President Lee Jae-myung on the 15th (local time) met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and asked for a visit to Korea for World Youth Day (WYD 2027), which will be held in Seoul next year.
World Youth Day is the Roman Catholic Church's largest youth festival, an international event where Catholic youth from around the world gather in Seoul to share faith and culture. Founded in 1985 by Pope John Paul II, it is the second time World Youth Day will be held in Asia and the first in a non-Catholic country.
Wi Sung-lac, director of the Office of National Security, said at a briefing that "the president asked the pope to attend World Youth Day in Seoul and explained the Korean public's expectations for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the government's plans."
The meeting was held one-on-one for about 30 minutes. It was reported that ways to improve inter-Korean relations and the broader international situation were also discussed. During this process, the possibility of the pope visiting North Korea was also mentioned.
The president then met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, and, citing the Bible verse "Knock, and it will be opened to you," said, "Inter-Korean relations require time and patience, but we will continue to make efforts."
In response, the Vatican side was said to have replied, "Not only patience but also hope is needed."
The Holy See explained in a separate release that "the meeting discussed the role of the Catholic Church in Korea's education and social welfare sectors, preparations for World Youth Day, and the international situation."
Meanwhile, after finishing the Vatican schedule, the president is scheduled to travel to Évian, France, where the Group of Seven (G7) summit will be held.
Regarding the U.S.-Korea summit being pursued on the sidelines of the G7, the presidential office said, "The possibility is open, but it is not at a stage of concrete progress."