#BreakingNews Pope Francis Arrives in South Sudan and Calls for Peace in Historic 1st Visit as 27 People are Killed in the Nation

Fighting has killed 27 people ahead of Pope Francis' arrival (See arrival Video below) in South Sudan for an ecumenical pilgrimage with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields. According to the agencies, 27 civilians were killed and several others injured in a cattle-related attack in the African country's Kajo-Keji County in Lire Payam on February 2nd, 2023.
The Pope's flight departed from the “Ndjili” International Airport in the DRC's capital of Kinshasa at 10:49 AM local time. It was carrying the Pope and more than 70 journalists. The Holy Father visited the DRC from 31 January to 3 February, and the papal flight landed in South Sudan this afternoon.  In his speech, Pope Francis called for peace. There are approximately 10.75 million (2021) people living in the African nation with about 40% being Catholic among 60.5% of the total Christians.

The pope will spend 3 days in South Sudan. For years, Pope Francis has expressed his strong desire to travel to predominantly-Christian South Sudan, but the unstable situation in the country, along with the pandemic, complicated plans for a visit.
In April 2019, the Pope hosted a spiritual retreat in the Vatican for the political leaders and ecclesiastical authorities of South Sudan. At the retreat in the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope knelt at their feet and begged them to work for peace and to be worthy fathers of their nation.

Edited from Vatican News