SOUTH SUDAN: Prelates Decry Killings in South Sudan, Insist “Revenge is Not Justice”
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Members of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSSCBC) have condemned the massacre of civilians in Ayod County, Jonglei State, and Abiemnhom County in the Ruweng administrative area in the country, calling on authorities to act and imploring for an end to cycles of deadly retaliation.
In a statement shared with AMECEA Online, Wednesday, March 4, after hundreds of civilians were attacked and killed, the Bishops lamented, “We renounce the Culture of deadly revenge. With pastoral honesty, we must confront a painful truth: the culture of deadly revenge has taken deep root in parts of our society.”
They stressed that “Cycles of retaliation, fueled by anger, collective blame, and historical grievances, continue to destroy families, weaken communities, and rob our children of their future. Revenge is not justice.”
With hearts weighed down by sorrow and spirits alarmed by “persistent cruelty of violence,” the ten Bishops who signed the Wednesday statement called the killings “heinous and senseless,” declaring that “There can be no justification whatsoever for the murder of innocent civilians. Such acts are an offence against God, the Author of Life, and a grave sin against humanity.”
The Bishops expressed they were troubled not only by the magnitude of the suffering but also by the blatant disregard for human dignity shown in such acts.
“The blood of our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, shed not on a battlefield but within their own communities, cries out to Heaven,” the Bishops wrote.
Delivering their statement during the Lenten season, a time of repentance and renewal in the Catholic Church, the Bishops called upon every South Sudanese heart to undertake inner examination, saying, “The Gospel demands transformation, not the perpetuation of violence.”
Members of SSCBC addressed transitional governments at all levels, stressing accountability as a sacred duty.
“You are the custodians of the common good, entrusted with the sacred duty to protect life,” The Bishops said, demanding that the incidents in Ayod and Abiemnhom be thoroughly and independently investigated, that perpetrators be clearly identified, and that those responsible be brought to justice under the law.
“The people of South Sudan are weary of words without deeds,” the statement warned as the Bishops called on authorities to deploy necessary resources to protect vulnerable populations and prevent further retaliation.
The conference expressed unwavering solidarity with the communities of Ayod and Abiemnhom, which it said had once again been “plunged into mourning, fear, and displacement.”
They further shared their pastoral tenderness to Bishop Stephen Nyodho Ador Majwok of Malakal Diocese and Bishop Christian Carlassare of Bentiu, who have been directly affected by the violence, asking them to convey closeness to their priests, religious, and lay faithful “ministering courageously in these wounded dioceses.”
They called on all the Christians and people of God in Sudan and South Sudan to “pray for an end to this cycle of violence, pray for the conversion of hearts that plan evil, pray for leaders to find courage and wisdom, and to pray for victims to rest in the eternal peace of Christ.”
