The Huffington Post
September 15, 2012
Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of the controversial religious leader Reverend Sun Myung Moon, known for conducting mass weddings.
The controversial head of the Unification Church, known to followers as the 'true father', died earlier this month age 92. The leader of the group, often known as the 'Moonies', was buried in a mansion designed to look like the White House in South Korea.
His youngest son wept as he spoke during his father's funeral at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center, Gapyeong, South Korea.
The Rev. Hyung-jin Moon, the youngest son of late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, becomes emotional as he speaks during his father's funeral
According to the Unification Church, 35,000 attended the two-hour service, which was broadcast live on the web.
Anja Brina, a mourner from Germany, said: "He was not a god. I think he was like a messiah, through whom you can reach God."
Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of the controversial religious leader
Moon founded the Church in 1954, and in time it spread to the United States and developed a separate business empire.
The church - which claims to have three million followers worldwide, a figure that is disputed - is run by one of Moon's sons.
He is survived by his wife and 10 living children.