Allies of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a Catholic, “acknowledge that direct papal intervention is unlikely,” the Washington Post reported. “Francis has said nothing about the notion of going to Pyongyang, but he was quoted by the Blue House — the South Korean presidential palace — as being willing to go, in the name of peace, ‘if he received an invitation’ from Kim Jong Un’s [North Korean] government.”

Although nuclear talks have stalled, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on December 13 that North Korea, China, and the United States have agreed in principle to declare an official end to the Korean War (1950-53).