Pope Francis has led a special prayer service in St Peter’s Basilica for peace in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“We want to sow seeds of peace in the lands of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in all lands devastated by war,” the Pope said on 23 November. He called for courageous peace efforts through dialogue and negotiations.
Francis had planned to visit South Sudan, the world's youngest country, with the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in October of this year, but the trip was postponed amid security concerns.
Shortly after it was announced that the visit had been cancelled, Pope Francis sent close to half a million dollars (£7,898,942) to help two church-run hospitals, a teacher training centre and farming projects for families as a way to show South Sudan his solidarity and support.
Pope Francis "wants to make tangible the presence and closeness of the church with the suffering people through this initiative,” Cardinal Peter Turkson told reporters at a Vatican news conference on 21 June.
In a clear sign of his continued support for the world’s youngest country, Francis insisted that he preside at Wednesday’s prayer service.
Organisers of the service, Solidarity with South Sudan, told Catholic News Service last week that they had asked Pope Francis to “participate in some way” but he had told them: “No, I'm presiding.”
South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has been wracked by violence since December 2013 when fighting broke out following a dispute between President Kiir, who is Dinka, and former vice-president Machar, who is Nuer. The country has since collapsed into a brutal ethnic war, involving massacres, starvation and rape. An estimated 300,000 people have died and some 3 million have been displaced. Around 5 million people - half of the country's total population - are reported to be on the brink of starvation due to food shortages and man-made famine.
A UN report released in April said South Sudan is experiencing ethnic cleansing by mostly government forces and their allies. That report described the country as teetering on the edge of genocide.
In the DRC, tensions over the continued tenure of President Joseph Kabila, whose official mandate ended in December 2016, have fuelled deadly demonstrations. An election official recently said the presidential vote wouldn’t be held until late 2018.
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