Young people from all over the world in a 300-km peace march along intra-Korean border
About a hundred young people took part in the third edition of the World Youth Pilgrimage for Peace organised by the Archdiocese of Seoul. “In our youth, we want to be peace makers and agents of peace, not only in the future, but now as well, in every corner of the Earth," they said. Card Yeom and Nuncio Mgr Xuareb celebrated Mass during the pilgrimage. Unification Minister said that if the wind of peace is blowing on the peninsula it is thanks to prayers by Catholics.
Seoul (AsiaNews) – About a hundred young people from around the world took part in the 300-km Wind of Peace pilgrimage between 16 and 22 August along the Demilitarised Zone between the two Koreas as part of the World Youth Pilgrimage for Peace.
The event ended with a Mass concelebrated by Father Achilleo Chung, organiser, and four young priests from Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, in the chapel of Coste Hall, in Myongdong Cathedral, Archdiocese of Seoul.
The young pilgrims came from 16 countries and all continents, as well as the two Koreas. The march, right along the border, convinced them to commit themselves to peace, a desire that they expressed in a letter to Pope Francis in which they say: "In our youth, we want to be peace makers and agents of peace, not only in the future, but now as well, in every corner of the Earth".
For them, be they "Koreans and non-Koreans, Asians, Africans, Europeans and Latin Americans, Christians and non-Christians," peace is not an abstract concept. "We incarnated it when we were together, noting that there is always something to learn from each other and that we are happier when we become a gift at the service of others."
This is the third edition of the pilgrimage, which was started in 2016 by the Archdiocese of Seoul. The pope's homily in the final Mass of his apostolic trip to Korea, 18 August 2014, inspired the initiative.
During the pilgrimage, Card Andrew Yeom, archbishop of Seoul and administrator of Pyongyang, Apostolic Nuncio Mgr Alfred Xuereb and Mgr Peter Chung Soon-Taick, auxiliary bishop of Seoul, concelebrated the Mass.
South Korea’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung Gyon also attended the ceremony.
Mgr Xuereb urged those present not to be discouraged by the obstacles that will be in the path to peace, but to go forward with faith in the Lord.
Card Yeom again emphasised the importance of dialogue, prayer and humanitarian aid to help the people of North Korea and promote peace on the Korean peninsula.
For Minister Cho, the wind of peace blowing on the Korean peninsula is due to the prayers of the Catholic Church.
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