The Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Joseph Ngere Paciko, has called on the Church to pray for South Sudan’s leaders, urging unity, peace, and moral responsibility in national leadership.
He made the appeal on Sunday during a speech at St. Andrew’s Parish Church in Juba while addressing the Moru Congregation.
Ngere said he attended not only as a political leader but also as a believer, emphasizing shared faith and national identity among South Sudanese citizens.
“I come not first as a politician, but as a fellow believer and a son of South Sudan,” he said, noting his personal ties to the Moru community.
The Speaker reflected on South Sudan’s liberation struggle, referencing the 1983 uprising in Bor, which marked the beginning of the long civil war that eventually led to independence.
He paid tribute to those who took part in the struggle, saying the sacrifices made during the war laid the foundation for the country’s freedom.
Ngere urged citizens to uphold the values of unity and forgiveness, warning against division along political or ethnic lines.
“As lawmakers and citizens, we must act lawfully everywhere in the Church, in government, and even within the family,” he said.
Ngere, Secretary General of the Greater Mundri community, stressed that while laws provide structure and order, only faith and moral conviction can transform the human heart at its core.
The Speaker further called on the Church to remain a place of healing and reconciliation, especially in a country still recovering from years of conflict.
He urged religious leaders and congregants to pray for national leaders, asking for wisdom, humility, and commitment to the public good.
“Pray that we put South Sudan before party, before tribe, and before self,” he said.
Ngere also emphasized the importance of the Church’s role in promoting unity and truth, describing it as a space for the broken, the hopeful, and the faithful.
The service ended with a joint prayer for peace, unity, and national healing, as congregants joined the Speaker in seeking divine guidance for the country’s future.
