(TOMBURA-YAMBIO) – A South Sudanese Catholic bishop has called for renewed commitment to protecting children, while remembering a late church leader whose peace work left a lasting mark on the country.
Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio made the call in a message for the Solemnity of All Saints on 1st November. In a separate message, he paid tribute to Bishop Paride Taban, the first bishop of Torit, who died on All Saints Day in 2023.
Bishop Hiiboro said children in South Sudan deserve prayers, genuine love, protection and care. “They are not merely the future; they are God’s precious gift to us today,” he said.
He urged the faithful not to grow tired of their responsibility to nurture and protect children, especially as the country remains fragile. “Let us never grow tired of loving and protecting them,” he said.
The bishop thanked clergy, members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, parents, teachers and other faithful who took part in the diocesan celebration of All Saints, which was dedicated to children.
Drawing from the Gospel account of the Beatitudes, he encouraged Christians to help children grow in gentleness, mercy, purity of heart, peace and love. He said the faithful should recognise their role in raising children who can embody Christian values and become sources of hope for South Sudan.
Bishop Hiiboro entrusted the children of South Sudan to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the intercession of all the saints.
In his message on Bishop Taban, Bishop Hiiboro described the late prelate’s courage, humility and lifelong dedication to peace as an enduring legacy for South Sudan and future generations.
Bishop Taban was the first leader of the New Sudan Council of Churches. He also received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, for co-founding the ecumenical body, building Kuron Peace Village and chairing a mediation initiative between the Government of South Sudan and the COBRA Faction of the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army.