Rumbek Bishop-elect arrives Juba ahead of consecration

Mons. Christian Carlassare, Bishop-elect for Rumbek Diocese Diocese at the Juba International Airport on 18 March 2022. [Photo: RAdio Tamazuj]

The Catholic Diocese of Rumbek Bishop-designate Monsignor Christian Carlassare arrived in Juba, South Sudan, on Friday morning ahead of his consecration scheduled for 25 March in Rumbek.

Msgr. Carlassare left South Sudan in April last year after he was attacked in his room and shot in both legs in Rumbek, just over a month after Pope Francis named him Bishop-designate of Rumbek, filling a vacancy that had lasted for almost a decade.

He was then airlifted to Nairobi for specialized treatment and later relocated to his native Italy days after he had been discharged from the Nairobi Hospital in Kenya.

Following the incident, his consecration which was scheduled for May 25 2021 was postponed. However, the Bishop of Wau Diocese, who is the apostolic administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek, Mathew Remijo Adam Gbitiku, announced the consecration will take place on 25 March 2022.

While addressing the press and catholic faithful upon his arrival at the Juba International Airport, Msgr. Carlassare said he is happy to be back in South Sudan and promised to serve everyone.

"I am really grateful to be back today after almost one year that I was out. My gratitude to God first of all, to this country, the universal church in Rome, and also the local church in South Sudan with all the bishops of this country and all the people that are Christians and believe in the church and wish peace, that your welcoming me back today is a great joy," he said.

He added: “I am grateful to the local government of Lakes State and that of the national government for the common effort with the church to make this day possible. I am really happy to be adopted by this country, to be a brother to everyone, to exclude no one but to serve everyone. This community has welcomed me and made me a brother.”

On Monday, the 44-year-old priest who has been ministering in South Sudan since 2005, met Pope Francis at the Vatican.

"The pope just told me not to be afraid because the Lord provides, and then he gave me his blessing," he added.

In a letter addressed to the people of his diocese, Bishop-designate Carlassare said he was returning to South Sudan "with feelings of renewed trust in my heart both to God who never abandons and to the local church and Christian community in order to walk together hand in hand."

Having his ordination scheduled for the feast of the Annunciation, he wrote, ''It is a gift and a call to repeat my 'yes' to the church and people of South Sudan in a way that is perhaps a little more radical than I have managed to live up to now."

"I pray that the people of Rumbek may also say their 'yes' to the church's journey that is to be made together. For this I entrust myself to the Lord and to your prayers," he wrote.

Rumbek police had initially arrested some three dozen people after the incident, but further investigations and evidence recently led a court in Juba, to indict at least four people, including Father John Mathiang Machol, who was charged with inciting and plotting the attack. The priest, who had been the diocesan coordinator, has denied the charges.

The final ruling on the case is expected next week.