Pope says world must do more to end Darfur "horror" / Pope meets Sudanese Catholics; urges action to protect Darfur region
Seven stories (updated originally to add the ones from AKI and Catholic News Service; updated further, on Wednesday, to add the ones from Zenit, CISA, and the AP):
From Reuters...
Pope Benedict told the Archbishop of Khartoum on Monday the world must do more to end conflict in west Sudan's Darfur region, where tens of thousands have been killed and over two million forced from their homes.
"The horror of events unfolding in Darfur ... points to the need for a stronger international resolve to ensure security and basic human rights," the Pope told Gabriel Zubeir Wako at a meeting in the Vatican.
A new round of peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebel groups who took up arms in early 2003 is due to start in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Tuesday, but violence on the ground has been growing worse in recent months.
The government is accused of arming Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, who kill, rape and burn down villages. The United States has called the violence genocide, a charge Khartoum denies.
Observers see little chance of any significant progress at the Abuja talks, partly because of deepening divisions within the ranks of the rebels.
Pope Benedict XVI decried the "horror of events unfolding in Darfur," and demanded an end to "the cycle of violence and misery there," as he met on November 28 with a group of Catholic pilgrims from Sudan.
The Pope assured his visitors -- who were led by Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako of Khartoum -- of his "prayers and deep concern" for their country, which has been torn by civil war for years. While he lamented the continued bloodshed and misery in the Darfur province, he welcomed the peace agreement that has brought an end to the long and costly war in southern Sudan.
"The cessation of the civil war and the enactment of a new constitution have brought hope to the long-suffering people of Sudan," the Pope said. The construction of a new coalition government, he continued, provides "an unprecedented opportunity and indeed duty" for Christians to become involved in building a permanent and stable peace. "Though a minority, Catholics have much to offer through inter-religious dialogue as well as the provision of greatly needed social services," the Pope noted.
This was the first time during the pontificate of Benedict XVI that official representatives of the Sudanese bishops' conference met with the Pontiff. During their latest ad limina visit, in December 2003, the Sudanese bishops heard Pope John Paul II encourage them to work for an end to the civil war that was still ravaging the south of their country.
The Holy See has consistently deplored the new conflict in Darfur. In July 2004, Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, the president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, traveled to Darfur as a personal envoy representing Pope John Paul, delivering financial aid to the refugees who had fled their homes to escape marauding militia groups. In March 2005 the Vatican's representative at the UN offices in Geneva, Msgr. Fortunatus Nwachukwu, urged special efforts to protect the refugees leaving Darfur. Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican's permanent observer at UN headquarters in New York, renewed that appeal earlier this month. An estimated 200,000 people from Darfur are now living in refugee camps in neighboring Chad, with at least an equal number struggling to find temporary lodging elsewhere in Sudan.
The civil war in southern Sudan lasted 21 years, and caused an estimated 2 million deaths (including the victims of starvation aggravated by the breakdown in relief deliveries), before a peace accord was finally struck in January 2005. The fighting in Darfur began in February 2003 and reached a crescendo in 2004.
From AKI...
Pope Benedict XVI said Monday "stronger international resolve" is needed to halt the bloodshed in Sudan's ethnically troubled Darfur region. The pope made the appeal during a Vatican audience with the Archbishop of Khartoum, Gabriel Zubeir Wako. "The horror of events unfolding in Darfur, to which my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II referred on many occasions, points to the need for a stronger international resolve to ensure security and basic human rights," Benedict XVI said.
The pope, welcomed the recent enactment of Sudan's new Constitution - the result of a peace accord between Khartoum's Muslim authorities and the mainly Christian and animist former rebels in the country's south - as an opportunity and duty for the Catholic Church to "contribute significantly to the process of forgiveness and national reconstruction."
"Though a minority, Catholics have much to offer through inter-religious dialogue as well as the provision of greatly needed social services. I encourage you therefore to take the necessary initiatives to realise Christ’s healing presence in these ways," he told Wako.
However, the pope said he felt compelled to "add my voice to the cry of the suffering" in Darfur, adding that the Vatican will continue to do everything possible to "end the cycle of violence and misery."
More than 200,000 people have been killed in the Western region of Darfur since fighting broke out in March last year between the mainly African local population, government troops and government-backed Arab militias. Recent attempts to find a negotiated solution have been hampered by clashes between the two main rebel groups and continued raids by the Arab Janjaweed militias.
Meeting Catholic leaders from Sudan, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the country's Christian minority to work for peace and reconciliation, but he also urged strong international action to protect the people of Darfur.
"I add my voice to the cry of the suffering," the pope told Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako of Khartoum and a 10-member delegation of Sudanese Catholics during a Nov. 28 meeting.
"The horror of events unfolding in Darfur, to which my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II referred on many occasions, points to the need for a stronger international resolve to ensure security and basic human rights," the pope said.
Fighting in the Darfur region of western Sudan began in 2003 when rebels from black African tribes, led by the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, rose up against what they believed were discriminatory government policies in favor of the Arab Muslim tribes.
Government-backed militias responded by burning villages and fighting in a conflict that has left 70,000 people dead and has driven 2 million people from their homes and into refugee camps in a campaign that many human rights organizations have described as genocide.
Pope Benedict told his Sudanese visitors that he prays for "the peaceful development of civil and ecclesial life in your nation."
The peace treaty signed in January by the Muslim-dominated government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement to end the North-South civil war and the adoption of a new constitution "have brought hope to the long-suffering people of Sudan," the pope said.
The peace agreement included provisions for a six-year period of North-South power sharing, after which Southerners -- the majority of whom are Christian or followers of traditional African religions -- will decide, in a referendum, whether to remain a part of Sudan or declare their independence.
The pope told his visitors, "There now exists an unprecedented opportunity and, indeed, duty for the church to contribute significantly to the process of forgiveness and national reconstruction."
"Though a minority, Catholics have much to offer through interreligious dialogue as well as the provision of greatly needed social services," he said. "I encourage you, therefore, to take the necessary initiatives to realize Christ's healing presence in these ways."
From Zenit...
Benedict XVI reiterated the Holy See's commitment to the beleaguered peoples of Darfur and encouraged reconciliation in Sudan.
"The horror of events unfolding in Darfur, to which my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II referred on many occasions, points to the need for a stronger international resolve to ensure security and basic human rights," the Holy Father said today [Monday].
He made that point when receiving in audience Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, archbishop of Khartoum, who was accompanied by a few of Sudan's bishops.
"Today," the Pope said in his English-language address, "I add my voice to the cry of the suffering and assure you that the Holy See, together with the apostolic nuncio in Khartoum, will continue to do everything possible to end the cycle of violence and misery."
The Bishop of Rome noted that "the cessation of the civil war and the enactment of a new constitution have brought hope to the long-suffering people of Sudan."
"While there have been setbacks along the path of reconciliation, not least the tragic death of John Garang, there now exists an unprecedented opportunity and indeed duty for the Church to contribute significantly to the process of forgiveness and national reconstruction," Benedict XVI affirmed.
Garang, one of the founders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, now a movement, died when his helicopter crashed July 30, a few days after he was appointed the country's vice president.
"Though a minority," the Pope said, "Catholics have much to offer through interreligious dialogue as well as the provision of greatly needed social services. I encourage you therefore to take the necessary initiatives to realize Christ's healing presence in these ways."
From the Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA), reprinted on allAfrica...
Pope Benedict XVI has reiterated the Holy See's commitment to the beleaguered peoples of Darfur and encouraged reconciliation in Sudan.
"The horror of events unfolding in Darfur, to which my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II referred on many occasions, points to the need for a stronger international resolve to ensure security and basic human rights," the Holy Father said on Monday, November 28.
He made that point when receiving in audience Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, archbishop of Khartoum, who was accompanied by a few of Sudan's bishops, ZENIT reported.
"Today," the Pope said, "I add my voice to the cry of the suffering and assure you that the Holy See, together with the apostolic nuncio in Khartoum, will continue to do everything possible to end the cycle of violence and misery."
The Bishop of Rome noted that "the cessation of the civil war and the enactment of a new constitution have brought hope to the long-suffering people of Sudan."
"While there have been setbacks along the path of reconciliation, not least the tragic death of John Garang, there now exists an unprecedented opportunity and indeed duty for the church to contribute significantly to the process of forgiveness and national reconstruction," Benedict affirmed.
"Though a minority," the Pope said, "Catholics have much to offer through inter-religious dialogue as well as the provision of greatly needed social services. I encourage you, therefore, to take the necessary initiatives to realize Christ's healing presence in these ways."
From the AP, reprinted on Sudan Tribune...
Pope Benedict XVI on Monday called for stiffer international resolve in Darfur, and said the Holy See would do anything possible to "end the cycle of violence and misery" in the troubled Sudanese region.
In remarks to the Khartoum archbishop, Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, the pope also said there is an unprecedented opportunity for reconciliation in Sudan.
"The horror of events unfolding in Darfur ... points to the need for a stronger international resolve to ensure security and basic human rights," said Benedict.
"Today, I add my voice to the cry of the suffering," he said, vowing that the Holy See "will continue to do everything possible to end the cycle of violence and misery."
Violence in Darfur caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises of recent years. About 180,000 people have been killed, many from hunger and disease, and several million misplaced.
During the talks at the Vatican, the pontiff also expressed some hope for reconciliation in Sudan.
"The cessation of the civil war and the enactment of a new Constitution have brought hope to the long suffering people of Sudan," he said.
Despite setbacks on the road to reconciliation, such as the death of southern leader John Garang in a helicopter crash in July, "there now exists an unprecedented opportunity and indeed duty for the Church to contribute significantly to the process of forgiveness and national reconstruction," said Benedict.
A January north-south peace agreement provided for a unity government of northerners, most of whom are Muslim and of Arab descent, and southerners, most of whom are Christian or animist and of African descent.
The agreement also provided for an autonomous south with its own army, government and a new constitution during a six-year interim period. After that period, the 10 southern states will hold a referendum on independence.
"Though a minority, Catholics have much to offer through inter-religious dialogue as well as the provision of greatly needed social services," the pope said.
The following is the text of the speech of the Pope before the Sudanese delegation [sidebar]
Your Eminence, Brother Bishops, Distinguished Visitors,
It gives me great satisfaction to welcome you to the Vatican and through you to send heartfelt greetings to the people of your country. I very much appreciate the sentiments which have prompted your visit, and I wish to reassure you of my prayers and deep concern for the peaceful development of civil and ecclesial life in your nation.
The cessation of the civil war and the enactment of a new Constitution have brought hope to the long suffering people of Sudan. While there have been setbacks along the path of reconciliation, not least the tragic death of John Garang, there now exists an unprecedented opportunity and indeed duty for the Church to contribute significantly to the process of forgiveness and national reconstruction. Though a minority, Catholics have much to offer through inter-religious dialogue as well as the provision of greatly needed social services. I encourage you therefore to take the necessary initiatives to realize Christ’s healing presence in these ways.
The horror of events unfolding in Darfur, to which my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II referred on many occasions, points to the need for a stronger international resolve to ensure security and basic human rights. Today, I add my voice to the cry of the suffering and assure you that the Holy See, together with the Apostolic Nuncio in Khartoum, will continue to do everything possible to end the cycle of violence and misery.
Dear friends, upon you and your people I invoke God’s blessings of wisdom, fortitude and peace!
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