On his first papal visit to war-torn South Sudan, Pope Francis has urged clergy to raise their voices against injustice. He also met children displaced by conflict and pleaded for women and girls to be honoured.
Pope Francis is on an unprecedented "pilgrimage of peace" in South Sudan alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Church of Scotland Moderator Iain Greenshields.
Their visit is aimed at restarting the country’s stalled peace process and to draw international attention to the continued fighting and humanitarian crisis.
South Sudan broke away from Sudan in 2011 but has been wracked by civil war since 2013.
Despite a 2018 peace deal between the two main antagonists, inter-ethnic fighting continues to claim lives and displace large numbers of civilians.
More than 400,000 people are believed to have died as a result of the conflict.
On Saturday, Pope Francis addressed around 1,000 of South Sudan's religious leaders at the Cathedral of Saint Therese in the capital Juba.
"Brothers and sisters, we too are called to intercede for our people, to raise our voices against the injustice and abuses of power that oppress and use violence to suit their own ends," he said.
He added that religious leaders "cannot remain neutral before the pain caused by acts of injustice".
Sister Mary George, who works with South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, was among the congregants.
"The Church must work in favour of unity and peace, to try and give people hope," she told RFI. "Our hope is that the pope's visit will unite us and bring peace and stability, allowing refugees to return home."
No future in refugee camps
There are 2.2 million internally displaced people in South Sudan, out of a total population of about 11.6 million. A further 2.3 million have fled the country as refugees, according to the United Nations.
At another meeting in Juba later on Saturday, the three Christian leaders listened to testimonies from displaced children.
"The future cannot lie in refugee camps," the pope told them.
Francis said hope for South Sudan's future rests in children from different ethnic groups, who do not want to respond to evil with more evil.
"Although conflict, violence and hatred have replaced good memories on the first pages of the life of this republic, you must be the ones to rewrite its history as a history of peace!" he said.
"You bear the burden of a painful past, yet you never stop dreaming of a better future. In our meeting today, we would like to give wings to your hope."
Honour women
The UN's humanitarian coordinator in South Sudan, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, spoke of pervasive sexual violence against women and girls, who risked being violated while carrying out their daily routines.
The pope responded by calling on everyone in South Sudan to respect women.
"Please protect, respect, appreciate and honour every woman, every girl, young woman, mother and grandmother. Otherwise, there will be no future," he said, to cheers and ululations from the audience.
'My heart breaks'
At a service at Juba's Anglican cathedral, Archbishop Welby, leader of the global Anglican Communion, spoke about South Sudan's many problems.
"My heart breaks. I can hardly speak, with sorrow for South Sudan," he said.
"I beg that at every level, from the president to the smallest child ... that there is peace and good government, that no one steals money, that no one kills their neighbour for cattle."
On the eve of the three men's visit, at least 20 people were killed in a cattle raid.
On Saturday evening, the three Christian leaders will take part in an open-air ecumenical prayer vigil at a mausoleum for South Sudan's liberation hero John Garang. 50,000 people are expected to attend.
On Sunday the pope will deliver an open-air Mass.
'No more violence'
On Friday, Francis delivered a pointed speech to South Sudan's political leaders, warning they must make "a new start" toward reconciliation and end the greed and power struggles tearing the nation apart.
"Future generations will either venerate your names or cancel their memory, based on what you now do," he told an audience that included President Salva Kiir and his rival and deputy Riek Machar, as well as diplomats, religious leaders and traditional kings.
"No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence."
(with newswires)
