President Lee Holds One-on-One Meeting with Pope Leo XIV, Drawing Attention for Possible Request to Visit North Korea

[Financial News, Rome, Italy = Reporter Choi Jong-geun]President Lee Jae Myung, who is on an official visit to the Vatican City State, will hold a one-on-one meeting with Pope Leo XIV on the 15th (local time). He will also meet with Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of the Holy See. With the Pope's visit to South Korea scheduled for next year on the occasion of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day, attention is focused on whether Lee will ask Pope Leo XIV to visit North Korea.
During the private meeting, Lee is expected to express his willingness to contribute to global peace and solidarity, while also asking for the Pope's interest in peace on the Korean Peninsula. He may also request that Pope Leo XIV visit North Korea as part of efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Earlier, when Lee met Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik at The Blue House in July last year and heard that Pope Leo would visit South Korea, he said, "I thought it might be a good idea for him to stop by North Korea on the way here for peace on the Korean Peninsula," raising the possibility of a papal visit to North Korea.
After the one-on-one meeting with Pope Leo XIV, Lee will also meet with the Secretary of State of the Holy See.
The day before, Lee attended a special Mass for peace and solidarity at St. Peter's Basilica, celebrated by Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, who became the first Korean to be appointed head of the Dicastery for the Clergy.
In his commemorative remarks, Lee said, "We will do everything we can to build a sustainable peace regime beyond the armistice on the Korean Peninsula." He stressed, "We hope to create a virtuous cycle in which peace on the Korean Peninsula leads to world peace, and global solidarity in turn strengthens peace on the Korean Peninsula." He also said, "We make it clear that we do not pursue absorption-based unification or one-sided system competition," adding, "We will continue our efforts to prevent accidental clashes between the two Koreas and restore military trust. I ask you to pray with us so that the precious words of Isaiah 2:4 — 'They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks' — may be realized throughout the country."
cjk@fnnews.com Choi Jong-geun Reporter