Pope Francis meets 2,500 refugees in South Sudan

Pope Francis was greeted by cheers and ululations on Saturday as he arrived at a meeting with roughly 2,500 South Sudanese refugees.

“You are the seed of a new South Sudan, a seed for the fertile and lush growth of this country,” the pope said, addressing people who are living in refugee camps after being forced to leave their homes because of conflict or flooding.

The meeting with internally displaced persons (IDPs) took place at Freedom Hall in South Sudan’s capital of Juba, where Pope Francis is undertaking a pilgrimage of peace from Feb. 3-5.

“You, from all your different ethnic groups, you who have suffered and are still suffering, you who do not want to respond to evil with more evil. You, who choose fraternity and forgiveness, are even now cultivating a better tomorrow,” he encouraged those present.

“Be seeds of hope,” he said, “which make it possible for us already to glimpse the tree that one day, hopefully in the near future, will bear fruit.”

During the meeting, a video showed IDP camps in South Sudan and interviews with refugees who spoke about fleeing their homelands.