Maryknoll missioners have served in the area now known as South Sudan for many years; as of today, several missioners remain in the new country, accompanying the people who are experiencing the recently-ignited violent conflict. We pray for the protection and care of the Maryknollers and all those in South Sudan.
The South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms (SSANSA) sent out the following request for shared action on January 1, 2014.
Let us observe a silent moment for the people of South Sudan.
Sending good energies, our empathy, and silent prayers to:
Those who lost loved ones
Those who have been injured
Those who are horrified of violence
Those who are committing violence
Those who are full of fear
Those who have lost hope and courage:
We have not forgotten you – WE WANT PEACE!
| Location | Local time | Time zone | UTC offset |
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 1 January, 17:00:00 | EAT | UTC +3 hours |
| Berlin, Germany | 1 January, 15:00:00 | CET | UTC +1 hour |
| Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1 January, 07:00:00 | MST | UTC -7 hours |
| Berkeley, California | 1 January, 06:00:00 | PST | UTC -8 hours |
| London, UK | 1 January, 14:00:00 | GMT | UTC |
| Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 1 January, 09:00:00 | EST | UTC -5 hours |
Corresponding UTC (GMT) Wednesday, 1 January 2014, 14:00:00
Please join, pass it on, and let us know, so that we can show we are many!
Twitter handles: #WeWantPeace and #SouthSudan
You can use custom tweets like below; just copy and paste and edit to your city:
Juba Praying. A moment of silence for peace in #SouthSudan. #WeWantPeace.
Toronto Praying. A moment of silence for peace in #SouthSudan. #WeWantPeace
Berlin Praying. A Moment of Silence for peace in #SouthSudan. #WeWantPeace
The following message from Pax Christi International was sent on December 27 to Bishop Paride Taban, bishop emeritus of Torit and founder of the Peace Village of Kuron. Bishop Taban is an old friend of Maryknoll and a fierce champion of reconciliation and peace. (The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns is a member of Pax Christi International.)
Brussels, 27 December 2013
Dear Bishop Paride Taban,
Dear friends of the Kuron Peace Village,
Dear friends of Pax Christi in South Sudan and elsewhere,
As members of Pax Christi International we want to assure you that we stand with the people of South Sudan at this critical moment. Two years ago, South Sudan became independent and many of you celebrated that new momentum as a historical step in the direction of freedom and democracy. Since mid-December of this year, violence has escalated which led to hundreds of deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people in the country. Today, we are deeply concerned about the future of the country.
We mourn with those who have lost loved ones and are grieving. Innocent civilians are being targeted because of their ethnicity. This is a grave violation of human rights.
Pax Christi International, together with Pope Francis, is calling for social harmony in South Sudan. Political leaders should settle their differences peacefully. We support the political mediation as given by neighbouring countries. We also support all efforts from religious leaders in the country to call for peaceful existence which should be restored as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, we believe that all civilians should be protected and that the United Nations, the African Union and humanitarian agencies should be able to shelter all those who have become victims of this tragedy. The rights of vulnerable people should be ensured.
We call all our Member Organisations worldwide, to pray and to stand in solidarity with all the victims of the violence in South Sudan and in the region as a whole. People all over the world will celebrate the World Day of Peace on 1 January, and we hope and pray that peace may prevail.
In peace,
Marie Dennis and Bishop Kevin Dowling, Co-Presidents Pax Christi International
José Henriquez, Secretary General Pax Christi International