Pope Francis has expressed readiness to come to the country to intervene in the conflict, according to the South Sudan Council of Churches.

This comes after an ecumenical delegation of the council visited Rome and met with the pope to discuss the situation in the country.

In 2016, the Council of Churches met with the Holy Father to convince him to visit the country and he accepted.

He was supposed to come together with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby in October last year.

However, the media in Rome said the trip was canceled due to security concerns.

Bishop Emeritus of Torit Paride Taban, who is a member of the Council of Churches, said the pope expressed his support for peace in the country.

“Now also is the time and we are encouraging the pope to come and the pope said that ‘I am ready to come, my heart is bleeding for the suffering of the people of South Sudan’,” he told the Rome Reports website after the group’s meeting with the head of the Catholic Church on Friday.

The meeting was organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio, whom the council has asked to assist in peacebuilding efforts.

Mauro Garofalo, the Head of International Relations of the organization, said the church leaders have a role to play in bringing lasting peace to South Sudan.

“All the confessions and denominations, are an unavoidable source of knowledge for the country because they are everywhere,” he added.

Last month, Pope Francis called on the world to pray for South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which have been affected by conflicts which have displaced millions of civilians.

Via Eye Radio