Pope Francis has apologised to the authorities and people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan for having to postpone his visit to the countries due to an ailment related to his knee and leg.
The Pope made his apology while conducting the Angelus prayer in front of a gathering at St Peter’s Square.
He was scheduled to embark upon his Apostolic visit to the countries from 2-7 July 2022. While addressing the congregation, Pope Francis expressed how much the trip means to him and that he plans to reschedule his travels to the DRC and South Sudan to a later date which will be determined as soon as possible.
The Papal Trip to Africa was set to include two stops in the DRC, namely in the capital Kinshasa and the city of Goma, as well as a visit to Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
Since 2017, the Pope has expressed his desire to travel to South Sudan which has been plagued with political instability to due a civil war and flare ups of intercommunal violence. These security concerns have delayed the Pope from making his first visit to the country since its secession from The Sudan in 2011.
![[File Image] President Cyril Ramaphosa replies to Questions for Oral Reply in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament, Cape Town.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NCOP-GCIS-120x86.jpg)
