Is Southern Sudans Secession a Solution?
By Mariaelena Finessi PRETORIA, South Africa, JULY 28, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The upcoming Jan. 9 referendum will decide whether southern Sudan will separate from the north and form its own country. But this won’t necessarily solve Sudan’s problems, says John Ashworth. John Ashworth is the acting director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute, which is associated with the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (the director, Father Sean O’Leary, is currently on sabbatical). The institute was involved in helping the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference prepare a statement regarding the upcoming referendum. The statement, which was released last week at the conclusion of the conference’s extraordinary plenary session, presented what it called a “message of hope and call to action.” In the statement, the prelates reflect on what both potential outcomes of the referendum could or should mean, and above all, they underline the importance of a nation that respects life and human rights. Churc
