Unification Founder’s Body Lies in State as Thousands Gather to Say Goodbye

Ho-yeul An
September 6, 2012

Elected leaders, diplomats, clergy and academics from Korea and abroad are among 15,000 mourners who have gathered on Sept. 6, 2012 to pay their respects to Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the Founder of the Unification movement, according to a press release from the Tongil Foundation in Korea. The visitors gathered at the Cheongshim Peace World Center, a stadium complex in Songsan-ri, Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province. Rev. Moon’s body lies in state in a shrine at the Cheon Jeong Gung palace a short distance away on a mountain overlooking Cheonpyeong Lake.

The official visitors were welcomed by Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, Rev. Moon’s successor, who began proceedings at 8:00 a.m., after which approximately 15,000 disciples and friends of Rev. Moon from all fields of life filed into the shrine to give thanks and to pray. These included 3,000 Japanese visitors came to pay their respects on this day alone. The Unification Church has also prepared shrines in regional church Headquarters buildings across Korea, as well as in mission countries worldwide, for guests to come and pay their respects.

The Wake at Cheon Jeong Gung

The Wake at Cheong Shim World Center

Numerous floral tributes expressing the condolences of various VIPs from Korea were on display in the shrine. Floral arrangements arrived from current heads of state, including President Lee Myung-bak, President Dioncounda Traore of Mali, President Johnson Toribiong of Palau and Prime Minister Ahoomey-Zunu of Togo, as well as former heads of state including former President Alfred Moisiu of Albania and former President Julio Maria Sanguinetti of Uruguay. Korean political leaders sending flowers included National Assembly Speaker Gang Chang-hee, Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan, Unification Minister Ryu Woo-ik, Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Seo Gyu-ong, Floor Leader Lee Han-gu of Hannuri Party, and Chairperson Han Seon-gyo of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Broadcasting Committee.

Korean lawmakers who were present at the stadium included National Assemblyman Lee Jae-oh of the Grand National Party, National Assemblyman Jeong Byeong-guk of the Grand National Party, and National Assemblyman Kim Seong-gon of the Democratic United Party.

The Wake - Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, the Chairperson of Seong Hwa Committee

Religious leaders paying their respects included Chairman Lee Hee-ho of Kim Dae-jung Peace Center, Head Executive Park In-gong of the Taego Order of Korean Buddhism, Spiritual Patriarch Dorim Beopjeon of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, and Head Executive Lee Hong-pa of the Gwaneum Order of Korean Buddhism

The Wake - Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, the Chairperson of Seong Hwa Committee

Leaders of commerce and industry included Chairman Yeo Sang-rak of SGI Korea (Foundation), CEO Shin Gyeok-ho of Lotte Group and CEO Cho Yang-ho of Hanjin Group.

The shrine prepared at Cheongshim Peace World Center was also visited Sept. 6, 2012 by members of the Seongnam Ilhwa Football Club, including Coach Shin Tae-yong and the Universal Ballet Troupe, who came in groups to pay reverence. Afterwards, Vice Chairman Kim Min-ha of the National Unification Advisory Council and former Director Yim Chae-jin of Public Prosecutions among other important personages came to pay their respects as well.

The Wake - Religious Leaders

The Wake - Visitors

The Cheongshim Peace World Center, where the Ascension (Seonghwa) will also be held, will receive guests to pay their respects until the Sept. 14, 2012, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (6 p.m. on Sept. 14, 2012). Rev. Moon’s residence and final resting place, known as the palace at Cheon Jeong Gung, where his holy remains lie in state, will be opened for three days from Sept. 9, 2012 until Sept. 11, 2012 to both believers and non-believers who would like to say goodbye to him and offer condolences to his family, according to the Tongil press release.

Press enquiries may be directed to the spokesperson for the Unification Church in Korea, Rev. Ho-yeul An, Tongil Foundation Public Relations Department

He Passed On To Us These Words of Wisdom From His Heart Expressing His Last Wish

Ho-yeul An
September 4, 2012
Tongil Foundation Public Relations Department

Throughout his entire life, Reverend Sun Myung Moon lived as the Messiah and True Parents consistently… Proclaiming Cheon Il Guk

Rev. Moon has lived his whole life with the motto of “World Peace and Salvation of humankind.” He founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity in 1954 and made it a world level religion by dispatching missionaries to 194 nations. He also professed his vision of World Peace and the Salvation of humankind. He lived with vigor and vitality in many ways unfathomable to the average person.

He was imprisoned six times in Japan, North Korea, South Korea and the USA. Although he was rejected in large part by the vested right, the world paid attention to him. Rev. Moon maintained international relevance through professing his vision and life course to humanity, who battled with confusion that came with the absence of values and religious conflicts that occurred throughout the history of civilization.

Rev. Moon has led God’s Providence both in the spiritual world and physical world. On September 3, 2012, at 1:54 am, he peacefully ascended to Heaven. Rev. Moon said that he left The Eight Great Textbooks and Teaching Materials as his last wish several times as he emphasized that he had already left a will for humanity; and that it was his last wish to be prepared after his victory over the seven hardships he faced between life and death.

The Eight Great Textbooks and Teaching Materials include, among 615 volumes, ‘The Sermons of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon,’ ‘Divine Principle,’ ‘Cheon Seong Gyeong,’ ‘Family Pledge,’ ‘Pyeonghwa Shingyeong (The Peace Messages),’ ‘True Families: The Gateway to Heaven,’ ‘Owner of Peace, Owner of Lineage,’ ‘World Scriptures’ included the thought of the vision of Rev. Moon.

Rev. Moon was admitted to Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital on August 3rd and after ten days he left the hospital and remained at his residence in Cheon Jeong Gung in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-Do. There he proclaimed, ‘it is finished.’ Because his will for his disciples and all humankind is explained in the Eight Great Teaching Materials and Textbooks, he did not express his final will at that time.

Rev. Moon was regarded as a cult leader when he began his public life in 1950s. Christianity criticized Rev. Moon as a self-proclaimed Messiah and the Second Advent of Christ. But as the Bible says, “God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:27)” and “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your (1 Corinthians 3:16),” human beings were created in God’s image and should be God’s Temple. From this perspective, Rev. Moon taught that the Second Advent and Messiah is the perfect Man who becomes one with God heartistically and through whom God can dwell. That is the final goal of human perfection and what most religions strive for. Therefore, it is indisputable. Rev. Moon emphasized that all human beings should be True Parents and Tribal Messiahs.

The concept of Messiah, as professed by Rev. Moon, comprises the ideal True Parents practicing love for humanity. He taught that human beings should be the substantial objects of God as well as individual Messiahs. He demonstrated the perfect example of this concept throughout his daily life. On his 90th birthday celebration, he proclaimed that he should become the substantial body of God in the greatest state.

Rev. Moon repeatedly emphasized God’s Shimjung (Heart). He continually felt God’s sorrowful heart and overcame all hardships and sufferings. Since he was called by God at the age of 16, Rev. Moon has paid his due in blood, sweat and tears in order to accomplish God’s Will. As he reflected on his entire life, he said, “My life was the life of patience and endurance for God and salvation of humanity who struggled in realm of death.” In addition, he spoke, “Now, if someone looks into my deep heart and says a word of consolation, my tears will fall in cataracts.”

Rev. Moon has lived a life centered on God’s will day and night, fully investing and sacrificing himself to accomplish it. He responded to God’s calling and pioneered the way of Messiah and True Parents. We should remember that.

Jesus is the Messiah and Savior. Why is Jesus the Messiah? It is because Jesus’ life and vision were united together with God’s. When Jesus began his public life, he proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:2) During his time, no one said ‘the Kingdom of Heaven.’ However, as he said this, he realized himself to be God’s only begotten son.

At the present time, the Messiah is the individual who becomes one with God like Jesus, practices love for humanity and puts the best efforts in building the kingdom of God. Beyond the barriers of Unification Church which he founded, Rev. Moon made a commitment toward establishing interreligious world peace throughout his whole life, in a way that differed from other religious leaders.

Rev. Moon said the core of the peaceful world is the world of one great human family, one family under God. He has strived to build up the ideal world in which all human beings become one with God’s heart, establish the true family, and live a peaceful life by practicing true love and liquidating separation, struggles and conflicts. On January 13th, 2001, at the beginning of the 21st century, Rev. Moon proclaimed ‘Cheon Il Guk’ the Kingdom of God on the worldwide foundation, including the spiritual world and the physical world.

Mrs Cecilie Fortune, whose husband is the pastor for the South London Unification community said, “I feel filled with gratitude that I can be alive at this time and attend True Parents. This time of his passing is very special to me: the reality of connecting the physical and spirit worlds is coming to fruition. I don’t feel sad, I feel this is a very special moment of grace and deep connectedness to True Parents, and its a time of moving on to a new stage.”

Reamonn Bateman, a musician and entrepreneur in North London said, “I feel lucky and incredibly grateful to have been able to attend the marriage blessing officiated by Father Moon last March, and also for having been alive at the same time as him. I’m not overcome with difficult emotions now – in the circumstances I feel that he was meant to pass away so that he can be more productive in a spiritual state rather than being in a body that was holding him back.”