by Filippo Boulila
NUR-SULTAN (Reuters) – Pope Francis said Tuesday he was ready to go to China at any time, but he hasn’t heard of speculation that he could meet Chinese President Xi Jinping while in Kazakhstan.
The Pope arrived in Kazakhstan after a six-hour flight from Rome, starting a three-day visit to attend a peace meeting of religious leaders from around the world.
The Pope, who has a knee problem, entered the arrivals hall in a wheelchair.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received the pope briefly at the airport before the pope took a small white car to the presidential palace for a private meeting with the head of state.
Speaking to reporters traveling with him on the flight, Pope Francis was asked if he would meet the Chinese president in the capital, Nur-Sultan, where the two men will be on Wednesday.
“I have no news on this”, the Pope replied, without going into depth.
When asked if he is ready to go to China, he replied: “I am always ready to go to China.”
The Pope tries to improve the historically bad relations between the Holy See and China. He told Reuters in an interview in July that he hoped to renew a secret and controversial agreement on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China.
Xi will visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from September 14-16, his first official visit to another country since China closed its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You are expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan.
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