Pope Francis has sent a message of healing and reconci- liation to Koreans commemora- ting the 70th anniversary of the Jeju Uprising and subsequent massacres which resulted in the deaths of more than 10,000 civilians.
“[Pope Francis] hopes that this occasion will foster healing and reconciliation,” wrote Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, in a letter made public by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK). “Entrusting the beloved Korean people to the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace, I assure all present of my prayers, that they may persevere in hope,” said the letter.
The April 3 uprising by communists on the southern island of Jeju occurred after the division of the Korean Peninsula. It erupted in 1948 and escalated with atrocities being committed, pre- dominantly by the security forces. It lasted from 1948-1954 and was part of Korea’s ideological division following liberation from Japanese colonial rule.
