The Catholic diocese of Tambura-Yambio set five priority areas to develop in the current pastoral year.
Over 100 pastoral agents met in Nzara from Monday until yesterday to revise last year’s activities and set priorities for the future.Fr. Joseph Gidingi told SCR News over the phone from Nzara today that the General Assembly made proposals in the areas of referendum, justice and peace, health, education and self-reliance.
The participants discussed which steps to take towards the referendum and decided to set up a commission to move from parish to parish to enlighten people about the choices put to South Sudan people in January’s referendum.
The Assembly also decided to establish Justice and Peace offices at parish level to make the communities aware of peace and reconciliation needs between the different communities in the diocese.
Western Equatoria is particularly hit by HIV and AIDS. The Assembly decided to buy a car to bring patients to the diocesan hospital in Nzara to get anti-retroviral drugs and cooperate with the government to establish Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centres, known as VCTs, in the furthest corners of the diocese for people to know their HIV status.
Parishes should establish supporting groups for HIV positive members in the line of two experiences in Nzara and Yambio.
Finally, it was noted that the concept of self-reliance is still unknown in the parishes of the diocese.
The Assembly decided to establish committees to promote sharing at diocese and parish level for the faithful to start supporting their church.