Seoul (AsiaNews) A solemn thanksgiving mass to honour Benedict XVI's installation was con-celebrated yesterday by every Korean bishop in the presence of Emil Tscherrig, Apostolic Nuncio, Unification Minister Cheong Dong-young representing the South Korean government and leaders of other Churches and other religions as well as many members of the diplomatic corps.
Archbishop Andreas Choi Chang-mou, chairman of the Bishops' Conference of Korea, presided over the service which was attended by numerous priests and men and women religious.
The Cathedral was packed with the faithful; those who could not be inside followed the function from a giant screen placed outside the building.
Before the mass began, Mgr Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, Archbishop of Seoul, thanked the faithful for the prayers they offered for the election of the Pope and urged them to ardently pray for Benedict XVI that he may accomplish his Petrine mission fruitfully.
In the homily, Archbishop Choi said that "the papacy is the visible character that Jesus has established as a sign of grace for the salvation of man. Thus, papal power and authority cannot be interpreted in socio-political terms".
"The Papacy is a ministry of service," he explained, "and it is therefore wrong to judge it as either conservative or progressive. Everything must be seen on the basis and in terms of the principles of the Church's development".
At the end of the mass, Archbishop Tscherrig also introduced Benedict XVI, speaking about the main points of the Pope's April 20 message.
He stressed the new Pope's resolve "to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, John Paul II" and his commitment to ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue.
Every South Korean radio and TV station as well as newspaper covered the conclave and Benedict XVI's election with special programmes and services.