Reportage
In South Sudan, the disappointment after the postponement of the visit of Pope Francis
Audio 01:20
Children play in front of the Holy Trinity Church, in Old Fangak, on June 12, 2022. © Florence Miettaux / RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
In South Sudan, the announcement of the postponement of the visit of Pope Francis, a long-awaited event, is disappointing.
Because the pontiff contributed to peace in the country, in particular by inviting President Salva Kiir and his vice-president Riek Machar to the Vatican to implement a peace agreement in April 2019. The pope even knelt down in front of them and kissed their feet.
The agreement has greatly helped the small town of Old Fangak, whose majority ethnic group had fled ethnic violence.
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With our special correspondent at Old Fangak,
Florence Miettaux
Old Fangak, in northwestern Jonglei State, is a small town that has been battling unprecedented flooding since 2020. Nestled in the heart of the “
Sudd
” swamps on the Nile plain, it is inaccessible by road. road.
Despite their geographical isolation, the Christians of Old Fangak, mostly of Nuer ethnicity, had also planned to be represented to welcome Pope Francis to Juba, the South Sudanese capital.
Brother Alfred Mawadri, a Ugandan missionary, has been the priest of Old Fangak for ten years: "
We have been preparing since February, we have planned how to reach Juba: some had to go there by the river using a large boat which would be rented by the parish.
So yesterday the whole parish got together to plan all this, and unfortunately we learned
that the trip has been postponed
.
»
The program of
the pope's visit to Juba
included a visit to the camp for displaced people where the capital's Nuers had sought refuge in December 2013, at the start of the civil war, fleeing ethnic violence.
The director of the parish of Old Fangak, Michael Gatriay Bol, expected a lot from this visit: “
The coming of the pope for us was a sign of peace for South Sudan.
Its purpose is to bring people together and reconcile and to move towards a better peace.
His coming could have been something wonderful for us, an important help for reconciliation in our country.
»
He says he prays for the pope to recover and is however delighted that the pontiff has, according to him,
already contributed to this peace
, which allows for example the inhabitants of Old Fangak to travel freely to Juba or Sudan.
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South Sudan
Pope Francis
christianity
Vatican