Vatican City, Nov 23, 2017 / 10:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- With plans to visit South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo this year thwarted by ongoing conflict, Pope Francis on Thursday led a prayer vigil for peace in the two countries, asking for an end to war and comfort for victims of the violence.
“We want to sow seeds of peace in the lands of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in all lands devastated by war,” the Pope said Nov. 23.
Pope Francis had planned to visit South Sudan this fall alongside Anglican Primate Archbishop Joseph Welby for an ecumenical trip aimed at promoting peace in the conflict-ridden country. However, due to safety concerns, the visit was postponed until the situation on the ground stabilizes.
Though he was unable to go, Pope Francis said in his homily for the prayer vigil that “we know that prayer is more important, because it is more powerful: prayer works by the power of God, for whom nothing is impossible.”
South Sudan has been in the middle of a brutal civil war for the past three-and-a-half years, which has divided the young country between those loyal to its President Salva Kiir and those loyal to former vice president Reik Machar. The conflict has also bred various divisions of militia and opposition groups.
Since the beginning of the war, some 4 million citizens have left the violence-stricken country in hopes of finding peace, food and work. In August alone Uganda received the one-millionth South Sudanese refugee, highlighting the urgency of the crisis as the world’s fastest growing refugee epidemic.
For those who have not fled the nation, many internally displaced persons (IDPs) are seeking refuge in churches for protection from violence. Most IDPs are typically women, children and those who have lost their families in the war.
Many are too fearful to stay in their homes because they know they could be killed, tortured, raped or even forced to fight. And despite successful partnerships between the local Church, aid agencies and the government, refugees in many areas still need a proper supply of food.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, political unrest first erupted in 2015 after a bill was proposed which would potentially delay the presidential and parliamentary elections. The bill was widely seen by the opposition as a power grab on the part of Kabila.
Relations between the government and the opposition deteriorated further when a Kasai chief was killed last August, after calling on the central government to quit meddling in the territory, insisting it be controlled by the local leaders.
Catholic bishops in the country had helped to negotiate an agreement, which hoped to prevent a renewed civil war by securing an election this year for the successor of President Kabila. However, in January of this year, the bishops said the agreement was expected to fail unless both parties were willing to compromise. In March, the bishops withdrew from mediation talks.
With a history of bloody ethnic rivalries and clashes over resources, fears have developed that the violence in Kasai, a hub for political tension, will spread to the rest of the nation and even lead to the involvement of neighboring countries.
In the past year alone, more than 3,300 people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Kasai region. The death toll includes civilians caught in the crossfire of a brutal fight between the Congolese army and an opposing militia group.
In his brief homily for the prayer vigil, Pope Francis noted how in the entrance hymn, the words “the risen Christ invites us, alleluia!” were sung in Swahili. As Christians, “we believe and know that peace is possible, because Jesus is risen,” he said.
The prayer vigil consisted of five prayers each followed by a song and prayers of intercession, as well as the famous prayer of St. Francis of Assisi asking God to make him an instrument of peace.
The prayers consisted of petitions for conversion; to overcome indifference and divisions; for women who are victims of violence in war zones; for all those who cause war and for those who have responsibility at the local and international levels; for all innocent victims of war and violence and for all those committed to working for peace in South Sudan and the Congo.
Quoting from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Pope Francis said that Jesus Christ “is our peace,” and that on the cross, “he took upon himself all the evil of the world, including the sins that spawn and fuel wars: pride, greed, lust for power, lies.”
“Jesus conquered all this by his resurrection,” he said, and, speaking directly to God, said, that “without you, Lord, our prayer would be in vain, and our hope for peace an illusion. But you are alive. You are at work for us and with us. You are our peace!”
Francis then prayed that the Risen Christ would “break down the walls of hostility” that divide peoples throughout the world, particularly in South Sudan and the DCR.
He asked that God would comfort women who have been victims of violence in war zones, and protect children who suffer from various conflicts “in which they have no part, but which rob them of their childhood and at times of life itself.”
“How hypocritical it is to deny the mass murder of women and children,” he said, noting that “here war shows its most horrid face.”
The Pope closed his prayer with a series of appeals, the first being that God would help “all the little ones and the poor of our world to continue to believe and trust that the kingdom of God is at hand, in our midst, and is justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
He asked that God would support all those who work daily to combat evil with good through words and deeds of fraternity, respect, encounter and solidarity, and prayed that the Lord would strengthen government officials and leaders with a spirit that is “noble, upright, steadfast and courageous in seeking peace through dialogue and negotiation.”
“May the Lord enable all of us to be peacemakers wherever we find ourselves, in our families, in school, at work, in the community, in every setting,” he said.
[…]
I suppose there’s no point in asking why, if the judges were selected in July, they weren’t formally nominated until three months later. If the documentary on the Rupnik case hadn’t been released last month, we’d probably still be waiting.
Two weeks until October 27th, the exact day when Pope Francis lifted the statute of limitations. Will the trial start by the time the two-year mark is reached? I have been searching and haven’t found any news about that.
Exactly. And Catholic News Agency failed to do basic diligence and mention the July 3 press conference. This should be a wake up call for those who still think Leo is not Francis 2.0, including in the cover up and protection of abusers. It’s beyond doubt this is being deliberately slow-walked. The loophole mentioned on July 3 of saying they weren’t officially appointed on paper must have been deliberate tactic. As a canonist, the handling of the case defies belief, including this latter trick- make a point of announcing that judges were selected, but instead of just appointing them then, or waiting until the official appointment to make any announcement, we’re told they’re “selected,” but tell us three months later they were not actually “appointed” until now. Of course, Leo is suspect of having protected abusers as a bishop and superior. Rupnik perhaps knows where some bodies are buried with respect to Leo as well as much of the corrupt figures at the holy see that are still there from Francis’ time.
Mary E,
“If the documentary on the Rupnik case hadn’t been released last month, we’d probably still be waiting.”
Than you for mentioning it; now I am aware of the documentary and watched already the interview with its author; she is a Catholic and she made a point that she is not lashing the Church (for which she has a huge respect); she is concerned with the inhumane system.
I know how important it is for the victims of that kind of abuse to be heard. Now they are heard in the most effective way and the knowledge that the lid is off will provide them with some relief (the worse aspect of such an abuse is a suffocating silence/silencing). This documentary will be of help to other victims, religious and lay women, not just of Rupnik.
My only grief is that if you are right and the Vatican moved only because of the documentary = publicity it means they do not care about anyone but themselves and own image. Of course, the lack of actions/cover up of Rupnik already stated “we do not care” but somehow now it is even worse.
“One year later, the Vatican declared Rupnik to be in a state of “latae sententiae” excommunication for absolving an accomplice in a sin against the Sixth Commandment. His excommunication was lifted by Pope Francis after two weeks.”
And this in microcosm is the Francine pontificate. What possible reason would there be for such extraordinary Pontifical clemency? Asking for former Archbishop Vigano and Bishop Strickland.
A day late and a dollar short.
More farce from the pontifical theater of “the-church-for-the-decapitated-Body.”
Just to make sure I’m understanding correctly. Bishop Strickland was immediately, unceremoniously, and spitefully removed from his position because he dared to call Francis out on his moral and spiritual compromises. But the Rupnik case is still being litigated. Challenge the pope and you’re out. Commit repeated spiritual and sexual abuses, and we’ll hope that it goes away if we drag it out long enough. Got it.
Athanasius: The truth is we have a morally bankrupt Catholic hierarchy. We know justice will be carried out by the Perfectly Just Judge. In the meantime, the Body of Christ is being tortured daily.
Justice delayed is justice denied. Rupnik’s victims have been denied justice.
Ya think this will have a just verdict anytime before the Second Coming? Yadayadayada…
Given the number of sexual abuses cases, it seems almost risible that Rome has to go searching like Diogenes to constitute a panel of judges at the trial level to hear a case. That’s like America saying, “darn, there was a crime! Maybe we should hire some judges?!?!’ This whole procedure, if abnormal to accommodate Rupnik, is laughable. If normal for the way Rome handles such cases, it is ludicrous. Somebody might start teaching the canon lawyers what most of the integral judicial systems of the world already know, because these “canonical” procedures don’t pass the common sense smell test.