The pope said he would visit North Korea “if an official invitation arrives.”

"In recent months, the pope's prayer and blessing have given the Korean people great encouragement and hope on the path to peace," Moon wrote in L'Osservatore Romano.

The Miller Center at Santa Clara is just one institution in a broader network looking to make a positive social impact.

A group of Catholic nuns is holding a public protest in south India, demanding the arrest of a bishop whom one nun accused of rape.

It will be the pope’s fourth visit to Asia, the continent where he foresees growth for the Catholic Church in the 21st century.

Myanmar's military continues to persecute ethnic Kachin, the predominant Christian group in a conflict-torn part of the country, as well as Rohingya Muslims, said Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon, Myanmar.