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Posted on 04/12/2005 1:20:23 AM PDT by NYer
Pyongyang (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A memorial Mass for Pope John Paul II attended by about 100 people has been held in the only Catholic Church in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang.
South Korean television aired footage of the Mass after being given the green light by the North Korean government.
"When I first heard about the Pope passing away I was very surprised, although of course I knew already that he had been sick" said Kim Yong-il, a church official at the Chang Chung Church in Pyongyang.
The state media waited until 5 April before finally announcing the death of the pontiff, three days after he died.
At the church, established in 1988, regular prayer services are held every Sunday.
North Korea does not have any seminaries to train its own priests, and the memorial for the Pope was reportedly celebrated by an ethnic Korean priest from the US.
The North Korean Catholics' Association sent a message of condolence to the Vatican after learning of his death.
Although the communist country's constitution provides for "freedom of religious belief", religious activity is discouraged by the government, considered among the most repressive in the world. According the authorities, there are some 3,000-4,000 Roman Catholics in North Korea, while a government-approved group based on a traditional religious movement allegedly has at least 10 times as many followers.
PYONGYANG, North Korea, APRIL 11, 2005 (Zenit.org).- A requiem Mass for Pope John Paul II attracted thousands of faithful to the only Catholic church in this communist capital.
The Mass was shown on television in South Korea, according to the Vatican's Fides agency.
The Union Morning Post, a Singapore newspaper, said an American TV channel had permission from the North Korean authorities to broadcast the Mass live.
Moreover, Pyongyang's official news agency announced that the Central Committee of the Korean Catholic Association had sent a message of condolence to the Holy See for the death of the Pope.
Estimates say there are 3,000 to 4,000 Catholics in North Korea. Local sources in North Korea said that the church in Pyongyang has no resident priest, but Masses are celebrated there periodically.
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