Pope Francis Expresses Desire and Willingness to Visit North Korea

Pope Francis has expressed his desire to visit North Korea and his sympathy for the Korean people who have been divided since the Korean War, according to South Korean Bishop Lazarus Yoo Heung-sik. Bishop Heung-sik, who heads the Daejeon Diocese, stated to the South Korean news agency "Yonhap" that the Pope confirmed during a meeting at the Vatican that he would visit North Korea if the necessary preparations were completed, noting that the Korean people have suffered the pain of division for seventy years. The Pope had previously shown his desire and willingness to visit the North. Attention was drawn to a papal trip to Pyongyang in 2018, during a climate of peace fostered by three summits between the Koreas and a historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then U.S. President Donald Trump. In October of that year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in contacted the Pope and conveyed Kim’s verbal invitation for him to visit Pyongyang. The Pope stated at that time that he was ready to visit the North if Pyongyang sent him an official invitation. However, no progress has been made since the Hanoi summit between Kim and Trump in 2019 ended without an agreement.