Bishop of South Sudan’s Youngest Catholic Diocese Calls for “courage to forgive” among Region’s Warrying Communities

While suffering is nothing out of the ordinary in South Sudan owing to years of civil war that broke on in December 2013, life in the region served by Bentiu Diocese in South Sudan’s Unity State is harshest.

It has been estimated that 90 percent of Bentiu town, which hosts one of the biggest refugee camps in the South Sudanese State is submerged. 

Those displaced by years of flooding are living under severe humanitarian conditions in camps that also host victims of South Sudan’s protracted civil war.

Added to this suffering, unending conflict between the region’s main communities makes it one of the harshest pastoral areas in the east-central African country. 

In an interview with journalists last year, Bishop Carlassare observed that the two main communities served by the Diocese of Bentiu are “so close, but sometimes also so divided.”

The Italian-born member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) underlined the need for the community members to journey together towards peace and reconciliation.

He later shared a reflection with ACI Africa, noting that the relationship between the Nuer and the Dinka “is not simple.”

“A priority of the Diocese is to build bridges of reconciliation between these two groups,” he said.

In his address at the at the February 5 event that was organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in collaboration with the South Sudanese civil society, Bishop Carlassare urged the communities to embrace forgiveness as a transformative tool for reconciliation and harmony.

 “People are taken up by a turmoil of emotions when they identify their community as the victim, and try to seek justice by their means,” said the Bishop who started his Priestly Ministry in South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Malakal following his ordination in September 2004.

The Italian Bishop reflected on his personal experience with forgiveness, recounting an incident in which he was shot in both legs on 26 April 2021 while he served in the Diocese of Rumbek. He noted that it was forgiveness that helped him overcome anger, frustration, and fear.

“It was because of forgiveness that I could go back to Rumbek. Against any generalization, I acknowledged that the community was innocent. The evil deed was done by a group of individuals,” he said and emphasized the need to avoid stigmatizing entire communities for the actions of a few individuals.

Bishop Carlassare who spent all his life as a Priest among the Nuer people highlighted the importance of dialogue and reconciliation in creating a shared narrative for South Sudan.

The Bishop cited Nelson Mandela’s vision of reconciliation, stating, “Reconciliation is not just about forgiving; it’s about building something together, a shared future, a common ground.”

He called for efforts to focus on building a future where all groups can live in harmony, respecting the identity of each community while fostering a sense of belonging to the same nation.

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The Bishop who had been ministering in Malakal Diocese since his arrival in South Sudan in 2005 before he was appointed Bishop for Rumbek Diocese in March 2021 also likened humanity to the lost sheep in Jesus’ parable from Gospel of St. Matthew to illustrate how people can constantly get lost and the power of forgiveness.

“Along our history, every time we went back to conflict, we lost the way. And God came down to look for us and found us in a miserable condition,” he said.

He challenged communities to allow the Good Shepherd to carry them back to unity, urging them to embrace forgiveness as a way of life, saying, “Jesus means, forgive always: 490 times a day. Let forgiveness be so regular that it is like your breath.”

Addressing misconceptions about forgiveness, Bishop Carlassare quoted Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s saying, “Forgiving is not forgetting. It’s remembering.” He explained that forgiveness does not mean tolerating evil but denouncing it while choosing not to retaliate.

“When you forgive, you offer the chance for a new beginning and write a new chapter of history,” he said. Forgiveness, he noted, is not about whether the enemy deserves it but about ensuring peace for future generations.