Pope Francis Invited to <br />North Korea by Kim Jong Un The invitation to visit Pyongyang will be delivered by South Korean president <br />Moon Jae-in, who will be in the Vatican next week <br />during a trip to Europe. The gesture is reportedly designed to highlight peace efforts in the <br />Korean peninsula. No other pope, other than the late <br />Pope John Paul II, has ever been <br />invited to North Korea. Kim Jong Il invited John Paul in 2000, but a trip never happened. North Korea and the Vatican have no <br />formal diplomatic relations. North Korea's constitution promises a "right to faith," and state-controlled churches do exist. However, human rights activists say this is all <br />largely for show.
