Of all the current war zones in the world, Sudan is among the least likely to heed the Pope Francis’ repeated calls for peace in the world, as both sides show no signs of wanting to end hostilities, and the Christian presence in the country is miniscule. In this article, ACN shares the story of a bishop who bravely continues to lead his flock in the city of El-Obeid, finds hope in the Blessed Sacrament. The bishop spoke of this during his visit to the international headquarters of ACN in Germany, to where he travelled at great personal risk. On his return to El-Obeid he was severely beaten by militants of the Rapid Support Forces but fortunately survived.
The Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of Africa, in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, is located in between a military barracks, a police station and a building belonging to the security forces. So, when the civil war broke out on 15 April 2023, and the Rapid Support Forces began shelling the city, the cathedral was right in the hot zone.
In a conversation with pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Yunan Tombe said that when the first shells began to hit, he went into the cathedral and prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. Soon, he received an unexpected visit.
“I remember it was the first Saturday of Easter, the cathedral was hit by bullets and shrapnel, and the windows were broken. I was praying, when a group of members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) arrived, they had climbed over the wall, looking for shelter. I remained seated before the Blessed Sacrament and the Easter candle, but I noticed that one of them was trembling in fear, so I called him over to me, and after a bit he calmed down.”
Seeing that their colleague had calmed, the other members of the team, all Muslims, also went to sit near the bishop, he recalls.
“After three hours the fighting subsided, and they all left, back over the wall. But after some hours the gate opened and one of them came back and told me, while pointing at the tabernacle: ‘Bishop, this candle is strong and powerful. It has protected us.’ He didn’t understand that the candle was there because of the Blessed Sacrament. From that day, I took up the candle and the Blessed Sacrament as my strength, and I have managed to have adoration every day, four times a day. I divide my time between the people and God. I get my strength from the Blessed Sacrament and believe that this is my strength and my joy.”
Bishop Tombe has managed to pass on this devotion to many of the 300 Catholic families who remain in El-Obeid, which remains in the hands of the SAF, but is completely besieged by Rapid Support Forces. When the war began, many Christians managed to escape to more peaceful regions or neighbouring countries. Those who remained in the city are mostly elderly, women and children, but also people who had escaped Khartoum, the capital city, and were passing through El-Obeid when the encirclement of the city was complete and remain there.
“Most are in their houses, but a large number from Khartoum are staying with families. Some stay under trees and many are staying in schools. The situation is bad, there is shelling now and then. We have had no water in the rectory for 19 months now, no electricity, no internet, and only rare telephone communication. Those who remain are pale because of the hunger, but there is a strength from knowing that God is present. During this difficult situation, faith is stronger, and even more sacraments are being administered. More people are coming to the Church, there is more need for the priests, and for the bishop,” the prelate tells ACN.
Christians are only a very small minority in Sudan, and the same applies to El-Obeid, the country’s second most important city. Nonetheless, the Catholic Church operates six kindergartens, six primary schools and one secondary school in El-Obeid, and these are the only educational institutions that remain open, according to Bishop Tombe. “We were visited by the governor in August, and he thanked us for keeping our schools open, because all the Muslim schools closed after an incident in which a shell killed 35 young girls in a school in the city,” he explains.
Born and raised in war
Either due to ethnic divisions or because of social and economic reasons, Sudan has been at war for about as long as anyone can remember, though the current civil war is probably the worst that the country has experienced in recent decades.
Bishop Tombe, who is originally from the Nuba Mountains, which are home to the largest Christian community in the country, says that he has grown used to this reality.
“I was born in 1964 and the war in the area of the Nuba Mountains began in 1955, so I was born into a decade of war, and that war continues, with others, until today. I was born in war, brought up in war and studied in war. It is part of me. Perhaps that has helped me to get through this, and to understand that it is possible to do more, and that God is with us.”
Although there are no immediate prospects for a truce, Bishop Yunan Tombe hopes that Western powers may be able to use their influence to achieve some form of peace in his country. “If they cannot bring the two leaders together, then at least allow international aid workers to open corridors and bring food. But I have hope that European powers can use their influence with neighbouring countries and ask them to use possible relationships with powerful figures in Sudan to push for peace, to listen, and save their people.”
Meanwhile, despite all the difficulties, the Catholic Church continues to keep Jesus Christ present in the midst of the suffering and brutality of the war, and there are more workers being prepared to serve in the vineyard. “We currently have more than 70 youngsters in our formation houses, and this year I will be ordaining six new young priests. Vocations are growing! God is at work,” the bishop concludes.
By Filipe d’Avillez.
