Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, the Archbishop of Juba, has urged South Sudan's leaders to respect the will of the people in the country's upcoming elections and to accept the outcome.

Speaking during Holy Mass in Torit on Sunday, the Cardinal said the Church supports democracy and that it is the people of South Sudan who must choose their leaders.

"In the primaries, I would prefer some of you to cooperate in your own village and agree with your brother to go ahead," he said. "It is a responsibility, and that responsibility is to vote maturely for your leaders. The Church supports democracy. The Church supports whoever is good for the common good of the people."

A call for peace before the polls

The Cardinal said the Church's message was simple: "We need peace." He stressed that without peace, a better society cannot be built, and he urged South Sudanese to compromise rather than turn to violence.

"We must compromise. My brother has the right to exist, and I have the right to exist, and therefore we must live together. It must not be that because I have a weapon, I will eliminate my enemy. No," he said.

The Mass marked the official opening of the Plenary Assembly of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops. More than 10 bishops, clergy and heads of Catholic institutions have gathered in Torit for the annual assembly, which runs until 13 November 2026.

A representative of the state government, Carlo Andrew, the Minister of Agriculture, attended the Mass and urged Church leaders to pray for the country's political and economic situation. He praised the Church for its schools, hospitals and humanitarian work, saying the government and the Church were "two pillars supporting the nation".

Elections due on 22 December

South Sudan is scheduled to hold general elections on 22 December 2026, its first since independence. President Salva Kiir and his inner circle have repeatedly insisted the vote will take place on that date, and the elections are meant to bring the country's post-conflict transition to an end.

But preparations face serious obstacles. The country has no existing national electoral register, voter registration only began in early November, and millions of people are displaced, with around 2.5 million internally displaced and more than 2.3 million refugees living in neighbouring countries such as Kenya and Uganda.

Elections in South Sudan have been postponed repeatedly since the 2018 peace agreement, first from December 2022 to 2024 and then to 2026. In September 2026 the transitional institutions set up under that agreement were dissolved and replaced by caretaker arrangements, which makes another postponement harder to arrange but also leaves the country without parliamentary checks on the executive.

The Cardinal's intervention adds the voice of the Catholic Church, one of the country's most trusted institutions, to calls for a peaceful and credible vote.

Frequently asked questions

When are South Sudan's elections? General elections are scheduled for 22 December 2026, the country's first since independence.

What did Cardinal Mulla say? He urged leaders to respect the will of the people, to accept the election outcome, and to choose peace and compromise over violence.

Where did he speak? During Holy Mass in Torit, at the opening of the Plenary Assembly of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops, which ends on 13 November 2026.