Cardinal Peter Turkson is to visit Juba, the capital of South Sudan, for a week beginning March 18.
According to the Catholic Radio Network of South Sudan, Archbishop Paolino Lukudu Loro of Juba said Cardinal Turkson will preside over the Eucharistic celebration and dedication of a new parish church on March 19.
He added that the Ghanaian cardinal is expected to meet bishops, clergy, religious and laity on March 20. The following day he will meet President Salva Kiir and the Episcopal archbishop of South Sudan and Sudan, Daniel Deng Bull.
Archbishop Loro said the papal representative is then expected to preside over a solemn Eucharistic celebration at St Theresa’s Cathedral Kator on Sunday March 23 and depart for Rome the following day.
Cardinal Turkson will be visiting the fledgling state after weeks of recent violence. The fighting was precipitated by a political power struggle in December between President Kiir and his ex-deputy Riek Machar. President Kiir accused Machar and ten others of attempting a coup d’état. Thousands of South Sudanese were killed in the ensuing violence.
