Pope Francis to visit South Korea

It’s official: Pope Francis is going to South Korea. A statement from the Press Office of the Holy See on Monday confirmed that the Holy Father will be traveling to the Republic of Korea from August 14th to August 18th. “Welcoming the invitation from the President of the Republic and the Korean bishops,” the statement reads, “His Holiness Pope Francis will make an Apostolic Voyage to the Republic of Korea from 14 to 18 August 2014, on the occasion of the Sixth Asian Youth Day, to be held in the diocese of Daejeon.” No further details of the trip were immediately available, though the Holy Father has received invitations from, and spoken of his desire to visit a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Sri Lanka.