Even though Pope Francis capped his
five-day visit to South Korea with prayers for peace and reconciliation on the
divided peninsula, North Korea launched rockets on Thursday as a reminder of
one of the world's intractable diplomatic situations.
At Monday's Mass in Seoul's Myeongdong
Cathedral, the Pope called for the two Koreas to work together. The Pope's
remarks follow a speech on Sunday in which he expressed hope that the Vatican
could establish ties with Asian countries with whom it has no relations such as
China and North Korea.
However, experts on North Korea say the
chance of Pyongyangs acceptance are slim, since North Korea authorities regard
Christianity as a direct threat to its leadership and its de-facto ban on any
organized religious activity independent of the state.
A United Nation commission of inquiry
report on North Korea, based on testimonies from defectors, said there is an
almost complete denial of the right to the freedom of thought, conscience and
religion there. North Korea has rejected report.
Pyongyangs policy on religion goes back to
the division of the Korean peninsula when many clerics were arrested by the
government. Francis Hong Yong-ho, the sixth Bishop of Pyongyang and the last to
serve there, disappeared in 1949.
Today, there are no known Catholic priests
or Vatican-recognized churches in North Korea, according to Father Gerard
Hammond. South Korea's Unification Ministry declined to comment on the number
or status of Catholics in North Korea.
The U.N says practicing Christianity
outside state-controlled churches is subject to severe punishment.
SOURCE: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL