On January 31, Pope Francis will visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, the latter of which has been requested since 2017 but has been repeatedly postponed owing to the recurrence of conflict and is now taking place with the primate of the Anglican Church, Justin Welby, and the moderator of the Church of Scotland, Ian Greenshields. Pope Francis will not only return to the Democratic Republic of the Congo 37 years after John Paul II's visit but will also be the first Pope to set foot on the territory of South Sudan, the world's youngest nation since its proclamation of independence in 2011. "A lovely journey" to send "a message of peace," said Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican Press Office, at a presentation briefing, during which, in answer to press inquiries concerning security, he underlined that "there is no particular danger." " To guarantee public safety, local officials have made great efforts." The worry stems from several assaults near Kinshasa, the most recent of which occurred at a Pentecostal church in Kasindi, killing many people. Since 2013, two years after independence, efforts and hope have alternated with tragic occurrences connected to violence, and the situation has not improved despite the peace agreements signed in 2018. Thousands of people were killed there as well. To make matters much worse, we have food shortages, droughts, and floods.
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