The Secretary of State of the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is expected in Juba on Monday 14 August for a four-day working visit to South Sudan.

The visit of the second highest leader at the Vatican was announced at a press conference by Cardinal-designate Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, the Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Juba Archdioces on Saturday evening.

According to Ameyu, Parolin’s visit is a follow-up to the Pope’s recent visit to South Sudan, and he will meet President Salva Kiir and his deputy to push for the implementation of the peace agreement. Parolin is also expected to visit the dioceses of Malakal and Rumbek.

“He is coming to follow up some tasks that were given and those tasks are clear in our minds as both the government and church. We are here emphasizing the question of comprehensive peace among the people, the peace that was signed in Addis Ababa, the Revitalized Peace Agreement. So far it has not yet been implemented systematically and there are flaws concerning this agreement and so it has to be followed,” Amyeu said. “When the Holy Father came, he said to us, particularly the government that the people of South Sudan should be together, work together.”

“He said togetherness will be the one that can bring you peace and he (Pope) repeated the word together three times because togetherness means unity, togetherness means we can experience peace among ourselves and togetherness means there is a kind of friendly atmosphere among us,” he added.

According to the Prelate, after meeting President Kiir and senior government officials, Cardinal Parolin will visit some senior clergymen including Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir, and plant some trees at St. Theresa Cathedral.

Ameyu said the Vatican Secretary of State wants his visit to be treated privately with very few clergymen and women to receive him at the airport on Monday at around 10 am.    

 “He (Cardinal Parolin) would like this visit to be treated more privately and does not like a big reception. However, there will be some clergymen, a few religious sisters, and brothers to go and meet him at the airport as he arrives, then he will be brought to the Vatican Embassy and the other itineraries will follow,” he explained. “The visit is particularly for the Diocese of Malakal where he has been invited by the Bishop of Malakal, His Lordship Stephen Nyodo Ador, to come and see for himself the situation in Malakal. All of us are familiar with the situation in Malakal, the natural disasters, flooding, and many other things and man-made disasters”

“Also, there is a window of opportunity of peace so he will like to go and see Malakal, and then from there he will proceed to Rumbek and he will come back here and immediately fly out on 17 August to Rome,” Ameyu added.