[PRESS RELEASE] – Bishops to Government: Put People Before Power

(JUBA) – Catholic bishops in South Sudan have issued a strong anD urgent message calling for immediate action to end the country’s worsening insecurity, growing humanitarian crisis and political stagnation, warning that continued violence threatens to drag the young nation back into widespread conflict.

The message followed the annual meeting of the Catholic Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of South Sudan, held in Juba from 7–11 July 2025 under the theme “Let justice and peace embrace” (Psalm 85:10). The bishops used the occasion to reflect on the current state of the country politically, socially, economically and spiritually and to appeal directly to national leaders and the South Sudanese public.

This was the bishops’ first meeting since the passing of Pope Francis, who had shown strong support for South Sudan, including through his historic 2023 visit. It also marked their first gathering since the election of Pope Leo XIV, in which South Sudan participated through the presence of Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla.

In their statement, the bishops expressed “deep sorrow and grave concern” over what they described as a sharp rise in violence in the first half of 2025. They cited incidents of aerial bombardments, military clashes, ambushes on roads and rivers, armed raids on villages, abductions, sexual violence and growing restrictions on civic and media freedoms.

The bishops reported witnessing “forced recruitment by gang groups known locally as ‘niggers’ and ‘torontos’, displacement of families, and worsening poverty and hunger.” They warned that these conditions were once again plunging communities into fear and despair.

In a direct message to the government and opposition leaders, the bishops asked whether they genuinely cared about the people of South Sudan or were only pursuing political power and personal gain.

They lamented the failure to implement key security provisions in the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement and criticised the continued use of military force to address political and social disputes.

“Violence is not the solution to grievances,” the bishops wrote, quoting Pope Francis’s 2023 appeal: “No more bloodshed, no more conflicts … it is time to turn the page.”

The bishops called for the urgent creation of protected humanitarian corridors and full access for aid agencies, as well as tax exemptions for humanitarian goods, particularly those imported by religious and charitable organisations.

They also recalled Pope Francis’s powerful words from his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, in which he wrote that “War is a failure of politics and humanity” and called on South Sudan’s leaders to reject the “rhetoric of division.”

While condemning political violence, the bishops offered encouragement to religious workers, urging priests, nuns and catechists to continue ministering to those suffering across the country.

“Do not lose heart,” they said, reminding them that “the light of Christ still shines in South Sudan despite the darkness.”

They urged ordinary citizens to remain firm in faith, to forgive and to witness to peace in both word and action.

“Let us build a South Sudan where justice, peace, and reconciliation triumph,” the bishops said, describing 2025’s Jubilee Year of Hope as an opportunity for national healing and renewal.

The bishops also commended all those, both in and outside government, who are working silently for peace.

“Your acts of kindness are not unnoticed. They are blessed by God,” the message read.

The statement closed with a prayer for lasting peace and a call to leaders, communities, and faith groups to work together for a new future. “May Peace Prevail Now and for Ever. Amen!” it concluded.

The message was signed by the President of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSSCBC), Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, along with other bishops representing dioceses across the country, including Wau, Yambio, Malakal, Bentiu, Rumbek, Yei, Torit and Juba.

Message of the Catholic Bishops of South Sudan Jul_250711_162657_compressed