The Holy See Press Office on Friday afternoon announced that Pope Francis is postponing his Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, which was originally scheduled for early July.
“Pope Francis has been forced to postpone his upcoming Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan to a later date, which is yet to be determined,” Vatican News said.
The trip to the African continent was originally scheduled to take place in the first week of July.
Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, made the announcement on Friday.
“At the request of his doctors, and in order not to jeopardize the results of the therapy that he is undergoing for his knee, the Holy Father has been forced to postpone, with regret, his Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and to South Sudan, planned for 2 to 7 July, to a later date to be determined,” he said.
The Apostolic Journey to Africa was to include two stops in the DRC – in the capital, Kinshasa, and the city of Goma – and a visit to Juba, the capital of South Sudan.