NAIROBI, Kenya (OSV News) – A Catholic bishop in South Sudan says his people are living a real-life Way of the Cross, marked by suffering, violence and deep wounds.
Bishop Christian Carlassare of Bentiu, the Church's newest diocese in northern South Sudan, said many families have mourned their dead, communities have been shattered, and many hearts carry deep wounds due to war and violence in the region.
"And when wounds run so deep, the word 'forgiveness' can seem almost disrespectful, and the word 'peace' may appear fragile, distant -- almost impossible," the bishop said in a message sent to OSV News on March 26. "And yet, it is precisely here, within these very wounds, that true peace can be born."
Concerns are rising that current political instability is gradually pushing South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, back toward war. As of March, 2.6 million people were internally displaced due to renewed conflict and intercommunal violence, with another 2.3 million living as refugees in neighboring countries, according to aid agencies.
Bishop Carlassare highlighted a recent massacre in Abiemnhom County in the Ruweng Administrative Area of his diocese on March 2 that left almost 170 people dead and scores injured.
According to the bishop, the unjustifiable attack, carried out by a group of armed youths from neighboring Unity state, could be explained only by prejudice, lack of dialogue, accumulated hatred and the political manipulation of these sentiments.
The signs were already evident, he said, with strong political tensions early this year leading to clashes between different army groups and the reemergence of certain militias.
The government has also initiated a military mobilization, particularly affecting Jonglei state, in an effort to counter opposition forces.
"In these operations, many communities were struck, tragically involving numerous civilians. Humanitarian agencies were even denied access to certain areas, leaving people without aid," Bishop Carlassare said.
In early March, the country's bishops called for government action on the violence, saying the people were weary of words without action.
Bishop Carlassare referred to Pope Leo XIV's desire for "wild peace" the pontiff expressed over Christmas, in his Urbi et Orbi Dec. 25, 2025, "urbi at orbi" message, quoting the German Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai, who wrote to let the peace "come like wildflowers, suddenly, because the field must have it: wildpeace."
Bishop Carlassare said peace begins "in the hearts of wounded men and women who choose not to let violence have the final word."
"Easter tells us the same: peace is born within the wound. Jesus did not avoid the Cross; He did not save the world by escaping violence, but by passing through it without being overcome by hatred," Bishop Carlassare said, praying for consolation over Easter, hope where there is discouragement, and peace where violence still reigns.
He said the peace he described is not the kind brought about by the end of conflict, signed agreements or armed truces, nor one born in palaces or designed at a negotiating table.
"It is a peace that springs up spontaneously … It is the deep human longing that resists evil … It is a peace that is born because hope has not been lost," he said.
At the same time, Carlassare, a Comboni missionary bishop, said it is in the spirit of that "wild peace" that the mission of the church continues in South Sudan.
Despite the conflict, the Church has moved to provide water to four parishes through the construction of wells with solar and manual pumps, along with storage tanks.
"Soon, we will reach other communities to ensure access to clean water," he said.
The diocese has also begun the construction of a primary school to be dedicated to St. Martin de Porres.
Next to the school, the diocese plans to construct a sports center, with fields for football, basketball and volleyball -- a space for encounter and growth.
The primary school, which has been operating in a temporary location, has about 20 teachers.
"With the coming of the rains, we hope to begin agricultural activities that can grow into a true project of self-sustainability and care for the environment," Bishop Carlassare told OSV News.
"We also wish to promote initiatives for women, likely through the construction of a bakery, which will provide bread both for the schoolchildren and for the wider community."
Fredrick Nzwili writes for OSV News from Nairobi, Kenya.
