Bishops advocate “negotiated settlement, not war”

The Catholic and Episcopal Churches of Sudan on Friday called for the government and rebel groups to approach a negotiated settled, rather than military means, as the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace. According to a statement issued by the New Sudan Council of Churches, the bishops of both churches jointly appealed to the warring parties to address the root causes of the conflict, and put forward three proposals on the vindication by all Sudanese of their rights: affirmation of diversity in the national identity; power-sharing through a participatory system of government; and, wealth-sharing through an equitable distribution of national resources.

However, the bishops expressed their conviction that unity of the country, and a just and durable peace, could not be achieved under Shar’ia [Islamic] law in view of the cultural and religious diversity of Sudan. They upheld the value of religious freedom, with equal protection for all religious groups and the separation of religion and state; if this could not be achieved, they said, then self-determination should be the alternative for southern Sudan and other marginalised areas.

The bishops called for the constructive engagement of all groups in society, and for assistance from donors and partners in the field of education. They also committed themselves to make human rights and the dignity of all people a pastoral priority in their churches. The clerics’ statement followed a joint meeting of the Catholic and Episcopal Bishops of Sudan (for the first time ever) in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, from 12-17 August to address the them ‘Pastoral Leadership and United Action in a Crisis Situation’.