Catholic Bishop in South Sudan Cautions Pastoral Agents against Manipulating Others

Yei, 03 July, 2023 / 12:39 AM

Bishop Alex Lodiong Sakor Eyobo of South Sudan’s Yei Diocese has cautioned pastoral agents in his Episcopal See against the tendency to “manipulate others”.

Speaking during his pastoral visit to St. Mary Chapel of the Catholic Diocese of Yei on Sunday, June 25, Bishop Lodiong said, “Some people are using positions given to them by God to manipulate others instead of developing the Church, community and the nation.”

Bishop Lodiong explained the vice of manipulation, saying, “People exploit others to get what they want and to avoid having to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions.”

He described people who engage in manipulative behavior as having “strong wills” and that “their personalities engender trust”.

The manipulation “culture”, he emphasized, “has to stop because the tasks that we are entrusted by God are for all to benefit.”

The Local Ordinary of Yei Diocese who celebrated 22 years of Priestly Ministry on June 24 warned the people of God under this pastoral care to “be very careful” when dealing with manipulators. 

“Be very careful when dealing with such people, especially when they are within our own families or community,” the 52-year-old South Sudanese Bishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in May 2022 said. 

He went on to call upon with manipulative tendencies to “put off falsehood and work truthfully because all are members of one body.”

“We should do the true things and demand the same of others,” Bishop Lodiong said.

He added, “If God called you to work for the community and the nation, you should come out and do the work very well to help the people of God not for different things.”

“Everyone should do the work God entrusts to them, with care and love to serve the people better,” Bishop Lodiong said during his pastoral visit to St. Mary Chapel on June 25, and added, “This is what God wants from us as a Church and the community to keep our work going further.”