教宗方濟各呼籲韓朝和解
Pope Francis ended his first visit to Asia Monday with a call for reconciliation between South Korea and its bitter communist rival, North Korea.
The pontiff issued his call for peace on the troubled Korean peninsula at a Mass at Seoul's Myeongdong cathedral that was attended by South Korean President Park Geun-hye. He said reconciliation would only come through forgiveness, even though it may seem "impossible, impractical and even at times repugnant."
Catholic officials in South Korea urged Pyongyang to send a delegation from the state-run Korean Catholic Association to Seoul for the Mass, but the regime rejected the invitation, citing the annual joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, which also began Monday.
The North has vowed to launch a "merciless" preemptive strike against the South if the drills take place.教宗方濟各星期一在結束對亞洲的首次訪問之際，呼籲韓國與充滿仇恨的共產主義對手朝鮮實現和解。
教宗在首爾的明洞教堂主持彌撒，呼籲在動盪不定的朝鮮半島實現和平。韓國總統朴槿惠也在場聆聽。教宗說，只有通過原諒才能實現和解，儘管原諒可能看上去是“不可能、不現實甚至有時是令人反感的”。
韓國天主教人士敦促平壤派遣官方操控的朝鮮天主教協會代表團到首爾參加彌撒，但平壤拒絕了這一邀請，理由是韓國和美國將舉行年度聯合軍事演習。美韓軍演於星期一開始。
朝鮮曾經誓言，如果美韓進行軍演，朝鮮就將對韓國進行“無情的”、先發制人的打擊。
