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The South Sudan Council of Churches is inviting churches to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, observed globally on 19 June. The council published a series of messages available for use in worship services over the weekend.

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca welcomed the announcement of the dissolution of parliament in South Sudan, to pave the way for the appointment of lawmakers from formerly warring parties in the country. This is an important step in the long-awaited and repeatedly delayed implementation of the peace accords between president Salva Kiir and vice president Riek Machar. “I pray that there will be no further delays in this process,” said Sauca, “and that the full implementation of the accords will finally ensure peace and good governance for the suffering people of South Sudan.”

During a regional consultation on 27 April focused on how churches in Africa are living out their commitment to a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace in the context of COVID-19, World Council of Churches (WCC) moderator, Dr Agnes Abuom, reflected that Africa is experiencing a number of socio-economic and spiritual challenges and opportunities.

His Eminence Paulino Lukudu, Catholic archbishop emeritus of Juba, South Sudan, passed away on 5 April, leaving many in mourning for a religious leader widely regarded as an anchor amid conflict and a beacon of hope.

The Working Group of Experts of People of African Descent met virtually from 24-26 March to discuss “Environmental Justice, the Climate Crisis and People of African Descent.”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is celebrating the life of Rev. Canon Clement Janda, an ecumenical visionary known as a liberation icon and a listening ear for all.

A senior African church humanitarian official is calling for joint efforts to meet the growing humanitarian challenge in Tigray, the region in northern Ethiopia.

During a solidarity visit to South Sudan, a delegation from the All Africa Conference of Churches urged all parties in South Sudan to pursue peace even amid challenges.

Damaris, a Nigerian woman, described her experience of 2020: “We’ve gone through hell.”

Damaris and her sisters were kidnapped in March 2020 and threatened with death as their kidnappers demanded money. Her father had to sell everything and beg on the streets to meet their demands. “We are just a common people in Nigeria,” she said. “We don’t know what we did.”

A webinar hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 26 November will explore “Conflict Zones and Covid-19: A call to compassion.” Speakers from Cameroon, Nigeria, South Sudan, Lebanon, Belarus and Colombia will offer their insights on how conflict exacerbates the conditions for contracting and treating COVID-19 among civilians caught in the crossfire, especially women.

A 5 November webinar, “People at the Frontlines: the Gift of Life,” hosted by the World Council of Churches, brought together both firsthand and learned perspectives from a medical doctor, who is also a clergy and a COVID-19 survivor, a public sanitation worker, and a humanitarian responder.

South Sudanese Church leaders are appealing for urgent humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of their population, who have been left vulnerable by a mix of five crises, including floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.