Pope Francis in South Sudan: The Catholic pilgrims who walked nine days to Juba - BBC News

"When the spirit is with you, you do not get tired," says one South Sudanese woman after walking 300km.

12 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage caption, The pilgrims were joined by a group of supporters to celebrate their arrival in JubaBy Mercy JumaBBC News, JubaA group of about 60 Catholic pilgrims are recovering after spending nine days trekking through war-torn South Sudan to see Pope Francis in the capital, Juba.

"My feet are sore, but I am not so tired. When the spirit is with you, you do not get tired," NightRose Falea said as she licked her cracked, dry lips.

"I would not have missed coming to Juba for anything. We are here to get the Pope's blessings. I am confident that with his blessings things will change for this country," she told the BBC.

Driven by faith and a sense of patriotism, the women had set off from Rumbek - some 300km (190 miles) north-west of Juba.

Their mission: to join the Pope in prayer for the world's youngest nation, which has been beset by conflict since its independence in 2011 - a situation that has brought untold misery to millions of its people.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-64509799?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

---