Pope Francis pleads for peace as he meets South Sudanese individuals displaced by warfare

Pope Francis pleads for peace as he meets South Sudanese people displaced by war

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Juba, South Sudan
CNN
 — 

Pope Francis called for peace on Saturday as he met a group of several hundred South Sudanese people internally displaced by war at an event in the country’s capital Juba. 

“I want to renew my forceful and heartfelt appeal to end all conflict and to resume the peace process in a serious way,” the pope told the crowd gathered in the Freedom Hall. 

“There is no room for delay,” Francis said to applause. His words echoed his message to the country’s leaders Friday evening when he criticized the “stagnant” peace process. 

The pope’s visit to South Sudan came days after the 86-year-old held Mass for 1 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), another country grappling with poverty and strife. Francis’ trip to the DRC – the first papal visit since 1985 – came as the African nation is beset by armed fighting and a…

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