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Be “a servant leader, not a dictator”: Catholic Priest to Authorities in South Sudan

St. Mary's Cathedral of South Sudan's Wau Diocese. Credit: Courtesy Photo

By Patrick Juma Wani

Wau, 10 May, 2022 / 6:04 pm (ACI Africa).

A member of the Clergy of South Sudan’s Wau Diocese is calling on the leaders in the East-Central African country to be at the service of the people and not dictators.

In his Sunday, May 8 homily at St. Mary’s Cathedral of Wau Diocese, Fr. Germano Bernardo Baku said people normally follow servant leaders rather than those who lord it over them.

“As a leader, you should be a servant not a dictator, because if you are a dictator, people will not be able to follow you because you say everything by force and order them to do it for you,” the Vicar General of Wau Diocese said, and added, “If you are a servant leader then your people will follow you.”

The South Sudanese Catholic Priest further said, “A leader should be at the service of his people and be in position to know the fears and joys of his people.”

“If you don’t know the challenges and difficulties your people go through then you are a failure, not a leader,” Fr. Baku said.

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He cautioned against absenteeism and leading from a distance. “Sometimes leaders stay far from the people only sending their voices for things to be done for them,” he said, and added, “That doesn’t give hope to anyone.”

Leaders, the South Sudanese Catholic Priest emphasized, “should be present among your people; avail yourself to give them hope on whatever you say,”

“If you are very far and only send your voice, it will not add anything to your community that will help them,” Fr. Baku said, and added, “If you are among them you know how to approach them because if there is any problem, you will be able to approach them.”

“You need to know how to approach your people and how to lead them and how to guide them,” he said during his homily on Good Shepherd Sunday, May 8, and reiterated the need for closeness between leaders and their respective followers.

Patrick Juma Wani

Patrick Juma Wani is a South Sudanese journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. Patrick holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from Makerere Institute for Social Development (MISD) in Uganda. He has over 7 years of extensive experience in leading the development and implementation of media, advocacy, communication and multimedia strategy and operations, with an excellent track record of editorial leadership, budget management, and stakeholder outreach. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.

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