South Koreans protest Pope Francis' upcoming visit

South Koreans protest Pope Francis&#039; upcoming visit

(Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

Pope Francis' five-day visit to South Korea will begin Thursday, but not everyone in the region is happy. Roughly 10,000 protesters gathered Tuesday to rally against the pope and Catholicism.

As it turns out, the anti-Catholicism demonstration is largely made up of Protestant protesters. The Wall Street Journal reports that the rally, which took place at a convention center in Seoul, included speeches by Protestant pastors outlining the differences between the two Christian traditions. According to local reports, Rev. Song Chun-gil, who has previously opposed efforts to promote cooperation among South Korea's churches, called Catholicism a "perversion of faith."