“Let us Sustain, care for the environment”: Catholic Bishop in South Sudan to Christians

Tonj, 26 March, 2024 / 11:25 AM

Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio (CDTY) has called upon the people of God in his Episcopal See to participate in environmental conservation, and curtail climatic change.

In his Palm Sunday homily at St. Mary Parish of CDTY, Bishop Hiiboro highlighted the importance of caring for the environment that God has given to humans.

“As we celebrate this day, let us sustain and care for the environment that God has given to us,” he said, and lamented, “We have destroyed all our environment; let's do the right thing to save lives.”

The South Sudanese Catholic Bishop emphasized, “During this time, we pray we may sustain and care for the environment God has given to us.”

He went on to underscore the importance of planting more trees as part of the initiatives to conserve the environment and to protect human life. 

“Many leaders including myself have been always encouraging people to let us plan our trees, let us not cut our trees, and let us care for our environment. Now we have closed schools because of the heat,” he said.

The Catholic Church leader, who has been at helm of the CDTY since his Episcopal Consecration in June 2008 said the heat comes because the environment is being destroyed.

“Where does the heat come from? Because the environment has been destroyed, the level of cutting trees is not okay. So, if we have to protect life, then we have to protect the environment,” the 60-year-old South Sudanese Catholic Bishop said.