The hand of friendship North Korea Pope Francis said that if Pyongyang invited him, he would not hesitate to visit the country and work for the good of the world.

“When they invite me – and I beg them to invite me – I will not refuse. The goal is just to have a brotherhood,” the pontiff said in an interview with South Korea’s state television channel KBS.

The Pope repeatedly urged Koreans to “work for peace.” “You, the people of Korea, have been affected by the war,” he said.

When he visited South Korea in 2014, he led the movement to reunite the two countries.

In 2018, Francis’ visit to North Korea came under scrutiny when former South Korean President Moon Jae-in began a round of talks with Kim Jong-un.

At the time, Moon, a Catholic, said that during the meeting, the North Korean leader told him that he would “enthusiastically” host the pontiff in his country. The Pope replied that he would accept a formal invitation.

However, later Pyongyang broke off contacts with Seoul. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since then, especially after the election of new South Korean President Yoon Seok-gyeol in May.

Christianity in North Korea

The North Korean constitution allows for secularism but prohibits any religious activity except in “government-sanctioned” institutions and churches.

In the early 20th century, before the division of the peninsula, Pyongyang was a religious and missionary center with many churches and a rich Christian community. It was even called the “Jerusalem of the East”.

However, Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea and grandfather of Kim Jong-un, saw Christianity as a threat and quickly eradicated it from the country.

The regime has since allowed Catholic organizations to conduct humanitarian operations in the country, but relations with the Vatican have ended.

According to AFP