Pope Francis is expected to begin the fourth day of his visit by baptizing the father of a boy who died in the Sewol ferry sinking at the Vatican Embassy in Seoul.

The 62-year-old Lee Ho-jin will be baptized before the pope begins his official schedule on Sunday morning. Lee asked to be baptized to the pope when he met the pontiff at the Mass for the Assumption of Mary in Daejeon on Aug. 15.


The pope will head to Haemi Martyrdom Holy Ground in North Chungcheong Province to meet 60 Asian bishops who attended the Asia Youth Day, which kicked off on Aug. 13. He is expected to have lunch with them, the second official lunch of his visit. The pope had lunch with young Catholics attending the Asia Youth Day on Aug. 15.

The pope will then head to Haemieupseong Fortress, an old army post during the Joseon Dynasty where hundreds of Catholics died in persecution, to conduct a Mass that wraps up the five-day Asia Youth Day. 

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)