Bishop slams South Sudan leaders

A Catholic clergy has hit out at the South Sudan politicians for failing to ease the suffering of their people.

Speaking at the St. Theresa Cathedral Church in Juba on Sunday, the Auxiliary Bishop Santo Loku Pio said the politicians were collectively responsible for dragging the nation into war.

He challenged both the government and the SPLM-in-Opposition to fully commit to resolving the crisis and restore stability.

Overcome hatred

“The situation in the country requires our Christian stand to overcome hatred and division through love and forgiveness. All South Sudanese leaders must cultivate in their hearts the spirit of love to create a safe and free nation,” said Bishop Pio.

He said it was sad to see the people suffering in the hands of their own brothers and sisters and advised the political leaders to avoid the use of the military to seize power.

“Power is short-lived. You can have guns today but time will come when you have no gun; you can have heavy artillery today but time will come when the artillery will be too heavy for you to carry,” he said, referring to a two-year old war mainly flamed by the wrangles within the SPLM party.

Tribal groupings

The influential bishop called on all leaders to discourage tribal groupings, saying it was a major cause of division and hatred among the civilians.

Bishop Pio also called on all leaders to ensure the full implementation of the recent peace accord to end the more than 20 months of violence, that has claimed thousands of lives.

The bishop has made a name for himself by often expressing frank comments about the failings of the government of President Salva Kiir and opposition forces led by Dr Riek Machar, since conflict started in South Sudan in December 2013.