Pope Francis Ushered “a new spirit in the Church, commitment to a Synodal Church”: Catholic Bishop in South Sudan

“When you have received Christ, don't keep Him to yourself, let other people also know who He is,” he continued, pointing out that this is what might have inspired the late Pontiff to “come out with the idea of the Synod on Synodality, which means the Church must be a Church that is inclusive.”

Bishop Lodiong further said, “Even those of us who are sinners have a place, so that we can come out from our sins and become children of God, because we are all God’s creation anyway.”

The Catholic Church leader also noted that Pope Francis’ legacy will be remembered for insisting that the ‘Church reflect the open embrace of Christ, who welcomed all people, including sinners.”

“I think that goes down as a legacy of Pope Francis,” he observed, noting that despite controversies surrounding the inclusive approach, Pope Francis stood firm.

“Many controversies went on and on, but he insisted that this is the true nature of the Church that Christ founded,” he stated, alluding to the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which concluded in October 2024.

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In his April 23 homily, the 54-year-old South Sudanese Catholic Bishop recalled Pope Francis’ historic visit to the East-Central African nation in February 2023, particularly his message to the country’s leadership.

Pope Francis’ ecumenical pilgrimage of peace, he said, was a response to “the plea of an entire people that with great dignity weeps for the violence it endures, its persistent lack of security, its poverty and natural disaster that it has experienced.”

He reminded the people of God in South Sudan of the late Holy Father’s deep love for the South Sudanese, his care for their lives, and his persistent appeal to the country’s leadership to exercise a people-centered leadership.

“The Holy Father was very deeply in love with us and he cared about our lives, the people of South Sudan, and urged the leaders of this country, both political, religious and society, to be leaders who are for the people, so that the people don't suffer more,” he said.

Citing Pope Francis’ description of war in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti as “a failure of politics and a failure of humanity,” Bishop Lodiong, who has been at the helm of Yei Diocese since his Episcopal Consecration in May 2022, cautioned politicians in South Sudan against following the path of violence.

“I want you to remember that when you go to war, you are failing,” he saidadding, “See how strong the words of Pope Francis are, but sometimes we take it for granted, and insist, particularly about our talks, dialogue, and wars.”

The Catholic Bishop lamented what he described as “void discussions” and inconclusive investigations.

“We are investigating those who caused the problem, but when we are discussing, let us touch the wounds, the wounded flesh of the victims of war,” he said.

The funeral Mass for the Holy Father has been scheduled for Saturday, April 26, in St. Peter’s Square. He is to be laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, as he explained in his statement.

Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication.