Catholic Bishops say Pope Francis will visit Juba later this year to show his solidarity with people of South Sudan.

In a statement, the church leaders say the Holy Father is deeply concerned about the situation in the country since 2013.

The visit of the Pope would be a concrete symbol of his fatherly concern of the situation, and will draw the attention of the world, they believe.

The announcement of the visit comes days after the declaration of famine in some parts of the country, and a few months after an invitation by South Sudanese church leaders.

“Our country is gripped by a humanitarian crisis – famine, insecurity and economic hardship. Our people are struggling simply to survive. While there have been poor rains in many parts of the country, there is no doubt that this famine is man-made, due to insecurity and poor economic management,” partly read the statement.

The Catholic Bishops have not specified the date for the visit, but they called on the faithful to pray for its success.

They also urged the Christians to use the period before the visit to bring about transformation in the country.