South Sudan bishop urges warring communities to forgive

Bishop Christian Carlassare called on those affected by the conflict to begin the process of forgiving the system that had fostered divisions.

A bishop in South Sudan called for mutual forgiveness between warring communities in his diocese to help develop a wider peace in the country.

Bishop Christian Carlassare of Bentiu was speaking on 5 February during a peace dialogue that was organised to reconcile the Dinka and Nuer communities.

The communities have historically fought over grazing land and water resources, but the fighting took on a national political element in 2013 when President Salva Kiir – a Dinka – dismissed his Nuer vice president, Riek Machar, inciting wider ethnic conflict.

Speaking at the conclusion of the peace dialogue, Bishop Carlassare called on those affected by the conflict to begin the process of forgiving the system that had fostered divisions between the two communities.

“If South Sudan is to have any hope of peace, our communities must find the courage to forgive, not just the individuals who have wronged them, but also the larger system that has perpetuated division and violence,” said Carlassare, an Italian-born missionary who is Bentiu’s first bishop.

“Our communities may find forgiveness very difficult, given the painful memories and losses sustained in the past years. Each community tends to remember negative events more than positive ones.”

In a related development, the Netherlands’ leading peace organisation PAX and the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) have launched a booklet on “Active Non-Violence” to empower faith-based leaders in promoting peace.

The booklet, introduced in Juba on 27 January, is the first of its kind in South Sudan and aims to provide practical guidance for fostering reconciliation.

SSCC members, including representatives from the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SCBC), met in Kigali, Rwanda, to collaborate on this essential resource. Developed through the Action Plan for Peace (APP), SSCC’s homegrown and Church-led strategy, the booklet seeks to restore hope and build inclusive peace in South Sudan.

“Let this launch mark a new chapter in our missional commitment to model nonviolence not only in our words but in our actions,” said the Revd Tut Kony Nyang Kon, the general Secretary of the SSCC.

He said that churches should become “sanctuaries of hope and transformation, equipping communities to overcome conflicts and injustices with courage and grace”.

South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop

Bishops warn South Sudanese against reprisals for killings in Sudan

Stay updated — add us as a preferred news source on Google: