South Korean lawmakers are urging Pope Leo XIV to visit North Korea when he travels to the Korean Peninsula for World Youth Day in 2027, according to an Oct. 22 UCA News report.
The lawmakers presented the message in a formal letter during a visit to the Vatican this week, according to the outlet.
South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin Oct. 21 and discussed the request.
“If the Pope’s visit to North Korea is realized during his trip to Seoul, it would be a very significant symbol for world peace and peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Won-shik said, the outlet reported.
Park Jeong of the Democratic Party of Korea also attended the meeting. He recommended holding the closing Mass of Seoul World Youth Day in the demilitarized zone that runs through the border between North Korea and South Korea, which he described as “a place yearning for peace.”
Holding the Mass there “would symbolically express the message of peace, climate, and humanity’s common challenges,” he remarked.
During their Vatican visit the lawmakers also met with Cardinal You to discuss organizing World Youth Day 2027, the theme of which is “peace,” UCA News reported.
In July, South Korea President Lee Jae Myung spoke about such a visit during a conversation with Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, as CatholicVote previously reported.
According to a Korea JoongAng Daily report, Lee said to the cardinal July 7, “Since he cares deeply about peace on the Korean Peninsula, I wonder if he might consider stopping by North Korea on his way.”
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