SEOUL, South Korea — En route from visiting a rehabilitation center in Kkottognae and on his way to meet with Korean religious, Pope Francis stopped and prayed for a few minutes at a local cemetery for aborted children.

The Holy Father got out of the Kia popemobile in which he was being transported to pray, accompanied by a Korean bishop and a priest acting as his translator.

With his hands clasped together, Pope Francis prayed in silence before a memorial that contains a prominent statue of the Holy Family and a large number of white crosses commemorating the children who have been aborted.

In comments to CNA, Kim Doh Woo, a teacher in Kkottognae, explained that “this is the place where we pray for the babies, for those babies who were killed by abortion.”

“Many people visit this place and pray for their baby or for other babies. This cross is not a tomb, but, rather, it represents the baby’s soul; this is a place of prayer.”

After praying at the cemetery, the Holy Father returned to the popemobile and made his way towards the “School of Love” in Kkottognae, where he concluded his Aug. 16 public schedule with a special encounter with 6,000 Korean religious.