Let us refound our nation on a new covenant

Attached and copied below please find a Pastoral Exhortation entitled
"Let us refound our nation on a new covenant", issued by the Catholic
bishops of Sudan and South Sudan during their meeting in Juba from
21st to 31st January 2014.

[NB: paragraph numbers are missing from the text version below - see
attached version]

BEGIN

PASTORAL EXHORTATION

FROM THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF SUDAN AND SOUTH SUDAN

Meeting in Juba from 21st - 31st January 2014

LET US REFOUND OUR NATION ON A NEW COVENANT

The Lord said to Moses, 'Go down at once! Your people, whom you
brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have
been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them'. (Exodus
32:7-8)

Preamble

The Catholic bishops of Sudan and South Sudan, meeting in
Extraordinary Plenary assembly of the Sudan Catholic Bishops'
Conference in Juba, South Sudan, from 21st to 31st January 2014,
address this Pastoral Exhortation to the people of the two nations and
to all people of good will who journey with us. We welcome the new
Papal Nuncio to South Sudan, Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo. We are
grateful for the presence amongst us of our brother bishops from the
Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA)
and for their message of solidarity. We encourage them to advocate on
our behalf with the member governments of the African Union and IGAD
as they lead international peace efforts.

We meet at a time of crisis, perhaps one of the gravest situations we
have ever faced. Our vision of a liberated nation in which all people
will be equal and live in peace appears to be shattered. The blood of
the innocent, in their thousands, cries out from the ground! The Lord
will judge harshly those who continue to murder, rape and loot his
innocent children, and even more harshly those who incite this
violence and fail to prevent it in their greed for power. We affirm
the dignity and right to life of every human being created in God's
image and likeness. The cease-fire signed on 23rd January 2014 must be
implemented in good faith. There are no excuses for not doing so.

Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' He said, 'I
do not know; am I my brother's keeper?' And the Lord said, 'What have
you done? Listen; your brother's blood is crying out to me from the
ground! (Genesis 4:9-10)

At this time more than ever, the bold Prophetic Voice of the Church
needs to be heard, and we speak from our hearts. You are your
brother's and sister's keeper! In November 2010 and again in April
2011 we wrote, "Sudan will never be the same again"; in January 2014
we say, "South Sudan must never be the same again". There is no longer
"business as usual". Now is the time for our nation to rise from the
ashes, but not to take up where the old one left off. Now is the time
for a new nation.

However Jesus came not to condemn but to redeem. We too do not condemn
individuals, but we condemn evil and seek to heal both individuals and
our nation. We call for repentance and conversion of heart. Let those
who have committed atrocities admit it honestly. Admission of guilt is
a virtue, not a weakness. We invite the prodigal son to return to the
family, the lost sheep to the fold, the sinner to right behaviour.

We have been shocked by the events that have rocked our new nation
since December 2013. We have witnessed things that should never have
taken place on the soil of this nation, as brother fought against
brother, leading to so much unnecessary death and displacement of
individuals and communities, with many fleeing as refugees to
neighbouring countries, and the most appalling destruction. We cannot
remain silent in the face of what we have witnessed and heard. We
speak on behalf of those who have spoken to us, people now displaced
and destitute. We speak on behalf of the silent victims of our two
nations. Violence is the daily experience of so many of our peoples in
South Sudan, Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, Abyei and Blue Nile.

Causes of the Conflict

We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by
every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in
deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in
every way into him who is the head, into Christ. (Ephesians 4:14-15)

This crisis has been caused by many issues which need to be addressed:

a. We have witnessed the growing tensions within the governing party,
the SPLM. The failure to deal with these through internal party
mechanisms has played a significant role in the escalation of tension
that preceded the violence that erupted on 15th December 2013.
Democratic reform is urgently required within the SPLM. Internal party
disputes should not be allowed to destabilise the nation.

b. We stress the need for better governance. Too often we see the
tendency to personalise political power, to behave in ways counter to
the best interests of our communities, a failure to appreciate that
public office is a service to the people. Our institutions across the
country need to be staffed by individuals chosen for their competency
and professionalism.

c. Corruption and nepotism have contributed to the destabilisation of
South Sudan. This has prevented basic services from reaching the
people and is breeding resentment and disillusionment towards the
institutions of our state.

d. Our history is an open wound that desperately needs healing. We
must heal our society by allowing our communities to tell their
stories openly and without fear. Negative narratives fester and poison
our social relations. We retell them in our villages to our children.
Let us end these vicious cycles by creating space where we can speak
and work towards peaceful coexistence and reconciliation.

THE WAY FORWARD...

Truth and Reconciliation

The reconciliation we seek is a process that involves truth telling,
knowing what happened when violence erupted between various
communities, and why. Thereafter one can speak of accountability,
restitution, forgiveness, and peaceful coexistence. There are no
quick-fixes to the deep social divisions and trauma within our
society. With time and by promoting processes that are holistic and
people-centred, we believe that our painful history and our trauma can
be healed and our nation reconciled. This is our expectation of the
National Committee on Healing, Peace and Reconciliation. This
Church-led committee must not fail in its important mission. However
reconciliation is not only the work of specialised committees.
Reconciliation must become the single most important priority at every
level of national life. The National Budget must reflect this, as must
the plans of all ministries, government bodies, UN agencies, NGOs
(including international NGOs) and all institutions and individuals.

Inclusive Negotiations

We are critical of the exclusion of the Churches and other civic
forces from the peace talks in Addis Ababa, not for the first time;
they were excluded from the IGAD talks which led to the CPA in 2005,
despite the leading role the Churches had played in advocacy and
working for peace. In 2013, Churches were asked to lead the Committee
for National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation, and to negotiate an
end to the rebellion led by David Yau Yau in Jonglei State; in 2012, a
Church leader was asked to chair the Jonglei peace process; previously
Church leaders were asked to negotiate with George Athor. Why are
Church and civic leaders now excluded from the ongoing IGAD talks? Why
is it that only those who took up arms are discussing the future of
our country? What is the legitimacy of any agreement signed in Addis
Ababa built on military groups determining our future? A handful of
political leaders instigated a crisis in which their followers have
devastated the country; how can they alone be entrusted with
negotiating the future of the nation without input from the citizens?

The message of peace is not about a negotiated settlement but rather
the conviction that the unity brought by the Spirit can harmonize
every diversity. It overcomes every conflict by creating a new and
promising synthesis. Diversity is a beautiful thing when it can
constantly enter into a process of reconciliation and seal a sort of
cultural covenant resulting in a "reconciled diversity". (Evangelii
Gaudium, 230)

Governance and Democratic Institutions

But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by
many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and
in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many pains. (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

Our young nation has embraced democracy as our political system of
governance, which offers those who wish to stand for elected office
and represent their communities an opportunity to do so. We must
openly challenge each other on the future of our country, but we must
ensure that our disagreements are dealt with openly and in a civil
manner, firmly rejecting all recourse to violence. Resolving our
problems through violent means reveals the lack of maturity and depth
in our democratic system. We cannot allow South Sudan to fail due to
the actions of a few who are immune to the suffering of their own
people, who personalise political power, turning their positions of
public service into opportunities for personal enrichment and
nepotism. Our state institutions must be strong enough to prevent
this, and public leaders must be mature and ethical in their service
of this nation.

The country needs accountability and transparency from its elected
leaders and government officials. There must be no impunity for crimes
committed by political leaders, officials, armed forces, police and
others. Impunity for senior leaders gives legitimacy to unacceptable
behaviour patterns within our society.

Responsible Reporting and Public Communication

We are critical of the conduct of both national and international
media institutions. It is often stated that truth is the first victim
of war. We still do not know what actually happened to trigger the
recent violence, as no investigation has yet been conducted, but the
media quickly lost sight of their duty to report responsibly and
impartially. Reports based on information which may not have been
accurate inflamed violence and revenge attacks and induced panic.
Journalists and the whole of society must embrace their identity as
peacemakers and reconcilers, ensuring that communication is truthful,
and that negative stereotyping of communities does not happen.
Responsible reporting should not create hatred and violence.

We call upon our national leaders and all in public office to
communicate responsibly. In the interest of peace, stability and
national unity we urge them to refrain from hate speech, incitement to
violence, propaganda, abuse, misinformation, untrue and exaggerated
statements, unfounded allegations, speculations and rumours.

Reform of the Organised Forces

The reform of our organised forces, especially our national army and
police, is urgent. Our army has grown in size since the signing of the
CPA and has become a significant cost to our nation, at the expense of
investment in development priorities. It lacks cohesion. We are
conscious of the need to address reconciliation within the armed
forces themselves. There is no longer any place for personal militias.
We believe our armed forces need urgent support and pastoral care. We
also feel that our national army needs a new name, not associated with
a single political party. A professional army should never be involved
in politics.

We deplore the manner in which children have been conscripted and
recruited into armed forces during the current conflict. Children have
no place in the conflict. The manner in which our youth were
manipulated has left much to be desired. We urge those who exploit the
youth and incite them to illegal activities to desist.

We call upon all armed groups, whether government or opposition,
whether formal or informal, to respect international norms for armed
conflict. This includes respect for and protection of civilians,
dignified treatment of prisoners of war, and refraining from
extra-judicial killings. The Church and other agencies which assist
the people have been targeted and looted; pastors from our sister
churches have lost their lives and we fear for the safety of some of
our own personnel. We insist on respect for institutions such as
hospitals, churches and places where displaced civilians shelter

Education

Education is essential for the future of the nation, and for building
peace and reconciliation. National schools can strengthen diversity.
Centres for peace and development studies can help the growth of the
nation. Education can help people understand the structures and
dynamics of society. But there must be more than simply academic
education; it should include formation in moral and ethical values.
Many of our leaders are churchgoers, but their behaviour does not
indicate a good moral life. We need to form consciences and
professional ethics.

Violence in Sudan

As we focus on South Sudan, we remain painfully aware of the suffering
of the peoples of the Nuba Mountains, Darfur and Blue Nile in Sudan,
and the contested area of Abyei. Daily bombing causes great suffering
and death to civilians. Confined in their own areas, they do not have
access to food, medicines, vaccines and other humanitarian
necessities. Women, children and the elderly shelter in caves. Many
have been displaced. They too deserve justice and peace, the freedom
to practice their own culture and religion, and full citizen rights in
the land of their birth. The people of Abyei are yet to receive the
official referendum which they were guaranteed in the CPA; we support
their right to determine their own political future. South Sudanese
and Christians in Sudan also deserve to have their basic human rights
guaranteed, and we condemn attempts to harass and restrict the
activities of the Church.

We Commit Ourselves

We commit ourselves to the rebuilding that is necessary within our new
nation. The task ahead is daunting, but we stand in solidarity with
those who need our support. We express our solidarity with our
pastoral agents: local personnel, missionaries, and laity. They have
chosen to stay with their people at great personal risk.

The Diocese of Malakal, covering the three states of Jonglei, Unity
and Upper Nile, will receive our particular attention as we source
more local personnel, missionaries and other resources to ensure that
the immediate and long-term needs of this Diocese are supported. The
humanitarian crisis in this Diocese is particularly acute and we
appeal to all agencies, especially our own Caritas Internationalis
family, to support these vulnerable communities through all possible
means, while not forgetting the needs in other parts of our two
countries. The presence of the Church in the rural parts of Greater
Upper Nile will help to bring stability and human development.

We offer ourselves, our time and our energy, and the resources of our
Church to support the mediation process.

We reiterate our support and ownership of the Committee for National
Healing, Peace and Reconciliation.

We commit ourselves to continuing our long-standing education programmes.

We offer our Catholic Radio Network and other media resources to
support the process of peace and reconciliation.

The Building of a New Nation

Jesus said, 'Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on
them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain
fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but
it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who
hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a
foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and
great was its fall!' (Matthew 7:24-27)

We are convinced that we stand at a decisive moment in the history of
South Sudan. Fundamental choices must be made about how we deal with
our past and present history, about how we govern ourselves as a
nation, about how state institutions serve the poor. We must seize
from the present crisis an opportunity to re-found our nation on
democratic principles of dialogue, inclusion, and respect for
diversity, God's gift to humanity. We encourage that which strengthens
diversity and weakens barriers. We need to work to support the notion
that we are one nation sharing one identity, rich in culture, blessed
by diversity, which is to be celebrated. Mature and strong leaders can
help us to see beyond ourselves to that which is beautiful in our
societies. Insecure leaders will remind us of our differences, drive
wedges between our communities, and ultimately destroy us. Where are
our Mandelas and Nyereres? Where are those who will lead us in
re-founding this newly independent nation? We proclaim our hope and
expectation that the people of South Sudan can and will rise above the
crisis.

Let our nations be built not on foundations of sand but on strong
foundations of truth, justice, reconciliation, diversity and peace, on
the foundations of the Gospel values enshrined in Catholic Social
Teaching. Hear these words and be wise!

When the crisis erupted, our people turned spontaneously to prayer. We
call on the nation and all people of good will to continue to
accompany the peace and reconciliation process with prayer and
fasting. Furthermore, we appeal to our leaders to join their people in
this endeavour.

May God bless you.

Given this 30th day of January 2014 in Juba, South Sudan.

H E Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako
Archbishop of Khartoum
President of SCBC

H G Paulino Lukudu Loro
Archbishop of Juba

H L Erkolano Lodu Tombe
Bishop of Yei
Vice-President of SCBC

H L Rudolf Deng Majak
Bishop of Wau

H L Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala
Bishop of Tombura Yambio

H L Michael Didi Adgum
Bishop of El Obeid

Mgr Roko Taban Mousa
Apostolic Administrator of Malakal

Mgr Thomas Oliha Attiyah
Apostolic Administrator of Torit

H L Santo Loku Pio
Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Juba

H L Macram Max Gassis
Bishop Emeritus of El Obeid

Fr John Mathiang
Coordinator of Rumbek

Attachments:

20140130_scbc_pastoral.pdf

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