Coptic Church Bishop in Khartoum Moves to South Sudan
moatinoon
"moatinoon" learned that Bishop Elias, the bishop of Khartoum and South Sudan, arrived in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, on Thursday, coming from the city of Renk.
A post on the Sudanese Copts page showed pictures of Bishop Elias being welcomed as he descended from the plane by members of the community in the capital of South Sudan.
This marks the third time Bishop Elias has been forced to flee due to the ongoing war in Sudan since last April. He initially moved from Khartoum to the city of Kosti, then to Renk in the Upper Nile State north of South Sudan before flying to Juba on Thursday.
In a recorded statement from his residence in Juba, Bishop Elias thanked the President and the government of South Sudan for opening the borders and receiving refugees from Sudan without discrimination or obstacles. He mentioned that most of those who came with him did not have proper identification. He also expressed gratitude to Pope Tawadros II, the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, for his moral and financial support to the members of the Coptic Church in Sudan, praising the Coptic community members worldwide.
Sources indicated that the bishop arrived in Renk with 300 Sudanese refugees. His interventions with the authorities in South Sudan helped many of them cross to the city without proper documentation.
The evacuation process was coordinated between the church and benevolent individuals among the Coptic Church members in the diaspora, allowing for a private plane to transport him from Renk to Juba.
Bishop Elias, who is also the bishop of the Coptic Church in South Sudan, named "St. Georges Church," founded in 2017, enjoys respect in South Sudan. He has contributed to the establishment of schools, hospitals, and other charitable services in the country.
Its worth noting that Bishop Elias grew up in the city of Merowe in western Equatoria, where he completed his primary education before heading to Khartoum to continue his studies.
