Pope Francis hopes to visit South Sudan later this year, say the Catholic Bishops of South Sudan in a pastoral letter following their three-day meeting in Juba.
They say the coming of the Holy Father to South Sudan would be a concrete symbol of his fatherly concern and solidarity with the suffering citizens.
The Bishops in their letter assure South Sudanese that the Pope is concerned and already praying for the difficulties facing the people of the young country.
They call on people of South Sudan to start using the coming months fruitfully to begin the transformation of the nation.
The spiritual leaders tell the South Sudanese that the world is standing with them in all hardships.
The Bishops in their pastoral letter say they have already instructed their Pastoral Commissions in dioceses to mobilize a spiritual approach on the national dialogue.