A Vatican spokesman announced on Wednesday that Pope Francis is considering visiting South Korea in August to speak with young Catholics, Reuters reported.
The Pontiff's trip to South Korea would be his first journey to Asia, where membership of the Catholic Church is reportedly on the rise. He was specifically invited to come during Asian Youth Day -- a regional version of the Church's global youth festival -- scheduled from Aug. 10 - 17 in Daejon.
In addition, Father Federico Lombardi said the Pope is thinking about visits to the Phillippines and Sri Lanka as well, though they would not occur this year.
Last summer, Francis told a group of reporters that he wanted to visit Asia since Pope Benedict XVI never made a trip during his papacy.
According to Church numbers, Catholics are 10 percent of the population in South Korea, which Pope John Paul II visited twice. Additionally, the amount of Catholics has grown about 3 percent each year for the past 11 years.
If Francis decides to travel to South Korea, it would be his third international trip so far. In July, he visited Brazil and is scheduled to see sites in the Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank this May.
Lombardi added that Francis was invited to visit Sarajevo to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, but has not planned a trip so far. The Pontiff also received an invitation to visit Uganda, but no word on whether or not he'll go.
While possible travel plans were being discussed midweek, the Pope decided to focus on a separate issue on Wednesday, tweeting support for an anti-abortion walk in Washington, D.C.
"I join the March for Life in Washington with my prayers. May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable," he said on his Twitter account.
