Anglican archbishop meets S. Sudan’s Kiir, urges reconciliation

January 30, 2014 (JUBA) – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, on Thursday welcomed South Sudan’s reconciliatory approach to resolve the violence that hit the country in mid-December last year.

“I heard the sense of tumor and of loss that is afflicting the whole of South Sudan in the current crisis,” the Anglican Church head told reporters in the capital, Juba.

The Archbishop, who held a close-door meeting with South Sudan President Salva Kiir, also reiterated the latter’s commitment to restore peace and stability in the new nation following week’s of violence that killed and displaced thousands.

The renowned cleric will on Friday visit an Anglican Church in Bor, the capital of South Sudan’s Jonglei state, where unidentified gunmen recently killed 16 people.

Archbishop Justin, will as part of his five-day tour of the Great Lakes region, also visit Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to meet his fellow Archbishops of the Anglican Communion.

Meanwhile, Mark Loteri, South Sudan’s presidential advisor on religious affairs said the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury showed the world’s solidarity with the people of South Sudan.

“It [the visit] gives us hope for peace,” he told reporters in Juba Thursday.

During his first 18 months in office, the Archbishop reportedly plans to visit all his Anglican counterparts around the world to lay foundation for good collaboration in coming years.

(ST)