By Matthew Davies, editor and international correspondent of the Episcopal News Service
Celebrations for a new nation rippled throughout Southern Sudan as election officials confirmed that nearly 99 percent of voters in the referendum had chosen independence.
By Stephen Tomor Kenyi
“The DAY” 9th January 2011 - All was peaceful
If you ever thought there was going to be violence during the referendum, then you were wrong. Day one was like a celebration – full of happiness that can be seen on people’s faces and it was really peaceful.
By Rachel Coleman, International Coordinator in the Office of the Archbishop Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan
In a spirit of fraternity, The Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and the Catholic Archbishop of Juba registered together at Hai Jalaba referendum registration centre today. But registering, they now qualify for voting on Referendum Polling Day scheduled for 9 January 2011. Accompanying them was the presidential advisor on Religious Affairs, H E Tijwok Adheaguer.
Issued by the PROCMURA team, Sudan.
The 21st of September which is globally marked as the United Nations Peace Day, and on which the World Council of Churches offered prayers for Africa, was marked by the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA) with a Peace Conference in Juba, Southern Sudan.
The Bishop of Sudan’s Diocese of Kajo Keji has appealed to brothers and sisters across the Anglican Communion for help as he faces a race against the clock in his efforts to build a cathedral there.
Consultation in Sudan explores engagement with Muslims, living together with respect and harmony
The first workshop of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan’s (ECS) Commission for Inter faith and Ecumenical Relations was held in ECS Provincial Headquarters, Juba, during the period 23-27 February 2009.
The workshop addressed one of ten strategic focus areas for ECS, entitled Ecumenism of Inter Faith Dialogue. Its stated goal is that Sudanese communities of different faiths understand, respect and live in harmony (co-existence) with each other. Its state objectives are twofold: To ensure active participation in all ecumenical for a and to promote Inter Faith dialogue. The workshop was organised by Rt Revd Andudu Adam Elnail (bishop of Kadugli, Sudan), chairperson of the Commission and by the Rt Revd Ezekiel Diing (assistant bishop of Bor), vice-chairperson. It was facilitated by the Revd Dr Johnson Mbillah, General Adviser to PROCMURA, and the Rt Revd Dr Michael Jackson (bishop of Clogher, Ireland), chairperson of NIFCON Management Group, Anglican Communion.
The Episcopal Church of the Sudan reburies its first Archbishop in Juba, sixteen years after his death and burial in exile in Khartoum.
The Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS) elected (June 12) two new diocesan bishops - Rev. Joseph Garang Atem was elected as the next Bishop of the Diocese of Renk in Upper Nile, whilst Rev. Wilson Kamani was elected as the next Bishop of the Diocese of Ibba in Western Equatoria.
All Africa Conference of Churches
The last two years have been of great tribulation for the people of Darfur as they have been of much soul searching for the entire Continent. For the church in Africa it was a moment of grave concern about the worsening situation of loss of life and property in Darfur. The church in Africa expressed these concerns in no uncertain terms and it is therefore important for the Church to appreciate the latest peace developments in the region.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has joined other faith leaders in expressing renewed concern for Darfur and has published a prayer for Sunday 17th September, designated as an international Day of Prayer for the region.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has said that the ongoing suffering in Darfur and in Southern Sudan show how much Christians have still to do in order to bring the reality of Easter to the world.
In his Eastertide Letter sent to the heads of Churches and confessional families throughout the world, Dr Williams says that his experiences in Sudan earlier in the year revealed worrying signs that the slowness of aid was compounding what was already becoming a silent tragedy.
Sudanese Primate names Honorary Canons from Illinois Parish
After a nearly decade-long partnership with the Episcopal Diocese in Renk, Sudan, a group from a Barrington, Illinois, church travelled to see first-hand what their grassroots efforts have provided a world away.
The Rev. Alvin C. Johnson, Jr., rector of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, and two parishioners, Jackie Kraus and Laurie Michaels, were invited by Bishop Daniel Deng Bul of the Renk Diocese to the recently constructed Cathedral in Renk, which was consecrated by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on Tuesday, February 28. The event marked the first visit by Archbishop Williams to the Sudan.
The World Food Programme and the Anglican Church worldwide deal with the needs - the primary needs-of millions of people everyday. And in this, as in so many areas, what we need is better and better resource partnership with the organisation. Here in Africa it is impossible to think of developments goals being achieved without partnership with those organisations on the ground which are best equipped to deliver locally. So here particularly in Sudan, with the churches, we look for further development of the partnerships that we've already seen. During this visit in Sudan and particularly in southern Sudan, we've seen some of this partnership at work, we've seen this morning 700 children who are fed daily in an Anglican school here in Malakal, with the co-operation of the World Food Programme, and this is the pattern which we need to work by.
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.
Editor's note: As the Archbishop of Canterbury makes his pastoral visit to the Sudan this coming week, we are grateful to ENS for this timely article. I will be with the Archbishop's party. We trust our colleagues will join us in telling the Sudan Christian story in your various means of communications. Jim Rosenthal, Editior
Article
Amid an atmosphere of celebration and hope, the American Friends of the Episcopal Church in Sudan (AFRECS) gathered for its second annual meeting at Trinity Cathedral in San Jose, California, February 17-19, urging increased participation in the renewal of post-war Sudan and enhanced support for Sudanese ministries and refugees within the United States.
Economic, educational and relationship development are among the priorities, said AFRECS executive director Nancy Frank, who announced a newly-created project registry and cited the organization's website as important links between congregations in the United States and much-needed involvement in Sudan.
The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) has provided an additional $15,000 emergency relief aid for the troubled region of Darfur, Sudan, where according to the United Nations the "worst humanitarian crisis in the world" is unfolding.
His Excellency Omer Mohammed Al Bashir
President Republic of the Sudan
KHARTOUM
Your Excellency
RE: FORCED EVICTION OF ECS FROM ITS GUEST HOUSE AT MOGRAN, KHARTOUM
As Primates of Africa, we write to congratulate your Government and the people of Sudan for the remarkable progress towards a just peace in the Sudan during the recent signing of the peace protocols in Kenya. We pray that God will help us to sustain this precious peace.
Riot police were positioned yesterday by order of the Sudanese Government to enforce eviction from Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) Church properties in Khartoum by Court Order of a Sudanese Sharia Court. Police arrived at 9am yesterday at the ECS Guest House in Khartoum which houses the Office of the Archbishop of Sudan as well as diocesan and other Church offices. They ordered the eviction and threatened to use force to obtain compliance.
The Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) has called for immediate protection from the Sudan Government after attacks on churches and their surrounding communities in the Upper Nile area of Malakal. A statement from the Rt Revd Daniel Deng Bul, the chairman of the ECS Peace, Justice, and Reconciliation Committee, said that there had been a considerable loss of life and property.
He urged the government to provide protection from armed militias and urged all parties to "engage in genuine negotiations and to resist attempts to undermine the peace process." He also called for international monitoring and pleaded that "all tribes exercise restraint and refrain from returning to war."
The bishop of the diocese of Kadugli Nuba Mountains, the Rt Revd Andudu Adam Elnail Kuku, has embarked on a tour of the United States to raise awareness of the frustrating conditions that the people of Sudan are currently facing in their daily lives.
The Rev. Patrick Mauney, director of Anglican and Global Relations, welcomed the bishop to the Episcopal Church Center on March 3, saying, "We are delighted that you have been able to visit us and we hope that your month in the US will be productive and fruitful."
Andudu described how, although Sudan had experienced a relatively peaceful two years since the cease-fire, the evidence of destruction from the 20-year civil war is still prevalent. "Though Christianity is strong, many things have been destroyed and churches burnt down," he said. "One of our churches was hit by missiles, but still people are strong in faith and the Church is growing."
