Sudan at the Crossroads

The mostly Christian South of Sudan is standing at a crossroads: in January its people are scheduled to vote on the option of secession from the mostly Muslim North. Fr VICTOR PHALANA of Pretoria visited the region, and heard about Catholic hopes and fears.

The South of Sudan, populated predominantly by Christians in a mostly Muslim country, will decide in a referendum scheduled for January 21, 2011, whether to secede from Africa’s largest country.

In September, I visited Sudan. I had an opportunity to concelebrate English Mass with the community of St Theresa’s in the southern capital of Juba, and attended the Arabic Mass. I interacted with the people and listened to some of their fears and concerns.

I also met with the clergy of the archdiocese of Juba, some of whom had travelled long distances to be there. Our encounter was very rich and very fruitful.
They are concerned about the situation of the Church in Sudan, especially the lack of leadership and coordination.

At the moment, because of a lack of funds, seminarians are at home while attempts are being made to complete or to renovate the seminary. Parishes cannot maintain their priests because of poverty and unemployment.

They did acknowledge the improvements that the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) had made. Road infrastructure, public service, water and electricity are being provided for the people.

They believe that if the GOSS is given an opportunity to govern, it will bring changes and deliver services to the people with greater speed and urgency. But the priests fear a creeping culture of corruption among officials.

Catholics in the region continue to attend Mass and support the Church, but the arrival of American-sponsored Pentecostal churches is a great concern, since these churches come to loot and to target the middle class and the rich for their tithes.

Generally the people of Sudan still believe in the contribution of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations in their struggle for freedom, justice and peace.

This legacy can never be erased. But with the advent of Pentecostal churches, people might forget their own responsibilities and look for quick wealth and cheap grace, the priests said.
It came out very clearly during our discussions that the coming referendum—which is widely presumed to go in favour of independence—is the only solution to the problems in Sudan.

A self-governing South Sudan, people believe, will bring religious freedom and halt what many feel is an agenda of the Islamisation of the whole of the Sudan.
It will bring a culture of human rights. A united Sudan, as far as the priests I spoke with are concerned, will prolong their slavery.

They will be able to enjoy their God-given resources: oil, minerals and agricultural products. With independence, they can manage their resources and come out of a prison of dependence, deprivation and poverty.

At the moment, their wealth and resources are being exploited and enjoyed by their “masters” from the North.

The greatest fear of the priests is that the referendum might be postponed. This, they believe, will be the cause of much frustration and disappointment.
The referendum was part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which was signed five years ago and brought to an end the 21-year civil war that claimed more than two million lives and displaced about seven million people.

Their fear of postponement is reasonable because the process of border demarcations has not been finalised, and the voter registration process has not yet started.

During the United Nations’ Peace Day celebrations, attended by thousands of people, including the archbishop and his priests, we heard one of the leaders saying that the people of the South must go and register. “After registering,” he said, “go to vote and, when you do vote, remember that we have only one choice: separation!”

People are living in fear. On the day of my departure, I witnessed troop movements. Battle tanks belonging to the Sudan People’s Liberatioin Army were being transported nearer to Juba.

Anti-aircraft guns and rocket launchers were transported to various points.
People are afraid that if the South votes for a secession, the North might come and attack and start a new war.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Government of South Sudan are in agreement that no matter what, war is not an option. They intend to do everything in their power to avert war.

The bishops’ conference has issued a pastoral letter, guiding their flock and the people of Sudan concerning the referendum. South Sudanese are concerned that the world’s attention is more on Darfur, in Western Sudan.
The world has taken its eyes off South Sudan just as it is facing a very crucial time in its history.

We must listen to the voice of the people of South Sudan and be interested in their cause. We need to lobby our governments to support the referendum and give moral and logistical support.

We must also continue our material, spiritual and financial support to the people of South Sudan until they can rise up and enjoy their freedom.

Support must also go to the process of interreligious dialogue taking place in the South, where Christians and Muslims are working together, trying to find a way of peaceful coexistence in South Sudan.

We might investigate starting an “Adopt-a-Priest” campaign. Most of the priests earn about R300 per month and find the living conditions unbearable.
I have learnt a lot from my trip, and the testimonies of these priests and their humility have touched my heart.

During the time of apartheid, the universal Church supported us. The pastoral letters of the Sudanese Bishops’ conference were read all over. Our bishops were invited to address our Catholic brothers and sisters all over the world. I returned to South Africa with a bit of malaria, but also with a sense of hope and anxiety for what will happen in the next three months.

Read the pastoral letter “Message of Hope” issued by the Sudan Catholic BIshops’ Conference at www.amecea.org/Comm
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