Cardinal Ameyu in Raja County: End hate, embrace unity

2026-02-17 - 16:48

Religious leader Stephen Ameyu has called on South Sudanese to embrace love and unity as the foundation for building a better nation. Cardinal Ameyu made the appeal on Sunday while addressing Christian faithful during the centenary celebration of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Deim Zubeir, Raja County. He warned that division within society undermines development, noting that communities consumed by internal conflict often waste their energy on destructive actions instead of productive work. “We have to work for goodness in our society and in our Church. There must be goodness among the people, with cooperation among ourselves. We must not hate one another because of tribal differences. We must overcome the divisions we have, even within the government, because we all come from the same South Sudan for which we struggled against injustice,” he said. Cardinal Ameyu, who is also head of the Roman Catholic Church in South Sudan, reflected on the historical significance of Deim Zubeir, describing it as a place that witnessed suffering during the slave trade era. He said the freedom enjoyed today is the result of sacrifices made by past generations. “The story of this place tells us there was suffering here. Many people were taken from this land as slaves. Our grandfathers were taken not because of wrongdoing, but because of hatred. Today, we celebrate their suffering and their victory,” he added. Also attending the celebration was Sharif Daniel Sharif, Governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal State. He commended the Church for supporting vulnerable communities and complementing government efforts, especially in areas where state capacity is limited. “The Church has been taking up tasks that complement what the government is doing by offering basic services. Therefore, I call upon you all to take education seriously. We must encourage our children to go to school because education is very important. “In addition, we need to engage more in agriculture as a key activity in our society. We must improve our farming to become self-sufficient,” Governor Sharif said.