President Salva Kiir has appealed to all South Sudanese people to maintain peace and order during the ecumenical visit.

Speaking during a Sunday Mass at St. Theresa Cathedral in Kator, President  Kiir urged all the faithfuls to turn out in large numbers to receive the Holy Father (Pope Francis).

Pope Francis is expected to arrive in Juba on 3rd February 2023 from Kinshasa alongside two eminent religious leaders, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Dr. Iain Greenshields.

His Eminence was scheduled to visit Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan in July 2022 but the trip was postponed because Pope Francis was suffering a flare-up of a chronic knee ailment. 

The January 31st to February 5th visit to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan, will take the 86-year-old pope to places where Catholics make up about half of the populations and where the Church is a key player in health and educational systems as well as in democracy-building efforts.

At the same time, President Kiir has declared Friday, 3rd February 2023 a public holiday for members of the public to attend the prayers at Dr. John Garang Mausoleum in Juba according to the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin.