Pope Francis expresses willingness to visit North Korea if officially invited
- 6 years ago
We begin this morning with the South Korean President's tour of Europe.
On Thursday, President Moon Jae-in was at the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Francis.
The pope said he "strongly" backed the Korean peace process, telling President Moon to march ahead without stopping.
An unprecedented papal visit to Pyeongyang could also be on the cards.
Shin Se-min reports.
Pope Francis may soon become the first Pontiff to ever step foot in North Korea.
Meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for an hour at the Vatican on Thursday, Pope Francis expressed his willingness to visit Pyeongyang if officially invited,… adding he will (quote) "unconditionally give answer" and will "certainly" respond to such an invitation.
Such a positive response coming as President Moon verbally relayed a message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that was exchanged during last month's third inter-Korean summit of the year in Pyeongyang.
Discussing peace on the divided Korean Peninsula, Pope Francis told President Moon to (quote) "Move forward without stopping" and said (quote) Don't be afraid."
He also reiterated his strong support for the South Korean government's efforts to lead the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.
President Moon thanked Pope Francis for his support, saying he always reminds himself of the pope's message - that dialogue can resolve all conflicts - whenever he and the country faced a critical moment trying to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.
These snippets of conversation between the pope and a world leader would normally remain private, but South Korea's presidential office said the Vatican agreed to make a special exception this time, even revealing parts of what the pope told President Moon.
"The president has checked off three of the five countries on the his tour,… most of which he's spent upgrading bilateral ties and getting European countries on board his peace train.
The remainder of the president's trip takes him to the Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, here in Belgium and the P4G Copenhagen Summit in Denmark.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News, Brussels."
On Thursday, President Moon Jae-in was at the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Francis.
The pope said he "strongly" backed the Korean peace process, telling President Moon to march ahead without stopping.
An unprecedented papal visit to Pyeongyang could also be on the cards.
Shin Se-min reports.
Pope Francis may soon become the first Pontiff to ever step foot in North Korea.
Meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for an hour at the Vatican on Thursday, Pope Francis expressed his willingness to visit Pyeongyang if officially invited,… adding he will (quote) "unconditionally give answer" and will "certainly" respond to such an invitation.
Such a positive response coming as President Moon verbally relayed a message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that was exchanged during last month's third inter-Korean summit of the year in Pyeongyang.
Discussing peace on the divided Korean Peninsula, Pope Francis told President Moon to (quote) "Move forward without stopping" and said (quote) Don't be afraid."
He also reiterated his strong support for the South Korean government's efforts to lead the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.
President Moon thanked Pope Francis for his support, saying he always reminds himself of the pope's message - that dialogue can resolve all conflicts - whenever he and the country faced a critical moment trying to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.
These snippets of conversation between the pope and a world leader would normally remain private, but South Korea's presidential office said the Vatican agreed to make a special exception this time, even revealing parts of what the pope told President Moon.
"The president has checked off three of the five countries on the his tour,… most of which he's spent upgrading bilateral ties and getting European countries on board his peace train.
The remainder of the president's trip takes him to the Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, here in Belgium and the P4G Copenhagen Summit in Denmark.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News, Brussels."