Background: As part of the Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series, Jason Klocek interviewed the Emmanuel Cathedral Committee: Very Rev. Uriah Jakoyo, curator Richard Ali Sworo, and secretary Juan Margaret. In this interview they discuss the role of the cathedral as a gathering place and catalyst for development work. The committee members also discuss ongoing challenges to reconciliation in the region. The Emmanuel Cathedral Committee was formed in 2006 to address both the spiritual and physical needs of the cathedral and its community. The Very Rev. Uriah Jakoyo has served as dean of the cathedral since 2004, and Rev. Richard Ali Sworo began as curator in 2003. Juan Margaret is a long-time member of the cathedral community and has served as secretary since 2006.
To begin can you each tell me how you came to serve here on the Emmanuel Cathedral Committee?
Juan Margaret: When I first came to Emmanuel Cathedral, I came as a Christian who loved the Lord. I came here to pray and worship. Then, in 2006, the Episcopal Church of Sudan decided to form a development committee for the cathedral, a group of people in charge of caring for the cathedral and planning events. I was selected as the secretary. We were first charged with giving two years of service on this committee, but our work has continued today.
Uriah Jakoyo: I became the dean of the cathedral in 2004, not long before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. As a member of the church community, I found that the church was involved in many good things at the time. You see, the church is there to help those who are suffering, to help those in need. The church is the voice of the voiceless.
Richard Ali Sworo: I came to serve at this cathedral because I accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior. This is most important. And as a follower of Christ, I am determined to give service to God’s people and to do this in all seasons—the easy and the difficult. Following Jesus is about saying to people in our community that “I am here for you.”
Now, I am a teacher by profession, but I also became a pastor. In 2003, one year before the dean, I came to the cathedral because I felt it was important to preach the world of God here. It is important to support people here—spiritually, socially, and psychologically. It is important that we work to build the kingdom of God here. And that is a kingdom full of peace, love, and harmony.
Can you tell me about some of the responsibilities of your committee?
Margaret: The committee is responsible for both the spiritual and physical needs of the cathedral and its community. So, we plan ways to make the cathedral a good place to serve. We make the physical space inside the cathedral a good place to worship and to help people hear the word of God. We are working to make the outdoor space a place where the community can also gather. And, finally, we thought it was very important that the cathedral have an office space—a place to sit and share, a place where people can come for counseling and know someone will be sitting, and a place where the mind is maybe less distracted then sitting outside under a mango tree.
Of course, everything here is voluntary; we are not paid for our work. So it is faith which brings us to work here. It is the plan of our creator. And we work hard to plan the development of the cathedral. Unfortunately, we have limited resources to do this, and we would like to expand even more, to help even more people in our community.
Sworo: Yes, our committee and our cathedral do much work. The Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) does a lot of work here. In fact, 80 to 90 percent of the population belongs to the ECS in Central Equatoria. Even the evangelical churches in the area, I call them our dear sons and daughters, because we all share in the work together.
Jakoyo: And how does the church do its work? It goes out into the community; it goes to the needy. It talks to them and learns of their needs and then can voice these to the outside world. By working with relief agencies it has done much to procure clothing, food, and medicine for people in southern Sudan. Also the church reaches out to people through prayer.
Can you talk about the role of the ECS during the civil war that ended in 2005?
Sworo: There was so much suffering during that time. It is very hard for people who were not here to understand what it was like, how very difficult it was. But, during that time the church was at the lead when it came to calls for peace. Indeed, it was one of the actors that brought peace to southern Sudan. The church did this in many ways. It organized meetings for people involved in the war to negotiate and talk about peace. Many people from the church went to the front lines of the war to instruct the soldiers on how to behave. Yes, the church stood strong during that time and preached a message of consolation and forgiveness. It also encouraged people to work, as many people were in shock and did very little. ECS started an agricultural program in which it encouraged people to farm again, since many people had fled from their farms into the bush. And some of this food was given to the soldiers to help protect Christians.
Also, the contribution of our late bishop cannot be understated. He strongly lobbied the government to end the war. In the end, even these government officials admitted the important contribution of the church. They said that without the church there would have been no peace.
Jakoyo: The church also reached out to people in prayer. It asked people to pray together about their situation, to pray for peace, to pray for God to intervene and bring peace. It also was a place where people could share stories about their suffering and not feel as alone. And all throughout the war, the church was always telling people about the love of God. It preached that since God loves you, then you should also love one another. It preached to people about the need to learn to live together. Finally, the church spoke often about confession and forgiveness. You see, if you can forgive someone you will find release from hatred, envy, and other emotions that hold you back from loving. This involvement of the church surely helped to bring peace.
What is the ECS doing today?
Jakoyo: Today the church is not quiet. We are preaching often about forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. We are saying let us forget the old and start anew. Just today at a meeting Bishop [Hilary Luate] Adeba spoke about how there is renewed fighting between the government and members of the Bari tribe, and how these two groups need to come together and have a discussion. People need to talk with one another.
We also talk much about justice, since peace and unity cannot be maintained without justice. So one thing we are looking at is the way rights are given or not given to people. This necessarily involves forgiveness and reconciliation. For with forgiveness and reconciliation, you can maintain the rights of people. If there is no forgiveness and reconciliation, the rights of people can be robbed from them, since an individual will think only of himself. If we hear and forgive one another we can bring peace.
Sworo: Today the church is preaching the good news. It is preaching much about love, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. After the war ended many people did not see their neighbors as brothers and sisters. People had looted from one another and killed one another. Children had been taken away from people to serve as soldiers. So ECS has also started several peace initiatives throughout the south. We hold meetings and conferences that bring people together. Just last week, we had a youth conference where we talked about the challenges hindering young people from reconciling. Is it anger, poverty, fear?
Also, I should add, that an important advisor to the president of Sudan is from ECS. He is leading the efforts today to maintain and strengthen the peace.
What are the biggest challenges today for reconciliation?
Sworo: You must understand that new Sudan, that is southern Sudan, is being oppressed. First, we have a very low standard of education. Most people who get educated go to Uganda or other countries nearby. Even many of our pastors are not properly trained. It is true that the [Holy] Spirit helps us, and it is because of the Spirit that we have been able to do what we have done. But, our pastors need training in counseling and reconciliation. You cannot really compare the level of development in southern Sudan to other countries around us, because there really is no peace yet when it comes to these things.
Second, employment and business are major problems. Many of our people believe it is a sin to be rich. They take the scriptures seriously when they say “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” They believe that their treasure is in heaven, so they do not need a treasure on earth. But, I do not believe it is a sin to preach about business. Our people need to have a decent life. God has provided much to us, and we must accept those gifts responsibly. For the scriptures also say that “God is the God of riches.” But today the church is a begging place; we are beggars. I think much of this has to do with the way missionaries taught the word of God, and that is not the only way to think about how to live a good Christian life. I work much with our youth, and I tell them that some success is not bad because then you will be able to help others.
This leads to a third problem: limited resources. We also suffer from the way the church has been treated. Many people are still afraid to come to church because it wasn’t always safe during the war. Finally, language is still a source of conflict. Here in Yei you will hear a lot of English because we are near the Ugandan border. There are also local tribal languages spoken. But, outside of Yei, even in the south, you will usually hear mostly Arabic spoken. Is this fair?
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Jakoyo: I would like to say that the church is trying hard to sit with the country and maintain peace and unity.
Sworo: Yes, we often ask ourselves if this is only a “relative peace” because there are still many things that need to be worked out. But we are a part of it; I have witnessed many of these things myself.
Thank you all very much for your time today.