Pope Francis will visit Pyongyang if invited, says South Korea’s President Moon, as Vatican rules out Taiwan trip
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would ‘ardently welcome’ Pope Francis, according to the South Korean president
Pope Francis is ready to visit North Korea if its leader, Kim Jong-un, extends a formal invitation, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday after meeting the pontiff, as the Vatican separately said a visit to Taiwan was not in the works.
Moon briefed the pontiff about his visit to Pyongyang in September when Kim had “expressed his wish to welcome the Pope into his country” saying he would “ardently” welcome him, the South Korean leader’s spokesman said.
“When President Moon asked the Pope if it would be all right for Kim to send an invitation … the Pope said: ‘What you just told me is enough, but it would be good if a formal invitation is sent’,” he said, speaking in Korean.
“If the invitation comes, I will definitely respond to that, and I can go,” he quoted the Pope as saying.
In a statement, the Vatican said: “Strong appreciation was expressed for the common commitment to fostering all useful initiatives to overcome the tensions that still exist in the Korean peninsula, in order to usher in a new season of peace and development.”
And Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said: “I can confirm that a verbal invitation was made.”