Rome, August 19 (RHC) -- Pope Francis has no plans to meet with representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) during his visit to Cuba in September, a Vatican source reported today.

Father Ciro Benedettini, one of the spokesmen for the Holy See, said: "The Pope's Cuba agenda does not include a meeting with FARC representatives."

Benedettini responded to requests from the press to confirm if the meeting would take place, following a formal petition by the rebel group to the Vatican.

The Argentinian Pope Francis plans to visit the Caribbean island from September 19th to the 22nd, as part of a regional tour that will also take him to the United States.

Since 2012, the FARC and the Colombian government have been conducting talks in Cuba, to seek a negotiated solution to a conflict of more than 50 years, which has killed nearly 220,000 people.