In January of this year, the citizens of Sudan’s semi-autonomous south voted overwhelmingly
for independence in a referendum that was the culmination of a peace agreement, which
brought more than two decades of civil war to an end. Since then, government and civil
society have been working to chart the nation’s future – a complex, arduous enterprise
that involves building the country’s infrastructure almost entirely from scratch.
The Catholic Church is offering spiritual support, most recently through a special
prayer for national unity composed by the bishop of the diocese of Rumbek, Caesar
Mazzolari, who discussed the initiative with Radio Good News Rumbek. “We felt the
need that we should begin to pray for unity,” he said, adding, “we sometimes fail
to understand that we have the capacity to forgive, to put the past behind us, and
constructively work for the future.” The prayer initiative comes amid reports this
month of continued border clashes between North and South in which hundreds of people
have been killed, as well as concern over the possibility of renewed infighting among
former Southern rebel groups. Meanwhile, the Church is playing a leading role in the
practical side of building the new nation, especially in the areas of education and
health care: founding, running, staffing and supporting schools at every level from
elementary to university, and medical facilities from clinics to hospitals.
Text
of Bishop Caesar Mazzolari’s Prayer for Unity in South Sudan:
Father of all
Mercies,
We Thank you for the Grace of a New Nation, South Sudan.
May
the gift of Independence bring us closer to you and to one another in a spirit of
service, unity and peace.
Grant us a new vision and a new spirit.
Instil
concern for people in the governance of our leaders.
Renew in us the will for
honest and hard work, and give us courage and wisdom to render justice and equality
to everyone.