Daniel Deng Bul Yak (born Tuic-Gebiet, in Bor, 2 January 1950) is a

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

ese

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

bishop. He was the fourth Archbishop and

Primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

of the

Episcopal Church of Sudan The Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, formerly known as Episcopal Church of Sudan, is a province of the Anglican Communion located in South Sudan. The province consists of eight Internal Provinces (each led by an archbishop) and 61 d ...

, now called

Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan The Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, formerly known as Episcopal Church of Sudan, is a province of the Anglican Communion located in South Sudan. The province consists of eight Internal Provinces (each led by an archbishop) and 61 d ...

, since his enthronement on 20 April 2008 and until his retirement on 22 April 2018. He is married and has six children.

Ecclesiastical career

He studied at Adong Primary School, from 1961 to 1964, earning then his leaving certificate. He later would study at Sudan Intermediate, in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

, from 1971 to 1974. He decided to follow religious life, studying in Bishop Gwynne College, in

Juba Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a populatio ...

, from 1975 to 1977, when he won his certificate. He was ordained a deacon in 1977 and a priest in 1978. He was consecrated bishop in 1988 and was bishop of the Diocese of Renk, from 1992 to 2008. He won a certificate from the Corat Africa Leadership Training and Church management training in 1990. The same year he also won a Bishop Leadership training certificate. He earned a diploma in theology at the

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally called the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, located at 3737 Seminary Road in Alexandria, Virginia is the largest and second oldest accredited Episcopal seminary in the Unit ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, where he studied from 1996 to 1997, and who later would award him an honorary doctorship in 2008, for his work for peace and reconciliation in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. Deng was also caretaker bishop of the

Diocese of Malakal The Roman Catholic Diocese of Malakal ( la, Malakalen(sis)) is a diocese in Malakal in the Ecclesiastical province of Juba in South Sudan. History * January 10, 1933: Established as Mission “sui iuris” of Kodok from Apostolic Vicariate of K ...

, from 2000 to 2003, and of the Diocese of Yei, from 2007 to 2008. He was elected primate and archbishop of the

in a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

that took place on 14 February 2008, being enthroned in All Saints Cathedral, Juba, on 20 April 2008. He is a supporter of the

Anglican realignment The Anglican realignment is a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church in the United States ...

, being a member of the

Global South The concept of Global North and Global South (or North–South divide in a global context) is used to describe a grouping of countries along socio-economic and political characteristics. The Global South is a term often used to identify region ...

and the

Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (branded as GAFCON or Gafcon) is a global network of conservative Anglican churches that formed in 2008 in response to an ongoing theological crisis in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Conservative ...

primates. He supported the decision of the Episcopal Church of Sudan House of Bishops to break communion with the

Episcopal Church of the United States The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...

at the general synod that took place from 14 to 16 November 2011. At the same time the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba ...

was recognized as the legitimate Anglican body in the United States. Deng has been publicly critical of the decision to appoint openly

Gene Robinson Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as Canon to th ...

, an openly gay man, as a bishop. On 22 July 2008 at a public press conference during the 2008 Lambeth Conference, Deng called for Robinson to resign as bishop, and the bishops who had partaken in his consecration to repent. Deng said that he held such a position to prevent a schism in the Anglican body. Deng attended the GAFCON II, that took place in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, from 21 to 26 October 2013. He supported the decision to rename the church as

Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan The Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, formerly known as Episcopal Church of Sudan, is a province of the Anglican Communion located in South Sudan. The province consists of eight Internal Provinces (each led by an archbishop) and 61 d ...

, due to the secession of

, at the meeting that took place in Bor, from 27 to 30 November 2013. Deng is vocal on social issues. He is widely known on his advocacy specially during the referendum which led South Sudan to secede from Sudan in 2011. Deng is well known on his work for peace and reconciliation among the communities. He was appointed in 2012 by the President of the

Republic of South Sudan A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

as the Chairperson of the Presidential Committee for Peace, Reconciliation and Tolerance to spearhead communities peace process in Jonglei State in South Sudan. Later, he was appointed again in 2013 by a presidential decree to head the National Committee for Peace, Reconciliation and Healing. His successor, Justin Badi Arama, was elected in January 2018 and enthroned on 22 April 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deng Bul, Daniel 1950 births 20th-century Anglican bishops in Africa 21st-century Anglican archbishops 21st-century Anglican bishops in Africa Living people South Sudanese Anglican bishops Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Anglican archbishops of South Sudan Anglican bishops of Renk