Learning More about the History and Reality of Southern Sudan

While I’ve been here at Regina Pacis house, a few other priests of the Diocese of Torit have been staying here, too. One is en route back to the diocese after traveling outside of Africa, another is working on a project for the diocese that requires doing business in Nairobi, a third is studying here in the city. Asking them questions about recent history and their personal experiences and listening to their conversations has been a real learning opportunity for me.

For one thing, it’s clear that the civil war in the south was a very complex reality in its origins, components and implementation. Often average village people were caught in between the brutal and unprovoked attacks from the northern army and its muharaleen (marauding bands of Arab nomads) allies, and the southern forces that were fighting on their behalf and yet forcibly conscripted their young men and commandeered food and other resources. The southern army was really a coalition consisting of a core group and a number of other distinct elements. The rebel forces had an uneasy relationship with the Catholic Church, on the one hand trying to involve priests in roles of leadership, and on the other at one point imprisoning Paride Taban, the previous Bishop of Torit, for 90 days.

One of the priests happen to mention that he had lost almost his entire family as a result of the war and other natural causes. He has only one brother left in their home village. He was ordained in 1996, two years behind me. The ordination took place under the cover of trees in a valley outside a village to escape the notice of the northern army and avoid the danger of an air raid. I couldn’t help but think of the contrast between his ordination and mine. I was ordained in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in midtown Manhattan without any fear of danger or violence. He was ordained clandestinely in the forest amid the real threat of an attack. It was another reminder of the risk, sacrifice and high cost embraced by many Southern Sudanese for the sake of their faith and vocation.