Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla has warned that newly imposed taxes on church properties and personnel threaten the Church’s ability to serve the poor, urging dialogue with the government to prevent what he called an “unjust fiscal burden.”
Speaking ahead of a forthcoming visit to the Vatican, Cardinal Ameyu said the country’s bishops plan to present Pope Leo the 14th with a detailed account of both the challenges and hopes facing South Sudan’s faithful.
“The recent imposition of taxes on church properties and personnel threatens our capacity to serve the poor,” Cardinal Ameyu said.
“We do not have a specific source documenting the taxes, but the bishops will engage in dialogue with the government, invoking the principle that the Church’s mission must not be hindered by unjust fiscal burden.”
He made these remarks during the opening of the ongoing Bishops’ conference yesterday in Malakal of Upper Nile State.
He added that the bishops’ conference intends raise raise the issue during their ad limina visit to Rome, a traditional meeting between the Pope and bishops from around the world.
“Our forthcoming alumna visit will present the Holy Father with a comprehensive picture of the challenges and hopes of our people,” he said.
“The tradition of such a visit emphasizes that the Pope needs to listen to us, and it is in this listening that communion in the Church is established.”
Cardinal Ameyu stressed the importance of unity among the bishops and their shared responsibility to ensure accountability and transparency in the Church’s work.
“Each bishop bears the responsibility to act — not to be served but to serve — to ensure transparent use of our resources and to collaborate fully with the secretariat and the various commissions in our conference,” he said.
He described the Church’s mission as one rooted in service, compassion, and justice — principles he said must not be undermined by financial constraints.
“Together with the Holy Father in Rome, united as shepherds, we are called to be establishers of communion and collegiality,” the cardinal added.
The bishops’ call for dialogue reflects growing concern within South Sudan’s religious community over the impact of taxation on faith-based institutions, many of which provide education, health care, and humanitarian support in areas underserved by government programs.
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