EES Governor Louise Lobong Lojore helped in carrying Late Bishop/Courtesy Photo

Late Bishop Paride Taban who died on November 1st has been laid to rest at the St Peter and Paul Catholic Church Eastern Equatoria State capital, Torit.

Taban was laid to rest at 4:40pm CAT after a requiem mass attended by thousands of people.

Vice President Dr. James Wani, Central Equatoria Deputy Governor, Sarah Nene Rodento, the Minister of Environment Josphine Napuon, and other security government officials at the state and national government.

Born in 1936, Bishop Taban grew up in the midst of wars and bitter suffering in Sudan and dedicated his life to advocating for an end to injustice and mediating peace between different political and ethnic groups.

Having been ordained on 24 May 1964 and consecrated as a Bishop on 4 May 1980 in Kinshasa, DR Congo by Pope John Paul II, the clergyman served as Bishop in Juba, Torit, and Tadamata from 1980-1983.

He was also sent to Rwanda by the Pope in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide for reconciliation efforts.

Bishop Taban received numerous awards including the Sergio Vieira de Mello Peace Prize from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in 2013 for his work at the Holy Trinity Peace Village in Kuron.

He also received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation from the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in 2017 for co-founding the ecumenical New Sudan Council of Churches.

Bishop Taban received the Freedom of Worship Award on May 16, 2018, for his extraordinary efforts toward bringing peace to war-torn South Sudan.

The Four Freedoms Award is one of the most prestigious awards recognising work defending fundamental human rights. Earlier recipients include Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Malala Yousafzai and Angela Merkel.

He was also recognized for building Kuron Peace Village and chairing the mediation initiative between the South Sudan government and the COBRA Faction of the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army led by David Yau Yau, which produced a successful peace agreement on 6 January 2014.