Presidential Affairs Minister Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin. (Photo: Moyo Jacob Felix/ Eye Media).

The government says the announced visit of Pope Francis is great news to South Sudanese and added that the country is ready to welcome the Pontiff.

Pope Francis will finally visit the Democratic Republic of Congo on January 31, before coming to Juba on February 3.

He will make the ecumenical trip to Africa alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the Minister of Presidential Affairs said the country is delighted about the visit.

“Our Christian population and other religious citizenry, are extremely delighted that at last his holiness the pope has now officially announced to our people in south Sudan that his going to be here,” he said.

“The Pope representative here in Juba said that he will arrive on the third up to the fifth February 2023. This is great news to the government and to the people of South Sudan.”

According to the National Catholic Reporter, the historic ecumenical trip will mark the pope’s third visit to sub-Saharan Africa.

It will also mark the first time a pope has visited the world’s youngest nation, and only the second papal visit to the Congo, which is home to Africa’s largest Catholic population.

The plans for the three faith leaders to travel to South Sudan have been underway since 2017.

But it was postponed after the Pope reportedly suffered a knee ailment.