VATICAN CITY – After postponing his trip last July, Pope Francis has rescheduled for Jan. 31-Feb. 5 his trip to Congo and his ecumenical visit to South Sudan, the Vatican announced.
With the pope’s mobility still impaired, the new schedule for the trip has been trimmed slightly from what was planned in July, according to the scheduled released by the Vatican Dec. 1.
The main event missing from the schedule is a visit to Congo’s North Kivu province to celebrate Mass near the site of the former Kibumba refugee camp, which is where, in February 2021, Italy’s 43-year-old ambassador to Congo, Luca Attanasio, and two others were killed in an ambush while traveling in a U.N. convoy. Also missing is a meeting in Goma with the victims of violence.
Instead, the pope will remain in Kinshasa from his arrival in Congo Jan. 31 until his departure for South Sudan early Feb. 3.
As planned for years, the pope will travel to South Sudan with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and with the Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland, in a further attempt to encourage warring leaders to live up to the commitments they have made in a series of accords and finally offer their people peace.
The three leaders had been trying to schedule the visit since 2016, when South Sudanese Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian leaders visited the pope and archbishop and asked them to go to encourage the peace process. At least 60% of South Sudan’s population, including its political leaders, are Christian.
A statement from Rev. Greenshields’ office said, “The purpose of the visit is to renew a commitment to peace and reconciliation and stand in solidarity with millions of ordinary people who are suffering profoundly from continued armed conflict, violence, floods and famine.”
Peace, unity and reconciliation also are the themes Pope Francis is expected to focus on in Congo, a nation rich in natural resources but torn apart by ongoing violence. The theme for the Congo visit is “All Reconciled in Jesus Christ,” which emphasizes how more than 95% of the nation’s people are Christian, yet sporadic fighting continues, especially in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country.