A long-serving Catholic priest of the Diocese of Rumbek, Father Andrea Osman Okello, has died after collapsing during morning prayers in Rumbek, church officials and a medical doctor said.
The 66-year-old priest collapsed at the entrance of the cathedral on Wednesday morning after attending early Mass.
Fr. Luka Dor, the diocesan coordinator for social communications, told Radio Tamazuj that Father Okello had appeared well before attending morning prayers.
“He prayed the morning Mass and later collapsed at the church gate. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead,” he said.
He added that funeral preparations were under way at the cathedral, where mourners had gathered, and that burial was expected on Saturday.
“We are deeply shocked by his sudden passing. We did not expect this at all,” he said.
At Rumbek State Hospital, Medical Director Dr. Terran Madit Terran said the priest was brought in an unconscious state and was already in critical condition.
“When I arrived, I examined him and found that he had already died. He was brought in dead or died on the way,” he said.
Dr. Terran said initial accounts suggested the priest had a history of hypertension, which may have contributed to a sudden medical event such as a stroke.
“Hypertension is a silent killer. From what we were told, he had been well and had no complaint that morning. It appears to be a sudden death,” he said.
Civil society activist Angelina Adhel Malual, who is also a member of the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek, described Father Okello as a humble and kind cleric.
“I offer my heartfelt condolences to the church and the people of Lakes State,” she said. “He was very humble and kind. I remember he baptized my daughter in 2005. It is very painful to lose him like this.”
She urged unity and prayers during the mourning period, asking for comfort for the bereaved family and church community.
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