Please click the play button in the box below to read the transcript of our recent live, 1-hour chat with Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of southern Sudan. Bishop Kussala chatted with Catholics from around the United States about the current situation in Sudan, the upcoming independence for South Sudan and the great work Catholics in the United States have done on behalf of our brothers and sisters in his homeland.

The first miracle in Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala’s life happened when he was just a few months old. During a military raid on his village in southern Sudan, soldiers entered his family’s house and killed his mother and sister. They left baby Eduardo unharmed and didn’t burn down the house.

Now, 47 years later, he is the Bishop of the Diocese of Tombura-Yambi, and he continues to devote his life to bringing peace to Sudan.

You can help make that possible.

“My message to the Catholic population is their brothers and sisters in southern Sudan have been under oppression and have been suffering, and they need to be free” Bishop Kussala said. “We need the prayers of the Catholic population, the Christian population. And we need their support, materially, spiritually and morally. And we need them to walk along side us.”

After a 22-year civil war that killed more than 2 million people, against all odds, the people of southern Sudan held a peaceful referendum to declare their independence.

On July 9, The Republic of South Sudan will become Africa’s newest nation.

“The birth of a new country I think has to be a gift to everybody,” Bishop Kussala said. “And everybody should be happy about it.”

Stay with Sudan. Build a future.

From The Observer:

The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team furthered its social justice initiative with a Playing for Peace game followed by an interhall tournament Sunday.

Kevin Dugan, director of Men’s Lacrosse Operations, said they held the tournament to show Notre Dame’s unceasing support of Sudan. The initiative began fall semester with a three-on-three basketball tournament and Stand with Sudan peace rally.

“It’s a follow-up to make sure we didn’t just have this one event in the fall and check it off the list of things to do,” he said. “We want there to be a continuous call to awareness on the situation in Sudan.”

Read the full story here.

Join the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team at Arlotta Stadium at the Playing for Peace game against Georgetown on April 10th at 12:00.

Get all the details here.

Excerpt from the Caritas blog:

We the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, gathered in Extraordinary Plenary assembly in Juba, South Sudan, from 1st – 7th April 2011, have prayed and reflected together on the situation in our beloved Sudan. Mindful of our responsibility as prophets and shepherds at this crucial time, we offer you these words of encouragement and advice during the Season of Lent as we anticipate the Easter Joy of the Resurrection.

In a previous statement, we said, Sudan will never be the same again. This has come to pass in the most concrete way, as we await the formal Declaration of Independence of the South and the formation of two new countries on 9th July 2011. However it is also true in a deeper way. The people of the South have had the opportunity to determine their own political future. This is a basic expression of human dignity. We call upon all the citizens, politicians, security forces and leaders of the two countries to respect human life and dignity, and to build the future based on these God-given values.

Read full post here.

The March 2 and 5 attacks in the contested oil rich region of Abyei, Sudan, have led to estimates of more than 100 dead and 20,000-25,000, nearly half the population, deserting Abyei town. Abyei is proving to be one of the most difficult areas to resolve between northern and southern Sudan: both lay claims to the land.

Previous incidences in May, 2008, in which Abyei town was attacked and burned have left people concerned that the violence might escalate. According to our church contacts in the region, people are moving south of Abyei, along the Kiir River.

While the city has been almost completely evacuated, the security situation in the areas south of Abyei where people have set up temporary homes remains stable. Initial reports show that the majority of people have fled to the neighboring community of Agok. Many of the people who fled are carrying numerous household items with them, which leads members of the Catholic Relief Services’ team on the ground to believe that they may have recently arrived to Abyei from northern Sudan. Returnees from northern Sudan could be the most vulnerable group and the ones with the greatest need for shelter and food assistance. Some former Abyei town residents set up homes in Agok the last time there was a flare up of violence in 2008.
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Catholic Relief Services cordially invites you to an exhibit of southern Sudan photos by Karen Kasmauski, a renowned photographer who has shot 25 major stories for National Geographic magazine.
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Malual Deng Duot, a Lost Boy of Sudan, made the most of his new beginning. He fled his homeland as a 9 year old to escape the horrors of a violent war.  After living in a refugee camp in Kenya for the rest of his childhood, Malual came to America. Now, Malual is preparing to graduate with a master’s degree from Villanova University this year, and he is a husband and father of two young girls.

Read about Malual’s new beginning, and view the chat transcript below.

The final results of the south’s self-determination referendum were officially announced on Monday after no appeals were filed. Out of nearly 4 million votes cast worldwide, 98.8 percent voted for secession. There are no reports of violence associated with the announcement.

This is a great step forward in the peaceful transformation of Sudan, but critical issues including border demarcation, the status of the border community Abyei, oil-revenue sharing, currency, debt allocation and citizenship, must be resolved as the south moves toward independence on July 9.

Both the violence in Darfur and protests in Egypt could complicate the remaining negotiations of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, but the apparent acceptance of the outcome of the referendum is a very welcome, positive development for Sudan.

There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure the transition process remains peaceful, and with your help and support, Catholic Relief Services will continue to promote peace and development across Sudan.

CRS President Ken Hackett and Bishop Howard Hubbard, Chairman of the USCCB International Justice and Peace Committee express the Church’s thanks for the Obama Administration’s hard work and dedication to the cause of peace and Sudan and urge ongoing engagement.

The Honorable Hillary Clinton Secretary of State

Dear Secretary Clinton:
As Chairman of Committee on International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and President of Catholic Relief Services, we wish to express our gratitude to you and the entire Administration for working to ensure a successful referendum for the people Sudan. Only weeks ago it seemed unlikely the people of southern Sudan would have the opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination. That such an exercise was possible, let alone as successful and peaceful as it was, is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Administration and others of goodwill.
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A letter from Howard Hubbard, Bishop of Albany, chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace, to Gabriel Cardinal Zubeir Wako, president, Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference:

His Eminence Gabriel Cardinal Zubeir Wako
President, Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference
Khartoum, Sudan

Your Eminence:
As Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I am writing to congratulate you, the Bishops of Sudan, and the Sudanese people on the remarkably peaceful and successful completion of the referendum on Self-Determination. During my pastoral visit with you in August, you shared with me the concerns, uncertainty and even doubt of your people. The timely and mainly peaceful completion of the referendum is due in large part to the tireless work and faithful leadership of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
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