Following a farewell ceremony at N’djili Airport, he will leave for South Sudan on what the Vatican is calling an Ecumenical Peace Pilgrimage to the South Sudanese Land and People.
The pope will be received at Juba International Airport in a welcome ceremony, before proceeding to the Presidential Palace for a courtesy visit to President Salva Kiir.
He will then meet with the vice presidents of South Sudan.
In the last official activity of his first day in South Sudan, Pope Francis is scheduled to meet with the authorities and members of the diplomatic corps in the garden of the Presidential Palace.
More in Middle East - Africa
On July 6, the pope is expected to visit internally displaced persons (IDPs) at a camp in Juba.
He is then scheduled to meet privately with Jesuits in South Sudan at the apostolic nunciature.
Pope Francis will meet with bishops, members of the clergy, religious, and seminarians at St. Theresa Cathedral in the late afternoon.
The evening of July 6 will see the pope participate in an ecumenical prayer service alongside the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Right Rev. Iain Greenshields, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, at the John Garang Mausoleum in Juba.
The same venue is scheduled to host Mass on the morning of July 7, the last day of the trip.
After a morning farewell ceremony at Juba International Airport, Pope Francis will leave for Rome.
The July 2-7 pastoral trip will mark Pope Francis’ third visit to sub-Saharan Africa.
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. When you subscribe to the CNA UPDATE, we'll send you a daily email with links to the news you need and, occasionally, breaking news.
As part of this free service you may receive occasional offers from us at EWTN News and EWTN. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
The journey will be the first papal visit to South Sudan, which became an independent state in 2011, and the third papal trip to the DRC, which is home to Africa’s largest Catholic population.
This is an edited version of a report first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s African news partner.
Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.