Joint Easter message to political leaders of South Sudan

His Holiness Pope Francis, His Grace Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Right Reverend Jim Wallace, Moderator of the Church of Scotland, jointly signed an Easter message to the political leaders of South Sudan. The message expressed the prayer that the leaders might seek the path of forgiveness and freedom, finding new avenues towards enduring peace.

The religious leaders referred to their forthcoming ecumenical visit to South Sudan as a "Pilgrimage of Peace". The idea of the joint ecumenical visit by the three Christian leaders was proposed by His Grace, Archbishop Welby, and first announced in 2017. This visit was further discussed during the spiritual retreat for the political and religious leaders of South Sudan held in the Vatican with Pope Francis, Archbishop Welby and Very Reverend John Chalmers, then Moderator of the Church of Scotland, on 4 April 2019.

Similar joint messages were sent at Christmas 2020 and 2019.

It should be noted that although the letter was signed by the current Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Right Reverend Jim Wallace, it will be the Moderator-elect, the Reverend Iain Greenshields, who will travel to South Sudan for the ecumenical visit which is scheduled for 5-7 July 2022.

^{Photo: Spiritual retreat for religious and political leaders of South Sudan held in the Vatican on 4 April 2019. © Servizio Fotografico | Vatican Media}