Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly have urged the leaders of South Sudan to pursue peace.

In a joint letter, they say that the "small progress" made in the civil war blighting the country since 2013 is "not enough" and that they must go further to realise the Peace Agreement reached at the Vatican in April last year. 

The leaders write: "We remain prayerfully mindful of the commitments made at the Vatican in April 2019 – yours to bring your country to a smooth implementation of the Peace Agreement, and ours to visit South Sudan in due course, as things return to normalcy.

"We have been glad to see the small progress you have made, but know it is not enough for your people to feel the full effect of peace. When we visit, we long to bear witness to a changed nation, governed by leaders who, in the words of the Holy Father last year, 'hold hands, united... as simple citizens' to 'become Fathers (and Mothers) of the Nation'."

The Church leaders also repeated their desire to make a joint visit to the country. 

They concluded: "We pray, this Christmas, that you will know greater trust among yourselves and a greater generosity of service to your people. We pray you know the peace that surpasses understanding in your own hearts and in the heart of your great nation (Philippians 4:7)."