Bishops’ Secretariat in South Sudan Gets Boost from Local Bank for Security Infrastructure

“Our people have been made to believe that donations can only come from Pope Francis,” the 52-year-old Bishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in February 2011 said, adding, “Even the simple Rosary people would like to have it for free and this is what affected our Church.”

He called on the management of the bank to continue supporting the Church not only in Juba but also across the country.

SCBC Secretariat was looted in a robbery that took place during the night of May 24-25.

Confirming the incident on May 25, SCBC Secretary General, Fr. Peter Suleiman told journalists in Juba that the robbers accessed the premises after drugging the security guard to “unconsciousness”, and broke the doors of the Secretariat.

The robbers made away with computers and an unspecified sum of money in US dollars and South Sudanese Pounds.

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In his speech during the August 29 donation ceremony, Fr. Suleiman expressed gratitude to the management of Kush bank for working “together with the Church to help where necessary”. 

The SCBC Secretary General recalled the reason for approaching the bank for assistance following the robbery in May, saying, “The resolution was to improve the place from such things happening again in the future. We also discussed some ways on how to move forward after that incident happened.”

Fr. Suleiman said both parties in the course of their deliberations “discovered some weaknesses that made the criminals break into the compound and steal some of the items at night.”

“We came up with the resolution of improving the fence to control movement and also to employ well-trained security guards,” he said.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Kush Bank South Sudan, Ryan O’Grady, said the aim of the financial institution is to promote development in the East-Central African nation through local partnership.

“When you call, we listen to your call because we are a national bank,” Mr. O’Grady said, and added, “We are doing more than just sitting behind the desk; that’s why we are responding positively on how to help the Church and build unity among ourselves.”

He further said, “There is so much work for the Church and the secretariat in terms of supporting the development of our community and other places where we live.”

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.