A gaggle of Belarussian brides pose for the camera, saying they will learn Korean. Their husbands, from Seoul, vow to study Russian. For now, it's just smiles and a little broken English. Nearby, William Hedlund of California stands guardedly by his young Japanese bride. In white and gold robes and bedecked with crowns, Moon and his wife appear atop a massive stage.
Majestic music echoes through the stadium as helpers sprinkle couples with holy water.
Spiritual representatives of Jews, the Nation of Islam, native Americans, the Vatican, Jains, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and others bless the gathering. Then the Moons deliver their blessing. People wave with both hands as the Moons ascend a long red-carpeted staircase. Moon built his first church in 1954 out of scrap boxes. In the 1960s he began building a business empire that grew to hundreds of companies, including The Washington Times newspaper.