South Sudanese Catholic Bishop Condemns Violence After Sisters Attacked, Asks Government to Address Insecurity

He said that the Catholic Sisters, alongside other passengers, were dragged to the bushes, and that one was hit and injured. The Sisters’ personal items were also stolen. “All their things were looted, of course, and they were dragged to the bush…It was all the passengers. And Sister was hit and injured. And she was bleeding. That was what happened,” the Bishop explained.

Bishop Bernardino said that when he was informed about the attack, he made arrangements to have the Carmelite Sisters driven to Juba, where they were treated.

He also expressed concern over a separate attack involving the Parish Priest of Kapoeta, who was reportedly attacked while traveling from Torit. The priest was robbed of his belongings during the incident.

“I really condemn this situation as strongly as possible,” the Local ordinary of Torit asserted.

Bishop Bernardino questioned the aim of the attackers, but also called for forgiveness of perpetrators, saying, “Even though they misbehave, we still love them…We love them, and we pray for them.”

Acknowledging that perpetrators could be “struggling with something” amid deteriorating livelihoods in the world’s youngest nation, he called for relevant stakeholders to participate in finding solutions for those driven by poverty into crime.

He underlined the need for the Church to work with the government in curbing insecurity, saying, “The security of our nation and the world depends on us.”

The Catholic Bishop said prayers for security in South Sudan must be accompanied by deliberate actions to improve the well-being of the people.

“We need to think about the common good of all people,” he said, and added, “We need to come out of our comfort zone to think of these poor people.” 

Noting that security crises in South Sudan could be “a sign”, the Bishop said, “Maybe God is talking to us… that we need to come out of our routine. We need to think about how to help people, first of all to eat. Our major problem now is food.”