Papal confidante says South Sudan trip will happen ‘sooner or later’

Bringing peace to South Sudan has been a focus of Pope Francis over the past 2 years.  As an advocate for human rights and justice in the region, Pope Francis hosted country leaders at the Vatican including President Salva Kiir.  Pope Francis has not yet visited South Sudan but according to one insider, Italian layman Mauro Garofalo, a visit will happen, “sooner or later.”

Garofalo is the chief of international relations for the Sant’Egidio community and made the comment to journalists after a three-day series of meetings in Rome with the National Pre-Transitional Committee of South Sudan (NPCT). The NPCT have been tasked with assisting in the implementation of South Sudan’s October 2018 peace agreement.

Read Garofalo’s full quote and more here

Italian Bishops’ Conference donates one million euros to South Sudan

South Sudan is set to receive a one million euro donation from the Italian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (Conferenza Episcopale Italian, CEI.) The funds are pledged “in favor of the people of South Sudan” according to the conference and targeted to aid multiple humanitarian issues.

This marks the fourth year in a row the group has allocated a portion of the “eight per thousand” funds to provide aid in South Sudan.  The “eight per thousand” is tax law where a portion of Italian citizens tax returns are distributed to organized religion and social assistance programs.  The Church uses this funding for a variety of charitable programs cross the globe.

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Tragedy, caution and hope as South Sudan marks eight years of independence

Tuesday, July 9 marked the eight anniversary of South Sudan’s independence.  The occasion is a reminder of tragedy and struggle in the countries quest for peace.  Sr. Joan Mumaw, president and chief administrative officer for Friends in Solidarity shared her view of South Sudan’s current state with the Global Sisters Report.  According to Sr. Joan, “Many (South Sudanese) want to be hopeful, but underlying issues are not being addressed.” Sr. Joan is referring to a government peace agreement which has remained at a standstill since May of 2019.

South Sudan’s peace agreement designed to end 5 years of intense conflict remains stalled while President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar work through terms and stipulations.  In the wake of the delay, the government has remained in a transitional power-sharing state causing instability and unresolved starvation.  The peace talks are scheduled to pick back up in November of this year, however, doubt remains for this timeline.  In the meantime, millions of South Sudanese remain in a state of flux, many facing hunger and displacement.  With peace efforts in need of support, Sr. Joan encourages prayer from citizens of the world.

How the South Sudanese bishops are working to promote peace

According to the president of the Sudanese Bishops’ Conference, in order to achieve peace in South Sudan, patience and humility must be shown by both its leaders. The conference’s president Bishop Kussala recently spoke with the Catholic News Agency about the current situation in Sudan and what local bishops have been doing to promote peace in the area.  “We have tried to keep the momentum, to continue to work harder and make sure peace is actually in this country…. It has again energized us to serve the leaders and the people,” said Kussala.

Kussala says the two sides will have to work through years of mistrust and violence. He believes there is no quick fix to peace and it will take a great amount of time to progress fully.  Even in the midst of this bleak situation, Kussala and the Diocese of Tombura-Yambio have hosted peace retreats for around 10,000 young fighters who have been involved in the country’s violence.  Their hope is to prepare the communities for reconciliation and forgiveness.

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Record number of South Sudanese face critical lack of food

Almost seven million South Sudanese civilians are at risk and face a critical lack of food according to a new report released by the South Sudanese government and the United Nations.  Almost two million people are near starvation nine months after a peace deal ended the five-year civil war.

The report suggests the food shortages are exacerbated by delayed rainfall, economic crisis and a year of strain from a conflict that killed almost 400,000 people.  Some South Sudanese, including children, have reported eating only once per day.

Breaking the hunger cycle will rely on whether the fragile peace deal signed in September of 2018 will hold.  While the fighting has decreased, combats have still broken out between government and rebel groups in the Central Equatoria state.  In May of 2019, the government and opposition delayed the next steps in the peace deal by six months.  Progress remains slow.

Read the rest here.

100 Killed in Sudan, Dozens of Bodies Pulled from Nile

More than 100 people have been killed and more than 325 people were injured after a violent crackdown by Sudan’s security forces on pro-democracy protesters in the capital.

According to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, an organization that helped organize protests, 40 bodies had been pulled from the River Nile after the attack. The death toll makes it the deadliest attack by security forces on the protesters since April, when longtime President Omar al-Bashir was toppled by his generals.

After the coup, the generals of Sudan formed a Transitional Military Council to rule — to protesters’ dismay — and tense negotiations began. The protesters continued to demand a transition to civilian control. The generals resisted, but continued to talk about potential compromises.

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In war-torn South Sudan, priests build a shrine to Our Lady of the Rosary

Ave Maria, the parish church outside Mupoi, South Sudan, was abandoned at the beginning of Sudan’s civil war and then ransacked. Now, two strong-willed Spanish missionaries are working to rebuild it, and hope to turn in a continental Marian Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Combonian missionaries built the massive church almost a century ago, and soon became the leading evangelizing force of Sudan. But their churches, rectories, and missions were either abandoned or transferred to young native clergy after Sudan’s first prime minister, Ismail al-Azhari, expelled all Catholic missionaries from the country.

Most of the regions Catholic population fled, and the Ava Maria church was left to crumble.

“Now that people have returned to this area, our goal is to rebuild physically, but most importantly, spiritually, with a comprehensive vision” says Fr. Avelino Bassols, pastor of the mission parish.

Bassols and his vicar, Fr. Albert Salvans, belong to the Missionary Community of St. Paul de the Apostle (MCSPA). While the priests work in the slow rebuilding of the shrine, a building for a secondary school has been started with financial help from the Sudan Relief Fund. The Catholic school will cater to all the students from the nearby towns.

“We need schools, drinking water, a healthcare facility, issues we are addressing with the help of the Sudan Relief Fund. But what we have in abundance here is a deep faith. Our people have survived persecutions, the expulsion of the missionaries, many decades without priests, but their deep faith remains,” Fr. Bassols said.

Fr. Bassols and Fr. Salvans are hopeful that the shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary will be completely restored by 2023 and will attract Catholics from all over the world.

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