Pope Francis received an offer to visit North Korea from President Moon Jae-in, who made an official visit to the Papal Palace at the Vatican on the 29th (local time), and once again expressed his intention to visit North Korea, saying, “If invited, I will gladly go.”
During a private meeting with Pope Francis at the papal palace on the same day, President Moon said, “If the Pope takes an opportunity to visit North Korea, it will be a momentum for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Koreans have high expectations,” said Park Kyung-mi, a spokesperson for the Blue House, at a written briefing.
In response, Pope Francis said, “If you send me an invitation, I will gladly go to help you and for peace. Aren’t you brothers who speak the same language? I am willing to go.”
Earlier, during a visit to the Vatican in 2018, President Moon proposed to Pope Francis to visit North Korea, and the Pope also said at the time, “I can go if an official invitation from North Korea arrives.”
In addition, President Moon and Pope Francis exchanged views on current global issues such as COVID-19 and climate change, Spokesperson Park said.
Following Pope Francis, President Moon also had a meeting with the Vatican Secretary of State Parolin.
Meanwhile, President Moon’s visit to the Papal Palace is the second time since 2018, and former Presidents Park Geun-hye, Lee Myung-bak, Roh Moo-hyun, and Kim Dae-jung visited the Vatican once during their tenure to prevent the pope.
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