Cardinal Zubeir Wako - The shepherd of sudan

Welcome to Aid to the Church In Need's Where God Weeps – weekly program dedicated to the situation of the suffering Church around the world. For almost 20 years Sudan has suffered civil war - a war between North and South, between Arab and Black, between Islamic fundamentalist and Christian. Despite the recent hope of an internationally supported peace plan, the consequences of the conflict are terrifying: 3 million dead, 5 million displaced, hundreds of thousands widowed and orphaned - and with each failed harvest, displaced refugee, bombed hospital, the needs born of deprivation grow ever greater. During the time of war, I was always calling for peace. The only clear voice was mine. What are you fighting for? Why do you kill your brother? Why do you hurt? Why is the Catholic Church an enemy for the Sudanese government? The Muslim in the Sudan think that the Sudan is the Muslim country. But they are among the Christians, that are those really outspoken like the catholic bishops of the Sudan. These wild fruit that they have been looking for all day. It gets to the government sometimes, we go to criticize some of their policies. The regimes in Khartoum, and especially the current regime, have always been bent on making Sudan a country Islamic in religion and Arab in culture. We complain and also make a public statement of all mistakes they do, like restrictions for the practice of our faith. Like difficulties with harassment they give to our personnel. And then they also give us the policies regarding the treatment of the people, because the Sudan did not have a bad record in terms of human rights and respect for people. This is not in the position to live a peace on its own. It needs really support from people. You have to know that in the Southern Sudan all the structures have been broken down. It is nothing there at all. Speaking of road, food, schools. Roads, schools, food, health care. The Church in the Sudan is struggling really to keep education at life for the South. When I say schools maybe somebody begins to dream, there are… they made big buildings and so on and so on. Since there is no government in the South we must rely on the Church for education. That is why for us the Church is our only hope. The people know, that wherever they find the church, they know we’re here, they will find there refuge, they will find support, they will find help.