Pope may add South Sudan leg to Africa trip

Pope Francis states that he may add South Sudan leg to his Africa trip in September if conditions there are “mature.”

Speaking with a visiting nun from Juba on Friday, Francis said he wants to go to South Sudan as part of his trip but can’t promise.

He had planned to visit South Sudan with the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2017, but could not because of security reasons.

Recently, Francis hosted the South Sudanese President and the opposition leader for a spiritual retreat at the Vatican, where he kissed their feet in pleading for them to make peace to put an end to the killings in the country.

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Madagascar, Mauritius and Mozambique Sept. 4-10.

He told the nun he might have time to stop in South Sudan, “and when I say time, it’s not about the time on the clock. It’s whether the time is mature to go there.”

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