.- The
U.S. bishops have called on elected officials to strengthen their
efforts to bring an end to the ongoing moral and humanitarian crisis in
Darfur.
“Our nation
cannot remain silent in the face of killings, rape and destruction,”
said Bishop Thomas Wenski in a statement prepared for last weekend’s
Save Darfur Rally.
The rally was
sponsored by the Save Darfur Coalition, an alliance of over 150
faith-based, humanitarian and human rights organizations on the
National Mall in Washington. Bishop Wenski is chairman of the bishops’
Committee on International Policy.
“Our country can
and must do more, much more, to defend and protect innocent civilians
in Darfur,” he said. “Anything else would be unworthy of us as a people
committed to human life and dignity.”
The U.S.
Catholic bishops welcome the Administration’s latest efforts to
strengthen the mission of the poorly funded, ill-equipped and
undermanned peacekeepers from the African Union who have sought to
bring some measure of protection to the helpless civilians of Darfur.
Since last year, the bishops have repeatedly urged passage of the
“Darfur Peace and Accountability Act.”
The U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops has advocated for several years on
behalf of the innocent victims of Darfur, who remain trapped in the
midst of violent clashes between the Sudanese army and rebel forces, as
well as subject to inhuman cruelty at the hands of the janjaweed
militia under the sponsorship of the government in Khartoum.
In addition to
the 400,000 people who have died since 2003, 2.5 million have been
driven from their homes and 3.5 million are at risk of starvation.
In early 2004,
Bishop John Ricard, then chairman of the Committee on International
Policy, warned that Darfur was “rapidly becoming the newest symbol of
human depravity and ethnic cleansing,” Bishop Wenski pointed out. Since
then, many well-intentioned attempts have been made to stop the
spiraling cycle of violence.
“As the security
situation deteriorates both in Darfur and across the border in
neighboring Chad, the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the 2.5
million who have fled their homes and the million more at risk of
starvation has become a daunting challenge to the international
community,” said the bishop.
U.S. bishops urge for more action, commitment in Darfur crisis
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February 12, 2012
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