The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio, the Most Reverend Barani Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala, has issued a powerful Easter message calling on South Sudanese to choose life over death, return to the land, and rebuild the nation with faith, courage, and love.
In his Easter Message 2026, themed “He Is Risen: Secure Life, Restore the Land, Feed the Nation,” Bishop Hiiboro proclaimed the Easter joy that Christ is risen, truly risen, while confronting the difficult realities facing South Sudan and calling for fundamental choices that will determine the nation’s future.
Opening with the angel’s proclamation at the empty tomb, “Do not be afraid… He has been raised… He goes before you to Galilee,” the Bishop asked where South Sudan’s Galilee is today. He answered that it is here in beloved South Sudan, in Western Equatoria State, and in the life of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio, where the soil is rich yet hearts are wounded, and where God has given abundance yet people still hunger.
Confronting Cultural Acceptance of Violence
In a moment of profound pastoral courage, Bishop Hiiboro addressed what he described as a difficult truth: that in some cultural expressions, the taking of life has been wrongly tolerated, even celebrated, in the name of bravery, revenge, or pride. He declared that this is not strength but a wound in the understanding of life.
The Bishop proclaimed with clarity that life is sacred, life is God’s first gift, and life must be protected. He said that to destroy life is to wound the image of God, while to protect life is to glorify Him. With urgency and love, he appealed to everyone to choose life over death.
Bishop Hiiboro acknowledged that while Easter is the victory of life over death, in South Sudan death still walks too freely. He noted that violence has wounded the nation and that too often human life is taken lightly, emphasizing that every person has the right to live, to be protected, and to feel safe.
The Connection Between Security and Food
In a particularly significant section of his message, Bishop Hiiboro drew a direct connection between human security and food security. He declared that a nation that does not protect life cannot stand, and a people who do not value life cannot prosper. Most importantly, he emphasized that there can be no food security without human security.
The Bishop explained the devastating cycle that violence creates: when people are afraid, they abandon their farms; when violence spreads, fields fall silent; when life is threatened, hunger follows. Yet he affirmed that God has blessed the land abundantly, noting that the land can feed people, hands can cultivate, and communities can flourish, but peace must come first.
Bishop Hiiboro declared that food is not only nourishment but also dignity, stability, and peace. He said the Risen Lord goes before the people into their villages, farms, and broken communities, calling them back to the land, to dignity, to work, and to hope.
Calls to Specific Groups
The Bishop directed specific appeals to different sectors of society. To leaders, he called for the protection of life and the upholding of justice. To security forces, he urged them to be guardians of life. To youth, he called for building rather than destroying. To families, he encouraged a return to the land and cultivation with hope. To partners, he asked them to walk alongside South Sudanese in restoring dignity and lasting peace.
Quoting Christ’s words from the Gospel of John that He came that people may have life and have it abundantly, Bishop Hiiboro framed Easter as a call to decision: to choose life over death, peace over violence, work over destruction, and hope over despair.
A Message of Hope
Despite the challenges he outlined, the Bishop’s message was ultimately one of profound hope rooted in the Easter mystery. He proclaimed that the tomb is empty, hope is alive, and the future is still possible. He declared that Christ walks before the people into their Galilee and called on all to follow Him and rebuild the land with faith, courage, and love.
Bishop Hiiboro concluded his Easter message with the traditional Easter proclamation, “Christ is risen. He is truly risen. Alleluia,” followed by prayers for God’s blessing on South Sudan, on the diocese, and for the gift of peace.
The Easter message comes at a critical time for South Sudan, which continues to face cycles of violence, food insecurity, displacement, and economic hardship. Bishop Hiiboro’s direct confrontation of cultural attitudes toward violence, combined with his emphasis on the connection between peace and food security, represents a prophetic challenge to both traditional practices and current realities.
As one of the most influential religious leaders in South Sudan, Bishop Hiiboro’s words carry significant moral authority. His Easter message articulates a vision of resurrection not merely as a spiritual reality but as a concrete call to transform social, economic, and cultural patterns that perpetuate suffering and death.
The message reflects the Catholic Church’s consistent teaching on the sanctity of life while addressing the specific cultural and social dynamics of South Sudan. By linking the Easter proclamation of Christ’s victory over death to the urgent need for peace, agricultural productivity, and the protection of human life, Bishop Hiiboro offers a theological framework for understanding the integral relationship between faith and the practical work of nation-building.
As Christians across the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio and throughout South Sudan celebrate the Easter season, Bishop Hiiboro’s message provides both challenge and encouragement, calling believers to embody the resurrection by choosing life, returning to the land, and working together to build a future of peace, dignity, and abundance for all.
