ROME – “There is no one in this world who is so poor that they cannot contribute,” said Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba, South Sudan, the world’s poorest country, in a heartfelt reflection on the importance of World Mission Sunday.
Celebrated this year on October 20 under the theme “All are invited to the banquet,” World Mission Sunday is a day when Catholics unite across the globe to support the Church’s mission in some of the world’s most remote and impoverished regions. Cardinal Mulla shared his personal perspective on the day’s significance during his time in Rome, where he is attending the Synod on Synodality. He emphasized that suffering is a global issue, and the Church’s mission reflects this universality.
“Before I came here to Rome, I wrote a letter to all our parishes and pastoral centers to collect the money for the mission of the Holy Father, so that he can take care of the global Church,” Cardinal Mulla explained. “We too are a Church that cares: there is no one in this world who is so poor that they cannot contribute. It is important because, for us, we see that our problem is not ours; we are sharing the pain for the whole world. The point of suffering is not localized in South Sudan or Sudan; it is a global issue. And as such, we must confront it from a global perspective.”
Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba, South Sudan, speaks at a press briefing about the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican Oct. 18, 2024. (CNS photo/Robert Duncan)
In South Sudan, a country devastated by years of civil conflict, extreme poverty, and political instability, the act of participating in World Mission Sunday takes on special significance. South Sudan has one of the world’s highest poverty rates, with 82% of the population living on less than $1.90 a day. The country also faces a high unemployment rate of over 13%, and violence has displaced more than four million people. Yet, despite these overwhelming challenges, Catholics in South Sudan remain deeply committed to the global mission of the Church. As Cardinal Ameyu highlighted, solidarity transcends borders, and even in their hardship, the faithful of South Sudan contribute to the Church’s universal mission.
Despite these adversities, the Catholic Church in South Sudan is a beacon of hope. Around 6.2 million people—over 35% of the population—are Catholic, and the Church is crucial in providing essential services such as education, healthcare, and pastoral care.
Through the contributions collected on World Mission Sunday, Catholics worldwide ensure that the Church continues its mission to invite to the banquet of the Lord the poorest and most marginalized, including those in South Sudan. The local missionary zeal is felt also on the World Mission Sunday collection: Last year, parishes across the world’s poorest nation raised $8.354,30, three times what they were able to contribute in 2018 to the general fund of The Pontifical Mission Societies, that is used to build churches, cover the education of seminarians and novices and the formation of catechists in 1,150 mission territories.
Children who fled the war-torn Sudan following the outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Renk, South Sudan, May 1, 2023. (OSV News photo/Jok Solomun, Reuters)
This spirit of solidarity is mirrored globally. Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio of Bogotá, Colombia, spoke to us about the transformative power of giving, no matter how small, in uniting the global Church.
“World Mission Sunday is above all a sign of solidarity in faith,” Rueda Aparicio said. “The one who has little, like the widow in the Gospel who from her poverty offered her whole livelihood, gives little but feels the joy of knowing that he or she is contributing so that the faith may spread and be known in other cultures, often in places we have never even heard of. But it is solidarity in faith, with a missionary condition, accompanied by giving and praying.”
Cardinal Rueda also addressed Catholics in the United States, known for their generosity. He urged them to continue supporting missionaries in regions where the Church is struggling because it is still to young, too poor or actively persecuted.
“Americans have long been characterized for being generous, for giving, for loving the Church, for helping. My hope is that they will continue to be generous. This will make them feel united to very poor people who otherwise would have no way to financially support the presence of missionaries in their communities.”
As Cardinal Ameyu so powerfully stated, “there is no one in this world who is so poor that they cannot contribute.” On World Mission Sunday, Catholics from all walks of life have the opportunity to give what they can, joining in a collective effort to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.
