---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "John Ashworth" <[email protected]> Date: 27 Feb 2017 18:22 Subject: [sudans-john-ashworth] Various International Church Statements on South Sudan To: "Group" <[email protected]> Cc:
1. The Archbishop of Canterbury 20 February at 16:22 We are acutely aware of the dire situation facing millions of South Sudanese people. Today, the UN and the government estimate that 100,000 people face starvation, with more than a million on the brink of famine. Millions have been displaced from their homes and communities as a result of the ongoing violence. In the last three weeks alone more than 50,000 people have fled from Kajo-Keji to northern Uganda as fighting intensifies. The UN Refugee Agency says 1.5 million South Sudanese refugees have now fled the country, making it Africa’s largest refugee crisis and the third largest in the world. We stand prayerfully alongside the South Sudanese people and their leaders – particularly those in the Church who are providing emotional, physical and spiritual support. We pray for those on the ground who are delivering humanitarian assistance, that there will be an opening up of humanitarian corridors for the aid that is so desperately needed. We pray for those who are trying to coordinate efforts to the regions that are most badly affected – particularly through the South Sudan Council of Churches and the Episcopal Church in South Sudan. We applaud the ecumenical efforts of the churches working together to ensure that aid reaches the right people. This week I'm travelling around the neighbouring countries to South Sudan. I’ve seen first-hand the consequences of the volume of refugees attempting to cross the borders to find safety, and the crisis facing those neighbouring countries as well as those in South Sudan. I’ve also been speaking with Anglican and other church leaders about the urgent need for a ceasefire in South Sudan. Please join me in praying for peace, for security, for relief, and for the Holy Spirit to comfort those who need it most. END1 2. STATEMENT BY HIS GRACE THE MOST REVEREND ALBERT CHAMA, CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL OF ANGLICAN PROVINCES OF AFRICA (CAPA) ON THE EMERGENCY SITUATION IN SOUTH SUDAN 22 February 2017 I had a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, today with the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby and his host, The Most Reverend Jackson Ole-Sapit, Primate of the Anglican Province of Kenya, on the deteriorating situation in South Sudan. I will like to issue the following statement as Chair of CAPA: The escalation in fighting, rapes, targeted killing and wanton destruction by all sides in the South Sudan conflict means that it has become the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa. A famine has now been confirmed in parts of South Sudan by both UN agencies and the government of South Sudan. According to the UNHCR, it has created more than 1.5 million refugees, and thousands of civilian lives have been lost. I strongly condemn this escalation in violence, and call on political and religious leaders, women and young people everywhere to find ways to halt the carnage. CAPA will work with willing leaders from the region and further afield, to try to urge the warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire. They must realise that Almighty God will require everyone to account for their actions here on earth. We earnestly pray that God will touch the hearts of the warring parties to put the suffering children, mothers, wives, brothers and sisters, ahead of their individual ambitions and interests. END2 3. Message of the Comboni’s leaders to the suffering in South Sudan Friday, February 24, 2017 The leaders of the Comboni Missionaries worldwide gathered in Rome (5-25 February). They sent a message of hope and encouragement to the “sisters and brothers in South Sudan”. The leaders pray for peace; that South Sudan’s political leaders “may look beyond personal or group interests, and engage in a deep national dialogue of pardon, reconciliation and redress”; for the religious leaders that they may guide people “through paths of forgiveness to pastures of pardon and peace”. Reade below the full message. “MY PEACE I GIVE YOU” (John 14: 27) Dear sisters and brothers in South Sudan, We greet you in the name of Jesus. Saint Daniel Comboni had a great love for you, “the first love” of his youth. We, the leaders of the Comboni Missionaries worldwide, have the same love beating in our hearts. We suffer with you in these times of untold misery and death, and follow your situation with great preoccupation. The blissful dream of Independence Day was shattered by the war that broke out in Juba and, like wildfire in a forest, slowly spread to the whole country. The blood of thousands of dead civilians and soldiers cries for peace; the wounded and the raped need healing, comfort and justice. We earnestly pray that peace may return to South Sudan! We pray for your political leaders: that they may look beyond personal or group interests, and engage in a deep national dialogue of pardon, reconciliation and redress! We pray for your religious leaders: that they may guide you through paths of forgiveness to pastures of pardon and peace! We beg Christians to turn to Jesus “for he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one entity and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, by destroying in his own person the hostility” (Ephesians 2:14). Pope Francis made a strong appeal on behalf of South Sudan on February 22nd 2017. He is concerned “with the painful news coming from martyred South Sudan” where “a fratricidal conflict” and severe food crisis “condemn to death by starvation millions of people, including many children.” «Now, it is more necessary than ever that all commit not to stop at making statements, but also to provide concrete food aid and to allow it to reach suffering populations. May the Lord sustain these our brothers and all those working to help them” – the Pope said. Taking the Pope’s lead, we call on the international community to continue assisting with food and practical security arrangements to alleviate your great suffering. We ask God’s blessings upon each one of you through the intercession of Saint Josephine Bakhita and Saint Daniel Comboni. The Provincial Superiors, Delegates and the Members of the General Administration of the Comboni Missionaries gathered in Rome. February 24th 2017 http://www.comboni.org/en/contenuti/108636-message-of- the-comboni-s-leaders-to-the-suffering-in-south-sudan END3 ______________________ John Ashworth [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +44 787 976 8030 (UK mobile) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) Skype: jashworth1 PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to sudan-john-ashworth- [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.co.za/ group/sudan-john-ashworth --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudans-john-ashworth" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/sudans-john-ashworth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/southsudankob View this message at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/southsudankob/topic-id/message-id For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14op9f-g59Qf%2BhJjtOMBK8xT1-77uHrW_6%3DpZ9d9J6KBAUg%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
