Pope Francis to greet survivors of ferry disaster, ‘comfort women’

Pope ‘Francis will greet survivors of the sinking of the ferry Sewol in April and elderly women, who were forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during World War II, when he visits South Korea in mid-August, the Vatican said Thursday (local time).

The Sewol carrying 476 people sank off the country’s southwest coast, leaving more than 300 people dead or missing, mostly high school students who were on a field trip to the southern resort island of Jeju.

Historians say up to 200,000 Asian women, mostly from Korea, were coerced into sexual servitude at front-line Japanese military brothels during World War II.

The main reason for the Pope’s Aug. 14-18 trip is to participate in a meeting of Asian Catholic youths and beatify 124 Korean martyrs, who were killed for their beliefs between 1791 and 1888, Vatican spokesman father Federico Lombardi said during a news conference at the Vatican.

Some five million of the nation’s 50 million people are Catholic believers.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com

Pope Francis to greet survivors of ferry disaster, ‘comfort women’

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