Catholic Prayer for Ending Civil Conflict in South Sudan

A Young Nation Torn by War

South Sudan gained independence in 2011 after decades of struggle, becoming the world’s newest nation with hope for peace and prosperity. Yet civil war erupted in 2013, shattering that hope as political rivalries escalated into ethnic violence killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions. Catholic bishops and clergy have repeatedly called for peace while Church institutions serve victims of the conflict through humanitarian aid and reconciliation efforts. The violence continues despite multiple peace agreements that combatants have violated repeatedly, leaving ordinary South Sudanese trapped in a war they never wanted.

The Church teaches that peace is not merely absence of war but requires justice, reconciliation, and commitment to the common good. South Sudan’s conflict stems from power struggles among elites who manipulate ethnic divisions for political gain while civilians pay the price. Prayer sustains hope that warring parties will choose peace over power, that ethnic hatred will give way to national unity, and that a nation born from liberation struggle will not destroy itself through internal conflict. Catholics pray for genuine peace that allows South Sudan to fulfill the promise of its hard-won independence.

Prayer for Political Leaders to Choose Peace

God the Father, South Sudan’s political leaders have chosen power over peace repeatedly. They signed agreements they never intended to honor. They mobilized ethnic militias for political advantage. They enriched themselves while citizens starved. They refused to compromise for the nation’s good. They clung to positions while their country collapsed around them. They sacrificed the common good for personal ambition. They bear responsibility for suffering their decisions inflicted on millions. These leaders must choose differently if peace is to come. Change their hearts so they value peace more than power.

God the Son, You taught that leaders should serve rather than be served. You demonstrated that true greatness comes through sacrifice for others. You showed that seeking glory and power contradicts Your kingdom’s values. South Sudan’s leaders have done the opposite of what You taught. They have sought power at any cost. They have refused to serve the people who depend on them. They have chosen personal gain over national good. They have made their country a cautionary tale rather than the success story it should have become. Convict them of these failures. Give them courage to change course. Help them to lead with integrity and commitment to peace. Make them statesmen rather than warlords.

God the Holy Spirit, inspire South Sudan’s leaders to negotiate in good faith toward lasting peace. Give them wisdom to compromise on positions that seem non-negotiable. Help them to see beyond ethnic identities to shared South Sudanese nationality. Show them that peace serves their own interests better than continued conflict. Let them feel the weight of responsibility for lives destroyed by their decisions. Give them empathy for suffering citizens and courage to make hard choices peace requires. Send them advisors who speak truth rather than telling them what they want to hear. Create circumstances making peace more attractive than war. Move their hearts from ambition to service.

Saint Thomas More, you chose integrity over power when your king demanded compromise of conscience. You demonstrated that doing right matters more than keeping position. I ask you to pray for South Sudan’s political leaders. Help them to value peace and justice above personal power. Request that they negotiate honestly toward genuine agreements. Ask God to give them wisdom and courage to lead well. Pray that they choose service over self-interest. May your example inspire them to lead with integrity regardless of personal cost.

Eternal Father, political leadership determines whether nations have peace or war. South Sudan’s leaders have chosen poorly, bringing catastrophe upon their country. I pray for transformed leadership that chooses peace authentically. Give these leaders genuine conversion from power-seeking to service. Help them to sign agreements they will actually honor. Let them compromise for the nation’s good. Make them willing to share power rather than fighting to monopolize it. Give South Sudan leaders worthy of the trust their people must place in them. Transform the political class from warlords into peacemakers. Amen.

Prayer for Ethnic Reconciliation and National Unity

God the Father, South Sudan’s conflict has deepened ethnic divisions that politicians exploited for their own purposes. Dinka and Nuer communities that once coexisted now see each other as enemies. Atrocities committed by both sides have created cycles of revenge. Ethnic identity has become more important than national citizenship. People trust only their own ethnic group while fearing all others. This ethnic hatred makes peace nearly impossible as each group seeks to dominate or eliminate others. Communities that should work together for national development instead prepare for ethnic warfare. South Sudan needs ethnic reconciliation replacing hatred with trust.

God the Son, You broke down barriers between Jews and Gentiles, between different communities that despised each other. You taught that all people are neighbors deserving love rather than hatred. You showed that ethnic and cultural identities need not prevent unity and peace. South Sudan needs this same transformation. Ethnic differences should enrich the nation rather than destroying it. Dinka, Nuer, and other groups should see themselves as fellow South Sudanese rather than as enemies. Past atrocities must be acknowledged and forgiven rather than becoming justifications for new violence. Help South Sudanese to build national identity transcending ethnic divisions. Make them one people rather than warring tribes.

God the Holy Spirit, inspire grassroots reconciliation efforts bringing together members of different ethnic groups. Give courage to people who cross ethnic lines building relationships and trust. Help communities to acknowledge atrocities their side committed rather than only remembering what they suffered. Let them choose forgiveness over revenge even when justice seems impossible. Show traditional leaders how to promote peace rather than inciting their communities to violence. Give church leaders boldness to preach reconciliation even when it is unpopular. Let schools teach national history emphasizing unity rather than ethnic grievances. Create new generation that identifies as South Sudanese first rather than only as members of particular ethnic groups.

Saint Martin de Porres, you transcended racial barriers in colonial Peru, showing that love overcomes divisions society creates. You demonstrated that different groups can live in harmony. I ask you to pray for ethnic reconciliation in South Sudan. Help Dinka and Nuer communities to forgive past atrocities. Request that ethnic hatred give way to mutual respect. Ask God to heal wounds inflicted by years of ethnic violence. Pray that national identity becomes stronger than ethnic loyalty. May your example of transcending barriers inspire South Sudanese to build unity from diversity.

Loving Father, ethnic diversity should strengthen nations rather than tearing them apart. South Sudan’s many groups could contribute richly to national development if they worked together. I pray for genuine reconciliation that heals ethnic divisions. Give people courage to forgive terrible wrongs. Help them to see shared humanity across ethnic lines. Let truth-telling about past atrocities lead to forgiveness rather than more violence. Make national identity real and meaningful to all South Sudanese. Transform ethnic hatred into mutual respect. Build one nation from many peoples. Give South Sudan the unity it desperately needs. Amen.

Prayer for Civilians Suffering from Violence

God the Father, ordinary South Sudanese civilians have suffered terribly from a war they did not start and cannot end. Soldiers from all sides have raped women systematically as a weapon of war. Armed groups have massacred entire villages based on ethnic identity. Children have been recruited forcibly to fight as soldiers. Families have been displaced multiple times fleeing violence. People have starved when warring parties prevented food aid from reaching them. Homes, crops, and livestock have been destroyed leaving nothing to return to. These civilians did nothing to deserve this suffering. They simply had the misfortune of living in South Sudan during civil war. Protect them from violence and help them to survive.

God the Son, You experienced violence when Herod massacred innocents trying to kill You. Your family fled as refugees to escape that violence. You understood what it means to be victimized by powerful people’s conflicts. South Sudanese civilians now experience similar victimization. They are killed, raped, and displaced because of political leaders’ choices. They lose everything to violence they did not provoke. They watch children starve because warring parties care nothing for civilian suffering. They need Your protection and provision. Shield them from violence. Give them safety. Provide food, shelter, and medical care. Let them survive this war and eventually rebuild their lives. Show them that You have not abandoned them despite their suffering.

God the Holy Spirit, protect civilians trapped in conflict zones from attacks by armed groups. Give them wisdom to avoid danger when possible. Help them to flee to safety when violence approaches their communities. Show them where to find food and clean water when normal supplies are cut off. Let humanitarian aid reach them despite obstacles warring parties create. Give them strength to endure suffering that seems unbearable. Help them to maintain hope despite circumstances that crush spirits. Protect women and girls from sexual violence that soldiers use as weapon. Keep children safe from recruitment into armed groups. Make civilian protection the priority it must be.

Saint Josephine Bakhita, you endured slavery and terrible violence before finding freedom and faith. You understood suffering inflicted by those more powerful. I ask you to pray for South Sudanese civilians suffering from war. Help them to survive violence surrounding them. Request that they receive humanitarian assistance meeting basic needs. Ask God to protect women from rape and children from recruitment. Pray that families find safety and eventually return home. May your intercession shield the innocent from violence.

Merciful Father, civilians in war zones are vulnerable to violence they cannot prevent or escape. South Sudanese civilians need protection from all armed groups regardless of which side they fight for. I pray for their safety and survival. Let cease-fires hold long enough for people to reach safety. Give humanitarian workers access to populations in need. Make civilian protection a priority that all parties respect. Punish those who deliberately target civilians. Give suffering people strength to endure until peace comes. Protect the innocent from violence they did nothing to deserve. Save lives threatened by war. Amen.

Prayer for Humanitarian Access and Aid Delivery

God the Father, humanitarian organizations struggle to reach people in need throughout South Sudan. Warring parties block aid convoys to starve populations they view as enemies. They tax relief supplies intended for hungry people. They attack aid workers trying to deliver assistance. They prevent access to territory they control. They loot warehouses containing food and medicine. They bomb or shell areas where humanitarian operations are based. These deliberate obstacles prevent life-saving aid from reaching millions who desperately need it. People die from starvation and disease when food and medicine exist but cannot reach them. This is moral crime demanding accountability.

God the Son, You fed hungry crowds who came to hear Your teaching. You healed sick people who had no other help available. You showed that meeting people’s material needs expresses love concretely. Humanitarian workers in South Sudan try to follow Your example by feeding the hungry and healing the sick. Yet warring parties prevent them from doing this work. Aid that could save lives sits in warehouses because armed groups will not allow delivery. People starve unnecessarily because political leaders use hunger as weapon. This violates everything You taught about serving those in need. Move the hearts of those blocking aid to allow humanitarian access. Let life-saving assistance reach everyone who needs it.

God the Holy Spirit, give humanitarian workers courage to continue serving despite dangers and obstacles. Help them to negotiate access with armed groups controlling territory. Show them creative solutions for reaching isolated populations. Let them use all available means including air drops when roads are blocked. Give them wisdom to work within constraints while still delivering assistance. Protect them from attacks by those who should facilitate rather than hinder their work. Help the international community to pressure warring parties to allow humanitarian access. Make blocking aid unacceptable behavior that brings consequences. Open roads and skies so assistance reaches those who need it most urgently.

Saint Camillus de Lellis, you devoted your life to caring for the sick and organizing medical services. You understood that helping those in need requires both compassion and practical organization. I ask you to pray for humanitarian operations in South Sudan. Help aid workers to reach populations in desperate need. Request that warring parties allow humanitarian access. Ask God to protect aid workers from attacks and obstruction. Pray that food, medicine, and other supplies reach everyone who needs them. May your intercession open paths for life-saving assistance.

Eternal Father, using hunger as weapon violates basic human decency and international law. Blocking humanitarian aid is war crime that should be prosecuted. I pray for full humanitarian access throughout South Sudan. Give aid workers safe passage to all areas regardless of who controls them. Make obstructing assistance bring severe consequences for those responsible. Let food, medicine, and supplies reach every person in need. Give humanitarian organizations resources to expand operations. Protect aid workers serving in dangerous conditions. Make providing humanitarian assistance possible everywhere so that no one dies from starvation when food exists but cannot reach them. Amen.

Prayer for Lasting Peace and Reconstruction

God the Father, South Sudan needs genuine peace that allows the nation to rebuild what war has destroyed. Infrastructure lies in ruins. The economy has collapsed. Schools and hospitals cannot function. Millions remain displaced unable to return home. Agricultural production has plummeted leaving people food insecure. An entire generation has known only war rather than development. Young people have no opportunities for education or employment. The country that should be building and growing instead continues destroying itself. Peace must come so reconstruction can begin. South Sudan cannot remain permanently at war.

God the Son, You taught that those who make peace are blessed and called children of God. You showed that peace requires justice and genuine reconciliation rather than merely ending violence. South Sudan needs this deeper peace that addresses root causes of conflict. Power must be shared fairly. Resources must be distributed equitably. Ethnic tensions must be healed through reconciliation. Leaders must commit genuinely to democratic governance. Justice must address war crimes without derailing peace processes. These complex requirements demand wisdom and good faith from all parties. Give South Sudan real peace that lasts because it rests on justice and reconciliation. Let war finally end so rebuilding can begin.

God the Holy Spirit, inspire effective peace negotiations that produce agreements all parties will honor. Give mediators wisdom to address underlying issues driving conflict. Help negotiators to be creative in finding solutions to seemingly intractable problems. Let peace agreements include strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. Show how to sequence peacekeeping, disarmament, and political transition to maximize stability. Give international community commitment to support South Sudan through difficult transition to peace. Help South Sudanese themselves to demand peace from their leaders. Make the costs of continued war higher than the compromises peace requires. Create momentum toward lasting peace that becomes irreversible.

Saint Francis of Assisi, you are patron saint of peace and worked to end conflicts in your time. You showed that peace requires both prayer and practical action. I ask you to pray for lasting peace in South Sudan. Help warring parties to negotiate genuinely and keep their agreements. Request that peace take root and hold. Ask God to give wisdom to all working for peace. Pray that South Sudan finally escapes the war that has consumed it. May your intercession bring the peace that has eluded this nation for so long.

Loving Father, South Sudan deserves peace after decades of conflict. The people are exhausted by war and yearn for normal lives. I pray for genuine, lasting peace that allows reconstruction and development. Give leaders courage to make compromises peace requires. Help parties to keep agreements they sign. Let peace become self-sustaining through political stability and economic improvement. Give South Sudan international support for reconstruction. Help displaced people return home safely. Let schools reopen, hospitals function, and farms produce again. Make this young nation finally experience the peace and prosperity it should have had from independence. Transform war into lasting peace. Amen.