For a pope who has prioritized outreach to the developing world, majority-Catholic South Sudan has long represented an ultimate test in the church’s ability to help in nation-building.
, some 900 miles away from the capital, to which Francis restricted his visit.
That scenario reflects a worst-case outcome given the jubilation — and brief period of hope — when South Sudan a decade ago at last conducted a referendum to break away from majority-Muslim Sudan. Led by Kiir, with his trademark 10-gallon cowboy hat, South Sudan became Africa’s 54th state, an outcome cheered by the West.
The civil war is now over, and Kiir and Machar — who together met with the pope in 2019 — have made a tenuous peace, presiding in a unified government. But crucial elements of the peace deal remain unfulfilled, most importantly the formation of a unified army merging forces loyal to Machar and Kiir.
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