The independence celebration was an experience of joy, gratitude and recognition of the South Sudanese people’s greatness.
This was the way Fr. Enrique Sanchez, the superior general of the Comboni Missionaries, summed up his feelings after attending the celebrations in Juba.President Salva Kiir Mayardit invited Fr. Sanchez to be present at the Declaration of Independence in recognition for the contribution the Comboni family made for peace in South Sudan.
Fr. Sanchez, who comes from Mexico, said he was positively affected by the joy people expressed during the celebration.
Fr. Sanchez said now the South Sudanese have to make a big country out of the new nation, to learn how to be a nation, organize the institutions and build up a healthy political awareness.
He added that the Church has a prophetic role in this process by reminding those in power that they have to respect human values and guarantee a dignified life to all.
Fr. Sanchez said he was going back to Rome with his heart full of images and expressions of gratitude from a people who knew how to thank God for the gift of freedom.
He added that South Sudan and Sudan are going through a new phase and the Combonis present in two countries have to find a new way of being missionaries.