Pope Francis said dialogue, and not "fruitless" displays of force, will help bring peace to the Korean peninsula, as he began a five-day visit to South Korea.
The comments came after North Korea fired five projectiles into the sea, at about the same time the pope's plane arrived in Seoul early Thursday.
Seoul defense officials say the projectiles were launched from the port city of Wonsan and traveling 220 kilometers before landing in the ocean.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il condemned the launches, which are the latest in a series of similar tests.
"The message of the pope’s visit is peace and reconciliation. He came here to deliver messages of blessing to the Koreans both in the South and in the North. But North Korea’s firing of projectiles, and the additional two projectiles, on the day of his arrival is not good. As you know, short-range missiles, or ballistic missiles, are a violation of the U.N. Security Council. We view that this reckless provocation must be stopped immediately," said Noh.
The North declined to send a delegation to the papal mass, citing its anger at upcoming U.S.-South Korean military drills.
Like all other religions in North Korea, Catholicism is only allowed to exist under some of the world's tightest restrictions. As a result, it is unclear how many North Koreans practice Catholicism.
The pope's trip to South Korea is also highlighting tensions between the Vatican and China, which do not have diplomatic relations.
As his plane flew over Chinese airspace, Pope Francis sent a message to President Xi Jinping offering "divine blessings of peace and well-being upon the nation."
Despite the Vatican's objections, Beijing insists on maintaining a state-controlled Catholic church, which does not answer to Rome. There is also a large underground church, and the two sides disagree over which has the authority to ordain priests.
About 100 Chinese had planned to attend the Asian Youth Day hosted by the pope. But on Thursday Heo Young-yeop, a spokesman for the papal visit to Korea, said half of those had been unable to attend.
"Some [Chinese] youths had planned to attend the event could not come due to the complicated situation inside China. The committee feels sorry [for this]," said Heo.
Chinese officials have not commented on why the youths were unable to attend.
South Korea boasts about five million Catholics and is one of the church's fastest growing congregations in the world.
His trip is the first since Pope John Paul II visited South Korea in 1989. Vatican officials say Francis will bring a message about the "future of Asia" and speak to all countries on the continent during his trip.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1sFs4J5
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