South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The mediator for Peace and Reconciliation in the United States,Reverend Abraham Dot P. Kok, urged Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, the Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, and the defrocked bishop of Jonglei Internal Province, Reuben Akurdit Ngong, to reconcile before their retirements.
The Episcopal Church of South Sudan experienced a split following the August defrocking of Bishop Reuben Akurdit by Archbishop Badi.
In August 2020, Archbishop Badi dismissed Akurdit, accusing him of violating the church’s constitution and fostering division among Christians.
Akurdit rejected this decision and sought to reclaim his position through the South Sudan High Court.
In August 2021, High Court Judge Lawrence Jaja ruled that the church should resolve the matter through the ECSS tribunal court. Akurdit immediately rejected this ruling, asserting that he would forge his own path, stating, “the road to heaven doesn’t go through Juba.”
In a letter dated 27 July 2022, the presidency granted Akurdit permission to return home, noting that mediation efforts to resolve the four-year-long church conflict were “yet to be completed.”
In a recent letter addressed to Archbishop Badi, Dot called for the two leaders to unite the church of God before the end of their leadership.
“I am trusting and calling for reconciliation between Primate Justin and Archbishop Reuben before they leave their significant active positions and obligations in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan,” Dot stated.
He emphasised that the two influential clerics must reconcile to prevent leaving the church fragmented upon their
retirement. “If these two respected leaders fail to reconcile before their retirement, our church will remain disintegrated, and the ensuing chaos will ultimately be detrimental to our faith and the unity of the Episcopal Church in South Sudan,” he warned.
Dot encouraged both leaders to prioritise their meetings to resolve their grievances and unite the church of God unconditionally, without involving any additional parties.
