“It’s also time for us to challenge ourselves and behave accordingly and respect our people with dignity,” Mons. Napeta who was arriving from the Archdiocese of Khartoum, Sudan, in the accompany of Gabriel Cardinal Zubeir Wako further said.
The centenary celebration is a time for all Christians “to reflect on what we have been doing in our lives, relate with one another and work on how we handle our responsibilities,” he said, and expressed his appreciation to members of the Clergy ministering Torit Diocese for being “instrumental” in peoples’ lives during the protracted conflict in South Sudan.
Through the efforts of the members of the Clergy in Torit Diocese, Christians “were able to stand firm,” Mons. Napeta who was appointed Bishop of the South Sudanese Episcopal See on November 8 further said.
Making reference to Christians in what is to be his Episcopal See, he continued, “I want them to continue to build that faith through the contribution they are offering to the communities under the Diocese.”
The 48-year-old Bishop-elect thanked all those who turned up at the airport to welcome his to the country after having been away for a long time” ahead of the centenary celebration of Torit Diocese, to be celebrated under the theme, “Determined to Journey on the Path of Faith, United in Love and Reconciliation”.
Also addressing journalists at Juba airport on November 17, Archbishop Stephen Ameyu of Juba Archdiocese invited members of the public to join representatives from the 18 Parishes of Torit Diocese during the November 20 centenary celebrations, to be presided by Cardinal Zubeir Wako at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral of Torit Diocese.
Torit Diocese has been vacant since December 2019 when Archbishop Ameyu was transferred to Juba Archdiocese.
Once ordained Bishop, Mons. Napeta is expected to serve as the fourth Local Ordinary of the South Sudanese Diocese that has a population of 1,139,835 Catholics, according to 2020 statistics.
The 82,542 square-kilometer Catholic Diocese of Torit was erected in May 1983 and is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Juba.
Patrick Juma Wani is a South Sudanese journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. Patrick holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from Makerere Institute for Social Development (MISD) in Uganda. He has over 7 years of extensive experience in leading the development and implementation of media, advocacy, communication and multimedia strategy and operations, with an excellent track record of editorial leadership, budget management, and stakeholder outreach. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.
