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Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) – The Catholic Bishops of Sudan will hold an extraordinary Plenary Assembly from November 8 to 15 in Rumbek, the capital of the Lakes State, in Southern Sudan, to discuss the referendum of January 2011 on the independence of Southern Sudan.
Fr. Santino Morokomomo, the Secretary General of the Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference, is in Rumbek to follow up the ongoing preparations for the Bishops’ meeting. The plenary conference will focus on peaceful referendum and other issues facing the Church in Sudan.
Morokomomo told Sudan Catholic Radio Good News in Rumbek that the Sudan Bishops' plenary was held in Torit last year, this year there was a plenary recently held in Juba, and now Rumbek will host this extraordinary session.
The Secretary General of the Sudanese Bishops' Conference affirmed that the decision to have two plenary assemblies this year was prompted by the present situation in Sudan which he termed as “a very historical moment” as the country “is preparing for the referendum.”
Fr. Morokomomo further said that the meeting will discuss issues pertaining to the referendum, with focus on its peaceful evolution. He explained that the Bishops have decided to lobby for a peaceful referendum.
The forthcoming Bishops’ Plenary meeting will include representatives from the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/10/2010)
