Pope Francis to visit Juba in July

Pope Francis has declared his apostolic visit to South Sudan on July 5, 2022, the Vatican representative announced yesterday.

The pope has divided his seven days’ visits to Africa war-ravaged countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan in a ratio of 4:3 respectively and will commence in the first month of the second quarter of 2022.

Monsignor Ionut Paul Strejac, Charge d’Affaires of the Vatican Nunciature in South Sudan said the Pope’s visit to South Sudan has been part of his prayers for about five years.

“I would like to make the official announcement which is released in the very moment in the Vatican that the invitation of the respective heads of state and bishops, His Holiness Pope Francis will make an apostolic journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo from the second to fifth of July, 2022 visiting the city of Kinshasa and Ngoma and to South Sudan from the fifth to seventh of July, 2022, visiting Juba,” he said.

The pope will be expected to be accompanied by other church leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Moderator General of Presbyterian Church.

Upon announcing the planned visits of the pope, the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin said President Salva Kiir, and the government will be glad to welcome the man of God to the country.

Government happy   

“On behalf of the President of the Republic of South Sudan, His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, and his government and the people of South Sudan … the government is extremely happy to hear that our grace and his holiness Pope Francis will be visiting the Republic of South Sudan in the city of Juba,”

“The government and leadership are prepared and willing to give a great warm welcome that the people of South Sudan have been waiting for, for so many years. So, we are asking our Christians population across the whole country to receive his holiness the pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Moderator General of Presbyterian Church that are coming to see the Christian population in this country,” Dr. Marial said.

Dr. Marial said the security of South Sudan and Juba, in particular, was stable and will continue to be by the moment of the pope’s visit and his delegation to the country.

“The government is willing to cooperate with church leadership and the Vatican to see that this visit becomes successful. The government is 100 per cent sure that the security of this country is stable and we will be happy that the Pope comes and visit us,” he assured.

Pope Francis’s visit will mark the first head of the Catholic Church to visit Christians’ majority country, South Sudan since it gained independence in July 2011.

His first schedule in 2017 when South Sudan experienced rampant insecurity was cancelled due to the insecurity at the time.