Pope Francis asked the leaders of South Sudan this Saturday for “a new advance” in favor of peace in the territory divided by power struggles and extreme poverty, as part of his visit to the country.
Accompanied by the heads of the churches of England and Scotland, representatives of the other two Christian denominations in the world’s youngest state, Francis said on Friday that the “tortuous path” of peace “cannot be postponed any longer” during a meeting very political before the authorities of the capital.
From 2013 to 2018, this country of 12 million people was plagued by a bloody civil war between supporters of two enemy leaders, Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, which killed 380,000 people.
Despite a peace agreement signed in 2018, violence continues and the country had 2.2 million internally displaced people in December due to conflicts and floods, according to figures released by the United Nations.
Francis told the religious men and women of South Sudan, where he arrived on Friday, that their first duty is to shake hands with this suffering people, in a meeting he had with the clergy in the cathedral of Santa Teresa, in the capital, Juba.
The Pope encouraged bishops, priests and religious to serve the people and unite their tears in a country hit by conflicts and humanitarian crises.
This Saturday, the Argentine Pope, very active in defending migrants, will meet with some displaced people. Some 4,000 people gathered very early, according to the authorities, to wait for the Pope in the courtyard of the Cathedral of Santa Teresa, many waving national flags, in a festive atmosphere.
“We came here to receive his blessing. Everything is a question of peace. Pope Francis can’t even walk, but he still comes here to encourage our leaders,” John Makuei, 24, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). years, who arrived before dawn so as not to miss “this historic day”.
The Pope arrived in South Sudan on Friday, as part of a visit that also took him to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Source: TSF
