Pope Meets Japanese Prime Minister Kishida: "Opposes Possession and Use of Nuclear Weapons"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] On the 4th (local time), Pope Francis reaffirmed his critical stance on the threat of nuclear weapons during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

According to Vatican News, the official media of the Holy See, the Pope met with Prime Minister Kishida, who visited the Vatican that morning, for about 25 minutes. This was the first time since 2014 that the Japanese Prime Minister met the Pope at the Vatican.

During the meeting, the Pope once again emphasized his opposition to the possession and use of nuclear weapons, a position he has maintained since his enthronement in 2013. Kyodo News reported that Prime Minister Kishida and Pope Francis agreed to cooperate in realizing a world without nuclear weapons. They also shared a resolve to end the invasion and restore peace, condemning the killing of civilians related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Kishida criticized North Korea's ballistic missile launches that day and expressed concerns about nuclear and missile development to the Pope. He also requested cooperation to resolve the issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese citizens.

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