Seoul (AsiaNews) - "An incredible number of people have knocked at the door of the Church after the death of Cardinal Kim." The bishops of South Korea have used the occasion of the traditional spring assembly of the bishops' conference (CBCK) to thank the Catholics and non-Catholics who have demonstrated their great affection for Cardinal Stephen Kim, who died last February 16 at the age of 86.
The Korean bishops call the deceased archbishop a "pillar of the Catholic Church in Korea," a man "with an open mind," whose episcopal motto, "pro vobis et pro multis (for you and for many)," has been reflected in the thousands of people, believers and nonbelievers, who have paid homage to his body in the cathedral of Seoul, "all over the country as well as overseas Korean Catholic communities."
The people have been won over by the testimony of love for the poor offered by the archbishop of Seoul, by "the light of humility and self-abasement" with which he treated everyone he met, by his constant concern for his brothers in North Korea, and finally by his decision to donate his eyes after his death.
"So many people came to bow before the deceased and pray as if they had lost their own father." The bishops of the CBCK have been moved by the demonstrations of affection for Cardinal Kim, which continue today. In the face of the difficulties created by the economic crisis, they invite all the faithful of the country to "follow the footprints of the late Cardinal Kim, who triggered fresh concerns of courage and hope to practice love in the hearts of many people."
