Corruption, ethnic tensions, indifference and injustice must be tackled to bring lasting peace to Sudan, Pope Benedict XVI told the country’s bishops. “Treaties and other agreements, indispensable building blocks in the peace process, will only bear fruit if they are inspired and accompanied by the exercise of mature and morally upright leadership,” the pope said. Meeting the bishops of Sudan March 13 at the end of their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican, Pope Benedict praised their work in promoting peace, reconciliation, economic justice and human rights through the rule of law.
He also thanked them for their tireless efforts in assisting the poor and helping them achieve a life of dignity and self-respect. Sudan’s two-decade-long war ended with a peace treaty that was signed between the Muslim-dominated government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement in January 2005. Pope Benedict said, “The effects of violence may take years to heal, yet the change of heart which is the indispensable condition for a just and lasting peace must even now be implored as a gift of God’s grace.”
VATICAN CITY (CNS)