SOUTH SUDAN: Pope Francis’ Postponed Visit to South Sudan now Scheduled for February 2023, Itinerary Unveiled

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA and Ginaba Lino

After cancellation of his trip to South Sudan that was slated for July 2022 and postponed to a later date, Pope Francis has now rescheduled the Apostolic journey to next year as Vatican unveils the official program.

According to the program published Thursday, December 1, the Pope is expected to depart from Kinshasa “Ndjili” International Airport to Juba, South Sudan on Friday, February 3, in the morning together with the Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Rev. Jim Wallace, who will be part of the “Ecumenical Peace Pilgrimage to the South Sudanese Land and People.”

The Church leaders will arrive in South Sudan in the afternoon of Friday and have a welcoming ceremony at the airport for 45-minute before proceeding to the Presidential palace in Juba for a courtesy visit to the President of the Republic of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit.

The Pope together with the other leaders will then meet the vice-Presidents of the country at the Presidential Palace in Juba and later in the evening address the authorities of the nation, those from the civil society and the diplomatic corps at the garden of the Presidential Palace in Juba.

On Saturday, February 4, in the morning, the Holy Father will address the bishops, priests, Religious and seminarians at the Cathedral of Saint Theresa, and later have a private meeting with the members of the Society of Jesus in the Apostolic Nunciature in Juba.

Later in the evening of Saturday, he will then meet with the internally displaced people in the Freedom hall and finally end the day with Ecumenical prayer at John Garang Mausoleum together with Archbishop Welby and Rev. Wallace.

On Sunday, February 5, his last day of ecumenical trip in the country, the Pope will preside over Holy Mass at John Garang Mausoleum, and share homily with the Christians and all people of South Sudan. Mid-morning, he is expected to have a 30-minute farewell ceremony at Juba International airport and then depart back to Rome.

Pope Francis had postponed his visit to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at doctor’s request.

In a statement by the Holy See Press published June 10, just few weeks to his historic visit which was to be in July, the Vatican officials wrote, “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.”

During the earlier preparations, the logo and motto of the visit drawn from the Gospel of St. John the Apostle when Jesus prayed to the Father had been unveiled which states, “I pray that all may be one.”

Additionally the icons in the already designed logo includes “a dove, the outline of the map of South Sudan with the colours of the flag, the cross, and two clasping hands in a firm handshake.”