The visit of Pope Francis to South Sudan in the company of two other religious leaders, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshield, was an historic event which will forever be remembered by generations to come. The people in South Sudan had longed for this day since the postponed Papal visit in July 2022. They expected the Pope to relieve them from suffering. According to many South Sudanese, this visit was unique and with deep spiritual connotation: Pope Francis arrived in Juba on 3rd at 3 O’clock, in 2023, for 3 days visit, of 3 church leaders with 3 programmes. They believed the letter 3 in this historic event was not coincidental but a revelation of God’s spirit working to remind South Sudanese about Unity as in the Holy Trinity, three persons in union as one. To them, it was a call to look at one another as brothers and sisters with love instead of hatred.
Furthermore, the Ecumenical pilgrimage was a powerful witness of solidarity with this suffering nation and an important call for peace in the country that is torn apart by violence and conflicts. During the ecumenical prayer, the same message of unity, love, communion, forgiveness, reconciliation and togetherness was strongly reechoed by the three religious leaders. Pope Francis in his final message reminded the people that the way of Jesus is to love everyone because everyone in Him is a brother and a sister. This message calling people to change of heart and attitude left many women (mothers) in tears, because in this country they are the ones who carry the weight of violence day and night. May the blessings of the Pope heal them and remain upon them.
I am so grateful to God to have been part of the team who prepared the Papal sacristy for the celebration of the Holy Mass on 5th February 2023. We were three religious sisters from different congregations. We worked as a team with dedication and love to ensure that all was good to make the Holy Father comfortable. One of my roles was to look for a small stool for putting water for the Holy Father during the mass. I was thrilled to get one from our house and I set it with water and napkins for the Pope at mass. I am happy to have offered my simple but meaningful service to the servant of God, Pope Francis who came to this land of Comboni, our birth place. Hardly had I known that we would not see our stool again when I was told that anything used by the Holy Father was holy and would not be given back. As a result, the stool became a donation of the Comboni Missionary Sisters to the National Archive of the nation. I felt humbled to think not only of the stool we offered but also of our own total self-giving to this country from the time of Comboni to date, where many of our missionaries (priests, brothers, sisters) have laid down their lives for the Gospel. Pope Francis, while addressing bishops, priests, religious, seminarians, and catechists in St. Theresa, Cathedral, Kator, invited us to master the resilience of St. Daniel Comboni who was generous, courageous and never gave up in the great work of evangelization in this land. His reference to Comboni encourages us to do everything for the sake of Christ and the Gospel. I am happy as a daughter of Comboni to have served the Pope in this land. I treasure this experience and will forever remain grateful.
And I will continue to pray for Pope Francis!
Lily Akumu Lam
Comboni Missionary Sister, Juba
