(OSV News) ─ A Catholic bishop in South Sudan said the young and wounded nation was living the parable of Christmas, although violence, poverty and divisions appeared to suffocate hope.
Bishop Christian Carlassare of Bentiu delivered an early Christmas message as Advent began on Dec. 1, through which he sought to inspire hope among the people of the world's youngest nation, who are suffering from conflict and climate change-related disasters, such as flooding.
"In South Sudan, as in every 'South Sudan' of the world, we can witness that God's love mends what we break, heals what we wound, and raises up what we trample," said the bishop.
In the message titled "A Christmas of closeness to the poor: Fraternity is born in the wound of the world," Bishop Carlassare stressed Christmas as a feast of closeness and fraternity. He also emphasized that the church that is poor and with the poor is the only church capable of revealing to the world the merciful face of Christ.
"Christmas invites us precisely to this: to look at the world through the eyes of the Child of Bethlehem" ─ who does not dominate but gives himself ─ "does not conquer but loves, does not impose but welcomes," said Bishop Carlassare. "This is the gift we can offer today to our wounded humanity: a love without limits, a hope that endures a faith that embraces every man and woman and builds fraternity."
The Italian-born missionary bishop referred to Pope Leo XIV's first apostolic exhortation's opening words, "I have loved you," saying the message of "Dilexi Te" touched the people of South Sudan deeply because "we know the fragility of the human heart ─ unable, on its own, to sustain fraternity, communion, and peace."
Recently, concerns have grown that the country may relapse into full-scale conflicts, due to the stalling of the crucial 2018 peace agreement, expanding violence across the country and deepening political tension. Pope Francis famously kissed the feet of South Sudanese leaders during their Vatican retreat in April 2019 ─ a gesture considered groundbreaking for peace efforts in the fragile country.
But Bishop Carlassare said where violence, poverty and division seem to suffocate hope, the birth of the Son of God continues to shine forth as the most radical sign of God's closeness,
"God chooses to come into the world where humanity groans and waits," he said.
The bishop recalled the joy of the nation's July 2011 independence, but warned that there are now deep wounds in the country following years of internal conflicts that have divided South Sudan and torn apart its social fabric. The conflict has also forced millions to flee their homes into the miserable camps, with no basic needs and dignity.
According to the United Nations, an estimated 2.6 million people are displaced internally in South Sudan, in addition to 600,000 refugees. Over 6 million people, including 2 million children under age 5, are facing severe food insecurity.
"We keep believing in a world where no one is discarded, where life is respected, and poverty is a condemnation, but a starting point for solidarity, as we build a fraternal society," said Bishop Carlassare.
He said the people dreamed of a South Sudan where children could play without fear, where young people can go to school, and where it is no longer more likely for a girl to die in childbirth than to earn a high-school diploma.
"We dream of a land where resources are not a cause of injustice but a tool for development; a country where people can work and live with dignity, without depending on humanitarian aid," he said.
In a meeting in early November in Malakal City, Catholic bishops from Sudan and South Sudan said they were deeply disturbed by the escalating and devastating conflicts and the dishonored peace agreements in both nations.
The leaders expressed alarm that politicians were not seeing dialogue as a vehicle for harmony, healing, reconciliation and unity. They also criticized the ongoing power struggles between the government of the two countries and opposition groups, rejecting the situations as harmful to core, maliciously selfish and lacking in human dignity.
In a statement following the Nov. 7-14 meeting, led by Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla the bishops said South Sudan "is rich in resources, which are misappropriated by individuals for their luxury, creating cliques of supporters while the common people suffer in abject poverty."
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Fredrick Nzwili writes for OSV News from Nairobi, Kenya.
