Pope cites 'despair' in SKorea

Francis, who is making the first papal visit to Asia in 15 years, decried what he termed a "culture of death" in rapidly developing nations such as South Korea, which ranks as one of the world's richest but with glaring inequalities.

In an apparent reference to South Korea's high suicide rate, the pope told a capacity crowd in Daejeon stadium that he saw a "cancer" of despair in societies that seem outwardly and materially affluent "yet often experience inner sadness and emptiness."

"Upon how many of our young has this despair taken its toll!" he said.

High suicide rate

Last month, the Yonhap news agency cited 2012 data showing that suicide was the top cause of death among young people aged between 9 and 24. For young men aged 20 to 29, the national average is 23.5 suicides per 100,000.

South Korea -- home to giant firms such as Samsung and Hyundai -- ranks as one of the world's 29 richest nations in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). Poverty among its senior citizens is nonetheless at the highest level of all nations in the 30-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Parents spent thousands on private tuition to give their children an academic edge and graduates end up settling for lower-paying temporary work, say analysts.

Prayers for ferry victims

During the open-air mass, Pope Francis offered a special prayer for relatives of the more than 300 people killed when the Sewol ferry capsized and sank during a routine journey on April 16.

"May this tragic event, which has brought all Koreans together in grief, confirm their commitment to work together in solidarity for the common good," Francis said.

Streets leading the stadium, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Seoul, were tied with yellow ribbons in memory of the victims, mostly school children.

Before the mass, he offered a private audience to some of the relatives.

Growing Catholic community

South Korea's growing Roman Catholic community makes up about 11 percent of the population, with Protestants more predominate.

In the last national census in 2005, close to 30 percent of South Koreans identified themselves as Christians, compared to 23 percent who said they followed once-dominate Buddhism.

In neighboring China, state-run media ran virtually no news on Pope Francis' visit in a further sign of estrangement between Beijing and the Vatican.

China severed relations with the Holy See in 1951 after the officially atheistic Communist Party took power and set up its own church outside the pope's authority.

South Korean organizers of the pope's visit said they regretted that some young Chinese Catholics and priests had been prevented from attending.

ipj/tj (AP, AFP, Reuters)