In February 1981, Pope John Paul II became the first leader of the Catholic Church to visit Japan.
Thirty-five years on, the Vatican is believed to be considering another papal visit, scheduled around the time Pope Francis plans to attend a Catholic festival in Indonesia between July 30 and Aug. 6 next year, according to comments made in July by Antoine Camilleri, the Vatican's undersecretary for relations with states, at a meeting with Katsuyuki Kawai, an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
If a papal visit is confirmed, the government would likely encourage Francis to visit Hiroshima, one of the country's two atomic-bombed cities. Such a visit would mirror a similar trip John Paul II took in 1981.
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