Fr. Arkangelo Ali, who was murdered by Arab soldiers in Rumbek, stands as an example of courage and principle for all Sudanese.
This is the view of Archbishop Gabriel Cardinal Zubeir Wako of Khartoum who hails from the same parish as Fr. Arkangelo and received his First Holy Communion on the day the martyred priest celebrated his first mass in their home parish of Mboro, in the diocese of Wau.Cardinal Zubeir recalled a visit Fr. Arkangelo made to a fellow priest who was in crisis.
Fr. Arkangelo said priests needed to help each other rather than rely solely on the bishop’s intervention because the prelates do not know everything.
Cardinal Zubeir recalled his last encounter with Fr. Arkangelo in Wau before he decided to travel to Rumbek although he knew he was going to be killed there.
The cardinal said that Fr. Arkangelo stands tall as a witness of courage and principle for all Sudanese.
Fr. Arkangelo was the Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek at the time of his death on July 21, 1965.
The Catholic bishops of Sudan liaising with the nuncio promised to initiate the process towards Fr. Arkangelo’s canonization as a martyr.