Referring to the two neighbouring countries that separated in July 2011, Archbishop Horgan noted that “while South Sudan is witnessing a deterioration this year, our brothers in the north remain held hostage in a cruel and protracted conflict.”
“This is the sobering context in which we minister and preach the Word of God – a Word, after all, of peace and reconciliation,” he said, recalling his September visit to Catholic communities in the Archdiocese of Khartoum as an experience that gave him firsthand “insight into the extraordinary challenges facing our brothers in Sudan and the urgent need to pray for a peaceful solution to that cruel war.”
He urged SSS-CBC members to remain committed to breaking the cycle of violence that “leaves too many of our people frightened and separated from their homes and their land.”
“As St. Paul says, we remain preachers of God’s Word in season and out of season. In the present season in our countries, that preaching of the Gospel is ever necessary and ever powerful,” said the 56-year-old Vatican diplomat.
He added, “One often has the sentiment in our countries that people refuse to hear. Nonetheless, our task as Bishops is to continue to give our testimony on behalf of the moral and revealed law.”
“This message we deliver is God’s own revelation of Himself. In its essentials it is unchanged and unchanging, and it offers humanity the only true recipe for happiness in this life and in the next,” Archbishop Horgan said during his November 11 address in Malakal.
The previous day, the President of the SSS-CBC, Stephen Cardinal Ameyu raised alarm over the “humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale” in Sudan and South Sudan.
In his opening remarks during the official opening of the SSS-CBC Plenary Assembly, Cardinal Ameyu underscored the need for Catholic leaders to strengthen unity, foster non-violence, and reinforce pastoral structures as the Church responds to the plight of the people of God in both countries.
“The people of Sudan and South Sudan are enduring profound suffering, displacement, loss of life, destruction of churches and properties, and a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale,” the Local Ordinary of Juba Catholic Archdiocese said.
He acknowledged with appreciation the spirit of endurance among the Sudanese people, saying, “Amidst these trials, the Dioceses have demonstrated resilience, providing shelters, food, and spiritual care through charities and other agencies.”
