Vatican City: Pope Francis knelt and kissed the feet of South Sudan’s rival leaders, in an unprecedented act of humbleness to encourage them to strengthen the African country’s faltering peace process. At the close a two-day retreat in the Vatican for the African leaders, the pope asked South Sudan’s President and opposition leader to proceed with the peace agreement despite growing difficulties. Then he got down on his knees and kissed the leaders’ feet one by one on Thursday. The pope usually holds a ritual washing of the feet with prisoners on Holy Thursday, but has never performed such a show of deference to political leaders.
The spiritual retreat brought together President Salva Kiir and opposition head Riek Machar. Also present were Kiir’s three vice presidents. The pope kissed the feet of all of them. South Sudanese Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng Garang said Francis’ actions moved her profoundly. “I had never seen anything like that. Tears were flowing from my eyes,” she said.
