Vatican Cardinal Calls on South Sudanese to “abandon old ways”, Seek Reconciliation

According to the Cardinal, it is the absence of justice and peace in the world that results to fears and “feelings of powerlessness”.

Cardinal Parolin further said, “We belong to one another by our Christian faith, no matter where we come from or tribe to which we belong.”

 “We have to give up personal ambitions and rivalries and understand that any harm done to a brother or sister, harms all of society and makes peace an unattainable dream, either we disarm our heart and give up violent means of solving our differences, or we destroy ourselves,” Cardinal Parolin said.

He continued, “Either we grow in fraternity all together, or we lose everything and perish all together.”

According to the 68-year-old Cardinal nonviolence is the only way to overcome divisions and solve communal differences.

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He said, “Jesus, the risen Lord, is the bond of our unity, nobody else can bring us together in communion… Without Jesus, the community will be broken down tribe by tribe, personal belief by personal belief, personal interest by personal interest.”

Cardinal Parolin encouraged Catholics not to limit their Church membership and Christian faith to baptism alone, or to passive participation in some celebrations of the Church but to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and that of the Holy Eucharist frequently to nourish their faith.

He noted that the Church needs both genuine Christian families and generous, selfless ministers, in order to be fully the sacrament of the risen Lord.

The Church, he said, also needs agents of that peace and reconciliation.

“When people live in sin, they live in fear,” the Cardinal said, and added, “Sin makes people weak and fragile, unable to sympathize with others in their suffering, unable to strive for justice, peace, and communion, and unable to build a more fraternal community.”

He acknowledged the beauty of South Sudan, saying, “As I visit South Sudan for the third time, I can tell you that I see your enthusiasm and joyful faith, I recognize your great potential, and I assure you of my prayers.”

In his speech during Holy Mass, Bishop Christian Carlassare of the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek said the visit of Cardinal Parolin shows the “face of the Church” which he said “is a beautiful face that includes all of us.”

The visit, Bishop Carlassare said, was a clear assurance to the people of Rumbek that they are not alone “closed in walls in our own kingdom.”

“We are an open diocese; open to the universal Church that is also part of us and we are part of it,” Bishop Carlassare said.

On August 15 while in the Catholic Diocese of Malakal at the invitation of Bishop Stephen Nyodho Ador Majwok,  Cardinal Parolin comforted returnees and refugees who were displaced by the Sudan war that broke out on April 15 and expressed the closeness of the Holy Father with them.

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On his first day in the country on August 14, Cardinal Parolin urged South Sudanese to embrace the spirit of peace and reconciliation in order to build a harmonious society.

Kerbino Kuel Deng is a South Sudanese journalist who is passionate about Church communication. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.