SOUTH SUDAN: Vatican Diplomat Urged New Students at Catholic University of South Sudan to Be Exemplary at Service and Work

Ginaba Lino

The Vatican Diplomat to South Sudan on Tuesday 18, September 2023, urged new student intakes at Catholic University of South Sudan to be an example at service and work for the common good and for the communities they live in.

Charge’ de’ Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature of Vatican in Juba Monsignor Ionut Paul said that most people forget that they are entrusted with responsibilities in order to serve the community.

He stated that students are sent to school by the families with hope that once they finish their studies they can serve the communities.

“People forget that they are entrusted with responsibilities in order to serve that community and work for a better society, for better life, for all members of the country. And I’m sure that here within you, some of were sent here with big sacrifices on the part of the family, with hope that once you are back, you can serve the family and work for the good of the communities you come from.”

As you start the new academic year, be aware that you have a mission,” the Charge d’Affair encouraged.”

“We start this new academic year with awareness that we have our mission. We receive a mission from God, and his spirit is given to us in order to fulfil our mission.”

Monsignor Ionut asked students to always put God at the centre of everything they do in their lives as Solomon build the temple in Jerusalem and put the Covenant in the middle.

“What we are invited to do today at the beginning of this year is to place God at the centre of our lives, the Christian values, the moral values professed by the Catholic Church put them at the center, as Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem and placed the covenant in the middle of it,” he said.

He told the students to place their trust in God and put God at the center of their lives they will not be disappointed.

“We both have our hope in God and this hope will not leave us disappointed. If we place our trust in God and we put God at the centre of our will not be disappointed.”

The Charge d’Affair encouraged the Catholic University students not be fall into temptation because it brings minds of shortcut and selfishness.

“We would like some many things to be different and we face challenges and disappointments all over when we look around us from the very simple thing, basic things that should be in place and are not there, up to bigger things, a lot of disappointments.”

“And together with disappointment, I think also a temptation comes to us, maybe not at the very beginning but later on a temptation come to us to make shortcuts. To look for short, to achieve what we need, forgetting about the others and concentrated only on ourselves.”

As Christians, has students of the Catholic University, we are called not forget to put the good of the others, to but God before us, “Ionut explained.”

Monsignor Ionut quoted Pope Francis’s speech to the authority during is ecumenical visit to South Sudan that “It’s time to build” citing that the Holy father entrust young people of South Sudan to build the country.

“As Pope Francis said during his speech to the authorities when he come to South Sudan seven months ago, he said “It’s time to build” and in this work of building, Pope Francis trusts you young people and especially you young people present at the Catholic University.”

He called on Students to launch the chapter in the history of South Sudan and work on their spiritual lives not only on their academic performance.