François wants to go to the DRC and South Sudan, as he confirmed to African students on Tuesday 1 November. An apostolic trip was to be held in early July but had to be postponed due to knee treatment. The sovereign pontiff spoke of ” at the beginning of February » 2023.
With our correspondent in Rome, Eric Senanque
At the beginning of July, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan awaited the sovereign pontiff. But three weeks before the trip, the Vatican had announced its postponement, causing great disappointment on the African continent. Pope Francis’ doctors had urged him not to compromise ongoing therapy, namely infiltrations in his painful right knee.
A few months later, the treatment seems to be effective since the pope himself announced his intention to visit the two countries “ at the beginning of February ” next. ” The doctor had advised against it. Now I can walk, with a cane, but I manage said François while talking by videoconference with African students.
At almost 86 years old, the Argentine pope therefore still feels ready to make apostolic journeys. Thursday, November 3, he will leave elsewhere in Bahrain. In the DRC as in South Sudan, the sovereign pontiff intends to spread a message of peace, support the ongoing reconciliation processes and meet in particular those displaced by the violence. A journey which has yet to be officially announced by the Vatican and which will have Juba, Kinshasa and Goma as stages.