PUNCH
Pope Francis will visit the African countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan in January 31–February 5, 2023, according to the Vatican.
The visit, which was originally scheduled to take place in the beginning of July 2022, was postponed by the Vatican owing to problems with the Pope’s knee.
The 85-year-old pope apologised in June for having to put off the trip, and vowed to reschedule it “as soon as possible,” a report by the Catholic News Agency says.
Francis will spend the first leg of the trip, January 31–February 3, in the Congolese city of Kinshasa before visiting the South Sudanese capital, Juba, February 3–5.
Meanwhile, an updated schedule released by the Vatican December 1 showed that the pope no longer plans to visit the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was part of the original trip schedule, the report says.
The trip’s logo and motto were…
