Pope: Women are key to transforming South Sudan

(4 Feb 2023) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AGENCY POOL Juba - 4 February 2023 1. Crowd greeting Pope Francis with ululation, waving South Sudan flags 2. Mid of Pope sitting 3. Wide of Pope listening to Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan 4. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Pope Francis: “Mothers, women are the key to transforming the country. If they receive the proper opportunities, through their industriousness and their natural gift of protecting life, they will have the ability to change the face of South Sudan, to give it a peaceful and cohesive development. I ask you, I ask all the people of these lands, to ensure that women are protected, respected, valued and honoured. Please protect, respect, appreciate and honour every woman, every girl, young woman, mother and grandmother. Otherwise, there will be no future.” 5. Pope greeting Nyanti 6. Close of girl 7. Pope greeting girl 8. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Pope Francis: “In our meeting today, we would like to give wings to your hope. We hope and believe that now, even in the camps for displaced persons, where sadly you are forced to live due to the situation in your country, a new seed can sprout, as from the dry and barren soil: a new seed that will bear rich fruit. That is what I want to tell you: that you are the seed of a new South Sudan, a seed for the fertile and lush growth of this country.” 9. People dancing and singing 10. Pope smiling at performance 11. Crowd dancing and singing STORYLINE: Pope Francis warned Saturday that South Sudan’s future depends on how it treats its women, as he highlighted their horrific plight in a country where sexual violence is rampant, child brides are common and the maternal mortality rate is the highest in the world. Francis called for women and girls to be respected, protected and honored during a meeting in the South Sudanese capital Juba with some of the 2 million people who have been forced by fighting and flooding to flee their homes. Women, girls and children make up the majority of those displaced. Greeted by song and high-pitched ululation, Francis urged the hundreds of people gathered at Freedom Hall to be “seeds of hope,” that will soon bear fruit for the country of 12 million. =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...