The Comboni Missionaries in Sudan Receive a Letter from their General Superior

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed”
(Psalm 34,18)

Dear Fr, Diego Dalle Carbonare, Provincial Superior of Egypt-Sudan,
Comboni Missionaries in Sudan,
confreres born and raised in Sudan and now serving elsewhere,
and confreres who have worked in Sudan in the past and are now in other countries, but remain in communion with Sudan:

On behalf of the General Council, I write these brief lines to say, once again, that the people of the Sudan, the Church in the Sudan, Comboni Sisters and you, our confreres in the Sudan, are all in our prayers in these days of suffering.

It is true that, in recent years, there have been tensions in the country, but neither the Sudanese people nor the world expected a violent conflict – which is a real war – such as the one that has erupted in recent days, and which has already caused the loss of many lives and considerable ruin.

While we continue to pray for the gift of peace in the Sudan and for a spirit of mutual understanding and dialogue between the warring factions, as the General Council we want to tell you again that we are close to you in these days of armed clashes, displacement, and difficult discernment on what to do next.

Sadness and grief, confusion and loss do not come and go in an orderly fashion. They usually leave behind marks and wounds in our inner lives, both as individuals and communities.

Therefore, our constant prayer for you is that the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, will be your strength, wisdom and peace in these days of sadness.

May the Holy Spirit comfort all those who mourn the death of their loved ones and who cry the destruction of what they have built over many years of daily sacrifice.

We are certain that the Risen Lord hears the cry of the suffering: “My flesh and my heart fail; but the rock of my heart is God, God is my fate for ever” (Psalm 73:26).

We invoke the intercession of St Daniel Comboni, St Josephine Bakhita, as well as many holy men and women of the Sudan and its Church. We also entrust ourselves to the prayers of our Comboni Missionary Bishops, our Sisters, our Priests and Brothers who have lived and died in the Sudan and now, before God, pray for this beloved country.

We make our own the prayers of Pope Francis who, on Sunday 16^th April, said: «I follow with concern the events that are taking place in Sudan. I am close to the Sudanese people, who are already so tried, and I invite people to pray that they lay down their arms and that dialogue prevails, so that together we can resume the path of peace and concord».

May the following words of our Father and Founder encourage us: “Confronted by so many afflictions, among the mountains of crosses and sorrows which I have already described to you and those yet to be described, in these enormous complications, the Catholic missionary’s heart has been shaken, but this is no reason for him to despair; strength, courage and hope can never desert him. Could a true apostle’s heart ever be downcast and fearful at all these obstacles and extraordinary difficulties? No, it is not possible, ever! Triumph is in the Cross alone.” (Writings, 5646)

Fr. Tesfaye Tadesse Gebresilasie, mccj,
on behalf of the General Council