Myeongdong Cathedral's memorial altar for late pope open until Sat.; Mass set for Thu.

SEOUL, April 23 (Yonhap) -- Myeongdong Cathedral's memorial altar for the late Pope Francis will remain open to the general public until Saturday, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK) has said.

In Seoul, the public has been welcomed to pay their respects since 3 p.m. Tuesday at memorial altars at the Apostolic Nunciature and in the underground chapel of Myeongdong Cathedral.

The CBCK will not hold an official national memorial Mass. Instead, individual dioceses have set up their own memorial altars and will hold memorial Masses at their own discretion.

The Seoul Archdiocese will hold a Mass at 10 a.m. Thursday at Myeongdong Cathedral.

The CBCK is sending a three-member delegation to attend the funeral Mass for the late pope, slated for Saturday at 10 a.m. (local time) in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The delegation includes Bishop Mathias Lee Yong-hoon, president of the CBCK, Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, former archbishop of Seoul, and Lim Min-kyun, director of the CBCK's public relations department.

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