By Sr Henriette Anne, FSSA
At the celebration of Holy Mass in honor of Pope Francis’ life on Easter Friday 25th April 2025 at St. Theresa’s Cathedral, Kator, Juba, Archbishop Seamus Horgan, Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan, challenged the congregation and the nation at large to honor Pope Francis legacy not just with words but with action in seeing durable peace and silence of weapons of war.
“If we really wish to honor Pope Francis in this moment – and going forward – we must try to make concrete in the daily life of South Sudan his ardent wish: to see a true, durable peace; to see dialogue as the condition of that peace; and to see the silencing of the weapons of war as the fruit of that peace.”
The first ever resident Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan emphasized that for South Sudan Pope Francis’ death was more than a global loss, but it was personal and reminded the faithful of Pope’s profound affection for the country, calling it “special in his heart”.
Quoting the words of Pope Francis on his visit to South Sudan on February 3rd 2023, the representative of the Holy Father in South Sudan reminded the diplomats that’s “it is time for peace! No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it; no more leaving your people athirst for peace … it is time to turn the page.”
In his 25th April homily, the Irish-born Vatican diplomat further called upon all the citizens of South Sudan not to make Easter season a season of loss and heartache, and the only war they must fight is the war against want and hunger.
“Let us not make it a season of loss and heart-ache, of rancor and fresh division, the only war we must fight now is the war against want and against hunger. In this land of plenty, there should be no hunger. We must truly turn this time into a season of life”.
He added “My prayer is that, just as in 2019, when a nudge from Pope Francis – in the form of the invitation to leaders to attend a retreat together in Rome – helped to dissolve some stubborn difficulties; so, this moment of sadness, at the passing of Pope Francis, may be a nudge, a stimulus to us to dissolve remaining obstacles to a just and lasting peace.”
Archbishop Horgan recalled the Pope’s impactful writings of Laudato Si, Fratelli Tutti and Evangelii Gaudium as well as his tireless advocacy for the marginalized, his diplomatic efforts for peace, and his ground-breaking travel to nearly 70 nations.
“He was a simple Christian, trying to live his faith each day, he tried to be faithful to the Lord in the little and the big things of life”, said Horgan.
“What a memorial it would be to our beloved Pope Francis if this nation, so close to his heart, would finally become a land of lasting peace”,
