Pope Francis was the center for this hope in his visit to Korea. His actions were humble and friendly, absence of walls, but not frivolous. His words were both soft and strong; they matched his actions. From the beginning to the end, he was a pastor and yet moved people without overt religion,
He came to Korea and the Church with a very clear message. In every one of the places he stopped: at the airport, the Blue House, with the Asian youth, the beatification ceremony, meeting the Asian Bishops, the Flower Village, the Mass of Reconciliation, with each encounter, there was a united message where the words matched the actions.
He came with a gift. We have a blueprint with which to work with in the future. The Church needs to understand what to do, and work to realize and implement the pope's message. The Peace Weekly will work, it says in the editorial, to make the pope's message known to the readers in the years to come.
The editorial wants us to understand the message he left us in his five days in Korea. There was a unity in all that was done. From the time of his arrival to the time of departure, the message was the same. He met the families of those who died in the Sewol tragedy. On the plane back to Rome he said we can't be neutral in the face of suffering. When we don't face truthfulness and authenticity and fail to empathize, we refuse to see. Pope Francis listened to the hurts of those he met and was moved.
We need to learn from humility. Simplicity and spirit of poverty are closely related to this humility. They have moved us as a community of faith. In a word, we need to be Christians. The pope was welcomed by many not as a celebrity or a politician, and he did not behave as such. He was a sinner and a follower of Jesus. He did not talk about himself but about Jesus. He has left Korea, but the message remains, the future work of the community.
