Untitled Document
 On
February 16, Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-Hwan passed away at the age of 87. He was
the first cardinal in Korea. He was
our spiritual leader who shared love with many people.
During his lifetime, he worked hard
to help people in need. He also loved
children so much and exchanged e-mails with many
children, giving them valuable life lessons. He will be remembered as a great
man forever.
Cardinal Kim Sou-Hwan was born on May 8, 1922 in Daegu. Later, he
attended high school in Seoul. He
studied philosophy at Sophia University
in Tokyo from 1941 to 1944. Then, he came back to Seoul and attended
the Catholic University of Korea from 1947 to 1951.
 He
became a priest in 1951 during the
Korean War. From 1956 to
1963, he traveled to Germany to study sociology. He was Archbishop of Seoul from
1968 until 1998. He was also in charge of the Diocese of Pyongyang in North
Korea from 1975 until 1998. In 1969, he became South Korea’s first
cardinal.
Roman Catholicism was introduced
to the Korean Peninsula in 1784.
The number of its believers grew continuously to reach at present 2.5 million. Cardinal
Kim was the head of the millions of Korean
Catholics. He was respected even among non-Catholics as the country’s
spiritual leader and as an advocate of human rights.
From 2007, Cardinal Kim’s health gradually failed. In October, 2008,
he was hospitalized at St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul. He died on February
16, 2009 at the age of 87. The cardinal’s eyes were donated to two
patients awaiting cornea transplants.
 His body
was taken to the Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul on February 16. The
whole nation felt very sad upon the death of the great man. So many
people, including President Lee Myung-bak,
paid a visit to the cathedral to say good-bye
to our spiritual leader. President Lee expressed his deep sadness, calling the cardinal’s
death “a great national loss.” Pope Benedict
XVI also said he was deeply saddened by his death.
Cardinal Kim’s funeral Mass was celebrated
on February 20. May he rest in peace. |
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