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Catholic Bishop in South Sudan Urges Youth to End the “virus” of Tribalism, Nepotism

Bishop Matthew Remijio Adam addressing young people at a Thanksgiving Holy Mass to mark the conclusion of the 2022 Youth Conference on Monday, November 21. Credit: Wau Diocese

The Catholic Bishop of South Sudan’s Wau Diocese has called upon young people in the East-Central African nation to put an end to the tendency to prioritize of prioritizing ethnic identities manifested in what he termed the “virus” of tribalism and nepotism.

In his homily during the Thanksgiving Holy Mass to mark the conclusion of the 2022 Youth Conference on Monday, November 21, Bishop Matthew Remijio Adam said ending tribalism and nepotism will make citizens value each other.

“We need to end this virus called tribalism and nepotism to help our people, especially the youth, to be together and have equal opportunities with others,” Bishop Remijio said.

He added, “Working on reducing the rate of nepotism in the country will help our people, especially the young people to get the jobs they are looking for.”

The South Sudanese member of Comboni Missionaries (MCCJ) said he found it regrettable that nepotism “remains a matter of concern” despite efforts to reduce the vice in the world’s youngest nation. 

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“There is a lot of tribalism and nepotism in this country because of the indifferences we have within our communities,” he said in his November 21 homily at St. Mary’s Cathedral of Wau Diocese

The 50-year-old Catholic Bishop who has been at the helm of Wau Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in January 2021 went on to say, “Nepotism becomes a big problem among our people because some people don’t consider others who are not their relatives to get jobs which make them end up unemployed.”

Nepotism has covered the whole nation because everyone is considering his or her family first than the rest,” the South Sudanese Catholic Bishop lamented, adding, “One needs to work with all the efforts, experience and the skills without fear for all to get jobs equally because every citizen has the right to work anywhere in the country.”

He continued, “We should do things knowing that Christ is in the company of our work because he’s the one guiding us through the work to be successful.” 

The November 16-20 Youth Conference was held under the theme, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven” (Mt 5:16).

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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.