Pope Francis arrived in South Korea on Thursday, the first visit by a pontiff to Seoul in 25 years, carrying a message of peace and reconciliation for the divided Korean Peninsula.
The five-day visit, his first to Asia since taking over the papacy from his predecessor Benedict XVI in March 2013, is also seen as a reflection of the Vatican’s emphasis on the small but growing Catholic flocks in South Korea and other Asian countries, according to (Yonhap) news agency.
Pope Francis is scheduled to hold talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye and deliver speeches at a separate session in the presidential office, according to Park’s office.
Park and the pope “are likely to discuss humanitarian issues,” not political ones during their meeting, presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook told reporters.
On his final day, the pontiff is to celebrate a Mass for peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula at Seoul’s Myeongdong Cathedral and deliver a message of peace for the divided Koreas and East Asia.