Three years ago, Pope Francis visited South Sudan with his message of peace. The young people from the Diocese of Rumbek took up this message and, since then, have made annual pilgrimages from parish to parish to pray for peace. This year, the fourth peace pilgrimage took place in the north-west part of our Diocese, and this message of peace is more needed here than anywhere else, as the state of emergency was declared last year due to the ongoing violence in Warrap state.

Sent out with the blessing from the Apostolic Delegate John Malou, the 190 young pilgrims gathered in Tonj, where the second pilgrimage ended two years ago. Our first destination was Thiet parish. Despite walking 23km in the hot sun, the cheerful welcome of the people along the way carried and motivated us. Arrived in Thiet and warmly welcomed by the parish people, we celebrated the baptism of 11 pilgrims. It was touching to see the joy and seriousness of these young people in taking God’s kinship – a big step out into a greater family, which is not related and bound through blood.

Early next morning, we started our walk to Ngapagok and stopped several times in the villages on the way to talk to people about peace. In preparation for this pilgrimage, our 18 young leaders were trained by Pax Christi, and now, they could show their talents as peace builders. In our culture, it is not usual for young people to speak in the presence of older people, let alone young women. The people, and especially the older members of the community, were accordingly impressed by the eloquence of the young group leaders, who talked about their experiences of growing up with war and violence. They spoke of their longing for peace and a future, and of how conflicts can be resolved without violence.

When we set off for Romic the next morning, we heard the first rumours that fighting was going on there again. It was once again about cattle theft and revenge killing. Later, we heard that more than 50 people, mostly young men, had died and countless others had been injured. But we were not deterred from our path. If we can’t spend the night in Romic as we had originally planned, we at least want to show our solidarity with the people and pray with them. A handful of people welcomed us warmly, including the parish priest and the commissioner. Two young women from our group were chosen to give the peace talks that day, and we realised that they came from the two villages that were fighting each other next door. Their statements left no one cold, and we united all our worries, fears, and prayers in praying the rosary together. Later, we set off for Marial Lou, where we were not expected until the next day. But the community welcomed us warmly and had already prepared everything.

The next few days were characterised by peace talks along the way, prayers and generous welcomes in the parishes of Athieng Puol and in Awul Mission. The people of Awul even welcomed us with a very special ritual – jumping over a bull. This traditional ritual is usually only performed for very highly respected people and symbolises welcome and purification after a long journey. In our case, it also became another meaning, as one of the community members explained to us later. By stepping over the bull, the peace we brought was transferred to the bull. The bull was then slaughtered and eaten together by the village community, who, in this way, took and internalised the peace we had brought. We also celebrated mass with the community in Awul and then danced until late into the night.

Our last stage took us to Warrap. On the way, we stopped to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Peace always begins with reconciliation – reconciliation with God, my neighbour and myself. That is why our young pilgrims gratefully accepted this offer. Thus strengthened and purified, the last few kilometres were easy. A group of parish people welcomed us kilometres out of Warrap and walked and danced with us all the way back until we reached the parish of Warrap. Here, too, we were warmly welcomed. While two bulls were already stewing in the pots, we unpacked our things for the last time, washed and prepared everything for the night. The conversations everywhere were long and filled with gratitude and laughter. But a little melancholy also crept in, because the next day everyone was heading home again. But the next reunion is already being planned, and we all know there is still a lot to do in terms of peacebuilding. We will therefore remain united in prayer and will most likely see each other on the road again next year.