“A people yearning for peace”: Cardinal Ameyu Says Prince of Peace Still Walks South Sudan’s “mountains”

The Archbishop of South Sudan’s only Metropolitan See situates the Christmas narrative within the “darkness” that he says the people of God in the country face.

Citing the Gospel of John, he reminds his compatriots that “the true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world,” and that this light “scatters darkness and invites us to ‘break forth together into singing.’”

Cardinal Ameyu insists that Christmas is not sentimental optimism but a declaration that God enters history precisely where suffering is deepest.

“The Good News of peace breaks through,” the Cardinal says, pointing to Isaiah’s vision that “all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” This salvation, he stresses, is fulfilled in the Child of Bethlehem, whose birth replaces “the clash of arms with the song of angels: Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.”

The person of Jesus Christ, Cardinal Ameyu reminds South Sudanese, comes “to the poor, the displaced, the war-weary – precisely those who know suffering most acutely.”

It is within this theological foundation that the Local Ordinary of Juba Archdiocese since March 2020 names the reality on the ground. Under the section titled “The Cry of Our Land: A People Yearning for Peace,” he describes a country “scarred by cycles of violence, economic hardship, and humanitarian crises.”

Cardinal Ameyu who also serves as the President of the Sudan/South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSCBC) since his installation in January 2024 recalls the lament of his brother Bishops over “violence in many parts of the country,” which they say is linked to “the power struggles currently going on within the ‘power sharing’ national government.”

The consequences are stark, he says, and enumerates displacement, inflation, insecurity, damaged hospitals, and children whose education is interrupted as “schools turned to rubble.”

The ongoing war in neighbouring Sudan, described as “a power struggle between rival generals,” has further strained South Sudan’s fragile resources, Cardinal Ameyu laments.

Still, even amid this regional turmoil, the South Sudanese Catholic Church leader whose transfer from Torit Diocese to Juba Archdiocese in December 2019 was met with resistance from a section of the Clergy and Laity situates the Church firmly on the side of peace, recalling St. John Paul II’s appeal to “put aside the arms of war and pursue the path of peace.”

The Cardinal echoes members of the SSCBC and the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC), both of which continue to condemn violence and convene leaders “from Juba’s halls to grassroots villages – for healing.”

Against this backdrop, Cardinal Ameyu proclaims Christ as “the Light in Our Darkness.” The Incarnation, he says, is God’s answer to despair, for the Word “did not remain aloof but ‘pitched his tent among us,’ sharing our poverty to redeem it.”

In Jesus, “forgiveness over vengeance, dialogue over division, service over self-interest” become the path to peace, Cardinal Ameyu says, and affirms that Christianity in South Sudan has shown itself to be a “force for peace,” particularly through ecumenical cooperation and care for the marginalized.

He goes on to call on national leaders to recommit to the September 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), urging progress on constitutional processes, disarmament, and elections “with transparency.”

He also appeals to the international community to “sustain aid, pressure for dialogue, and champion the non-violent aspirations of civilians.”

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To the faithful, he issues a personal invitation to become Isaiah’s messengers, those who proclaim peace “in our homes, parishes, and markets.”

Quoting the Psalmist, “There is posterity for the man of peace,” Cardinal Ameyu lays out a practical Christmas exhortation: families opening their doors to refugees, youth rejecting violence, the Church intensifying prayer and reconciliation, and “all People of Good Will” supporting humanitarian efforts and justice.

He reminds the President Salva Kiir Mayardit-led government that “the roots of war lie in hearts which refuse to submit… to the divine will.”

Cardinal Ameyu’s 2025 Christmas message closes in worship and blessing. As South Sudan adores “the Infant in the manger,” the Cardinal prays that God’s “holy arm console widows and orphans, heal the wounded, and unite our tribes in one body.”

The 2025 Christmas message of Cardinal Ameyu resounds with quiet confidence: the Prince of Peace has come, and His light “shines in the darkness that cannot overcome Him.”