Utilize Vatican retreat, bishop tells South Sudan leaders

The Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Wau State, Moses Deng Bol has urged political leaders to make use of the rare gesture of humbleness performed before them by Pope Francis during their recent visit to the Vatican.

The Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Wau State, Moses Deng Bol has urged political leaders to make use of the rare gesture of humbleness performed before them by Pope Francis during their recent visit to the Vatican.

“It is a blessing if they [leaders] accept his [pope] appeal, which he made, not by the word of mouth but also by that action of kissing their feet.  It can as well be a curse, if they don’t respect that high level of humility and continue with the war. I am sure it will not be good for them and maybe for South Sudan as a whole,” Bol told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday.

He further said South Sudanese leaders should learn from what he described as the “highest humility” from Pope Francis and make use of this recognition to avoid creating a bad image for the young nation.

Pope Francis recently invited President Salva Kiir and armed opposition chief, Riek Machar for a retreat at the Vatican. Also present were first vice president Taban Deng Gai and Rebecca Garang, widow of the ruling party (SPLM) founder, John Garang.

While at the Vatican, Pope Francis knelt and kissed the feet of the South Sudanese leader, in an emotional appeal for them to end the war.

According to the bishop, the international community has tried all diplomatic mechanisms to put pressure on South Sudan leaders in order to end the civil war. “But it seems those approaches did not stop bloodshed in the country,” said Bol.

“Pope Francis had to use different means. This is more powerful than even threats or even giving you money because this is appealing to your heart. I believe in an environment where there is no threat, you are being respected as a leader and you are being asked to consider taking responsibilities for lives of your people,” he added.

The religious leader reiterated the need for the country’s ruling party to be transformed into a modern political party.

 “It is basically lack of transformation from being military commanders to political leaders; whether they accept or not, that is basically what is lacking. The way they have been running the country since 2005, it is the same way they led the armed movement during the wartime,” stressed Bol.

Deng said he was optimistic that the revitalized peace agreement would be implemented, despite the challenges facing the process.

“If we find that it is not practical, we can always try to adjust it. Not really to change the whole thing, but to see how best it can be implemented,” he said.

The two-day retreat at the Vatican was held a month before the end of the pre-transition period of the revitalized peace agreement.

On 12 May, South Sudan parties are expected to form a transitional government of national unity. However, the September 2018 peace agreement has been met with missed deadlines due to lack of funds.