On Thursday, October 18,2018, Pope Francis received a verbal invitation from South Korean President Moon Jae-in from Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un. And does not rule out a potential trip.
Pope Francis expressed his willingness to visit Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea and explained that he will consider the trip after receiving an official invitation. This was stated by the spokesman of South Korean President Moon Jae-in immediately after the audience that the leader of Seoul had with the Pope at the end of the morning of Thursday, October 18, 2018. "Pope Francis - reads a statement from the Korean press agency YonHap News - expressed his willingness Thursday to visit North Korea if officially invited, also saying he will "certainly" respond to such an invitation from the communist state”. The comment arrived during a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who handed over to the Pope a verbal invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the Pope to visit Pyongyang.
"The Pope said: "I will unconditionally give an answer if an (official) invitation arrives and I can goˮ, told reporters the head of Moon's press office, Yoon Young-chan. Moon asked if he could tell the head of North Korea to send an official delegate to invite the Pope. The Pope replied that the verbal invitation sent by President Moon should be sufficient but that an official invitation would also be nice".
During the talks, the spokesman of Moon informs, Francis said to support the commitment to peace in the Korean peninsula. " I strongly support the South Korean government's efforts that are pushing for a peace process on the Korean Peninsula”. Korean priest Han Hyun-taek participated in the meeting behind closed doors as interpreter. According to President Moon's spokesman, Bergoglio agreed that his words, usually considered confidential in this type of audience, should be reported. " Move forward without stopping. Do not be afraid", added the Pontiff.
"During the cordial discussions - the Holy See communiqué reports, which makes no explicit reference to Kim Jong-un's invitation - the parties evoked the good bilateral relations and the positive contribution offered by the Church in the social, education and healthcare sectors, as well as the promotion of dialogue and reconciliation between Koreans. 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. Finally, some matters of a regional nature were discussed”.
The private meeting between Francis and the President of South Korea lasted 35 minutes. The audience was almost an hour in total. As is tradition, after the private audience, the meeting with the official South Korean delegation followed. The atmosphere of the meeting was cordial and relaxed, Moon and the Pope appeared in harmony so much so that even at the time of the exchange of gifts they continued to talk to each other. Presenting himself before the Pope who welcomed him, Moon replied: "I come as a Korean head of state, but I am Catholic, my baptismal name is Timothy and it is an honor to meet you. I know you are busy, you have little time these days, thank you for finding a moment for me while the Synod continues".
Moon gave Francis a sculpture with the face of Jesus made by a famous Korean artist, pointing to the thorn crown, he said: "These are the sufferings of the Korean people. And he also gave a green marble statue of Our Lady: "This is the typical face of the Korean woman," explained President Moon Jae-in, who told the Pope that he had read some of his books citing in particular "This economy kills.
Pope Bergoglio reciprocated with the traditional olive medallion, a symbol - he said - of the "desire for peace" in Korea, and a large painting of St. Peter's Square from 1700. He then delivered in an envelope the message for World Day of Peace 2018 and the main documents of his pontificate. Before saying goodbye, on his way to the door, the Pope asked the wife of the president: "Pray for me". Moon added: "You are not only the head of the Catholic Church, but a master for humanity". Immediately afterwards Moon met the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, who yesterday in Saint Peter's had celebrated a mass for peace in Korea.
