Pope, departing from script, leads prayer for Korean unity

By Philip Pullella and Ju-min Park SOLMOE South Korea (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Friday urged Koreans to pray and work for the re-unification of their divided peninsula, departing from his prepared text to say they should aim to reunite as one family "with no victors or vanquished". The impromptu remarks were the pope's most specific comments on the division of Korea since starting his first trip to Asia on Thursday, and were made in response to a question by a girl at a boisterous youth rally. At the rally on Friday, Francis also condemned the "idolatry of wealth, power and pleasure" he said was spreading a spiritual desert across the affluent world. Earlier, he led prayers for the victims, survivors and families of the Sewol ferry disaster.