Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Thailand and Japan this November, according to an unconfirmed report on La Croix International, an independent Catholic magazine.
If the report is confirmed, he will become only the second pope to visit Thailand following St. John Paul II, who met King Bhumibol Adulyadej on May 10, 1984, during an apostolic visit to Bangkok, the report added.
His visit will coincide with the 350th year anniversary of the presence of the Roman Catholic Church in Thailand. As of 2018, there are 379,975 Catholics in Thailand, a figure that represents 0.46% of the total Thai population of 69 million. There are 11 dioceses with 436 parishes and 662 priests.
Meanwhile, the pope is due to visit Tokyo, Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan from Nov. 23-26.
Source: La Croix International