BREAKING BARRIERS: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ARCHBISHOP STEPHEN AMEYU MARTIN MULLA'S ELEVATION TO CARDINAL

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By Fr. Casmir Odundo

The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the Lord has this been done;
a marvel in our eyes. (Psalm 118: 22-24)

The decision of Pope Francis to name Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba, South Sudan, as a Cardinal Last Sunday (5th July 2023), along with 20 others, could be Pope Francis' way of sending a message to the Church regarding the tribal politics that sometimes find their way into the Church. This follows the elevation of Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke to Cardinal, who had also undergone similar tribulations when he was appointed Bishop of Ahira diocese. 

When Pope Francis appointed Bishop Ameyu as the Archbishop of Juba, there was contestation from a few individuals who wrote a letter stating, "Under no conditions will Bishop Ameyu be accepted to serve as Archbishop of Juba." To make their case weighty, the letter also included false allegations to tarnish the Archbishop's name. However, as in the diocese of Ahira, Pope Francis did not relent in his decision regarding the Archdiocese of Juba. Slowly, the waves cooled down, and what had been declared impossible became possible as Ameyu was installed as Archbishop on 22nd March 2020. Now Archbishop Ameyu will don the red hat and become a prince of the Church, an even closer collaborator of the Pope. 

Cardinal Elect Ameyu

The 59-year-old future Cardinal from South Sudan was born on 10th January 1964. He was ordained a priest of the diocese of Torit on 21st April 1991. On 3rd January 2019, Pope Francis named him Bishop of Torit, and later that year, when Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro as the Archbishop of Juba on 12th December 2019, he appointed Bishop Ameyu to replace him. Archbishop Ameyu holds a Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome. When Pope Francis visited Juba, South Sudan, together with Dr. Lain and Dr. Justin of the Presbyterian Church and the Anglican Church, respectively, Archbishop Ameyu was thrown into the global limelight once again. In his speech, he thanked Pope Francis for his tireless concern and peace efforts for South Sudan, which is amidst a civil war. Archbishop Ameyu and other bishops of the Sudan Conference of Catholic Bishops have been instrumental in the peace process. 

On 30th September, when he will be created Cardinal in the Vatican, he will become the first Cardinal from South Sudan. His elevation to Cardinal is also interpreted as Pope Francis' closeness to the Christians of South Sudan and its people in general, who have faced difficult times. It is interesting to note that when the Pope named him Cardinal last Sunday, it coincided with South Sudan's 12th anniversary of independence.

The author is a Student at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome

Email: casmirthomas28@gmail.com



Comments

  1. Ezekiel Nderitu July 11, 2023 at 1:55 AM

    Awesome article

    ReplyDelete
  2. Douglas kapkiaiJuly 11, 2023 at 5:05 PM

    Very informative Fr. Casmir. I now know.

    ReplyDelete
  3. PerisJuly 24, 2023 at 5:05 AM

    Congratulations to the new Cardinal-elect.May God guide him in his new coming role

    ReplyDelete

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