Moon Jae-in promises peace with Pyongyang ahead of meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican
South Korean president signed a broad agreement with Kim Jong-un last month meant to reduce military tensions on the peninsula, and said Kim would welcome the pope to North Korea
South Korea’s president said he was certain peace could be achieved on the Korean peninsula as he prepared for an audience on Thursday with Pope Francis where he’s expected to extend an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for Francis to visit.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered remarks at a Wednesday evening “Mass for Peace” in St Peter’s Basilica. The pope’s top diplomat, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, celebrated the Mass.
In his homily, Parolin prayed for the “gift of peace” on the Korean peninsula so “after so many years of tensions and division, the word ‘peace’ can ring out fully”.
Moon spoke at the end of the service, saying the prayers offered there “will also resound as echoes of hope in the hearts of the people of the two Koreas as well as the people of the whole world who desire peace”.
“Our prayers today will turn into reality for sure,” the South Korean leader said. “We will achieve peace and overcome division without fail.”
Moon signed a broad agreement with Kim last month meant to reduce military tensions on the peninsula. Moon’s office has reported that during their summit, Kim said the pope would be “enthusiastically” welcomed in North Korea.
Moon also had an important role in setting up a June meeting between Kim and President Donald Trump that took place in Singapore, where they announced aspirational goals for a nuclear-free peninsula without describing how and when it would occur.