Pope Francis’s death highlights how religions refer to passing

The death of Pope Francis on April 21 has drawn attention to the diverse ways religions express the concept of death—highlighting nuanced, meaningful distinctions rooted in faith and tradition.

In Catholicism, the term seonjong is used, derived from seonsaengbokjong, meaning “a good life and a blessed death.” The phrase originates from Seonsaengbokjong Jeongno, or “the path to a blissful death following a virtuous life lived according to doctrine.” This term first appeared in 1652 in a Chinese-language catechism published in Beijing by Italian missionary Ludovico Buglio, known in China as Robelli.

When Pope John Paul II died in 2005, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea considered using seoge, a formal term for the death of prominent individuals. While some media outlets adopted this expression, the Church ultimately reaffirmed the use of seonjong. The term has since been used officially in reference to the deaths of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan in 2009 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2022.

In Korean Protestantism, the term socheon, which means “called to Heaven,” is widely used. Although not recognized in standard Korean dictionaries and lacking formal linguistic roots, its long-standing usage has made it common within Protestant communities and general discourse.

In Buddhism, expressions such as yeolban (nirvana) and ipjeok (entering stillness) are typically used. Other related terms include jeokmyeol (extinction of suffering) and wonjeok (perfect stillness), often reserved for the death of the Buddha or esteemed monks. Won Buddhism, a modern Korean Buddhist movement, primarily uses yeolban to describe death.

Cheondogyo, a Korean indigenous religion with roots in Confucianism and Buddhism, uses the term hwanwon, meaning “return to the origin”—symbolizing a spiritual return to one’s pure, original state.

These expressions, while varied in language, all reflect the core spiritual beliefs and values of their respective faiths—offering insight into how humanity seeks meaning and transcendence in life’s final chapter.


Chin-Ku Lee sys1201@donga.com