South Sudan bishop condemns ‘traumatising’ parish shooting

A bishop in South Sudan condemned an attack on a Catholic church hosting refugees was an affront to humanity and a direct violation of basic human dignity.

Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio said armed men had targeted the Church of St Mary Help of Christians on 10 December, killing a man named as Mr Undo and severely wounding a woman.

“I unequivocally condemn this brutal act of aggression, which has taken the life of an innocent person and left others traumatised and injured,” said Kussala in a statement on 12 December. “This violence is unjustified and must never happen again. I call on those responsible to repent, seek forgiveness from God and turn away from violence. The path of peace is the only way forward.”

The same day, the Sudanese Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, a former Archbishop of Khartoum, had celebrated a Mass in the parish in solidarity with the displaced persons, and spoke of the sanctity of human life and the need for peace. He had urged the people to refrain from hatred, violence and division, and instead embrace forgiveness and reconciliation.

“I have invited Cardinal Zubeir to bless our diocese, especially Tombura, and to call for an end to communal violence,” said Bishop Kussala. “As we approach the Advent season, a ti​me of reflection and hope, let us heed the message of peace and reconciliation.”

Kussala said the government had failed to respond to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Tombura County over the last three years.

“I urge the government of South Sudan to provide immediate protection for vulnerable populations, especially the displaced,” he said.

The bishop said churches, mosques, hospitals, schools and embassies were sacred places of refuge and safety meant to protect the innocent, and should not become targets of violence.

The shooting was the latest in a series of recent outrages in the region, including the beating of Bishop Yuna Tombe Trille Kuku Andali of El-Obeid as he crossed the border from South Sudan back to his diocese in Sudan.

Bishop Christian Carlassare of Bentiu, a South Sudanese diocese established by Pope Francis in July, said that the mineral wealth in the diocese worsened depredations and made the poverty of the people the more shocking.

In his pastoral message for Advent and Christmas pastoral message on 29 November, Bishop Carlassare said it was immoral that oil should be extracted from the area but the proceeds never benefit the poor there.

“In fact, the oil that is extracted here has not brought well-being to the population,” he said. “It has been a source of personal enrichment for the ruling class, has fueled violence in the country and in areas where it is extracted [and] it continues to act as the main engine of competition between the elites within the country’s political system.”

Bishop Carlassare called for a development approach foster “the common good: the protection of the weakest, the promotion of peace and a more dignified life for all”.

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