Pope Francis on Thursday said he is willing to visit North Korea if he receives an official invite from the country, in comments made during a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Vatican.

Moon, currently midway through a European diplomatic tour, first raised the prospect of an invite to the Pope from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier in the month.

He also indicated last week that he intended to deliver a message from Kim “warmly welcoming” the Pope to Pyongyang during his visit to Rome.

The message, however, appears short of an official invitation.

“The message President