f e at u r e
South Sudan prays for peace
‘the Church is our only hope’ b y r ac h e l fa r m e r
THE HOUSE THAT Bishop Henry Garang Deng calls ‘home’ is now an empty shell, everything inside has gone. His precious library has been dismantled and furniture carted off or left in the surrounding streets. The church has also been emptied and people are frightened to travel about for fear of being killed. Henry is Bishop of Malakal in Jonglei state. This was what he discovered a few months ago on his last visit to his diocese in South Sudan where the
“The church is the element holding the country together; without the church this country will not hold”
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fighting between rebel groups and the army has left the area in chaos. ‘The community has been completely divided by the current fighting and even the church has been split,’ he said. ‘All the churches have been looted and all the documents inside have been burned, there is nothing left. The rebels and the army took everything and what they were not able to take they would just destroy. Many of the congregation have fled and are now living in refugee camps.’ Bishop Henry’s own family are living in Uganda and it is still not safe enough for him to return to his home or his church in Malakal. He blames the root of the problem on politics and says the government has not organised itself as an institution that can help reconcile and rebuild the nation. ‘It seems to be afraid of competition from the church, fearing it is trying to rival the government,’ he said. ‘The government started this division which has affected the tribes and even made a crack in the
anglican world issue 143 december 2016
Church members in Kajo-Keji, South Sudan BISHOP GRAHAM KINGS
BISHOP GRAHAM KINGS
Bishop Henry Garang Deng
church. We should not be in this position. The level of illiteracy is very high in the country, so people don’t understand what is happening, but the church can help.’ Bishop Henry has seen widespread suffering over the years of war in his country, but still believes there is hope. After opposition leader Riek Machar was appointed as vice-president alongside his rival,
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