Following a visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pope Francis arrived in the South Sudanese capital on Friday. With the Archbishop of Canterbury and moderator of the Church of Scotland, he embarked on an “ecumenical pilgrimage for peace” to the world’s youngest country in conflict.
Welcomed to chants and applause from the packed crowd, Pope Francis traveled from Juba International Airport to the Presidential Palace for the first meetings of his visit. Accompanied by Church of England leader Justin Welby and Church of Scotland minister Iain Greenshields, he spoke with Salva Kiir and his four Vice Presidents for over an hour and a half.
The South Sudanese president then addressed the representatives of the authorities, the diplomatic corps, and civil society gathered in the garden of the presidency. He admitted the delays in the timetable for the peace agreement while trying to defend the progress made. Having become independent in 2011, South Sudan descended into civil war in 2013. The peace agreement was signed in 2018, but its implementation is dragging on, and the violence continues.
Pope Francis then intervened and implored South Sudan’s leaders to “change direction”. “Enough bloodshed! He turned to them and urged them to walk the “crooked path” of peace. “Enough destruction, it’s time to build!” he insisted, calling for a “fair distribution of wealth” in a country where corruption is rife.”Future generations will honor or erase your names depending on what you do now,” he said.
The Pope’s visit will continue next Saturday, February 4th, with a meeting with the clergy in Santa Teresa, another with the expelled, and then an ecumenical prayer in the mausoleum of Jan Garang.