Pope to baptize father of ferry disaster victim

Pope Francis waves as he arrives to celebrate the Mass of Assumption of Mary at a stadium in Daejeon, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 15, 2014. AP

DAEJEON, South Korea— Pope Francis agreed on Friday to baptize the father of one of many students killed in South Korea’s ferry disaster as he met with the victims’ relatives before a Mass in the city of Daejeon.

“At the end of the meeting, the father of a boy killed in the accident … asked to be baptized,” the Pope’s spokesperson, Federico Lombardi, told reporters.

“The Pope accepted,” Lombardi said, adding the ceremony would be conducted on Saturday at the Vatican Embassy in Seoul.

“It is highly symbolic that the Pope can baptize an adult Korean in a country that registers around 100,000 Catholic baptisms a year,” he added.

The Sewol ferry capsized on April 16 off South Korea’s southern coast, with the loss of 300 lives, most of them high school students on an organized trip.

Francis held a private audience with eight Sewol survivors and two victims’ relatives before conducting the Mass at Daejeon’s World Cup stadium —the first public event of his five-day visit to South Korea.

During the meeting, the relatives urged the Pope to support their campaign for a full, independent inquiry into the Sewol sinking, which has largely been blamed on regulatory failings and negligence.

Yellow ribbon

“We told him that we don’t put any trust in what the government says and asked him to help us get a true picture of the disaster,” said Kim Byeong-kwon, a spokesperson for the victims’ families.

The relatives gave the Pope an album of their dead children’s photos, as well as a yellow-ribbon pin that he wore on his chest throughout the Mass.

The yellow ribbon has become a memorial symbol for the ferry tragedy.

One of the relatives, Lee Ho-jin, whose son was killed in the April tragedy, has been in catechism classes for two years.

Lee participated in a pilgrimage undertaken by many relatives of the victims, carrying a cross in honor of the slain children.

‘Wipe  our tears’

The pilgrimage went from Danwon High School, where many of the victims were from, to Jindo Island, near where the ferry sank, and other places in South Korea.

In his final prayer, Francis reached out to the survivors and families with words of comfort: “May the Lord welcome the dead into his peace, console those who mourn and continue to sustain those who so generously came to the aid of their brothers and sisters,” he said.

“May this tragic event, which has brought all Koreans together in grief, confirm their commitment to work together in solidarity for the common good.”

A banner outside the stadium featured a photo of the Pope and read “Please wipe the tears of the Sewol families.”  Reports from  AFP and AP

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