Sr. Henriette Anne FSSA
As the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio (CDTY) prepares to celebrate the 95th birthday of Bishop Gasi Abangite, one of the South Sudan’s most revered Church leaders who is remembered for his lifelong dedication to peace and reconciliation on 13th September 2025, bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala has called upon South Sudanese to embrace peace which he desired for their country.
Bishop Kussala who serves as the President of the Integral Human Development Commission of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSS-CBC), called on youth, parents, leaders, catechists, farmers, teachers, and professionals to take up bishop Gasi’s mantle of peace, be keepers of one another’s life, reject all forms of violence, sow reconciliation in families and communities and build justice, development, and fraternity.
In his pastoral letter released to mark the occasion, His Lordship Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala who started his Episcopal Ministry in June 2008 has described Bishop Gasi as a “shepherd of peace” whose words and deeds continue to inspire generations in South Sudan and beyond.
Quoting from the Gospel of Mathew 5:9, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God”, bishop Kussala emphasized that bishop Gasi is not only to be admired but to be lived. “In our fragile South Sudan and in Western Equatoria, his vision of forgiveness, harmony, and nonviolence is not optional, it is a Christian duty”, he wrote.
The local ordinary of CDTY acknowledging the challenges they are facing from violence, mistrust, hunger, and broken communities, he urged the faithful to take responsibility for one another.
“In a wounded land, indifference is not an option” he stressed, recalling the second Diocesan Synod’s commitment to make the Church a sign and instrument of reconciliation.
In his letter shared with Rurugene Online Newsletter on 10th September 2025, the prelate reminded the faithful that peace is both a divine gift and human mission.
“True development is peace in action”, he added, and highlighted the need for food security, education, healthcare, environmental care, and good governance as essential expressions of peace.
He also outlined practical ways of embodying bishop Gasi’s vision by asking families to embrace peace forgiveness and patient dialogue, the youth to promote unity through teamwork and shared labor, leaders to govern with humility, justice, and respect for human dignity, and finally international partners to try and support sustainable development and solidarity with South Sudan.
Bishop Kussala admiring how Rwanda, South Africa, and post-war Europe, how they found renewal through reconciliation noted, “If they could rise from ashes, South Sudan too can choose reconciliation over vengeance, peace over violence, and hope over despair”, he affirmed.
