Pope Francis' visit also comes two years after the Vatican postponed an anticipated trip to Juba over what the National Catholic Reporters described as due to security concerns. PHOTO | AF
The delayed anticipated visit is to encourage peace for a country that has suffered civil wars, which left over 400,000 people killed and with the entire nation in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.
In March 2019, President Salva Kiir and his team met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome – an official visit that came as a result of an invitation from Pope Francis who asked President Kiir to visit the Vatican.
President Salva Kiir was expected to return to the Vatican for a retreat with a select number of officials in 2019, according to the Minister of Information.
