Faith McDonnell of the Institute on Religion and Democracy writes about Archbishop-elect Ezekiel Kondo:
On April 4, 2014, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan elected Bishop Kondo as the first Archbishop for Sudan (north). Kondo will serve as Archbishop of the Internal Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and also continue as the Bishop of Khartoum.
The Church had responded to the independence of South Sudan by changing the official name from the Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) to the Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan (ECSSS). In November 2013, when all of the bishops met, they were determined to keep the unity of the Province, and not to divide on national lines.
But within this province that consists of these two nations, a strong leader is needed for the churches and dioceses that lie with the Islamic Republic of Sudan. The Church has chosen well in Bishop Kondo. Kondo has served the Diocese of Khartoum (not an easy place!) as its bishop since 2003. He has defended the people and property of the diocese against the Islamist regime when it was possible, and stood as a bold witness in the rubble of bull-dozed churches and refugee settlements when it was not.
Image courtesy of Free South Sudan Media Center
