S. Korean delegation meets with Pope Francis, asks for support

VATICAN CITY, May 24 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean delegation representing Seoul's new administration on Wednesday met with Pope Francis in Vatican City and asked for support in achieving Korean peace.

The delegation led by Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong, special envoy for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, delivered Moon's personal letter to the pope at the Vatican and asked for his blessing on the new president to fulfill his duties.

The archbishop also asked the pope to "pray for the improvement of the strained inter-Korean relations."

In the letter, Moon reportedly thanked the pope for his efforts in supporting and comforting the poor during his visit to South Korea in August 2014. The president also reportedly asked for the pope's prayers for and support of the new government's efforts to establish inter-Korean peace.

Pope Francis reportedly promised to maintain great interest in events on the Korean peninsula. Archbishop Kim also said he conveyed Moon's wish to visit the Vatican and said that the pope responded by saying he is "always welcome."

"The Vatican in the past has played a behind-the-scenes role in the normalization of U.S.-Cuba diplomatic ties and the Columbian peace agreement," the archbishop also said, suggesting that the pope and the Vatican could contribute substantively to resolving inter-Korean conflict and establishing peace.

Late last month, Pope Francis warned that "a good part of humanity" will be destroyed if tensions with North Korea escalate, and called for diplomacy and a revived United Nations to take the lead in negotiating a resolution.

Pope Francis' visit to South Korea in 2014 left a lasting impression on the Korean people as it was packed with meetings with the country's marginalized -- grieving families who lost their loved ones in the Sewol disaster, disabled people living in a rehabilitation center, North Korean defectors settled in the country and migrant workers mostly from Southeast Asian countries.

The South Korean delegation is scheduled to meet again with the pope on Friday local time before heading back to Seoul.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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