SEOUL (SE): Pope Francis once again expressed his gratitude to the Church in South Korea for contributing to the Vatican-led Vaccine-Sharing Campaign, the Committee for Communications, the Archdiocese of Seoul said in January 11 press release.
In a letter to Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick, dated 23 December 2021, the pope wrote: “I am very grateful for the offering that you, on behalf of the faithful of the Archdiocese of Seoul, sent me for needy people affected by Covid-19.”
He added, “I very much appreciated this gesture of generosity made in the days in which we prepare to celebrate the Mystery of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Hope. I assure my spiritual closeness to the entire diocesan Community of Seoul.”
On 17 December 2021, the Archdiocese of Seoul sent the Vatican approximately US$1.4 million [$10.9 million] for the third time out of funds it raised for the campaign to ensure equitable, timely and universal access for all countries to Covid-19 vaccines. The archdiocese had contribute more than US$3.4 million [$26.5 million] by the end of last year [Sunday Examiner, 25 April and 19 December 2021].
Father Matthias Young-yup Hur, the spokesperson for the archdiocese said, “The Holy Father has expressed appreciation in a letter for every contribution made to the campaign. Additionally, he said he was especially grateful for the sacrifice and love shared by the Korean Church for the needy and the poor.”
The initiative, launched by Andrew Cardinal Yeom, the retired Archbishop of Seoul, ended on 27 November 2021, the last day of the Jubilee of the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Andrew Kim Taegon, the first native Catholic priest and patron saint of Korea.
In solidarity with the pope’s exhortation to care for the poor, the archdiocese plans to continue lending a helping hand to people in need around the world.
