• The group is on a three-day “pilgrimage of peace” to the newest country in the world.
• They are accompanied by the leaders of the churches in England and Scotland.
• Archbishop Justin Welby says his “heart bleeds with sorrow” for South Sudan.

During his historic visit to the war-torn nation of South Sudan, Pope Francis urged the clergy to speak out against injustice.

The group is on a three-day “pilgrimage of peace” to the newest country in the world, and they are accompanied by the leaders of the churches in England and Scotland.

In response to the ongoing violence there, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby stated his “heart bleeds with sorrow.”

Since gaining its independence in 2011, South Sudan has been engulfed in civil strife.

Despite a peace agreement signed in 2018, ethnically motivated violence has persisted. It is estimated that over 400,000 people have perished as a result of the conflict.

On the eve of the religious leaders’ visit, a cattle raid claimed the lives of at least 20 individuals.

Pope Francis met with a large number of South Sudan’s religious leaders on the first day of his trip at the Cathedral of Saint Therese in the nation’s capital, Juba.

During his address, he urged them not to remain neutral, and instead speak up against “the injustice and the abuses of power that oppress”.

“If we want to be pastors who intercede, we cannot remain neutral before the pain caused by acts of injustice and violence. To violate the fundamental rights of any woman or man is an offence against Christ.”

Elsewhere in Juba on Saturday, Archbishop Justin Welby said: “My heart breaks, I can hardly speak, with sorrow for South Sudan.”

“I beg that at every level, from the president to the smallest child, that people find the mercy of God and are transformed, and that there is peace and good government. That no-one steals money. That no-one kills their neighbor for cattle,” he told congregants at the All Saints Anglican Cathedral.

The Pope will hold Mass outside on Sunday, and enormous crowds are anticipated.

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