The Wounds of War

During the past week, I was back in Malakal briefly where we had various meetings and the blessing of our house during the visit of Sr Pat Murray, Executive Director of Solidarity with Southern Sudan (SSS), who is based in Rome. Almost all the priests in the diocese were there. Before the blessing, I was pleased to be able to hang an aboriginal cross on the wall donated by some of the staff of De La Salle College, Malvern, and sent to Sudan with Br Denis.

Work is also in full swing at Malakal in the development of the SSS teacher training facilities. The SSS, 2010, eight-week, in-service programmes, for first and second year students, are about to begin in Malakal in borrowed, near-by, school classrooms.

We flew back to Juba on Thursday and on Friday drove to Torit. Sr Pat, Fr Joseph and I set out at 5:30am to drive the 140kms to Torit, the centre of the Diocese, where we had arranged to meet the Bishop, Johnson Akio. The trip took just under five hours each way. The road takes one toward the Kenyan boarder and passes through that part of Sudan where some of the heaviest fighting during the war occurred. It is apparently regarded as a strategic area and even now, a Northern army is based in Torit, as well as the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) from the south. We passed through several military camps, and check-points, along the way. 

The Bishop welcomed us warmly and generously. He took us to visit the [...]