July 11th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – As part of a wider effort to support peace and reconciliation in South Sudan, the Italian Episcopal Conference has announced humanitarian funding of €1 million for the people affected by the conflict in the country.
South Sudan descended into a bloody civil war in December 2013 after a national convention for the ruling SPLM party turned violence igniting divisions in the army.
In a press statement seen by the Nyamilepedia, the Episcopal Conference of the Italian Bishops said the allocation of the one-million Euro in aid for the world’s youngest nation will be the fourth of its kind in since the conflict erupted almost six years ago.
“It is the fourth consecutive year that the Conference has dedicated a portion of the ‘eight per thousand’ funds to providing emergency aid, as well as sustaining income generating activities, rebuilding, and supporting reconciliation processes throughout the country,” the statement issued by the religious institution partly read.
Since the war began Italian clerics from the Italian Episcopal Conference have placed great emphasis on promoting peace and reconciliation in the country.
In April, the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, made an unprecedented peace gesture by kissing the feet of South Sudan’s rival leaders in a way widely seen as evidence that the head of Catholic Church stands in solidarity with the people of South Sudan.
