SEOUL (UCAN): In letters sent to Andrew Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul, South Korea, and to 100 young pilgrims from Laos, Mexico, Malta, the United States, India, China, Pakistan and South Korea, who wrote to Pope Francis expressing their desire to become workers for peace after joining the 2018 Wind of Peace pilgrimage along the demilitarised zone dividing the two Koreas in August.
 
Vatican secretary of state, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, and sustito (substitute) for general affairs of the Secretariat of State, Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, sent the letters—which are replies to Cardinal Yeom and the young pilgrims—on October 31 on the pontiff’s behalf, and the Archdiocese of Seoul released them on November 26.
 
In the letter to Cardinal Yeom, Cardinal Parolin wrote: “His Holiness has asked me to convey his deep gratitude for the devoted sentiments you expressed as he renews his prayer for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
 
In the letter to young pilgrims, Archbishop Parra wrote: “Pope Francis was pleased to receive your letter and he has asked me to thank you in his name. His Holiness hopes that the graces of the pilgrimage may inspire all people to cooperate in building a world founded on fraternal solidarity and enduring peace.”
 
The archdiocese’s Committee for the Reconciliation of the Korean People, organiser of the peace pilgrimage, conveyed the letter from the Vatican to all participants. It also promised to develop the pilgrimage into a more meaningful and fruitful event for young people from all over the world to feel and learn about peace.
 
The Wind of Peace has been hosted by the archdiocese and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Unification since 2016.
 
Young people from various regional and cultural backgrounds make a pilgrimage to the demilitarised zone, a landmark of Korea’s painful history.