For a nation grappling with the wounds of war and the plight of the displaced, the news of Pope Francis’ death felt like the silencing of a rare and steadfast voice that spoke for the voiceless.

In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Stephen Ameyu, Archbishop of Juba, expressed the heartbreak of a people who, as he put it, “have lost the only advocate who constantly reminded the world of our forgotten war.”

“We were shocked,” the Cardinal said, recalling how just the day before, Pope Francis had appeared publicly to give his usual blessing. Not only was it a great shock he said, and “for us, it is a great loss—the people of South Sudan have lost their advocate.”

Cardinal Ameyu recalled with gratitude the Pope’s unwavering commitment to South Sudan, even as he struggled with bad health.

“Even as late as the 30th of March, he mentioned our problems - he mentioned Sudan and South Sudan,” the Cardinal recalled. “He kept us in the spotlight.”

Pope Francis visited South Sudan from the 3rd to the 5th of February 2023, in what became his last visit to the African continent. Despite his frailty, he insisted on undertaking that ecumenical pilgrimage of peace together with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, determined to shine a light on the country’s ongoing suffering and join in prayers for peace with the people.

“When we went to welcome him at the airport,” Cardinal Ameyu recalled. “The spirit came up, he was very enthusiastic. He was lively to the people of South Sudan.”

The Pope’s visit was more than symbolic. It brought hope to thousands, especially the displaced and marginalized. During those days, he met bishops and religious leaders, not only from South Sudan but from across neighboring nations - Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia - who came to be with him and express their solidarity with the nation.

Meeting with displaced persons

But it was his encounter with displaced persons at Freedom Hall in Juba that left a lasting impression on Cardinal Ameyu.

“He spoke to them directly. He heard their witness - those who have been displaced since 2013, those who lost everything to war and flooding,” he recalled.

Cardinal Ameyu emphasized that South Sudan is not only afflicted by conflict but also by climate-related disasters.

We have different kinds of calamities, he explained, “Some are natural - caused by flooding that has swept away villages in the north. Others are man-made, like the war that started on December 15, 2013, and continues to displace our people.”

An advocate for a forgotten people

Pope Francis, the Cardinal noted, was one of the very few world leaders to continually acknowledge this suffering.

 “In this world where there are many wars, there are wars that are forgotten. Our war has been forgotten, but he always talked about it. That’s why we say, we have lost a great man, our advocate,” he reiterated.

“We thank God for the life of Pope Francis,” Cardinal Ameyu concluded. “But we are also mourning - for we have lost the one who saw us, who stood with us, and who never let the world forget us.”