The ceremony was held closed-door with only his immediate family members attending.

The 56-year-old Lee asked the pontiff impromptu on Friday to baptize him when they met briefly before a Mass in the southern city of Daejeon with a dozen others who had lost their loved ones in the ferry disaster.

The 6,825-ton Sewol ferry, carrying an estimated 476 people aboard, sank in southwestern waters on April 16. A total of 294 people have been confirmed dead and 10 are still missing. Most of the victims were high school students who were on a field trip to the southern resort island of Jeju.

Lee recently completed a pilgrimage from the site of the tragedy to Daejeon, trying to overcome his sorrow from losing his youngest son, Lee Seung-hyeon, who was a high school student. (Yonhap)