SOUTH SUDAN: Amidst Challenges, Sudan and South Sudan Bishops Urge Christians to Remain Firm in Faith
Ginaba Lino
Catholic Bishops in Sudan and South Sudan under their national body Sudan Catholic Bishop’s Conference (SCBC) have called upon Christians to focus on the risen Christ as their anchor especially during these times when the two countries are faced with various challenges.
In their collective Easter message dated Monday, April 11, the bishops said: “It is a difficult year for our two countries because many still die due to armed conflict, women, children and elderly killed, and even the sick killed in their sick bed. Many of our brothers and sisters are still in IDPs and refugee camps and others still in exile. They live with uncertainty whether they will ever reunite with their families.”
“We encourage you: do not abandon Christ in moments of trials and temptations but remain firm and strong in the faith of the risen Lord. The victory of Christ over death is our faith our hope and our destiny,” Church leaders urged the Christians referencing the gospel of Mathew which says, “Do not be afraid for he has been raised.”
According to the bishops in their statement signed by SCBC president Bishop Tombe Trille Kuku of El Obeid Diocese, South Sudan still suffers from floods and as “the rainy season begins, fear looms in their hearts as to whether the floods will at all subside.”
“We remain hopeful that our political leaders in both countries will not take us back to war so as to eliminate the humanitarian crisis and pave the way for justice, peace and reconciliation,” SCBC members said.
In the message, the bishops ask the Lord to show his face upon the people of South Sudan the bishops saying, “We the Church of Sudan and South Sudan, look to the risen Christ to let us rise with him, to remove the darkness that overshadows those situations and to shine on us with his light as we pray, “Shine on us Lord and we shall be saved.”
“Christ is the answer to whatever inhuman situation we face and to all the tragedies of our life, the worst among them being death. Easter is the celebration of the defeat of death and the beginning of a new life. This is the foundation of our hope, the joy, the source of our never ending joy,” reads an excerpt from the bishops’ Monday statement.
They added that the Catholic Church in South Sudan is marking this year’s Easter celebration while preparing to receive the Holy Father, the Successor of Apostle Peter and supreme Shepherd of the Universal Church.
“The Pope is visiting South Sudan, to confirm us in faith, as St. Peter did to his colleagues the Apostles. His visit is to communicate peace which is the first gift of the risen Christ to his disciples,” they underscored in their collective statement adding that, “We remember his touching gesture, the kissing of the feet of our political leaders, a humble but compassionate appeal for peace in our country. We hope his visit will renew us, as we are still shaken by forces of violence, death and by the evil of ethnic divisions within our church and society.”
“We as a Church want to fall on our knees before the risen Christ and confess our weaknesses, inhumanity and living as if we were not baptized in his name. We ask Christ to permit us to participate in the experience of the resurrection and live the joy of Easter,” conclude the church leaders.
