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| President Moon Jae-in met Saturday with the archbishop of Washington, D.C., Wilton Gregory, the first African American cardinal in Catholic history. Yonhap |
South Korean President Moon Jae-in met Saturday with the archbishop of Washington, D.C., Wilton Gregory, the first African American cardinal in Catholic history.
They talked about peace on the Korean Peninsula, racial harmony, the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues during the meeting at a hotel in the U.S. capital.
"The Catholic Church in South Korea has shown great spiritual leadership in areas such as human rights, welfare, and inter-Korean reunification," Moon said.
The president added that he is a baptized Catholic himself.
He added that priests in South Korea asked him to meet the cardinal on his visit to Washington for summit talks with U.S. President Joe Biden.
The cardinal replied he is well aware that South Korea's Catholic Church is leading the way for social justice and democracy, helping the poor. He said he is proud of that.
Moon briefed the cardinal on the results of his summit talks with Biden the previous day. Moon and Biden agreed to work together to overcome the coronavirus crisis and achieve the complete denuclearization of Korea and permanent peace.
The president asked the Catholic community to continue its support so that the allies can complete common tasks, according to his office.
Moon also expressed regret over increased reports of anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States, noting that the archbishop has long stressed the importance of racial harmony. (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap)
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