Pope Francis. | Courtesy of Vatican News.

The advance team of Pope Francis comprising chief of security and the protocol, is expected to arrive in Juba on Sunday, January 22 ahead of the Papal visit.

This is according to clergy James Oyet, the General Secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches.

He said the team is coming to assess the level of readiness of South Sudan for the reception of the Pontiff.

“The preparation is ongoing, we are about 90 percent, and we have the advance team arriving from Vatican on Sunday in the afternoon on a special flight,” Oyet said.

“(They are) coming to see what we have done and what we need to correct. So we are very grateful and happy as we move forward to this great event of the global church leadership coming in this pilgrimage of peace to South Sudan.”

The cleric said the Vatican delegation will be coming to check the country’s preparations and to confirm that the visit is finally going to take place.

In July 2022, Pope Francis, who just turned 86 recently, had his planned visit to the African nations cancelled in the last minute due to a knee ailment.

“There is no doubt that the Pope is coming, the Archbishop of Canterbury is coming, the Moderator of Church of Scotland is coming, to assure us in South Sudan that they are coming,” Oyet reaffirmed further.

The historic papal trip will mark the pope’s third visit to sub-Saharan Africa.

It will also mark the first time a pope has visited the nation.