Pope prays for Sudan, northern Mozambique as Catholic church attacked

By Devin Watkins & Nathan Morley

“Wherever fighting occurs, people are exhausted, tired of war, which as always is pointless and inconclusive, and will only bring death, only destruction, and will never solve the problem.”

Pope Francis launched that appeal on Sunday after praying the Angelus prayer with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square.

The Pope recalled that 10 months have passed since conflict broke out in Sudan, leading to a serious humanitarian situation.

“I once again ask the warring parties to stop this war, which causes so much harm to the people and the future of the country,” he said. “Let us pray that paths to peace are soon found to build the future of dear Sudan.”

Violences flares up in northern Mozambique

Pope Francis lamented a flare-up in “violence against defenseless populations, the destruction of infrastructure, and widespread insecurity” in the northern Cabo Delgado Region of Mozambique.

He noted that the Catholic mission of Our Lady of Africa in Mazeze was set ablaze.

According to Oliveira Amimo, the administrator of Mozambique’s Chiúre district, armed assailants destroyed the Catholic chapel and several people’s homes.

“Let us pray for peace to return to that tormented region,” said the Pope.

He also prayed for people suffering from conflict in other counties on the African continent, as well as in Ukraine and the Holy Land.

War, he recalled, “is always a defeat.”

“Let us instead pray tirelessly,” concluded Pope Francis, “because prayer is effective, and let us ask the Lord for the gift of minds and hearts dedicated concretely to peace.”

Misery continues in Sudan

Despite attempts to bring the brutal conflict in Sudan to an end, fighting is continuing in the country.

Sudan has been witnessing brutal armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces––or RSF––since April 2023, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

Now, the Sudanese military––or SAF––have advanced in Omdurman for the first time since the war with the paramilitary RSF erupted.

Omdurman is regarded as the twin city to Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, which sits on the opposite side of the Nile.

On Sunday, reports from the country suggested that the SAF have joined their peers in the engineering corps in the south of the city, where they have been surrounded by the RSF for the last ten months.

The clashes in Sudan have left more than 25 million people reliant on humanitarian assistance with eight million forced from their homes, including 1.6 million who have fled to other countries.

Peace efforts

Last week, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan embarked on renewed engagement to try and end the fighting.

The UN said Ramtane Lamamra trying to strengthen multilateral coordination around political and mediation efforts, working in support of and in close partnership with African and other regional and international partners.

The diplomat has already commenced a wide tour of key capitals in the Horn of Africa, in Europe and in the Gulf in a bid to relaunch a political process.

The United Nations has previously said the worsening situation is having a negative impact on neighboring countries, many of which are coping with their own crises.