President Moon Jae-in expressed his condolences Wednesday over the death of Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, a former Catholic archbishop of Seoul.

Moon described Cheong as a "big hill" of South Korea's Catholic community and a "guru of the nation."

"The passing of Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, who delivered peace not only to Catholics but also to all of the people throughout his life, is deeply regrettable," Moon wrote on his social media accounts.

"He left us a teaching on sharing and coexistence by practicing the motto of 'Omnibus Omnia' until the last moment of his life," Moon added. "Omnibus Omnia" means "all things to all men" in Latin. Some of Cheong's organs, including his cornea, were donated in accordance with his will.

Deeply engraved in the hearts of people is the late cardinal's saying, "What is most important is policies that focus more on people than money," according to the president.

Cheong passed away Tuesday at a Seoul hospital where he had been hospitalized since February due to an unspecified ailment. He was 89.

Born in 1931 to a devout Catholic family in Seoul, he entered the priesthood in 1961 after graduating from the Catholic University of Korea. He served as the archbishop of Seoul for 14 years starting in May 1998, when he was appointed to the post after Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan stepped down. Cheong became a cardinal in 2006. (Yonhap)