SOUTH SUDAN: Bishops express concern over economic hardships and insecurity
Group Photo of Bishops and other Participants of the South Sudan/Sudan Bishops meeting held in Khartoum last month among them the Apostolic Nuncios of South Sudan; Most Rev Charles Daniel Balvo (left) and the Apostolic Nuncios of Sudan Most Rev Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen (right) during their meeting in Khartoum
Source: Catholic Radio Network (CRN)
meeting held in Khartoum last month among them the Apostolic Nuncios
of South Sudan; Most Rev Charles Daniel Balvo (left) and the
Apostolic Nuncios of Sudan Most Rev Hubertus Matheus
Maria van Megen (right) during their meeting in Khartoum
The Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference or SCBC expressed great concern about economic hardships, insecurity and displacements in South Sudan and Sudan. They were speaking at the end of their ten-day plenary in Khartoum, Sudan. They urged the political leaders of the two countries to have pity on their suffering people.
They encouraged the current national dialogue in the Sudan and hope the same exercise will take place in South Sudan. The Catholic prelates appreciated the patience of the citizens of the two countries in bearing difficulties. They assured the citizens of their prayers for God’s intervention to bring the miseries to an end.
The Bishops thanked their donors for their unwavering support in the work of evangelization and serving the needy people in South Sudan and Sudan.
In their statement they also announced closing the Jubilee Year of Mercy on the feast of Christ the King on November 20th. The Catholic Church leaders in the two countries said forgiveness is the only hope for South Sudan and Sudan
Meanwhile UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that an increasing number of South Sudanese will continue to face difficulty in meeting daily food needs in 2017. FAO said in a statement that economic downturn and insecurity cripple food production and trade.
The end of lean season and start of harvests in South Sudan are traditionally associated with a reduction in food insecurity due to more food stocks and lower food prices in the markets. However, FAO assessments indicate that the number of severely food insecure people now is 3.7 million people, representing 31 percent of the country’s estimated population. This is an increase of an overall one million people compared to the same period last year.
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