Pope Francis arrives in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for his weekly general audience, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. (Alessandra Tarantino/Associated Press)VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis said Wednesday he hopes to visit Japan next year, a trip that would enable him to draw attention to both the legacy of Christian martyrs centuries ago and survivors of the atomic bombs in 1945. “Taking advantage of this visit, I want to announce my hope to visit Japan next year. Any papal visit to Japan would certainly include a visit to the Museum of the 26 Martyrs and monument in Nagasaki at the site where 26 Christians were killed in 1597. St. John Paul II was the first pope to visit Japan, in 1981.

Source: Washington Post September 12, 2018 08:39 UTC