ENGLISH DEYEA NEWS

by Mizzima | New Delhi - His highness Pope Benedict XVI told the Burmese Archbishop Charles Maung Bo that he is prepared to visit military-ruled Burma if he ever undertakes an Asian tour, reports said.

The Union of Catholic Asia News (UCA), said the possibility of the Pope's visit to Burma came up at an audience the archbishop had with the Pope on October 23.

"The Holy Father at once pointed out that I had invited him to Burma during my synod intervention," Archbishop Charles Maung Bo told UCA News, "He would be ready to make a short visit to Myanmar [Burma] if he chooses to visit one of the countries in Asia."

But the Press Office at the Vatican City said they had no knowledge of immediate plans by the Pope of making a visit to Asia.

"We are not aware of any near future plan of the Pope to visit Asia," an official at the Vatican Press Office told Mizzima on Tuesday.

The Burmese archbishop, Charles Maung Bo last month met the Pope privately during his visit to Rome as part of the ad limina visit every bishop is expected to make once in five years to report to the Pope and Vatican officials on the situation in his diocese and country.

Pope Benedict has visited 10 countries since his election in April 2005—six European countries and Turkey, which straddles Europe and Asia, as well as Australia, Brazil and the United States.

A visit by the papal, the UCA, citing diplomatic sources in Vatican, said requires an invitation from the local bishops' conference and the national government's invitation or willingness to receive him, since he is a head of state.

Burma has three million Christians, comprising about 6 per cent of the more than 50 million people of the country. And about 700,000 of the Christian population belong to the Catholic Church.