WCC News: WCC condemns attack on humanitarian workers in South Sudan

In a pastoral letter to the churches of South Sudan and to Norwegian Church Aid, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed shock and sadness about the news of an attack on Norwegian Church Aid vehicles in Imehejek, Lopa Lafon, in the Eastern Equatoria region of South Sudan. A woman prays during Catholic mass inside the Protection of Civilians area inside the United Nations base in Malakal, South Sudan. Some 35,000 people live in the camp, protected by UN peacekeeping troops. They were displaced from Malakal following the outbreak of a civil war in 2013. Photo: Paul Jeffrey 05 May 2023 Seven local staff who were attending a peace conference were reported killed. “The fact that the victims were on a humanitarian mission and promoting peace and human dignity in their country makes this tragedy even more painful,” wrote Pillay. “The WCC condemns in the strongest possible terms the attack on civilians and humanitarian workers in South Sudan.” Such senseless violence undermines unity, added Pillay. “We commiserate with the families of the deceased, the South Sudan Council of Churches, Norwegian Church Aid, and the churches and the South Sudanese people over the atrocity committed by those who carried out this evil act,” he wrote. "We are frail and weak when we stand alone but strong and resilient when we stand together.” Pillay encouraged the churches and South Sudanese people to stand together in the pursuit of justice, reconciliation, and unity in these difficult times. “We pray that you may experience the presence and the love of God even in the midst of these challenges,” Pillay concluded.  Read the pastoral letter to the churches of South Sudan and to Norwegian Church Aid WCC member churches in South Sudan See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland