[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] There is speculation that Pope Francis may visit Wuhan, Hubei Province, the origin of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), during his first visit to China.

On the 21st, Hong Kong Ming Pao, citing the Italian media 'La Verita,' reported that the Pope's visit to Wuhan is being secretly planned. It was reported that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, is promoting the Pope's visit to Wuhan, and plans to visit other Chinese cities such as Beijing after Wuhan are being considered. It is also known that the Italian government, which has close friendly relations with China, is actively supporting the Pope's visit to Wuhan.

If the Pope visits Wuhan, it will be his first visit to China. China severed relations with the Vatican in 1951 after establishing the communist regime.

However, in September 2018, the Vatican agreed to recognize seven bishops independently appointed by China, signaling a green light for the normalization of diplomatic relations. Additionally, the Vatican newspaper expressed gratitude on the 9th for China's support of COVID-19 prevention supplies, indicating signs of improving relations in various places.

However, Taiwan, which maintains diplomatic relations with the Vatican, dismissed the rumors about the Pope's planned visit to Wuhan as "unverified rumors." The Vatican has also not made any separate comments regarding the reports.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.