SW News: The Vatican announced on Thursday that Pope Francis will travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan early next year after having to postpone a trip there in July due to health issues.
The Apostolic Journey was announced in a statement from the Director of the Holy See Press Office.
According to the Vatican, Pope Francis will visit the Congo from January 31 to February 3, after which he will spend two days in South Sudan with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
The Holy Father had to cancel the twin trip in July due to a recurring knee condition that frequently requires him to use a wheelchair. Vatican insiders claimed at the time that he was undergoing physical treatment and numerous injections a week for the excruciating ailment.
The Vatican statement said Pope Francis would go to the DRC capital Kinshasa and later fly to Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The Holy Father had long desired to visit South Sudan, but every time preparations for a journey started, the trip had to be postponed due to the unsettling circumstances. The year 2011 saw the independence of South Sudan. As many as 400,000 people died in the civil conflict that broke out in 2013, and even though the two main factions signed a peace agreement in 2018, the country is still plagued by bloodshed and starvation.
The major highlights of the Pope's Apostolic Journey will include a visit with representatives from charitable organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, a meeting with internally displaced persons, and an Ecumenical Prayer service.
On Tuesday, 31 January 2023, Pope Francis will be officially welcomed at Kinshasa “Ndjili” International Airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thereafter he will pay a courtesy visit to the president of the republic in the “Salle Présidentielle” of the “Palais de la Nation.”  The Holy Father would also be meeting with authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps in the garden of the “Palais de la nation.”
On 1 February 2023, the Holy Father will celebrate the Holy Mass at Ndolo Airport followed by meeting with victims from the eastern part of the country at the Apostolic Nunciature in Kinshasa.
The next day on Friday, he will have a meeting with the Bishops and later depart to Juba, the capital of South Sudan from Kinshasa Ndjili International Airport. In the evening, he will pay a courtesy visit to the president of the republic at the Presidential Palace. Thereafter, he will also meet the vice presidents of the republic,   authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps in the garden of the palace.
On Saturday, he will meet with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, and seminarians in the cathedral of Saint Therese in Juba. This would be followed by a private meeting with members of the Society of Jesus at the Apostolic Nunciature. Later, he will interact with internally displaced persons in the Freedom Hall. An ecumenical prayer will also be held at John Garang's mausoleum.
On Sunday, 5 February 2023, Pope Francis will celebrate the Holy Mass at the mausoleum. Following the farewell ceremony at Juba International Airport, he will fly from Juba International Airport to Rome.