Pope Visit South Sudan: Vatican Announced; Pope Francis Set to Visit Juba, South Sudan From Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th February 2023
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
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.