(Vatican Radio) The auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham, William Kenney has recently returned
from a visit to South Sudan where he visited a number of projects funded by UK Catholic
aid agency Cafod. South Sudan is the world’s newest nation which gained independence
from Sudan on 9 July 2011 as the outcome of a 2005 peace deal that ended Africa's
longest-running civil war.
The country has great oil wealth potential, but
it is also one of Africa's least developed countries which Bishop Kenney says is a
big challenge
“It is at the moment a very poor country but there is every possibility
of that getting better”…
He also told Lydia O’Kane that infrastructure is
a big problem in Sudan such as roads.
“While there is every possibility for
the country to flourish, it’s very much in need of infrastructure.”
Speaking
about the people themselves, the Bishop said he encountered a great faith amongst
them.
“There is a great faith, I think that’s going to be needed to be built
upon.” He also adds that there is a conscienceness amongst the Sudanese Bishops of
what has to be done to create a sense of church and a sense of unity which is going
to be very necessary. Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with Bishop William Kenney