The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has said that the claims of both Christianity and Islam to be religions of peace need to be demonstrated through practical trust.
Addressing the Sudan Inter-Religious Council in Khartoum, Dr Williams said that trust was essential when people with different views had to work together for peace. Both religions, he said, pointed to peace with God as a necessary starting point.
'To be at peace with God means knowing that we do not have to strive all the time for power over each other'.
He warned that trust had to be built:
'Among these things which most stand in the way of peace is the suspicion that comes from the way people exercise power; when power is shared then trust is built.'
Dr Williams said that Sudan's own situation pointed to being honest with one another; to face their failings, to listen to one another's fears.
'So peace comes when we are at peace with God; we are at peace with God when we face our failings with honesty, we are at peace with one another when we share our power and resources, and in all of this the Sudan Inter-Religious Council will have a crucial role to play.
The work you have done together already shows that it is possible to overcome some of these suspicions by working generously for the common good, for a vision that is shared'.
Dr Williams' visit to Sudan continues tomorrow with the dedication of a new Anglican Cathedral in Renk. On Wednesday he will be visiting a World Food Programme project in Malakal.