Pope appeals for humanitarian aid for people in Sudan

“I am close to the sufferings of those dear populations of Sudan, and I address a heartfelt appeal to local leaders to facilitate access to humanitarian aid and, with the contribution of the international community, to work in search of peaceful solutions. Let us not forget these brothers and sisters of ours who are in distress!” -Pope Francis. Read more.

From Vatican News - https://www.vaticannews.va/en.html

By Vatican News

Dated Sunday, 12 November 2023 - here is a copy in full:

Pope appeals for humanitarian aid for people in war-torn Sudan

Pope Francis makes a heartfelt appeal to leaders in Sudan to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the suffering people, and to work toward a peaceful resolution to the civil war with the help of the international community.

Fleeing Sudanese seek refuge in Chad  (ZOHRA BENSEMRA)

Pope Francis has called attention to the serious humanitarian crisis in Sudan caused by the ongoing civil war, that shows no signs of abating. 

Speaking at the conclusion of Sunday's Angelus, the Pope decried the many victims, including millions of internally displaced persons and refugees in neighbouring countries.

“I am close to the sufferings of those dear populations of Sudan, and I address a heartfelt appeal to local leaders to facilitate access to humanitarian aid and, with the contribution of the international community, to work in search of peaceful solutions. Let us not forget these brothers and sisters of ours who are in distress!”

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reports that the civil war in Sudan has driven close to six million people from their homes since the fighting started in April 2023. UNHCR's Dominique Hyde, Director of External Relations, recently visited the country and warned of a surge in human suffering, stating, “away from the eyes of the world and the news headlines, the conflict in Sudan continues to rage. Across the country, an unimaginable humanitarian crisis is unfolding, as more and more people are displaced by the relentless fighting.”

View original: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-11/pope-appeals-for-humanitarian-aid-for-people-in-war-torn-sudan.html

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Pope focuses on Darfur-born St. Josephine Bakhita, patron saint of Sudan and human trafficking survivors

Report from Catholic News Agency - catholicnewsagency.com
By Matthew Santucci
Vatican City

Dated Wednesday, 11 October 2023, 09:30 am - here is a copy in full:

Pope Francis highlights St. Josephine Bakhita’s example of forgiveness

Josephine Bakhita. | A.Currell via Flickr (CC BY NC 2.0)

Speaking in his first general audience since the start of the Synod on Synodality last week, Pope Francis on Wednesday resumed his ongoing catechesis on the theme of apostolic zeal, this time focusing on the story of the Sudanese-Italian saint Josephine Bakhita, which he described as “an existential parable of forgiveness.”

Born in 1869 in the region of Darfur, Josephine was sold into slavery as a young girl. She was traded between different owners and endured incredible hardship, being forcibly converted to Islam and was subjected to scarification, a process by which the skin is intentionally cut, or branded, to make a set pattern. Incidentally, her captors gave her the name Bakhita, which from the Arabic translates to “fortunata,” or fortunate. 

In 1883 she was sold to Italian Vice Consul Callisto Legnani. In 1884, following the political instability that had engulfed Khartoum, they fled Sudan to Italy. She was subsequently passed to Augusto Michieli, a friend of Legnami. She first encountered Catholicism when she was entrusted to the care of Canossian Sisters in Venice. 

While Micheli tried to force her back to Sudan with him, she refused. Her case went before the Italian court, which ultimately ruled that her slavery was null, given that Britain had outlawed slavery before she was sold and it was never legal in Italy. On Jan. 9, 1890, as a free woman, she converted to Catholicism, and nine years later, in 1896, made her final vows with the Canossian Sisters. Bakhita was canonized on Oct. 1, 2000, by Pope John Paul II and is the patron saint of Sudan and human trafficking survivors.  

It was the sisters’ example of kindness and charity that so profoundly touched Bakhita, ultimately leading to her conversion, and was the catalyst for her religious vocation but also instilled in her the evangelical imperative of forgiveness. 

She famously said: “If I were to meet those who kidnapped me, and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands. For, if these things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian and a religious today.” 

Her life, which was characterized by hardship but also hope and mercy, was the backdrop for Pope Francis’ appeal for forgiveness, which he said stems from God’s love. He quoted an excerpt from Luke’s Gospel (Lk 23:34): “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

Pope Francis pauses during his general audience on Oct. 11, 2023, in St. Peter's Square. Credit: Vatican Media

“What is the secret of St. Bakhita?” the pope asked, adding: “The vocation of the oppressed is that of freeing themselves and their oppressors, becoming restorers of humanity. Only in the weakness of the oppressed can the force of God’s love, which frees both, be revealed.” 

The pope went on to say that “to pity means both to suffer with the victims of the great inhumanity in the world and also to pity those who commit errors and injustices, not justifying, but humanizing.” 

“When we enter the logic of struggle, of division between us, of bad feelings, one against the other, we lose humanity. And many times we think that we need humanity, to be more human. And this is the work that St. Bakhita teaches us: to humanize, to humanize ourselves and to humanize others,” the Holy Father said, departing from his prepared remarks.

Throughout his address the pope emphasized that forgiveness is an essential component of Christian life. It is what enabled St. Josephine Bakhita to become “a free, joyful woman, capable of loving.”

In this way she stands as a model of not only living God’s love authentically, the pope said, but also “helps us to unmask our hypocrisies and selfishness, to overcome resentments and conflicts. She encourages us to reconcile with ourselves and find peace in our families and communities. She offers us a light of hope in these difficult times of mistrust and distrust of others.” 

Full story: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255647/pope-francis-st-josephine-bakhita-forgiveness

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Pope Francis prayed for Sudan in St. Peter's Square: Love, forgiveness liberate, break cycles of violence

Report from National Catholic Reporter - ncronline.org

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service - Vatican City

Dated Wednesday, 11 October 2023 - here is a full copy:

Love, forgiveness liberate, break cycles of violence, pope says

Pope Francis greets a child as he rides in the popemobile around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican before his weekly general audience Oct. 11. (CNS/Lola Gomez)

The life of St. Josephine Bakhita, a former slave from Sudan who became a nun, demonstrates how love liberates people from oppression and frees them to forgive their oppressors and break cycles of hatred and violence, Pope Francis said.

"Often a wounded person wounds in turn; the oppressed easily becomes an oppressor," the pope said Oct. 11 at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.

In contrast, he said, St. Bakhita teaches people that "forgiveness takes away nothing but adds dignity to the person; it makes us lift our gaze from ourselves toward others, to see them as fragile as we are, yet always brothers and sisters in the Lord."

Continuing a series of audience talks highlighting saints who demonstrate zeal or passion for evangelization, Francis said St. Bakhita's life story shows how "forgiveness is the wellspring of a zeal that becomes mercy and calls us to a humble and joyful holiness."

The pope also used the occasion to pray for peace in Sudan, where a power struggle unleashed violence in April and fighting continues although, as he noted, very little is said about it in the news.

St. Bakhita, who lived 1869-1947, was abducted and enslaved at the age of 7. "She suffered cruelty and violence: on her body she bore more than a hundred scars," the pope said.

And yet, she wrote, "I never despaired, because I felt a mysterious force supporting me."

Later she was given a crucifix — the first thing she ever owned — and, the pope said, "looking at it, she experienced a profound inner liberation, because she felt understood and loved and therefore capable of understanding and loving in turn. This is how it begins. One feels understood, loved and is then able to understand and love others."

Having compassion, he said, "means suffering with the victims of the many forms of inhumanity present in the world as well as pitying those who commit errors and injustices -- not justifying them, but humanizing them."

"When we enter into the logic of conflict, division among us, bad feelings, one against another, we lose humanity," the pope said. But St. Bakhita teaches that the solution is "to humanize, humanize ourselves and humanize others," by forgiving them and giving them another chance.

"Forgiveness liberated her," the pope said. "Forgiveness first received through God's merciful love, and then the forgiveness given that made her a free, joyful woman, capable of loving."

View original: https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/love-forgiveness-liberate-break-cycles-violence-pope-says

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UNSC: Briefing on “The Values of Human Fraternity”

NOTE, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) holds UNSC presidency this month. A high-level briefing held by the UNSC June 14th focuses on human fraternity. Hopefully nice and friendly, joining hands in friendship for peace.

Report at What's In Blue
Dated Wednesday 14 June 2023 - full copy:

Briefing on “The Values of Human Fraternity” and Vote on a Draft Resolution on Tolerance and International Peace and Security

This morning (14 June), as one of the signature events of its Council presidency, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will convene a high-level briefing on “The Values of Human Fraternity in Promoting and Sustaining Peace” under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. 

UAE Minister of State Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi will chair the meeting. The expected briefers are Secretary-General António Guterres; Sheikh Ahmed Muhammed Ahmed Aṭ-Ṭayyeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar; Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations of the Holy See; and a civil society representative.

In the afternoon, members are expected to vote on a draft resolution on tolerance and international peace and security co-authored by the UAE and the UK. This is a parallel—although related—initiative to this morning’s high-level briefing on human fraternity.

High-level Briefing

During the 1 June press conference on the Security Council’s programme of work for the month, Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh (UAE) said that the Security Council “has not always consistently addressed hate speech, racism and other forms of extremism as threat multipliers that drive the outbreak, escalation and recurrence of conflict”, adding that it was a key priority for the UAE to “push for a more consistent and effective approach”.

According to the concept note prepared by the UAE ahead of today’s meeting, the briefing intends to highlight the “impact of intolerance, hate speech and incitement to hatred, racism and other manifestations of extremism in exacerbating threats across the peace continuum”. The concept note says that one of the objectives of the meeting is “to raise awareness of the pivotal role that the values of human fraternity can play in promoting and sustaining peace and preventing intolerance and extremism” and to strengthen measures by the UN, member states, and other actors to address the “drivers of intolerance and extremism”.

The concept note poses several questions to help guide the discussion at today’s meeting, including:

• What gaps exist in the current UN peace operations and peacebuilding mechanisms to address conflict exacerbated by hate speech, intolerance, racism, and other manifestations of extremism?
• What measures and approaches can the international community, including the Security Council, take to address intolerance and hate speech and promote reconciliation and peacebuilding in conflict-affected societies?
• How can we strengthen the role of religious and community leaders, including women leaders, to promote tolerance and coexistence and prevent the abuse of religion?

At today’s meeting, some members may welcome the theme of the high-level briefing and say that it can make a useful contribution to Council discussions. Other members may take a more circumspect approach and underscore the importance of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Members may highlight a range of factors that can strengthen societies’ resilience and capacity to build sustainable peace—such as education and the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women—and highlight exclusion and inequality as root causes of conflict. Some participants may share examples of interreligious and intercultural dialogues and of mediation and reconciliation processes led by religious and community leaders.

Draft Resolution

The initiative for a Security Council resolution on tolerance and international peace and security is consistent with previous efforts by the UAE and the UK on similar issues at the UN. For instance, the UAE—together with Bahrain, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia—led an initiative for a General Assembly resolution proclaiming 4 February as the International Day of Human Fraternity, which was adopted by consensus on 21 December 2020 (A/RES/75/200). 

In March 2021, the UK organised an Arria-formula meeting titled “Religion, Belief and Conflict: the protection of members of religious and belief groups in conflict and religious actors in conflict resolution”. 

It seems that the UK had also circulated a draft resolution on the issues covered in the Arria-formula meeting to the five permanent members of the Council. However, the initiative was apparently shelved following opposition from at least one permanent member.

On 16 May, the UAE and the UK circulated the first draft of a resolution on tolerance and international peace and security and then presented it to Council members at an informal meeting on 18 May. After holding a first round of negotiations on 22 May, the co-penholders circulated a revised draft of the resolution on 25 May. Following a second round of negotiations on 30 May, a second revised draft was circulated on 2 June and put under silence until 5 June. 

Silence was broken by France and Switzerland and, separately, by the US. After silence was broken, Malta expressed support for the issues raised by France, Switzerland, and the US. Other members—including Brazil, China, Japan, Ecuador, and Russia—later sent comments. Following the silence break, the co-penholders engaged bilaterally with members over several days with the aim of resolving a number of outstanding issues. On 12 June, a third revised draft was circulated and put under silence until 11 am yesterday (13 June). However, France and Switzerland again broke silence. After additional consultations, a further draft was put in blue yesterday evening and a vote was scheduled for this afternoon.

The draft resolution in blue recognises that “hate speech, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, related forms of intolerance, gender discrimination, and acts of extremism can contribute to driving the outbreak, escalation and recurrence of conflict” and urges states and international and regional organisations “to publicly condemn violence, hate speech and extremism motivated by discrimination including on the grounds of race, ethnicity, gender, religion or language, in a manner consistent with applicable international law, including the right to freedom of expression”. It also underlines “the potential contributions of ethnic, religious and confessional communities and religious leaders” to the prevention and resolution of conflicts as well as to reconciliation and peacebuilding, among other issues.

The negotiations on the draft resolution were difficult. A fundamental issue for some Council members was to adequately balance language addressing the use of hate speech in the draft text with language protecting human rights, in particular freedom of expression. It seems that at least one member expressed concern that proposed language on hate speech fell below the standard set in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. While some language on human rights was added in response to these concerns—including, in the third revised draft, a reference to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—it seems that when France and Switzerland broke silence yesterday they argued that the balance presented in the third draft was still unsatisfactory.

A specific concern for several members—including Brazil, France, Malta, Switzerland, and the US—was the use in the draft resolution of the term “extremism” without it being preceded by the qualifier “violent”. These members stressed that the unqualified use of the term “extremism” was too broad, and expressed concern about endorsing language that could be used restrictively, including to target freedom of expression. In the days preceding the vote, some civil society organisations, too, warned against the use of the term “extremism” not qualified by “violent” in the draft resolution.

It seems that the co-penholders maintained that a key objective of the resolution was to address extremism before it reaches the point of being violent, including through the promotion of tolerance and peaceful coexistence as preventive measures. During the negotiations, they added language contextualising references to “extremism” by, for instance, referring to “extremism driving the outbreak, escalation and recurrence of conflict”. After France and Switzerland broke silence on 13 June, a direct reference to “the right to freedom of expression” was added to a paragraph urging states, regional and international organisations “to publicly condemn violence, hate speech and extremism” in a manner consistent with international law. References to “violent extremism”, however, were not included in the draft text in blue. At the time of writing, it was unclear if the changes made on this issue will be sufficient to address the concerns raised by France and Switzerland.

A key goal for some Council members during the negotiations was to widen the overall scope of the draft resolution from focusing mainly on intolerance and discrimination on religious grounds to also include other grounds of discrimination. Arguing for a more inclusive approach to tolerance, members such as Ecuador, France, Switzerland, and Malta asked for stronger language on human rights, gender, and women, peace and security (WPS) to be included in the draft. It seems that China and Russia opposed this language, and that, after silence was broken on 5 June, Russia asked for all text on WPS and human rights to be removed from the draft. Such language was, nevertheless, gradually strengthened in the course of the negotiations.

While some members apparently supported the use of the term “fraternity” in the resolution, others opposed it, citing, among other issues, the gendered and non-inclusive root of the term and the lack of clarity around the term’s meaning. An additional concern was that references to “human fraternity” in the draft resolution could be interpreted as endorsing the content of the 4 February 2019 document on “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” signed by Pope Francis and Grand Imam of al-Azhar Aṭ-Ṭayyeb; particularly its condemnation of abortion. To address these concerns, the co-penholders deleted a reference to the 4 February 2019 meeting and removed all language on “human fraternity” except for text taking note of the International Day of Human Fraternity proclaimed by the 21 December 2020 General Assembly resolution.

Another friction point was a reporting requirement proposed by the co-penholders. The first draft text requested the Secretary-General to submit an annual report to the Council on the resolution’s implementation. It appears that introducing a regular reporting requirement was an important issue for the co-penholders, who argued that regularly receiving information on issues such as hate speech, extremism, and intolerance could help the Council better to tackle these issues and, ultimately, prevent conflict. 

However, at different points in the negotiations, several members expressed reservations about the proposed annual report. While some members’ concerns were related to the possible budgetary implications of the reporting requirement, it appears that other members altogether challenged the need for a periodic report on the implementation of the resolution.

In an apparent compromise, the draft resolution in blue requests the Secretary-General to provide, by 14 June 2024, an oral briefing to the Council on “the implementation of this resolution in the context of situations throughout the peace continuum which are on the agenda of the Council” during a public meeting under the “Maintenance of international peace and security” agenda item. The draft text in blue also requests that the Secretary-General swiftly inform the Council “about threats to international peace and security in this regard”.

Tags: Insights on Peacebuilding, Peacebuilding

Original: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2023/06/briefing-on-the-values-of-human-fraternity-and-vote-on-a-draft-resolution-on-tolerance-and-international-peace-and-security.php

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S.Sudan: Kiir's deputies take oath of office including Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior - The economy is in ruins, 5m need aid, 188,528 crammed into UN camps

Kiir's deputies take oath of office

Report by Radio Tamazuj.org dated 22 February 2020 (JUBA) - South Sudan's opposition leader Riek Machar has been sworn in as first vice-president in a boost for the peace agreement aimed at ending six years of conflict.

Mr. Machar took up the top post under the terms of the 2018 peace deal, implementation of which had been repeatedly delayed by disputes.

The main opposition leader took the oath of office alongside three other vice presidents appointed by President Salva Kiir last night as per the peace deal.

Those appointed vice presidents include James Wani Igga, Taban Deng Gai and Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior. The fourth vice president position remains vacant as members of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) have not settled on a candidate for the position.

If peace holds, the transitional government of national unity will now have to embark on reforms to pave the way for general elections in three years’ time.

The economy is currently in ruins, nearly five million people need aid and 188,528 people are crammed into UN peacekeeping camps across the country.

The conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people has spawned a massive refugee crisis, pushing many of those fleeing the fighting to neighboring countries.

Speaking at the presidential palace after taking the oath of office today, Dr. Machar said he is determined to work with President Kiir and other peace partners to end the devastating conflict.

"It is our hope that the formation of the revitalized transitional government will create a new momentum and a new spirit of commitment and cooperation in the implementation process of the agreement in order to avoid the delays experienced during the pre-transitional period," Machar said.

"I would like to reiterate my commitment and the commitment of the SPLM/A-IO to work closely with the peace partners and particularly President Kiir Mayardit to implement the agreement in letter and spirit. May God bless South Sudan," he added.

For his part, President Salva Kiir Mayardit, who called Machar "my brother", said he will work closely with the opposition to establish lasting and sustainable peace in the country.

Kiir advanced a message of reconciliation and forgiveness to his opponents, saying he has forgiven his archrival Riek Machar. “I want to reiterate here and now that I have forgiven my brother Dr. Riek Machar and I also ask for his forgiveness,” Kiir said. 

The president also offered a rare apology to the South Sudanese people for the devastating conflict, calling upon internally displaced persons and refugees to return home to rebuild their lives.

“I am inviting the people of South Sudan to forgive one another. Particularly, I want to appeal to the Nuer and Dinka communities to forgive and reconcile with one another,” he said.

“I also appeal to the people of Equatoria, especially those who have experienced much of the devastation to forgive and reconcile,” he added.

The South Sudanese leader called on holdout opposition groups to join the peace process, saying he plans to put an end to the conflict in the world’s youngest nation.

Kiir called on the international community to provide support as all parties to the peace agreement embark on rebuilding the country. [Note from Sudan Watch editor: Get lost Kiir you greedy monster, you've had over 15 years in power. You and your enemy Riek Machar should be in the dock at the International Criminal Court in The Hague begging for mercy for the slaying and starvation of millions of Sudanese and ruination of millions of lives. Or go join your kids in your beloved Kenya and get back under the rock you crawled from. Pope Francis knew he was facing evil when he got down on his knees to kiss your feet. God help you]

View original: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/kiir-s-deputies-take-oath-of-office

POSTSCRIPT

Note that Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior is a South Sudanese politician. She has served as the Minister of Roads and Transport for the autonomous government of Southern Sudan, and as an advisor for the President of South Sudan. She is the widow of Dr. John Garang de Mabior, the late first Vice-President of Sudan and the President of the Government of South Sudan, and the mother of Akuol de Mabior. She is from the Dinka tribe of Twic East County of South Sudan. Read more at Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Nyandeng_De_Mabior

Photo: South Sudan's Fourth Vice-President Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior takes the oath of office in front of Chief of Justice Chan Reech Madut in Juba, South Sudan, on Saturday. ANDREEA CAMPEANU/REUTERS. From China Daily.com: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202002/24/WS5e5322f3a310128217279ad7.html

Photo: South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar takes the oath of office at the State House in Juba, 22 February 2020. REUTERS/Jok Solomun Text by: RFI Full story: http://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20200223-south-sudan-rebel-leader-machar-sworn-vice-president-civil-war-salva-kiir