The Holy See announced that its Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, will travel to the capitals of the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan from July 1-8.
The communiqué states that the goal of the trip is to 'demonstrate the Pope's closeness' to the people of the two countries.
Pope Francis was scheduled to visit these two countries from July 2-7. However, earlier this month, the Vatican announced that, unfortunately, due to his knee pain, the Pope was forced to postpone the trip.
Pope Francis' next international appointment is at the end of July. He will visit Canada and for the time being, the trip to Africa remains on hold.
JRB
TR: KG
