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| Pope Francis to beatify 124 South Korean Catholic martyrs | Pope Francis to beatify 124 South Korean Catholic martyrs |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Pope Francis is conducting a large open-air mass to beatify 124 of South Korea's first Catholics at a ceremony in the capital Seoul on Saturday. | |
| He will pay tribute to the Koreans, who died for their faith in the 18th and 19th Centuries. | He will pay tribute to the Koreans, who died for their faith in the 18th and 19th Centuries. |
| It comes on the third day of his visit to South Korea - his first trip to Asia since becoming pope in March 2013. | It comes on the third day of his visit to South Korea - his first trip to Asia since becoming pope in March 2013. |
| Pope Francis met survivors of the Sewol ferry disaster and delivered his first public mass in the region on Friday. | Pope Francis met survivors of the Sewol ferry disaster and delivered his first public mass in the region on Friday. |
| The beautification ceremony will be held at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, with up to one million people expected to be in attendance. | The beautification ceremony will be held at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, with up to one million people expected to be in attendance. |
| Beatification, or declaring a person "blessed", is the necessary prelude to full sainthood. | |
| 'Spiritual desert' | 'Spiritual desert' |
| The Pope is spending five days in South Korea, where the Catholic Church is growing. It currently has just over 5.4 million members, some 10.4% of the population. | The Pope is spending five days in South Korea, where the Catholic Church is growing. It currently has just over 5.4 million members, some 10.4% of the population. |
| On Friday, Pope Francis held mass for tens of thousands of people gathered at a football stadium in Daejeon, his first public event since arriving in South Korea. | On Friday, Pope Francis held mass for tens of thousands of people gathered at a football stadium in Daejeon, his first public event since arriving in South Korea. |
| In his address, the pope warned Catholics of a "cancer" of despair in materially-obsessed societies, saying that materialism was spreading like a spiritual desert across the affluent world. | In his address, the pope warned Catholics of a "cancer" of despair in materially-obsessed societies, saying that materialism was spreading like a spiritual desert across the affluent world. |
| Before mass got underway, he met with some of the survivors and relatives of the South Korean ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people in April this year. | Before mass got underway, he met with some of the survivors and relatives of the South Korean ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people in April this year. |
| He was later greeted by a rapturous crowd of some 10,000 youths in Dangjin, where he spoke briefly off-the-cuff in English, acknowledging his difficulties with the language. | He was later greeted by a rapturous crowd of some 10,000 youths in Dangjin, where he spoke briefly off-the-cuff in English, acknowledging his difficulties with the language. |
| There he urged South Koreans to pray for unification with the north. | There he urged South Koreans to pray for unification with the north. |
| "Let us pray for our brothers in the north," he said. | "Let us pray for our brothers in the north," he said. |
| Meanwhile, China's leadership failed to receive a telegram sent by the Pope as he flew over the country on his way to South Korea, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Friday. | Meanwhile, China's leadership failed to receive a telegram sent by the Pope as he flew over the country on his way to South Korea, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Friday. |
| It is traditional for the pontiff to send blessings to the leadership of a country he flies over, but this was the first time a pope had been permitted to use Chinese air space. | It is traditional for the pontiff to send blessings to the leadership of a country he flies over, but this was the first time a pope had been permitted to use Chinese air space. |
| The gesture is seen as significant because the Vatican and China have had no formal ties since the Communist party took power in 1949. | The gesture is seen as significant because the Vatican and China have had no formal ties since the Communist party took power in 1949. |
| A technical glitch was thought to have stopped the message from being received, which was later resent via the Italian embassy in Beijing, Mr Lombardi said. | A technical glitch was thought to have stopped the message from being received, which was later resent via the Italian embassy in Beijing, Mr Lombardi said. |