Sun Myung Moon, leader of Unification Church, dies at 92
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Washington - The reverend Sun Myung Moon - a self-proclaimed messiah, leader of the Unification Church and conductor of mass weddings, often of strangers - died Monday in South Korea, reported The Washington Times, the US newspaper he founded. He was 92.
Moon died from complications of pneumonia at a church-owned hospital in Gapyeong, about 60 kilometres east of Seoul, the Times said. The newspaper quoted Unification Church leaders as saying he was surrounded by family, friends and followers when he passed away.
Moon founded his religious movement, whose followers were often called Moonies, in 1954 in South Korea. His church said it grew to 5 million to 7 million members worldwide.
It mixes beliefs from the Bible with Eastern philosophy and what Moon said were teachings revealed to him by God. Its critics often derided his church as a cult that brainwashed its members, a charge the church denied.
Moon established a business empire as well as a church. His ventures included media holdings, hospitals, schools, a football team, a ski resort, construction and pharmaceuticals.//DPA
