Pope Francis postpones planned visit to South Sudan
June 10, 2022 (JUBA) – The Vatican announced on Friday the cancellation of Pope Francis’s scheduled visit to South Sudan due to knee problems.
The papal visit was slated to take place in early July. He was expected to be accompanied by the two other heads of Anglican and Presbyterian churches.
A statement from the Holy See on Friday afternoon announced that Pope Francis would not undertake Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, which was originally scheduled for early July.
“Pope Francis has been forced to postpone his upcoming Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan to a later date, which is yet to be determined,” partly reads a statement seen by Sudan Tribune.
The trip to the African continent was originally scheduled to take place in the first week of July.
Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, made the announcement on Friday.
“At the request of his doctors, and in order not to jeopardize the results of the therapy that he is undergoing for his knee, the Holy Father has been forced to postpone, with regret, his Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and to South Sudan, planned for 2 to 7 July, to a later date to be determined,” he said.
The Apostolic Journey to Africa was to include two stops in the DRC – in the capital, Kinshasa, and the city of Goma – and a visit to Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
The latest decision to defer the visit comes amid near-complete preparation for his reception. The South Sudanese government and the office of the president had prepared for a high-level reception.
President Salva Kiir’s office and officials from the host state of central Equatoria had drawn and put in place strategies and security measures aimed at providing protection to the pope and those accompanying him on the religious and pastoral visit. Officials had divided roles in preparation for reception.
Previous visits were cancelled in part for security purposes.
The latest decision is attributed to health as his doctors advised him to follow his treatment. Pope suffers from sciatica, a condition that has left him limping when presiding over pastoral functions and events.
It has caused him to use a wheelchair during recent events. At an audience at the Vatican in May, Francis was seen struggling to stand on his feet, resulting in him relying on the support of the aides to get out of the wheelchair and onto his seat.
Suffering from severe pain in his right knee, the Argentine pontiff has been in a wheelchair since the beginning of May and has announced that he will have to undergo infiltrations and injections of corticoid-based anti-inflammatory drugs.
No official statement was released from neither the office of the president nor the office of the governor of Central State.
َAlso, it remains unclear whether preparations including beautification of some areas and naming of some streets and places in Juba town in honour of the Pope would continue to be undertaken or if a decision will be made to halt such activities.
The office of the president had dedicated a budget in preparation.
Analysts are keen to stress that the visit would have bolstered the standing of president Salva Kiir who has been wishing it to take place while still in power.
(ST)