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                         Pope Meets With Asian Bishops

   by VOA News

   Pope Francis has urged bishops from around Asia to listen to people of
   different cultures but still remain true to their own Catholic
   identity.

   In a meeting with 60 bishops Sunday at South Korea's Haemi Martyrdom
   Holy Ground in North Chungcheong Province, Francis urged countries like
   China and North Korea to foster a proper dialogue with the Vatican.
   China cut formal relations with the Vatican after the Communist Party
   came to power in 1949.

   The pope said that the Roman Catholic Church is committed to dialogue
   with everyone in the spirit of openness to others.

   Haemi Martyrdom Holy Ground is the site where more than 1,000 Roman
   Catholics were buried alive between 1866 and 1882 during the Joseon
   Dynasty.

   Later Sunday - the fourth day of his five-day Asian trip - Pope Francis
   is scheduled to conduct a closing Mass for Asian Youth Day at
   Haemieupseong Fortress in South Chungcheong Province.

   Beatifies martyrs

   On Saturday, the pope celebrated a huge open-air Mass in the center of
   Seoul to beatify 124 Korean martyrs who were killed in the 18th and
   19th centuries for refusing to renounce Christianity.

   Beatification is the last step before sainthood in the Roman Catholic
   Church.

   In his homily Saturday before a crowd of hundreds of thousands at
   Seoul's Gwanghwamun Gate, Francis again denounced the growing gap
   between the rich and poor. It was a theme the pope has been repeating
   since his arrival in South Korea on Thursday.

   On Friday, Pope Francis urged nearly 50,000 South Korean youths, to
   renounce the materialism that afflicts much of Asia and reject what he
   called "inhuman" economic systems that disenfranchise the poor.

   Before the Mass, Pope Francis met with families of victims and some
   survivors of the Sewol ferry disaster disaster in April.

   Upon arriving on Thursday, Francis met with South Korean President Park
   Geun-hye and the two leaders gave a joint address.

   Speaking in English -- a rarity for the Spanish-speaking pope --
   Francis said diplomacy is based on dialogue rather than accusations and
   threats.

   And he noted that Korea's "quest for peace" affects the stability of
   the entire region.

   President Park said North and South Korea should get rid of fear and
   nuclear weapons and concentrate on reunification.

   She thanked the pope for his prayers and for carrying out a mass "for
   peace and reconciliation" during his visit.

   As Pope Francis's plane was landing in Seoul, North Korea fired the
   first of five projectiles into the Sea of Japan.

   Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il condemned the launches, which
   are the latest in a series of rocket tests by the North.

   The North declined to send a delegation to the papal mass, citing its
   anger at upcoming U.S.-South Korean military drills.

   Like all other religions in North Korea, Catholicism is allowed to
   exist only under the tightest of restrictions. As a result, it is
   unclear how many North Koreans practice Catholicism.

   China, Vatican tensions

   The pope's trip to South Korea is also highlighting tensions between
   the Vatican and China, which do not have diplomatic relations.

   As his plane flew over Chinese airspace, Pope Francis sent a message to
   President Xi Jinping offering "divine blessings of peace and well-being
   upon the nation."

   Despite the Vatican's objections, Beijing insists on maintaining a
   state-controlled Catholic church that does not answer to Rome. There is
   also a large underground church, and the two sides disagree over which
   has the authority to ordain priests.

   About 100 Chinese had planned to attend the Asian Youth Day but on
   Thursday, Heo Young-yeop, a spokesman for the papal visit to Korea,
   said half of those had been unable to attend.

   Chinese officials have not commented on why the youths were unable to
   attend.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/pope-beatifies-korean-martyrs/2415493
   .html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/pope-beatifies-korean-martyrs/2415493.html