Pope to make 'historic' peaceful pilgrimage to South Sudan with Archbishop of Canterbury

(livingchurch.org)

Pope Francis I is going on a "historic" peaceful pilgrimage to South Sudan with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the new moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, PA MEDIA reports.

Religious leaders will travel to South Sudan in July at the invitation of President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

They will meet with him and his five vice presidents in Juba, the country's capital.

Francis the First, Rev. Justin Welby and Rev. Dr. Ian Greenshields will meet with residents of the refugee camp and lead an open-air prayer vigil for peace. They will also meet with local church leaders.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, but civil war broke out two years later. A peace agreement was signed in 2018, but the country's economy is still on the brink of collapse. The country continues to suffer from armed conflict, violence, floods and famine.