South Sudan: Bishops Call for Dialogue Before Elections

The South Sudanese Episcopal Conference makes a solemn call for reconciliation as the December 2026 elections approach, in a country where peace remains fragile.

The Fact

On July 18, 2026, the Sudanese and South Sudanese Catholic Bishops' Conference (SSSCBC) issued a solemn call for dialogue as the general elections expected in December 2026 approach. The statement, released by Vatican News in its French and Portuguese editions, urges the national unity government, the opposition, and civil society to take "peaceful and institutional paths" to overcome political deadlocks. The bishops recall the fragility of the Revitalized Peace Agreement of September 2018, several clauses of which remain unfulfilled, and the human cost of localized clashes that continue to displace families in the states of Upper Nile and Jonglei.

Our Analysis

The South Sudanese episcopate speaks from experience. Since independence in 2011, the Catholic Church has regularly acted as a mediator between the Dinka and Nuer factions, often at the cost of the blood of its priests and catechists. The joint visit of Pope Francis, the Anglican primate, and the Presbyterian moderator to Juba in February 2023 had marked a major ecumenical milestone; the current call extends this line. Social doctrine reminds us, with Isaiah (Is 32:17), that peace is the work of justice. It is not decreed and does not impose itself: it is cultivated in the concrete respect for the human person. The bishops' message is therefore not a vague exhortation, but a reminder of the common good in the face of policies tempted by the logic of conquest.

To Reflect On

The Church of East Africa often remains the only national institution capable of speaking to both sides without being suspect. Let us pray for the Archbishop of Juba and for the bishops of South Sudan, who carry this prophetic word in a country where more than nine million people need humanitarian aid according to OCHA.