The world’s TV cameras captured the smiling handshakes between the Pope and the president, the country’s Church leaders warmly welcoming their Holy Father, and the thousands of well-wishers who turned up for the papal Mass in the capital, all waving South Sudanese and Vatican flags.Īgain, don’t get me wrong, these trips hold immense value and have become an integral part of any papacy, but what they often fail to do is show the true reality of life for so many in the country.īecause in a country like South Sudan, it’s away from the smiling faces waving miniature flags, and the opportunist politicians having their pictures taken, that millions of the nation’s citizens lay weak and hungry, some even slowly starving to death. Pope Francis' visit was hugely symbolic, as he showed the Church's wish to see the country and its people grow and prosper as they continue to build their nation.īut as is normally the case with these papal visits, they are carefully choreographed and specifically stage-managed to show the very best a country has to offer. Pope Francis recently shone a spotlight on South Sudan in East Africa, when he visited the fledgling country to plea for peace.Įstablished in 2011, South Sudan is the youngest country in the world and has seen civil unrest and bloody conflict for years.
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