As Catholics in eastern Africa prepared to celebrate Christmas, situations in South Sudan, Sudan and Ethiopia threatened to dampen the spirit of season, which brings peace, joy and hope for thousands of Christians.
Catholic Bishops in South Sudan drew attention the urgent need for humanitarian aid after floods submerged homes, road, markets, schools and churches, displacing thousands. This is the latest challenge for the world’s youngest nation which is struggling to come-out of a civil and recently the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are in a situation of an emergency. The people urgently need humanitarian aid in form of basic needs such as food, shelter and medicines,” said Catholic bishop Stephen Nyodho Ador Majwok of Malakal whose diocese is most affected.
In Sudan, Bishop Tombe Trille Kuku of El-Obeid said his people were celebrating Christmas, amidst a continuous revolution under the slogan of freedom, peace and justice. In the revolution the country was struggling to end discrimination, exclusion and marginalization for the third year.
But the destruction of property and the suppression of peaceful demonstrations as an expression of the youth and the masses contradicted the slogans of the revolution, Trille – Kuku said,
“The Sudan that everyone strives is not for majority or minority, but rather the Sudanese people who believe in God.”
In Ethiopia, Catholic bishops have expressed sadness at the war in Tigray, while highlighting the country’s state of social, moral, psychological, and economic crisis.
According to the bishops, many have died, displaced or imprisoned and many women raped in the war, in a list of challenges.
But the clerics said the sound of the church bells should be the voice of hope, love, peace, reconciliation, fellowship.
“We have a firm belief in God that this darkness will pass away,” said the bishops in a 13-17 December plenary statement.
As Catholics in eastern Africa prepared to celebrate Christmas, situations in South Sudan, Sudan and Ethiopia dampened the spirit of the season write Fredrick Nzwili and Francis Njuguna.
Catholic Bishops in South Sudan drew attention to the urgent need for humanitarian aid after floods submerged homes, roads, markets, schools and churches, displacing thousands.
Meanwhile in Sudan, Bishop Tombe Trille Kuku of El-Obeid said his people were celebrating Christmas amidst a continuous revolution.
The destruction of property and the suppression of peaceful demonstrations both contradicted the aims of the revolution, Trille Kuku said. “The Sudan that everyone strives for is not for majority or minority, but rather the Sudanese people who believe in God….”
In Ethiopia, Catholic bishops have expressed sadness at the war in Tigray. Many people have died, been displaced or imprisoned and many women raped in the war. But the clerics said the sound of the church bells should be the voice of hope, love, peace, reconciliation, and fellowship. “We have a firm belief in God that this darkness will pass away,” said the bishops in a 13- 17 December plenary statement.
Catholic bishops in Ghana have expressed their concern over what they have described as a “growing culture of insults and disrespect among the Ghanaian people … especially in our nation's political arena”.
Nigeria’s Catholic bishops earlier this month paid a solidarity visit to Miango Chiefdom of Bassa local Government area of Plateau State, following the eruption of a serious tribal conflict in the locality in which 11 people died.
BLOB Pope Francis has appointed a Nigerian Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Abia State and Apostolic Nuncio to the Antilles, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu as the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
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