The Fife-based Moderator of the Church of Scotland has described his pilgrimage to South Sudan with the Pope as “a most extraordinary few days”.
The Right Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury returned from the war-torn country on Sunday.
They spent three days there after accepting an invitation to support peace moves.
It was the first time the leaders of the three faith traditions had come together for such a trip in 500 years.
And they travelled together aboard the Papal plane.
The Moderator said he had wanted to shine a spotlight on a country crippled by civil war.
And he added that churches were working to bring the conflict to an end and build lasting peace.
Dr Greenshields is minister of St Margaret’s Community Church in Dunfermline.
However, he is taking a 12-month break from that role to represent the Church of Scotland as Moderator.
He said he prayed the goodwill built up during trip would mark a turning point in the troubled country’s short history.
Promoting forgiveness and reconciliation
The Church of Scotland was invited to represent the Presbyterian family due to its strong partnership with the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan.
The two churches have been working together since 2015 on a vital peace, reconciliation and conflict resolution programme.
During Dr Greenshield’s visit, South Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardit indicated he was willing to promote forgiveness and reconciliation.
The Moderator said: “I embarked on this historic pilgrimage of peace with my brothers in Christ to speak truth to power while assuring local people that they are loved by God and must love one another deeply.
“Now that has been done and it is now up to those who can make a difference to start
the peace process urgently.
“But actions speak louder than words and the world is watching.”
Iain Greenshields prays for the people of South Sudan
The Republic of South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
And since then, around 400,000 people are said to have died, 9.4 million need humanitarian aid and an estimated two million have been displaced.
Around eight million are expected to experience food insecurity this year.
Meanwhile, women and girls are extremely vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence.
At the end of the visit, Pope Francis led an outdoor mass in the centre of Juba, the nation’s capital.
Both the Moderator and the Archbishop of Canterbury attended.
And all three prayed for the people of South Sudan and signed a peace accord.
The spectacular event involved a choir and dancers and was attended by tens of thousands of people.”
Conversation