Pope Francis arrived in South Korea on Thursday, the first visit by a pontiff to Seoul in 25 years, carrying a message of peace and reconciliation for the divided Korean Peninsula, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The five-day visit, his first to Asia since taking over the papacy from his predecessor Benedict XVI in March 2013, is also seen as a reflection of the Vatican's emphasis on the small but growing Catholic flocks in South Korea and other Asian countries, the report said.
The pope's plane touched down at an air base just southeast of Seoul, where South Korean President Park Geun-hye was present to greet the spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
"I sincerely welcome your visit," Park said. "I hope your visit would deliver warm comfort and serve to open an era of peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula." The pontiff replied, "I'm also pleased to be in South Korea, and I came here with that deep in my mind." The pope will hold a private Mass there before heading to the presidential office, where an official welcoming ceremony will be hosted by President Park. After the ceremony, Park and the pontiff will hold talks and deliver speeches at a separate session in the presidential office, according to Park's office. Park is expected to touch on inter-Korean relations from a humanitarian perspective while the pope is expected to send a message of peace and one that advocates reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula, the report said.
South Korea has more than 5.4 million Catholics, about 11 percent of the country's 49 million people, according to figures from the church. In comparison, the share for the entire Asian continent is 3.2 percent.