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Thousands pay tribute as Moon laid to rest
Source: Agencies |
September 16, 2012, Sunday
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TENS of thousands of mourners sobbed, sang, prayed and vowed to cherish the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's teachings yesterday as they said goodbye to their self-proclaimed messiah and "True Father," whose death earlier this month shed light again on his controversial religious and business empire.
Moon, founder of the Unification Church, best known for conducting mass weddings meant to build a harmonious, multicultural world, died on September 3 at age 92. He was friend to United States presidents and leaders of North Korea. His church has been accused of brainwashing recruits and duping them out of money, but followers believe Moon's claim that he was put on Earth to complete Jesus Christ's works.
"His will is a divine will, different from normal people," said 69-year-old office worker Jeong Hye-ok. "I believe he will establish a foundation to build a heavenly world that unifies peace on earth."
Moon's funeral, which followed a 13-day mourning period, was held in Gapyeong County, northeast of Seoul, where he spent his last days at a church-affiliated hospital. About 35,000 people - men clad in black suits and women in white dresses - attended the funeral.
"He will be in our minds permanently," said Lee Ok-su, a church choir member, her face flushed with emotion. "He is our benevolent yet strict father."
The funeral, which lasted more than two hours, began when men wearing military honor guard-style uniforms carried Moon's coffin into a gymnasium. They slowly carried it up red-carpeted steps decked with flowers and placed it in front of a large portrait of Moon.
Many mourners wept as a top church official said in a speech that Moon was moving into a spiritual world after completing the messianic role that God had asked of him. "God, why ... why did you call back our True Father so hurriedly?" Bo Hi Pak, chairman of the Unification Church-supported Korean Cultural Foundation, told the crowd.
Heir picked
Family members, senior church officials and prominent politicians placed flowers at an altar. A flower-decorated van carrying the hearse left the gym and drove through streets lined with people waving flags. Thousands of church members filled the grounds near the gym and watched the funeral on giant TV screens. Moon's body was buried on a nearby mountain.
"I'm so sad, and I just want to listen to his voice again," said Jeon Myung-hu, a 43-year-old man who said he fasted for four days after hearing the news of Moon's death. "His teachings about peace will remain forever."
About 180,000 people visited Gapyeong during the mourning period before the funeral. An estimated 7 million people paid homage at mourning sites around the world, according to church officials.
The Unification Church claims to have 3 million followers around the world, though critics say the figure is no more than 100,000.
After founding the church in 1954 in Seoul, Moon quickly found followers willing to support his conservative, family-oriented value systems and unusual interpretation of the Bible. Moon conducted his first mass wedding in Seoul in the early 1960s.
In the years before his death, Moon handed over key responsibilities of his empire to his children, with his youngest son appointed the church's top religious director in 2008.
Moon, founder of the Unification Church, best known for conducting mass weddings meant to build a harmonious, multicultural world, died on September 3 at age 92. He was friend to United States presidents and leaders of North Korea. His church has been accused of brainwashing recruits and duping them out of money, but followers believe Moon's claim that he was put on Earth to complete Jesus Christ's works.
"His will is a divine will, different from normal people," said 69-year-old office worker Jeong Hye-ok. "I believe he will establish a foundation to build a heavenly world that unifies peace on earth."
Moon's funeral, which followed a 13-day mourning period, was held in Gapyeong County, northeast of Seoul, where he spent his last days at a church-affiliated hospital. About 35,000 people - men clad in black suits and women in white dresses - attended the funeral.
"He will be in our minds permanently," said Lee Ok-su, a church choir member, her face flushed with emotion. "He is our benevolent yet strict father."
The funeral, which lasted more than two hours, began when men wearing military honor guard-style uniforms carried Moon's coffin into a gymnasium. They slowly carried it up red-carpeted steps decked with flowers and placed it in front of a large portrait of Moon.
Many mourners wept as a top church official said in a speech that Moon was moving into a spiritual world after completing the messianic role that God had asked of him. "God, why ... why did you call back our True Father so hurriedly?" Bo Hi Pak, chairman of the Unification Church-supported Korean Cultural Foundation, told the crowd.
Heir picked
Family members, senior church officials and prominent politicians placed flowers at an altar. A flower-decorated van carrying the hearse left the gym and drove through streets lined with people waving flags. Thousands of church members filled the grounds near the gym and watched the funeral on giant TV screens. Moon's body was buried on a nearby mountain.
"I'm so sad, and I just want to listen to his voice again," said Jeon Myung-hu, a 43-year-old man who said he fasted for four days after hearing the news of Moon's death. "His teachings about peace will remain forever."
About 180,000 people visited Gapyeong during the mourning period before the funeral. An estimated 7 million people paid homage at mourning sites around the world, according to church officials.
The Unification Church claims to have 3 million followers around the world, though critics say the figure is no more than 100,000.
After founding the church in 1954 in Seoul, Moon quickly found followers willing to support his conservative, family-oriented value systems and unusual interpretation of the Bible. Moon conducted his first mass wedding in Seoul in the early 1960s.
In the years before his death, Moon handed over key responsibilities of his empire to his children, with his youngest son appointed the church's top religious director in 2008.
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