Catholic Church Optimistic That Peace Will Prevail After Referendum

19 November 2010 – (Rumbek) – The Catholic Church says that peace is possible even after the referendum is conducted in January 2011.

The Sudanese Catholic Bishops and bishops representing the Catholic Church in the whole of Africa met in Rumbek, the capital of Lakes State for a plenary assembly from the 8th to the 15th of November to reflect on the situation in Sudan.

At the end of their plenary, the bishops issued a statement to the people of Sudan entitled, “The Message of Hope and Healing”. The out-going President of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Bishop of Wau, Rudolph Deng Majak read the statement to the press in Rumbek.

[Rudolph Deng Majak]: “The referenda for Southern Sudan and Abyei and the popular consultations for Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile are national issues, not just issues of the south and the transitional areas. They were intended to bring healing to our nation, to resolve the longstanding differences which have led to so many decades of tragic conflict. Instead as the Interim Period of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA draws to a close, we are acutely aware of the uncertainty, fear and even despair that burden the people of Sudan. The build-up of troops on both sides of the north-south border is not conducive to peace. However, these tensions need not and should not lead to war. Regardless of the choices made and the lines drawn, peace is possible”.

Bishop Deng urged the international community to respect the choices of the people of Southern Sudan and Abyei.

[Rudolph Deng Majak]: “Preparations for the referenda for the south and Abyei are both far behind schedule and serious concerns remain as to whether they will be implemented on time in a free, fair and transparent manner. The people of southern Sudan and Abyei have built up great expectations. The right of self-determination is a basic human right; the referenda are a vehicle to express that right. Manipulation of the referenda is unethical and immoral. If the referenda prove to be flawed or manipulated, this is likely to lead to uncertainty, instability and even violence.”

Bishop Deng urged authorities both in northern Sudan and southern Sudan to protect the citizens from both sides under their territories in case the south secedes.

At the end of the plenary, the bishops elected the Archbishop of Khartoum, Gabriel Cardinal Zubeir Wako as new President of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference.