Pope tells Asia's communist nations not to fear Christians

Pope Francis delivers an address during a meeting at the Spirituality Center in Kkottongnae in Eumseong August 16, 2014.REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

HAEMI South Korea (Reuters) - Pope Francis, in remarks clearly intended for communist-ruled countries such as China, North Korea and Vietnam, said on Sunday that Asian governments should not fear Christians as they did not want to "come as conquerors" but be integral parts of local cultures.

Francis made his comments, some of them unscripted, in an address to about 70 bishops from 35 Asian countries gathered in the town of Haeme, south of Seoul, on the next-to-last day of his trip to South Korea.