Pope Francis ended his first visit to Asia Monday with a call for reconciliation between South Korea and its bitter communist rival, North Korea.
The pontiff issued his call for peace on the troubled Korean peninsula at a Mass at Seoul's Myeongdong cathedral that was attended by South Korean President Park Geun-hye. He said reconciliation would only come through forgiveness, even though it may seem "impossible, impractical and even at times repugnant."
Catholic officials in South Korea urged Pyongyang to send a delegation from the state-run Korean Catholic Association to Seoul for the Mass, but the regime rejected the invitation, citing the annual joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, which also began Monday.
The North has vowed to launch a "merciless" preemptive strike against the South if the drills take place.