December 25, 2019 (VATICAN) – Pope Francis has appealed to South Sudanese leaders to ensure peace in the war-torn country.
The head of the Catholic Church addressed this in a Christmas message which he jointly issued with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, and Rev. John Chalmers, former moderator of the Church of Scotland.
“In this Christmas season and at the beginning of a new year, we wish to extend to you and to all the people of South Sudan our best wishes for your peace and prosperity, and to assure you of our spiritual closeness as you strive for a swift implementation of the Peace Agreements,” partly reads the jointly issued message.
Francis and the two Protestant leaders also urged South Sudan’s leaders to continue with efforts to form a unity government.
“We raise our prayers to Christ the Saviour for a renewed commitment to the path of reconciliation and fraternity, and we invoke abundant blessings upon each of you and upon the entire nation,” further notes the December 25 message.
“May the Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, enlighten you and guide your steps in the way of goodness and truth, and bring to fulfillment our desire to visit your beloved country,” it added.
In November, the Roman Catholic Church head and the Archbishop agreed to travel together to South Sudan if the country’s leaders implement their pledge to form a unity government in February 2020.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir and the country’s main opposition leader Riek Machar agreed on November 7 to delay key benchmarks in the revitalized peace agreement by more 100 days.
The delay in forming a transitional national unity government on November 12, 2019 came after Machar’s group raised concerns that the country’s security arrangements were yet to be completed.
South Sudan, which separated from Sudan through a referendum in 2011, has been suffering from a civil war since late 2013, which has since taken a tribal dimension.
In September last year, the country’s rival factions signed a revitalized peace deal to end the civil war that killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.
