The Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) and the Metropolitan of the Diocese of Juba, Justin Badi Arama, yesterday met with President Salva Kiir Mayardit to brief him on the stalemate between ECSS and the defrocked Archbishop Reuben Akurdid Ngong Akurdid.
The briefing was angled on the stalemate and other challenges that face the churches in Jonglei State’s capital, Bor Town.
“His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit met in his office with the delegation of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan led by Archbishop Dr Justin Badi Arama to brief him on the challenges facing the churches, especially in Jonglei State, Bor Town,” read the statement.
The President urged the Christians in Bor and South Sudan at large to live in peace and unity with one another.
“The President told the Archbishop that he had been informed of the conflicts occurring in the Episcopal Churches of South Sudan in Bor Town and urged all the Christians in Bor and South Sudan at large to embrace peace, co-exist together, and live in harmony,” it concluded.
Stalemate
ECSS has been experiencing challenges since Primate Justin Badi defrocked Reuben Akurdid over church discipline for approving the dioceses of Cueikeer, Anyidi, and Makuac without permission of the province led by Justin Badi.
But, instead of obeying the orders from his boss, Akurdid sued Badi, claiming that he had not followed the right procedures by not summoning him before the house of bishops as well as forming a committee to investigate him.
Badi then enthroned a new archbishop for Jonglei Internal Province to replace Reuben Akurdid, which added salt to the injury.
In August, the High Court Judge Lawrence Jaja passed a ruling dismissing the case with recommendations that it be settled within the church by the ECSS Tribunal Court, as the ECSS celebrated having won the case.
Witnesses disclosed that the judge commented that the defrocking did not follow the right procedures and that the church authorities would decide within themselves to lift the defrocking and follow the right procedures.
Akurdid filed an appeal in the court of appeal and travelled to Bor, where he was greeted by a church band and declared himself Archbishop, ordering that no ECSS bishop visit Bor until the case is resolved and warning that he would not be held responsible for the consequences of any visit.
Although the state government before the court ruling had barred the two archbishops from going to Bor until the case was settled, Akurdid breached the order and returned to Bor.
The ECSS-backed Archbishop Moses Anur Ayom last week went to Bor and settled at Langbaar B, church. The youth of the Makuac Diocese expressed discontent and warned that they should leave or they would take action.
The state government intervened by asking the three ECSS Archbishops to leave, but according to the statement from Jonglei State Acting Governor Tuong Majok Deng, they defied the order and remained in Bor, which triggered an attack on Langbaar B, leaving three (3) injured.
The state government then kicked out both Archbishop Reuben Akurdid and Moses Anur in a bid to settle the dispute in Juba. In a statement after the attack, Badi said there were politicians who were meddling in church affairs.
He called on them to leave the church alone, saying that the only solution was for Akurdid to agree to write an apology with respect to the church traditions so that he could be forgiven. Akurdid’s group is now waiting for the Bor community to hold its meeting to handle the case.
However, Badi has refused, saying that church activities should not be settled in the community.