AFRICA/SOUTH SUDAN - A new priest and seven deacons in the diocese of Tambura-Yambio: a sign of hope for the Church

Wednesday, 12 June 2019

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Yambio (Agenzia Fides) - The diocese of Tambura-Yambio celebrated the first ordination of a priest and seven deacons of the Seminary of St. John Paul on 7 June. This is what was reported to Agenzia Fides by Father Christopher Hartley, a priest of the diocese of Toledo, who has just arrived in South Sudan to found a new Catholic mission after spending the last 12 years in Gode, Somali region of Ethiopia.
"Their testimony is an invitation to all of us to put our faith into action at the service of God and our sisters and brothers, wherever we are", explained the Bishop of the diocese, Mgr. Edwardo Hiiboro Kussala. "It is a sign of growth and hope for the Church in the diocese and in South Sudan", he added, appreciating "the gift received from the Lord".
The diocese of Tambura-Yambio covers two countries, Yambio and Tambura and has 27 parishes. Located in the south west, on the border between South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the diocese continues to suffer from the effects of the war currently taking place in the country.
According to the report of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of April 2019, serious armed clashes and thousands of displaced persons were recorded on the crisis of displaced people in South Sudan, in Yambio in 2016. Currently the diocese hosts a large number of internally displaced people who need pastoral care. "In a climate of tension, the ordination of the priest and of the seven deacons is seen as a great blessing for the people of God", concludes Father Hartley. (CHS/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 12/06/2019)


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