteenth century (1700s), who were fascinated by some Christian texts, studied them and chose to follow them as a rule of life. One of them was sent to Peking in order to be baptized and then this lay person in turn baptized his companions. From this first nucleus, a great community developed; from its very beginning and for a century afterward, this community endured violent persecution, including thousands of martyrs. Therefore, the Church in Korea is founded on faith, on the missionary spirit and on the martyrdom of the lay faithful.
The first Korean Christians took as their model the community of apostles in Jerusalem, practicing fraternal love which transcends all social differences. In the same way, I have encouraged Christians today to be generous in sharing with the poorest and those who are excluded, according to the prescripts of chapter 25 of the gospel of Matthew: As you have done this even to the least of my brothers, you have done it to me (Mt 25:40).
Dear brothers and sisters, in the history of faith in Korea, we see how Christ never negates a culture, never overrides the journey of a people who throughout the centuries and the millennia seek the truth and practice love for God and for their neighbours. Christ does not abolish anything that is good, but he helps it to grow, helps it to flourish.
However, Christ fights against and defeats the evil one, who sows the weeds of discord between one person and another, between one people and another; leading to exclusion because of idolatry and the worship of money and sows the poison of emptiness in the hearts of the young. Yes, Jesus Christ has fought this fight and has won the battle through his sacrifice of love. If we remain in him, in his love, we too, like the martyrs, can life and bear witness to his victory. With this faith, we prayed, and now we pray that all the sons and daughters of the Korean land, who suffer the consequences of war and division, might discover the way that leads to fraternity and reconciliation.
This voyage was illuminated by the Feast of Mary, Assumed into Heaven. From her place on high, where she reigns with Christ, the Mother of the Church accompanies the people of God on their journey, she sustains us when we are fatigued, comforts those who face trials and opens the way to hope. Through her maternal intercession, may the Lord always bless the Korean people, give them peace and prosperity, and bless the Church that lives in that land, so that it may always be rich and full of the joy of the gospel.
This catechesis was then summarized and spoken in various languages. The Holy Father in turn offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful who were present at the General Audience. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to the young altar servers from Malta, and I thank them for their faithful service in Saint Peter’s Basilica this past month. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, including those from the United Kingdom and Japan, I invoke the joy and peace of the Lord Jesus. God bless you!
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