Church Urges Government To Value Human Life The Catholic church in South Sudan has urged the government to value human life and reminded it that the just declared independence three months ago should be meaningful to all South Sudanese.15 October 2011 L-R (Front row); Bishop Paride of Torit Diocese, Dr. Barnaba Marial and Archbishop Lukudu among other church officials [©Gurtong]By Waakhe Simon Wudu JUBA, 14th October 2011 [Gurtong] - The Catholic church in South Sudan has urged the government to value human life and reminded it that the just declared independence three months ago should be meaningful to all South Sudanese.
According to Archbishop Pouline Lukudu who spoke on Thursday while delivering his opening remarks for a three day conference of the Catholic Church in Juba, South Sudanese have been experiencing unjustifiable life for the last three months since there freedom began. He challenged the government to focus on valuing the life of its people. In pretext, Lukudu’s argument refers to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country. “I feel strongly that we should learn the importance of the value of human life,’ Lukudu reiterated. We have to deepen the meaning and understanding of our independence,” he added. Right after South Sudan gained independence on July 9th; the United Nations (UN) estimated over 600 people to have been killed in Jonglei State in one day as a result of insecurity. Rebel activities and ethnic clashes especially in the greater Upper Nile Region since independence have created total unrest. The UN reported that, the humanitarian situation worsened coupling with the influx of Internally Displaced South Sudanese from Khartoum and immigrants from Blue Nile State and Abyei. Last week, the South Sudanese Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management said that, 1.3million South Sudanese are currently starving and in critical conditions. Lukudu urged the government to prioritize provision of services to the people of South Sudan since over 90% of them voted for a better life. He urged the people of South Sudan to unite, “As we are here in Juba we must not fear our tribes; unless we recognize our tribes we cannot make one nation from them.” Hundreds of catholic faithful from other regions of the country, civil society and government representatives on Thursday convened in Nyakuron Centre objectively to discuss prospects of the Catholic Church in the newest country. Five bishops of Juba, Yei, Yambio, Rumbek, Elobeid, and Torit diocese have also convened for the conference. Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the government Spokesperson and representative at the function underscored the efforts of the church during the over two decades of the civil war.He said that the contributions of the church during the time cannot be underestimated. Posted in: Home CommentsThere are currently no comments, be the first to post one. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
