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The Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has said the planned ecumenical visit to be undertaken alongside Pope Francis and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields later this week is “historic”.
The planned Papal ecumenical visit to South Sudan that the Holy See confirmed on December 1 signals the possibility for peace and reconciliation in the world’s youngest nation, a Catholic Missionary Nun in the country has said.
The planned ecumenical visit to South Sudan to be undertaken by Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields in February 2023 provides an opportunity to reflect on “peace and stability,” the Catholic Archbishop in the country has said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland have, in separate messages, assured the people of God in South Sudan that their ecumenical pilgrimage that was postponed will be realized.
The representative of the Holy Father in South Sudan has said that the planned ecumenical visit to the East-Central African nation is “a moment of grace” for the people of God in the country.
Catholic Bishops in South Sudan have agreed to spearhead campaigns aimed at making the people of God aware of the planned ecumenical visit in their respective Dioceses, a Catholic Priest serving at the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SCBC) has told ACI Africa in an interview.
Pope Francis is expected to visit two African nations in a July trip that is to begin in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and then to South Sudan, an official at the Vatican has announced.
The people of God in South Sudan await the possible pastoral visit by the Holy Father “with a lot of anxiety and hope”, the Archbishop of the country’s only Metropolitan See has told ACI Africa in an interview.
Pope Francis and the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury are expected to visit South Sudan to “encourage the peace process,” various media reports indicate.
Three days after Pope Francis led Catholic faithful in praying for peace and reconciliation in South Sudan and expressed the hope to visit the East African country, the Holy Father has reconfirmed his desire to realize the trip to the world’s youngest country and disclosed that it would be a joint pastoral visit, together with the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican communion, Archbishop Justin Welby.