Pope Francis may visit South Sudan in “next few months”

February 7, 2022 (VATICAN) – Pope Francis may undertake his much anticipated, but delayed trip to South Sudan in “the next few months”, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury announced on February 6.

The visit, where Welby is expected to accompany the Pope, is to encourage peace in a country recovering from a civil war and humanitarian crisis.

“God willing, sometime in the next few months, perhaps year, we will go and see them in Juba, not in Rome, and see what progress can be made,” explained Welby.

In 2017, plans by both the Pope and the Archbishop failed, owing to the violent conflict and deteriorating conditions in the world’s newest nation.

In April 2019, the head of Roman Catholic Church hosted a five-member delegation of South Sudanese leaders for a retreat at the Vatican, knelt and kissed their feet while urging them not to return the country to civil war.

“I could see tears running down their faces,” Welbly recalled, adding “Tears were running down every face there, including the BBC cameraman.”

“I won’t say the war ended, but it was the turning point,” he stressed.

In December last year, the Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, traveled to Juba and met the country’s political and religious leaders.

(ST)