While reciting the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis said he wishes to visit South Sudan next year.
According to the Vatican News, Pope Francis told the faithful at St. Peter’s Square to pray for South Sudan.
South Sudan descended into civil wars shortly after it gained independence in 2011, killing about 400,000 people and displacing more than 4 million South Sudanese.
The Vatican News quotes the Pope as saying, “to all those involved in the national political process to seek what unites and to overcome what divides, in a spirit of true brotherhood.”
“The South Sudanese people have suffered too much in recent years and look forward with great hope to a better future, especially the definitive end of conflicts and lasting peace. I, therefore, urge those responsible to continue, tirelessly, with their commitment to an inclusive dialogue in the search for consensus for the good of the nation,” he added.
Last April, Pope Francis kissed the feet of South Sudanese leaders attending a spiritual retreat at the Vatican, pleading with them to alleviate the suffering of South Sudanese.
The head of the Catholic Church further called on the international community to accompany South Sudan on the path to national reconciliation and peace.
This is the second time Pope Francis has expressed interest to visit South Sudan. In 2017, the security situation could not allow.