Since the Conflict broke out in South Sudan in December, 2013, a mention of the youngest Nation in the world paints a picture of hopelessness and of a country that seems to be destined to doom. Moreover the recent collapse of negotiations for final peace agreement between the two factions of the SPLM (Sudan People's Liberation Movement, the ruling party), led by President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar in Addis Ababa Ethiopia portray more desolate situation.
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| Bishop Rudolf Deng Majak of Wau |
Bishop Rudolf Deng Majak, of Wau Diocese, however, expresses hope for peace and prosperity for South Sudan. He describes the current crisis as the teething problems of a young nation; something that will soon be forgotten.
“Wau compared to Malakal and other parts of South Sudan is quiet in the sense that the fighting is not there and so does many other parts of South Sudan. But of course people are concerned because those who are dying in other parts of the country are all our brothers and sisters. Nobody is happy if their neighbor is in distress,” he said.
“Life is going on in South Sudan despite the gloomy situation. People are coming together; going to work to make ends meet, to find food for their families, children and for themselves and people are moving beyond their family circle, beyond their ethnic communities,” he explained.
The Bishop is positive that with good political will the present difficulties the country is facing right will be over. “Nobody thrives and lives on war and brokenness, but we all thrive on goodwill and the cooperation and working together to produce more services, and send more children to school.”
Bishop Deng said that the voice of hope is little by little filtering into the hearts and minds of many South Sudanese who are beginning to realize that war is not an ending in itself, but it only brings destruction. “People have come to see the reality that peace and reconciliation, honesty, integrity and forgiveness brings more growth, more services, and more commitment to the common good,” he said.
Meanwhile the Bishop said that Christianity has tremendously grown in the Diocese of Wau, a sign that many good things are destined to happen. He said that the Diocese is the Mother Diocese of South Sudan and has a population of approximately five million out of which 75% are Catholics. Bishop Deng is the eighth Bishop of Wau and the fourth local native Bishop of the Diocese.
“As a Church in a very young unstable nation we are experiencing lots of challenges. We worry every day how to maintain and support the huge Christian population while we are understaffed. We have vocations to the priesthood and religious life, but many young men and women do not persevere for one reason or another. However, we know that there is no known local Church that has grown to what it is now that has not passed through what we are going through,” he said.
Bishop went on to say that the sad situation is that many people in the community consider themselves tribesmen and tribes women before consider themselves Christians, Catholics, or South Sudanese. As a Church, “we have a long way to go to build unity and diversity through pastoral projects and catechesis through holistic approach”.
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News