Pope Francis has cancelled a planned July trip to Congo and South Sudan on doctors’ orders due to knee trouble, the Vatican said Friday.
The Vatican said the July 2-7 trip to Congo and South Sudan would be rescheduled “to a later date to be determined.”
The Apostolic Journey to Africa was to include two stops in the DRC – in the capital, Kinshasa, and the city of Goma – and a visit to Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
Matteo Bruni, director of the press office, said the trip was cancelled based on doctors’ request.
“At the request of his doctors, and in order not to jeopardize the results of the therapy that he is
undergoing for his knee,” Bruni said in a statement seen by Juba Echo.
“The Holy Father has been forced to postpone, with regret, his Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and to South Sudan, planned for 2 to 7 July, to a later date to be determined”.
Pope Francis was scheduled to fly to South Sudan with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, for an ecumenical pilgrimage of peace July 5-7.
Catholic, Anglican and Presbyterian leaders in South Sudan and internationally have been supporting the nation’s peace process and pushing the leaders of opposing factions to end fighting and collaborate for the good of the nation.
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.
