The Catholic Church announced that all is set to receive Stephen Ameyu of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba, who was installed with 20 others at the September 30 Consistory.
Pope Francis installed Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla as the first Cardinal of the Catholic Church in South Sudan. Cardinal Ameyu is among 21 new cardinals created on September 30, who now form a group of 137 cardinals eligible to elect a new Pope.
Addressing a press conference at the Catholic Archdiocese secretariat in Juba on Thursday, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba, Santo Laku Pio, said all is set to receive Cardinal Ameyu on October 30.
“The committee for the reception has been working hard to organize the reception. Preparations are practically set. They are still doing a few things, but the Cardinal will land at the Juba International Airport on October 30, 2023, at 10 am,” Bishop Laku said.
The Bishop revealed they plan to organize a grand reception at the airport and that there would be several dignitaries and church leaders to receive the Cardinal. He added that a number of parishes will turn up in large numbers in different stations.
“At the airport, there will be no ceremony; it will only be a welcoming reception, so there will be cultural groups, singers, and other dignitaries. At the airport, we try to limit the number of people, but we have designated the Parish of St. Joseph, Catholic University, St. Kizito Parish, Holy Rosary, Holy Cross, Terekeka Pastoral Region, St. Charles Lwanga Lokiliri, the church personnel, the sisters, brothers and other cultural groups, government officials and then the committee protocols will be the ones at the airport,” he explained.
Bishop Santo continued, “From the airport, there will be a procession, and our people are set to lineup from the airport right to the Cathedral. We will have stations along the road, we will be using the Airport-Muduria Road, Mobil, Malakia, Atlabara, Kator.”
The Church leader elaborated on the program for the reception of Cardinal Ameyu, saying, “When we arrive, the Cardinal will just greet the people. After the greetings, he will give his blessings and people will disperse. There will be no special function; the function will be on November 4. There will be a thanksgiving mass at 10 am at St. Theresa’s Cathedral in which there will be speeches from different dignitaries and presentation of gifts from individuals, communities, and institutions as a sign of joy.”
Asked about the significance of the creation of Cardinal in South Sudan since the country’s independence in 2011, Bishop Santo said, “It is very important to the country; it is like cementing our independence.”