Message from His Lordship Barani Edwardo Hiiboro, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio on the Occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day 2020
Corruption is as old as humanity.
Today December 9th is International Anti-Corruption Campaign Day and I would like to add my voice to the voices of the many people who are already concerned about the evil and difficulties, problems and suffering that corruption has lavished upon the world.
Corruption is as old as humanity. Human beings despite the freedom that God created us to adore and share things that he has given us; that we share them equally and take great custody of them, unfortunately, have remained with greedy attitudes, selfishness and tendencies to accumulate as much as possible for oneself without paying regards to the needs of others. And this has caused a lot of suffering to millions and millions of people across the globe.
The evil that is called corruption deprive individuals from enjoying or benefitting or sharing what God has created so well and provided for humanity. And so the selfishness of human heart makes the children, women, young and old people suffer because some individuals have chosen to take for themselves, for their interests, for their own desires what belongs to everyone else, what belongs to the community, to the region, to the nation; world resources.
To stop all the wars in the world, we need to stop corruption. To stop all the problems and suffering in the world, we need to stop corruption. Corruption is at every level; when we speak about corruption, we need to think about the government, the leaders, and individuals with power in our communities, the family members, the father, the mother, the parents and the children. In our societies, corruption takes place among the different categories of humanity. In the government, in the Church, in other religious communities, corruption is thus everywhere.
Today therefore this International Anti-Corruption Day is meant to make us aware of the evil of corruption, of the pain it causes us, the suffering it lavishes upon the world. This day of Anti-Corruption Day is meant to remind us of God's desire for the love of our neighbors, which can only be realized when we embrace God's intention for humanity, for the resources He created for the benefit of humanity. It calls for holiness to handle properly and honesty coupled with integrity, everything that God has created for us.
Number two we need to prioritize on being humane, to put human person in focus and this must be done by everyone of us; to act justly, act well towards our fellow human beings so that we are aware of the fact that the things that we receive, the things we have, the things that we have power over belongs not only to us alone but also to our fellow human beings, be it a child, a mother, a father, an elderly in the society, a person living with disability or any other person for that matter. We must recognize that our fellow human beings also deserve what we have and we therefore must use these resources well for our collective benefits.
The third thing is that the evil of corruption cannot be fought by individuals only; it needs for a collective and well informed minds, we need to do it together, we cannot do it in isolation of one another.
Of course for us in South Sudan, we know what corruption has done to us and is doing to us, I therefore call upon my country men and women to say that enough is enough; let us stop this monster and be good custodians of the resources God has given us in this beautiful country and use them well. If we need peace in South Sudan, then let us stop corruption at every level. If we really desire peace, growth, happiness, prosperity; let us stop corruption today. The fight against corruption begins with you and me and us together.
May the Almighty God turn our hearts towards him so that we may follow his desire in the way we use and distribute resources he has made available at our disposal.
During this period of Advent, which is a moment of transformation and renewal, may we be all renewed as we wait for the coming of our savior who himself fought corruption, died, rose and brought new life.
May God bless all of you.
Barani Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala,
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio
