Concerned About The Condition Of The Korean People, Pope Francis Expressed His Wish To Visit North Korea

JAKARTA - World Catholic Church leader Pope Francis expressed his desire to visit North Korea. This visit was based on sympathy after the split between North and South Korea after the Korean War in 1950-1953.

This was expressed by Pope Francis during a meeting with Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik who heads Daejon Diocese at the Vatican. The Pope said on the occasion that the Korean people have suffered the pain of living apart for 70 years, the bishop said as quoted by Yonhap News Agency, Monday, April 26.

The senior South Korean bishop said Pope Francis will visit North Korea, once the relevant preparations have been completed. Previously, Pope Francis had expressed his willingness to visit North Korea.

In 2018, Pope Francis drew world attention along with his plans to visit North Korea, which was held in conjunction with a meeting held between South Korean President Moon Jae-in, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the then President of the United States Donald Trump.

In October of that year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in paid a courtesy call to Pope Francis and extended a verbal invitation from Kim Jong-un.

"If North Korea invites me, I will definitely respond, and I may be able to go", Pope Francis said according to the South Korean Presidential Office at the time, according to the Korea Times.

However, focus on the Papal visit to North Korea ended after the Hanoi summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in February 2019 ended without a signed agreement.

As previously reported, former Korean Ambassador to the Vatican Lee Baek-man expressed how eager Kim Jong-un was to meet Pope Francis. Lee described several moments that indicate North Korea's strong desire for Pope Francis to visit there.

In December 2018, a few weeks after Moon's meeting with the Pope in which the invitation to North Korea was mentioned, North Korean official Kim Yong-nam met with representatives of the Roman-based Catholic organization the Community of Sant'Egidio which provides humanitarian assistance to North Korea.

The former envoy also said he met North Korean diplomats during a reception at a church in Rome in February 2019, stressing that it is very rare for officials from the North Korean embassy to appear in public at a religious event.

"The Pope's visit to North Korea is not just a religious visit. It will be a breakthrough to open North Korea", he wrote.

Lee also said that the upcoming G20 summit in Rome, Italy later this year could include some important discussions on the issue of the Korean Peninsula.

"Pope Francis can meet with two key figures on the Korean Peninsula, President Moon and President of the United States Joe Biden. The Pope will not miss such a great opportunity. The Pope will consider it a blessing from God and there is a possibility that a good arbitration could be made through dialogue with two (the) leaders", he said.