South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The Catholic Archdiocese of Juba has held a solemn requiem mass to mourn the passing of Pope Francis who died on Easter Monday in his residence in the Vatican City at the age of 88 years.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit, while addressing the requiem mass at St.Tereza Cathedral on Friday said Pope Francis was a man who held South Sudan dear at his heart, adding that his humility was demonstrated during the 2019 Canonical retreat at the Vatican.
“The Holy Father was humble and was actively interested in the preservation of peace in our nascent country, as a man of peace, the Holy Father’s message was of forgiveness, tolerance and reconciliation,” Kiir said.
President Kiir said the peace pilgrimage to South Sudan undertaken by Pope Francis in February 2023 together with the Archbishop Canterbury and the moderator of the Church of Scotland was to remind South Sudanese of the importance of peace.
On Monday, the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba, Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla revealed that Francis’ papacy was marked by a commitment to helping the poor, promoting dialogue and peace among all people.
Martin Elia Lomuro, the Minster of Cabinet Affairs on Thursday declared April 25 a public holiday to mourn Pope Francis.
Lomuro said that the president and the entire government extended their most heartfelt condolences to the Catholic Church, the Vatican and the entire global Christian community.
“Francis’s historic effort for peace and reconciliation in the country, including his unprecedented gesture of humility during the 2019 Vatican retreat, where he washed and kissed the feet of South Sudanese leaders, will remain etched in the hearts of our nation as a symbol of hope, healing and unity,” Lomuro said.
In 2019, Pope Francis knelt and kissed the feet of President Salva Kiir and His First Vice President Riek Machar, leaving the duo shocked.
Flags were flown at half-mast as the country joined the rest of the world to eulogize and mourn Pope Francis.
