Pontiff says on peace mission that religious leaders ‘cannot remain neutral’ amid abuses of power
between the two main antagonists, bouts of interethnic fighting have continued to kill and displace large numbers of civilians.
There are 2.2 million internally displaced people in South Sudan, out of a total population of about 11.6 million, and another 2.3 million have fled the country as refugees, according to the United Nations.Extreme poverty and hunger are rife, with two-thirds of the population needing humanitarian assistance as a result of conflict and three years of catastrophic floods.
“Let us ask ourselves what it means for us to be ministers of God in a land scarred by war, hatred, violence and poverty,” Francis said, and later led prayers for them. The three Christian leaders, on an unprecedented “pilgrimage of peace”, would later take part in an open-air ecumenical prayer vigil at a mausoleum for South Sudan’s liberation hero John Garang, with 50,000 people expected to attend.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Summer snow as polar blast sweeps south-eastIt&x27;s a tale of two extremes on Australia&x27;s east coast this morning as Victoria braces for summer snow while Brisbane wakes to another day of a humidity-fuelled heatwave.
Read more »
Summer snow as polar blast sweeps south-eastBrisbane is right now on a heatwave alert - predicted to be one of the most humid places on Earth. Meanwhile, in the middle of summer, snow is falling in NSW and Victoria. DETAILS: 9News
Read more »
'Filled with smoke': Fire destroys unit in Sydney's south-westAn e-scooter is believed to have sparked a fire which destroyed a unit in Sydney's south-west where a young family were forced to evacuate with their baby.
Read more »