The current leader of the Roman Catholic church will be heading to the country recently named the happiest in the world in 2017.

The affable pontiff's future destination appeared to fit his jovial nature as it was revealed that he will be visiting Colombia next year, which had previously been reported months before the recent confirmation. However, the visit apparently stems from the pontiff's deep concern for a rather somber side of the country's state of affairs.

In response to the announcement, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos said via Twitter that the citizens will "receive him with enthusiasm and in peace," as translated by Fox News Latino.

While no specific dates have been mentioned yet, the trip is believed to coincide with the pontiff's plan to visit Brazil in time for the Virgin of Aparecida's 300th anniversary.

In April 2015, as per Reuters, the Vatican had said that Pope Francis will be visiting Colombia during a Latin American tour. No date had been mentioned then.

This report emerged after the Vatican sent Colombia a letter regarding the visit, inviting the nation's leaders, who are Catholic, to "be collaborators in the construction of peace," as stated in the letter.

The reference to peace was connected to the negotiations the Colombian government had undertaken with the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). As such, it is understood that the pontiff's visit will touch on this issue.

Late last year, Pope Francis had spoken about the long-running war between the Colombian government and the rebels, saying that failure is not an option in the negotiations, which has reached its third year. The ongoing war is considered the longest ever in Latin America, having killed at least 200,000 people since it began in 1964.

"We do not have the right to allow ourselves yet another failure," he was quoted by The Guardian as saying during his visit to Cuba last year. "May the bloodshed by thousands of innocent people during long decades of armed conflict... sustain all the efforts being made, including those on this beautiful island, to achieve definitive reconciliation."

Despite the fact that Pope Francis had not met with the rebels, Farc leaders are said to be hopeful that the pontiff's call for peace will give a boost to the negotiations.

"We're sure many people (in Colombia) now see the peace-building process with more hope," noted Pastor Alape, a senior rebel commander.

The Colombian president, during his Vatican visit last year, had been told by Pope Francis of the latter's continued praying for the peace process.

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