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Pope Francis in Daejeon

August 15, 2014

Pope Francis has begun the second day of his South Korea tour with a Mass in Daejeon's World Cup soccer stadium. The Mass falls on an important Catholic holiday, as well as Korean Liberation Day.

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Papst Franziskus in Südkorea 14.08.2014
Image: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

Francis traveled to the so-called Purple Arena in Daejeon, 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of Seoul, by high-speed train. He was greeted at the stadium by tens of thousands of people praying, chanting "Viva papa," which means "long live the pope" in Italian, and waving the Vatican flag.

The Mass in Daejeon is to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, one of the most important days in the Catholic calendar. It is also on the same day as Korean Liberation Day, a public holiday.

Survivors of South Korea's April Sewol ferry disaster, which left more than 300 people - most of them high school students - dead or missing are expected to attend the Mass.

The pope is also scheduled to have lunch with Catholic youths and visit Solmoe Sanctuary, the birthplace of the patron saint of Korea, Andrew Kim Taegon.

On Saturday, the pontiff is to hold a beatification mass for 124 Korean martyrs from the 18th and 19th centuries, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people.

On Thursday, Pope Francis used a speech at the presidential Blue House in Seoul to encourage South Korea and North Korea to resolve their differences through dialogue.

"Korea's quest for peace is close to our hearts, for it affects the stability of the entire area and indeed of our whole world-weary world," the pope said in a speech delivered in English to South Korean President Park Guen-Hye and senior officials and diplomats.

His five-day visit marks the first papal visit to the country in 25 years.

hc/lw (AP, dpa)