Pope Francis has ended his peace pilgrimage to South Sudan by celebrating an open air mass attended by tens of thousands in Juba.
He urged the congregation to reject what he called the “venom of hatred”, and told them to lose no opportunity to build peace.
And he pleaded with the country’s leaders to focus on ending conflict.
Before leaving, he told the crowd: “Dear brothers and sisters, I return to Rome with you even closer to my heart.”
Excited Catholics, some who camped overnight for the Mass, told Reuters it was a joyful moment.
“To this moment I do not sleep, I was very excited,” Jovana Buyom said.
“We are really very happy with the coming of Pope because he will give us the message of peace, we can unite as South Sudanese people,” Juaj Bol Ayuel said.
The Mass, which took place at the John Garang Mausoleum in front of an audience of 70,000 according to estimates, was filled with cheerful worshippers waiving flags and deep in prayer.
The religious ceremony fell on the last day of the Pope’s visit to South Sudan, which was his first to the country.
Since it got independence in 2011, the country has been wracked by civil war after the president fell out with his then vice president in 2013. BBC
