Cardinal Zubeir Wako speaks to Eye Radio. (Photo: Awan Moses).

A retired Catholic leader is urging the political and military leaders in Sudan and South Sudan to keep their people at heart and not rule with self-interest.

Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako has criticized leaders from Sudan and South Sudan for allegedly going against human values despite claiming to be religious people.

According to him, leaders who believe in God will understand how God would want human beings to live like Christ.

“People who believe in God know that God demands from human beings certain standards of living among themselves which has made them recognize the equality among them, the common dignity,” said the Man-of-God.

“These people don’t embark on their political and military life to help fellow human beings. They are thinking more about themselves and what they can gain from what they do there.”

The cleric spoke to Eye Radio on the eve of the celebration of his 60th anniversary of priesthood, today July 21.

Cardinal Wako calls on leaders to practice and advance what he describes as “human dignity” for the good of every citizen.

He says the political and military leaders in the two countries do not have the intent of helping their citizens other than themselves.

“The good thing is that most of our political leaders at least claim to be religious people, people who believe in God and who believe that God has taught human beings how to live in a proper way.”

If our leaders know that there is task being political leaders is to advance the dignity of human beings, then they would change their ways of treating people and leading their countries.

Emeritus Cardinal Wako is a renowned South Sudanese religious leader and a Sudanese Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

He served as the Archbishop of Khartoum in Sudan from 2003 before his retirement in 2016 when he clinched the retirement age of 75 as provided for in the Catholic doctrines.

He was succeeded by Archbishop Michael Didi who was moved from EL Obeid Catholic Diocese to Khartoum, Sudan.