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| Group Photo of the Training Participants |
The Catholic Church in South Sudan has been asked to bring on Board the Politicians and government officials in its strategic plans if it wants its impact felt to them.
This was said during the capacity building training that was organized by AMECEA and USCCB and hosted by Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference (SCBS) that was held in Juba from 17th-23rd August, 2014.
The participants, most of whom, top diocesan leadership from all the dioceses of South Sudan and Sudan were taken through the courses of leadership and management, Finance and Investment and Communication.
In a special case for South Sudan the participants were also informed on strategies of Peace Building because of the situation on which the country is passing through.
It was already noted in the training that the need of bringing on board the politicians and government officials in the strategic Pastoral planning of the Catholic is genuine if they wants to establish a lasting solutions to many of the pastoral issues the church want to address or tackle.
Rev Fr Nicholaus Segeja, one of the facilitators from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, while presenting his paper on Strategic pastoral planning, said that the mission of the church as depicted in the Africae Munus Documents is Justice and Peace and Reconciliation. “A local Church of South Sudan should take it as its mission at the moment and so strategize on it,” he said.
During the training the participants recalled the role played by the Church during the comprehensive peace agreement and before the referendum which was not continued after the South Sudanese independence. “It is high time that the Church continue reiterating its role as it was before,” spoke one of the participants from South Sudan.
The participants were grateful for the initiatives of AMECEA and USCCB in collaboration with AMECEA for making this workshop a reality. They wished that there could be a chance of having a training of a similar nature every year.
Commenting on the workshop training, the coordinator of Capacity Building Project at AMECEA Ms. Christine Mbugi said she was glad that finally the workshop has taken place after it was postponed in January.
“The workshop was 100% attended. This is clear sign that the people of South Sudan really needed it,” she said.
The director of training from Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) Sr. Elizabeth Nduku said she was pleased not only by the attendance but also by the active role of the participants during the training.
A cross section of participants interviewed said that they were grateful with the training. However, they wished that such kind of trainings could be organized on yearly basis and that the number of days be increased.
SOURCE: Fr Chrisantus Ndaga; AMECEA Social Communications (Juba, South Sudan)