By Sr. Laurencila, FSSA
Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala has challenged young people in the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio to embrace holiness, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility as agents of peace and development in South Sudan.
The Bishop delivered the message during the 2026 Annual Diocesan Youth Festival held on Friday, January 31, at Ezo Vicariate, coinciding with the Feast of St. John Bosco, patron saint of youth.
Thousands of young people gathered under the theme “Youth Together for Peace and Development” to celebrate and make pledges toward building a better future for their communities and nation.
Faith in Young People
Drawing inspiration from St. John Bosco, who worked with marginalized youth in 19th-century Italy, Bishop Hiiboro emphasized the Church’s unwavering belief in young people.
“Don Bosco lived in a time of poverty, unemployment, violence, and broken families. Does that sound familiar? Yes, it sounds like our South Sudan today,” the Bishop said. “Yet Don Bosco did not complain. He did not give up on youth. He formed holy youth, taught them skills, and made them responsible citizens.”
Bishop Hiiboro reminded the youth that they are not merely the future of the Church but the Church of today, quoting Pope Francis: “You are not the future of the Church; you are the Church now.”
Three-Fold Pledge
The youth made three solemn pledges during the festival:
1. Holiness of Life: To live lives rooted in prayer, good morals, and Christian values. Bishop Hiiboro urged them to reject drugs, respect their bodies, maintain faithfulness in relationships, and prioritize prayer. “You can be joyful and holy. You can be modern and faithful. You can be young and responsible,” he said.
2. Simple Entrepreneurship: To embrace a culture of starting small and practical businesses. The Bishop encouraged youth to begin with what they have—gardens, motorcycle businesses, tailoring, poultry projects, or phone repair skills. “Not everyone will get an office job. Not everyone will go abroad. But everyone can work,” he said, warning that “a youth without work is a youth without dignity.”
3. Society at Heart: To work for peace, unity, service, and the common good. Bishop Hiiboro called on youth to care for the elderly, the poor, and the displaced while rejecting corruption, hatred, revenge, and manipulation by bad leaders. “Be builders, not destroyers,” he urged.
Peace Built by People
The Bishop stressed that peace and development are not achieved through prayers alone but require active participation.
“Peace begins when you reject tribal hatred, refuse violence, and choose dialogue instead of revenge. Development begins when you value work, stop waiting only for NGOs, and start with what you have,” he said.
Gratitude to Ezo
Bishop Hiiboro expressed special gratitude to the Vicariate of Ezo for hosting the festival, commending the community’s hospitality, faith, and commitment to youth ministry.
The festival concluded with youth renewing their commitment to the slogan “CDTY Youth for Peace and Development,” pledging to be agents of transformation in their communities.
“May the world say one day: ‘Because of these youth, South Sudan changed,'” Bishop Hiiboro declared.
The Annual Diocesan Youth Festival is a major event in the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio’s calendar, bringing together thousands of young people for spiritual renewal, skills development, and community building.
