Pope Francis arrives in Kazakhstan, says he is ‘always ready’ to visit China

Pope Francis arrived in Kazakhstan on Tuesday at the start of a three-day trip to attend a peace meeting of world religious leaders. Speaking to reporters accompanying him on his flight to the central Asian republic, Francis was asked whether he might meet China’s President Xi Jinping in its capital Nur-Sultan, where both men will be on Wednesday. “I don’t have any news about that,” the Pope replied. Asked if he was ready to go to China, Francis responded: “I am always ready to go to China.”