A trip to South Korea this summer by Pope Francis appeared much more
likely after the Vatican said Saturday that he has approved honoring as
martyrs 124 Koreans who were among thousands who perished for their
faith in Korea in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Francis gave the
authorization a day earlier, the Vatican said, paving the way for the
124 martyrs to be beatified in a solemn ceremony.
Beatification is the
last formal step before sainthood in the Catholic church.
The martyrs were killed "out of hatred to the faith in Korea," the Vatican said.
Last month, the Vatican said a papal trip to South Korea in August
was under consideration.
The development about the beatification makes a
pilgrimage by Francis there "increasingly likely," said AsiaNews, a
Vatican-affiliated missionary news agency.
It said Aug. 15 was the
likely date for a beatification ceremony to be led by Francis, and that
a "special Mass for the reunification of the two Koreas" is also in the
planning, indicating that a visit by Francis could stretch out over
several days.
Francis has made reconciliation a theme of his nearly year-old papacy.
Catholics
in Asia have long been a minority, with the Philippines the most
notable exception.
But the Vatican sees the Asia continent as a place
for strong growth.
On Saturday, the pontiff was invited to visit Sri Lanka.
Meeting
with a group of Sri Lankan Catholics at the Vatican, Francis referred
to that country's quarter-century of civil war when he told his audience
that "many tears have been shed in recent years, on account of the
internal conflict which caused so many victims and so much damage."
He
urged Sri Lankans to take up the difficult challenge of healing wounds
and cooperating "with yesterday's enemy to build tomorrow together."
Sri Lanka's cardinal, Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don, took the occasion to invite Francis to his homeland.
Francis thanked him, saying "I welcome this invitation, and I think the Lord will grant us the grace" to make the trip happen.
The Vatican has said it is considering a trip by Francis to Sri Lanka and to the Philippines, but not for this year.
The
pope's only officially scheduled trip this year is a three-day
pilgrimage in late May to Jordan, Israel and the West Bank.