Amid war, Sudanese bishop finds strength in Blessed Sacrament, and vocations grow
January 22, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: In the midst of the Sudanese civil war—which the Vatican newspaper recently described as “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis”—Bishop Yunan Tombe of El Obeid has found “my strength and my joy” in the Blessed Sacrament.
Bishop Tombe said in an interview that early in the war, a Muslim “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,” he continued. “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.”
The only schools that remain open in El Obeid, he said, are the Catholic schools. In addition, he said that “more than 70 youngsters [are] in our formation houses, and this year, I will be ordaining six new young priests. Vocations are growing! God is at work.”
Sudan (map) is a northeastern African nation of 50.5 million that is 92% Muslim and 4% Christian, with 3% adhering to ethnic religions. The nation is distinct from largely Christian and animist South Sudan.
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