Pope Francis Sends Cardinal Parolin on Peace Mission to South Sudan, Africa and he Rides in a Migrant Boat!
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The Vatican Secretary of State began his 4-day visit to the African nation on August 14th, to promote the peace process for which Pope Francis and the local Church have advocated for several years.
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In his homily for Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cardinal Parolin shared the Pope’s greetings and closeness with the people of South Sudan.
“The Holy Father still has vivid memories of his visit to South Sudan, in February of this year,” said the Cardinal, “and he carries this country, its people, difficulties and wounds in his heart, as well as its expectations and hopes.”
Cardinal Parolin said his visit to the country seeks to convey “the communion and solidarity of the universal Church” and to remind South Sudanese that no Christian is ever alone since we are all united in Christ.
“And if one member suffers, he or she has a greater right than the others to attention, care, love,” he said. “I would like you to feel the attention, care and love of the whole Church this morning!”
The Cardinal Secretary of State went on to lament the many wars that afflict people in various parts of the world, including South Sudan’s own civil war.
He recalled the many people who have fled their homes because of conflict, noting the “great plague of revenge” which he said is “destroying your communities.”
However, added Cardinal Parolin, the Assumption of Mary reminds Christians that evil never has the last word and that the power of those who humiliate others is fleeting, since their “pride, weapons, and money will not save them.”
He encouraged the people of South Sudan to look to Christ and His mother to remember that hope in God never disappoints, especially when Christians combine our hope with faith and concrete actions of humble service on behalf of peace.
“Faith, charity, humility/littleness,” said the Cardinal, “are the path of the Gospel, the path along which Mary walked and which led her to the resplendent place, as Queen, at the right side of her Son Jesus, to be a sign of consolation and hope for the whole world.”
Later on Tuesday afternoon, Cardinal Parolin was due to visit a reception center for refugees returning from Sudan.
Malakal has seen several recent incidents of intercommunal violence that have caused the deaths of several people and extensive property damage. A clash at one camp last week killed at least 13 people and injured over 20 others.
The incident occurred at a UN Protection of Civilians Site (PoC) run by UNMISS, the UN’s peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. Over 37,000 internally-displaced persons (IDPs) resided in the Malakal camp as of December 2022.
Cardinal Parolin spent Monday in the capital, Juba, meeting with President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Riek Machar, as well as with Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, archbishop emeritus of Khartoum, and Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba.
A press release from the Office of the President said Cardinal Parolin delivered a “message of good will from his Holiness Pope Francis.”
Cardinal Parolin also “called on the people of South Sudan to embrace the spirit of peace and reconciliation in order to build a harmonious society in the country.”
The Cardinal also took part in a tree-planting ceremony at St. Theresa Cathedral Parish in Juba on Monday, as a sign of the desire of the South Sudanese people to seek peace in their homeland.
Cardinal Parolin invited South Sudanese to “strive for peace and reconciliation in this beautiful country.”
South Sudan, Bishop of Malakal: Cardinal Parolin's visit brings us hope
Bishop Stephen Nyodho Ador Maiwok welcomes the Vatican Secretary of State upon his arrival to the Diocese where the Cardinal has met with refugees fleeing the war in Sudan. Bishop Nyodho: "Here we have nothing left, we appeal to the international community and to all people of goodwill."
More than 42,000 refugees have arrived in Malakal, located in the northeast of South Sudan. Bishop Nyodho's diocese includes the Upper Nile, Jonglei and Unity States where around 35,000 have been resettled, especially in places where they have family members. Most refugees are actually South Sudanese who had moved to Khartoum over the years. In total, one and a half million South Sudanese are in Sudan, but many are now returning to the south to escape the ongoing war.
An estimated 200,000 people have returned to South Sudan. When they arrive, the refugees almost always fall victim to robbers who take everything. Many arrive at the border and travel to Malakal in a cargo boat of the Diocese that normally carries grain but is now used to transport people. Between 400 and 800 people travel each way by boat in a journey lasting between two to three days. This same boat Cardinal Parolin boarded today. Three thousand people have been transported by this system up until now.
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