Grandiose & Greedy

Last Tuesday, at 9:30am, I took Br Denis to the Malakal airport to check in on a World Food Programme flight to Juba. We were gruffly told ‘no check in’ – go to the WFP office. We eventually ascertained that the Malakal Airport Manager, not following correct procedures, had tried to get on a WFP flight the day before but had been turned away. So in retaliation he declared the airport closed to all WFP flights on Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, Sr Luchita, returning from Colombia had been sitting in the Juba airport from just after 8:00am waiting for her flight to Malakal. If it were not my phone calls, she would have had no idea why her plane was delayed. By 12:30pm, the dispute had not been resolved and all intending passengers at both airports were finally told to go home. This is Sudan! 

You meet some wonderful people in Southern Sudan. In the recent August 30 edition of the USA National Catholic paper, America, a correspondent wrote of two Bishops visiting the USA:

‘You have to look up to the Sudanese bishops because they maintain their faith despite what they’ve been through. Witnesses to their country’s horrific civil war, they nevertheless have ready smiles and gentle humor….  Bishop Rudolf Deng Majak, president of the Sudanese bishops’ conference, and Bishop Daniel Adwok Kur, auxiliary bishop in Khartoum, retain hope for peace in Sudan despite the likelihood of war.’  

The Bishops exercise a leadership of service and preach peace. Unfortunately, too many people, choose instead to exercise a leadership of [...]