Bishop Hiiboro Paid a Solidarity Pastoral Visit to Tombura; A Tale of Faith and Solidarity and Calls for Unity
Bishop Hiiboro Paid a Solidarity Pastoral Visit to Tombura; A Tale of Faith and Solidarity and Calls for Unity
By Sr. Henriette and Joseph Chakaya
Amid uncertainty and fear, there are moments of profound inspiration that remind us of the power of faith, community, and the human spirit. Such was the case with a recent pastoral visit of bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala to Tombura County, a town gripped by conflict and turmoil. Despite the warnings and doubts, bishop Eduardo, on 19th, Sunday, 2024, on the Pentecost Sunday embarked on a journey guided by faith, and what unfolded was nothing short of miraculous.
“I paid a pastoral visit to Tombura, it was a solidarity visit to Tombura Town and the visit was a God-inspired visit because all fears or advice for me to go to was never coming everybody told me not to step in Tombura, I went just with God. So, I went and the visit turned out to be a blessing”.
In his homily during the celebration of Pentecost Sunday, he commenced his address with a powerful invocation of brotherhood and solidarity. He reminded the congregation that they are not alone in their struggles, but rather embraced by the love and support of their fellow brothers and sisters in faith, both near and far.
“I have come to celebrate with you the feast of the Pentecost, this visit from my side is a solidarity pastoral visit to celebrate the birth of the church with you. I have come here on behalf of your brothers and sisters in the whole diocese of Tombura, on behalf of your family members, because of the conflicts I have also come on behalf of the people of South Sudan who care and love you and who are not able to be here, I have come on their behalf including the people of God around the world, I have come to tell you people Tombura that you are not left alone to yourself to suffer and die”.
Acknowledging the profound pain and loss experienced by the community, the bishop extended his sincere condolences and sympathy. His words carried the weight of shared grief, acknowledging the absence of beloved figures like Fr. Luke and his driver Mr. Michael, and offering prayers for the safety of those still missing.
“My sincere condolences, my sincere sympathy for all our brothers and sisters who passed on bringing this confession in Tombura sympathy for the loss of properties, sympathy for the state in which you live in camps are under plastic sheets, and my anxious desire and prayer for those who have been abducted against their will among whom is my beloved priest and her grandfather Lucia and his driver Michael Mbeko. I pray for his safety and I have come here, where he was working to feel true that Fr. Luke is no more here with us, he’s not among us here, I can see tears in your eyes and many of you when I was shaking your hands you are just crying and the cry showed me everything and especially the absence of Fr. Luke”.
Yet, amidst the darkness, there flickered a beacon of hope, the feast of Pentecost, commemorating the birth of the Church. Drawing parallels between the apostles’ fear and uncertainty in the locked room and the community’s struggles, the bishop emphasized the transformative power of Christ’s message of peace and reconciliation.
“I’m here with you to celebrate the feast of Pentecost and this feast is so meaningful for you in Tombura, extremely meaningful, we are celebrating today the birth of the church and this birth of the church is after through love but in the violence of sinfulness of the world our Lord is as Christ as we just listened to the Holy Scripture and the Holy Bible it did say the Lord Jesus Christ appear to his apostles who were locked up, who were in the room and he came in their midst and he stood in that locked room, in that desperate room, in that hopeless room and in that confused room and in that worrisome room he stood there the crucified one told his apostles peace be with you peace, we haven’t heard from him that you killed me and you thought as you killed me I will not come back”.
The local ordinary of Catholic Diocese Tombura-Yambio recounted how Jesus, despite enduring unimaginable suffering, greeted his disciples with words of peace, transcending the violence and sinfulness of the world. Through his sacrifice on the cross, Christ transformed an instrument of suffering into a symbol of salvation, offering a profound lesson in forgiveness and redemption.
In a poignant call to action, the bishop urged the community to embrace the spirit of Pentecost, to rise above fear and despair, and to work tirelessly towards building a future rooted in peace, resilience, and forgiveness, echoing the timeless message of love preached by Jesus.
“I want to thank all of you for taking that courage and I know those of you who are listening to me here are not part of this problem you are the victims the people who are designing this shameful activity are not here, there is no factory of guns in Tombura and I know you are so poor that you have no money to buy bullets, those guns and bullets are coming from evil people to kill you, your blood will go upon them, the blood of the innocent people will go upon them because you are poor you know you cannot buy a gun, you cannot buy bullets, but people who do that or those who are the architects of this evil are responsible but let me give you an assignment by dear people, the only thing you can do is go on praying, pray and forgive because you have decided to remain in Tombura”
He called upon the community to relinquish weapons and cooperate with authorities to restore order, stressing that true peace can only be achieved through collective effort and faith.
“Civilians who are not part of the military organized forces please give back guns to the government, don’t hold any gun, don’t hold any instrument that can harm your sister and harm your brothers, offer yourself to those laws that are required in a given country, I support the effort of a collection of guns, I’m asking you as your bishop, all over the Tombura you have no right to keep guns, give them back to the government, those things will not help you and you have seen the result where you are living in is terrible and that is all in the name of guns and those who have continued to do all this we are calling on them to stop it”.
He further pleaded for information regarding the disappearance of Fr. Luke Yugue and His driver Mr. Michael Mbeko.
