AKIPRESS.COM - Pope Francis said Friday he plans to visit Mongolia, the world's most sparsely populated sovereign country.

The Pope said in an impromptu address to staff at the Italian airline that operates the plane for his international travels that he would be heading to Mongolia after scheduled trips to Hungary and France in the coming months.

"In two weeks, I will go on my 41st pilgrimage, to Hungary. And then there will be Marseille, then Mongolia," Francis said at an audience in Vatican with ITA Airways on April 14.

The journey to Mongolia will make Pope Francis the first pope to visit this Asian country.