South Sudanese refugees in Uganda belonging to the Roman Catholic Church have blamed some of the Church leaders for failing to do enough to bring peace to the country since civil war broke out in December 2013.

“There is lack of seriousness from the church,” said one local preacher in an address to thousands of refugees celebrating New Year at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church at Nakulybe Parish in Kampala.

Paulino Gatkuoth De-Lew, a preacher at the church and a member of the Nuer tribe, said church leaders have grievances with each other that prevent them from cooperating to bridge the gap between the warring parties.

“We want our church leaders from the bishop, priests, pastors to hold a conference that will denounce tribal churches,” he said.

The Catholic catechist said that clergy should be playing a more important role in solving the conflict rather than siding with either the government or the rebels. He stressed that church members who decide to be silent on the country’s crisis are contributing to harm to South Sudan’s future.

De-Lew says church leaders became beggars and have forgotten their role in empowering Christian unity.

“For the issue of peace now our church leaders they are perceived by both rebels and the government to be siding because they are not representing the people,” he said.

De-Lew said lack of faith among Christians in the church became an opportunity for Satan to use them to fight one another instead of preaching for peace in the country.

“When people are not united spiritually war can break out anywhere."

For her part, Martha Nyachiluok Martin, a member of the Roman Catholic choir from South Sudan, said her hope for the New Year is an end to the year of turmoil in the nation.

“I should advise them that they should be cooperative among each other, they should cooperate by not talking tribalism. No nepotism among them, they should be mobilizers among themselves, they should remove this thing of hatred among themselves,” she said.

Many who gathered at St. Peter and Paul believed the year 2015 would mark an end to the conflict that has claimed thousands of lives. They said they were praying to God to give their leaders a change of heart rather than campaigning for war. 

File photo: Catholic peace demonstrators in Juba, 15 Dec. 2014