Pope Francis has expressed his “deep disappointment” at postpone his planned trip this week to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The pope exhorted the people of the Congo and South Sudan to put their confidence in God in a video message that was released on July 2.
“I want to tell you this: do not let yourselves be robbed of hope,” Pope Francis said.
“Think, you who are so dear to me, of how much more you are precious and beloved in the eyes of God, who never disappoints those who put their hope in him. You have a great mission, all of you, beginning with your political leaders: it is that of turning a page in order to blaze new trails, new paths of reconciliation and forgiveness, of serene coexistence and of development.”
The pope’s journey to Africa, which had been planned for July 2–7, had to be postponed, the Vatican said on June 10. This was done at the pope’s doctors’ request so as to “not to jeopardise the results of the therapy he is undergoing for his knee.”
The 85-year-ability old’s to walk has been hampered by an inflamed ligament in his knee. Since the first week of May, he has appeared in public while utilising a wheelchair and a cane.
“The Lord knows how greatly disappointed I am to have had to postpone this long awaited and much-desired visit. But we remain confident and hopeful that we shall be able to meet as soon as possible. In the meantime, I would like to tell you that, particularly in these weeks, you have been that much closer to my heart. I carry within me, in prayer, the pain that you have endured for all too long,” Pope Francis said.
“I think of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the exploitation, violence and insecurity from which it suffers, particularly in the east of the country, where armed conflicts continue to cause much intense suffering, aggravated by the indifference and the convenience of many.”
“I think of South Sudan and the plea for peace arising from its people who, weary of violence and poverty, await concrete results from the process of national reconciliation.”
Pope Francis stated that he would want to do an ecumenical pilgrimage with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in the future in order to advance the peace process.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state at the Vatican, is now in the DRC as a delegate of Pope Francis on a journey that will take place from July 1 to July 8 and also include a stop in South Sudan.
On July 3 and July 7, the cardinal will preside over the pope’s scheduled Masses in Kinshasa and Juba, respectively.
In his video message, Pope Francis said: “There is one other thing that I would say to you: the tears that you shed on earth and the prayers that you raise to heaven are not in vain. The consolation of God will come, because he has ‘plans of peace and not of woe’ (Jeremiah 29:11). Even now, as I look forward to meeting you, I ask that God’s peace fill your hearts.”
“As I await the opportunity to see your faces, to feel at home in your lively Christian communities, to embrace all of you with my presence and to bless your lands, my prayers and my affection for you and your peoples, become all the more intense. I send you my heartfelt blessing and I ask all of you, please, to continue to pray for me.”