The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland sent his best wishes to Pope Francis after the pontiff was forced to postpone their planned joint trip to South Sudan.

The Rt Rev Iain Greenshields was due to join the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury on an Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Peace to the country in July, but on June 10 it was announced that the Pope had been advised by his doctors to delay the visit.

The Moderator said: “I hope that he makes a speedy recovery and he is assured that our prayers are with him. I was very much looking forward to travelling to South Sudan with His Holiness and the Archbishop of Canterbury to join our brothers and sisters in Christ and hope that we will have the opportunity to be with them in person at a future date.”