The Vatican dicastery recognized the Haemi Catholic Martyrs’ Shrine as an international pilgrimage destination.
Bishop Augustinus Jong-soo Kim, an auxiliary bishop of Daejeon, formally presented a decree from the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization to the shrine’s rector, Father Han Gwang-Seok in December.
The shrine near Seosan, a city in South Chungcheong Province, central South Korea, marks the spot where more than 1,000 Catholics were killed during persecution unleashed under the Joseon Dynasty between 1866 and 1882.
The names of only 132 of the martyrs were recorded. A 50-foot-high memorial tower was erected in honor of the unnamed dead.
ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, reported that the shrine is the second Korean site to receive Vatican recognition after the Seoul Catholic Pilgrimage Route, which was declared the first Asian international pilgrimage site in 2018.