South Sudan’s Newest Catholic Diocese Relying on Catechists, Lay Pastoral Agents for Growth of Christian Communities

“We currently have no Religious community of Sisters, but we are awaiting the return of the Comboni Missionary Sisters and hope that other congregations will come to us,” the Local Ordinary of Bentiu, who started his Episcopal Ministry in March 2022 in South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Rumbek, where he is the Apostolic Administrator, says. 

Out of the 1.13 million people who live in Bentiu, there are 450,000 Catholics and about 350,000 belonging to other Christian denominations, Bishop Carlassare says, adding that the rest of the population is still devoted to traditional religion. “There is also a small, but significant presence of Muslims,” he further says.

In the article titled “Service to the Poorest”, Bishop Carlassare further addresses the challenges that the people of God face in Bentiu, the border area between Sudan and South Sudan.

He describes, in particular, the refugee misery in Bentiu as a result of the protracted civil war.

“The territory of our Diocese is one of the poorest parts of the country,” the Italian Comboni Missionary Bishop says, and explains, “The most marginalised people live here. The Civil War between 2013 and 2018 devastated Bentiu and the entire region. Only now is the population beginning to return to the city.”

Those returning lack materials to rebuild their houses, he says, adding that the people live in simple shelters built from rubble that was left after the destruction of the civil war.

Rubkona, a twin town of Bentiu, which lies north of the Gazelle River (a tributary of the Nile), is home to the largest displaced camp in South Sudan. The town was created in 2014 because of the violent conflict during the civil war and houses 140,000 people.

In his article, Bishop Carlassare observes that although peace agreements have been reached to restore normalcy in South Sudan, natives of Bentiu are still unable to return to their homes. “The floods of recent years are now preventing them from doing so,” he says, making reference to a UN report that indicates that 90 percent of the population in the area is displaced.

“In addition, around 130,000 Sudanese refugees, mainly ethnic Nuba, live mostly in Ajuong-thok and Pamir camps within the Rueng Administrative area. The poverty in which the population lives makes them extremely vulnerable,” the Local Ordinary of Bentiu since his installation in August 2024 says.

The situation in Bentiu is being exacerbated by the climate crisis, Bishop Carlassare says, and explains that South Sudan is experiencing long-term changes, such as higher than average temperatures than in the past, as well as more frequent extreme weather events.

“Seasonal rainfall has become quite unpredictable. There are periods of extreme drought and extreme rainfalls,” he says, adding that the change in rainfall patterns is making farming difficult, and the population has no irrigation options.

Additionally, the rise in the Nile river over the past four years has led to severe flooding in South Sudan, affecting around a million people every year, Bishop Carlassare says, and explains, “Large areas of arable land have been submerged. Many animals have died from diseases caused by the stagnant water.”

Those whose homes have been submerged have had to look for new homes due to their abject poverty. The relocation, he says, has often been met with hostile reactions from the local population. At the same time, limited access to resources has led to soil degradation and deforestation, which has further increased the risk of conflict.

Bishop Carlassare, who was ordained a Priest in September 2004 and commissioned to South Sudan, where he ministered in the country’s Catholic Diocese of Malakal , from which Bentiu Diocese was carved, says that since South Sudan's independence in 2011, oil revenues, which account for around 85 percent of gross domestic product, have provided “a certain basis for stability” for the country.

He however observes that the oil has also been a trigger for violent conflict, with the ruling class enriching itself from the revenues while the rest of the population is left impoverished.

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“When South Sudan became independent, it had such extensive access to oil revenues that it was classified as a middle-income country. It was hoped that oil revenues would support the construction of the new State and finance the development of public infrastructure. Unfortunately, this has not been the case,” the Catholic Church leader laments.

Bishop Carlassare’s Episcopal appointment for Rumbek Diocese in March 2021 was followed by the life-threatening episode of his being shot in both legs on 26 April 2021. The situation pushed his Episcopal Consecration that had been initially scheduled for Pentecost Sunday that year (23 May 2021) to the Solemnity of the Annunciation the following year, on 25 March 2022.

In his article shared with ACI Africa on January 9, the Local Ordinary of Bentiu Diocese has reflected on the implications of the ongoing civil war in Sudan for South Sudan, noting that the two neighbouring countries are “highly interdependent.”

He notes that many South Sudanese used to live in Sudan, because it offered good opportunities for work, study and medical care. “This is no longer the case,” Bishop Carlassare says, and adds, in reference to the civil war that broke out on 15 April 2023, “Most of them have returned to South Sudan, but have lost everything and are now left with no way to start anew in their homeland.”

In reference to the Nuer and the Dinka, who inhabit Bentiu, the Comboni Missionary Bishop says, “The relationship between these two groups is not simple. A priority of the Diocese is to build bridges of reconciliation between these two groups.”