The Pope stressed the need for interreligious dialogue and peace in a meeting with the Korean Council of Religious Leaders on Saturday.
This comes as North Korea continues to develop and test nuclear weapons, which has created serious tension among world leaders. The US, Russia, and North Korea’s closest neighbours Japan, South Korea and China have all condemned the regime’s weapons development. The UN has already imposed trade sanctions on the country.
North Korean government officials confirmed that a blast that caused a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on Sunday was due to a hydrogen bomb being tested.
The Pontiff told the council in the Vatican that “dialogue must always be both open and respectful if it is to be fruitful”.
He said the world looks to the Church to show commitment to: “The sacred dignity of the human person, the hunger and poverty which still afflicts too many people, the rejection of violence, in particular that violence which profanes the name of God and desecrates religion, the corruption that gives rise to injustice, moral decay, and the crisis of the family, of the economy and, not least of all, the crisis of hope.”
Pope Francis added that there is a long journey ahead, which must be taken with humility and perseverance and, “not just by raising our voices but by rolling up our sleeves, to sow the hope of a future in which humanity becomes more human”.