Pope beatifies 24 Korean martyrs

FROM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT HE POPE has beatified 24 Korean martyrs whose deaths, he said, reminded us that "Christianity is made for strong men."
The seven French missionaries and 17 Korean converts to Christianity were slain during the 1866 religious persecutions in Korea.
The Korean martyrs were proclaimed blessed in a ceremony on Sunday in which the Papal Decree was read before the "altar of the chair" before a mass celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica by Archbishop Stephen Kim of Seoul, Korea.
Beatification is the second highest honour of the Church, outranked only by sainthood, to which it normally is a prerequisite. Those proclaimed blessed may be prayed to for intercession, but their cult is usually limited to a particular country, diocese or religious order. Saints nort only may but must receive public honour the world over.
The beatification ceremony was witnessed by thousands of worshippers, among them 200 persons from Korea and 2.500 from France. Pilgrims from Korea wore colourful national costumes and were led by three bishops, 15 priests and three nuns.
The beatification rite was attended by eight cardinals. including Cardinal Villot, of France, Cardinal Browne, of Ireland, and Cardinal Gut, of Switzerland.
Also present Were Archbishop Marty, of Paris; Mgr. Rotoli, Papal Pro-Nuncio for Korea ; M. Brou il let, the French Ambassador to the Vatican, and M. Paul Henry. an Embassy Councillor.
Pope Paul referred to the beatification when he appeared at his window at noon to bless a crowd in St. Peter's Square. He said every Christian should ask himself if he would have the courage to follow the example of the martyrs.
"TAILOR-MADE"
"These heroes force us to think," he said. "Today one is trying to make Christianity easy, without risk, without sacrifice, without the cross,
tailor-made to our comfort
and to our weaknesses of thought and behaviour. On the contrary. Christianity is made for strong men, for men who seek and find their light and energy in the faith."