From the Archbishop of Cape Town
Letter to the Most Revd. Dr. Daniel Deng Bul Yak
Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan
My Dear Brother in Christ,
The good news of Easter, and my own reflections on what it means to be each other’s neighbours in living out the renewed hope of Eastertide, compel me to write to you, to assure you of our continued support and prayers for you and the people of the Episcopal Church of Sudan and indeed all the people of the Sudan and South Sudan, especially in the light of news of increasing tension and violence.
You are much on our hearts and on our minds, as we see the media reports, and so we pray that efforts to resume negotiations and achieve a peaceful resolution may be successful, and that both nations may establish true justice and peace for all.
As we pray for your country and faithful Christians there, we also think and pray beyond our household of faith and pray for the souls of all the departed, and for all who are injured, bereaved, or harmed in any way by the renewed conflicts. We also pray for implementation of a real peace between the two countries and the successful outcome of negotiations.
May Sudan and South Sudan come to a settlement which will bring lasting peace with justice to both nations and all who live within their borders. And in this, may you and your church be blessed, and be a blessing to others in sharing the sure and certain hope that Jesus Christ has won for us all.
Yours in the service of Christ, crucified and raised to new life for the redemption of the world,
+Thabo Cape Town
Photo: Archbishop Makgoba at Lambeth 2008, by Diocese of Lichfield Communications
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
