(ANS - Rome) –Darfur, a region situated in the west of Sudan, in the Sahara desert is the scene of one of the greatest human tragedies. After about twenty years of civil war, in 2005 peace agreements were signed which in spite of all the promises have not brought order to the country: the victims of the disorders reached two million, while the refugees number about 4 million.

Last Friday 14 September, at Castel Gandolfo, the Pope granted an audience to the President of Sudan Omar Hassan Ahmed El-Bashir, accompanied by a delegation composed of 15 government representatives, including the Foreign Minister, the Minister for Religious Affairs and a  representative of the Christian religion.

At the centre of the meeting was the crucial topic of human rights and religious freedom, with particular reference to the importance of dialogue and openness among the different religions. Benedict XVI appealed for an end to the suffering and the insecurity of the people in Darfur, trying to ensure humanitarian assistance and the implementation of development projects.

During the meeting, as reported in a note by the Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi, other topics were also considered including “the defence of life and of the family, the respect for and the promotion of human rights, such as the fundamental one of religious freedom, the importance of inter-religious dialogue and of collaboration between believers  in all the religions, in particular Christians and Muslims for the promotion of peace and the common good."

Also underlined was the fundamental  contribution of the Catholic Church, which for years has been working in Sudan in the humanitarian field and in education. In these activities the Salesians are playing a significant role in Sudan, and in collaboration with VIS, are carrying out various projects for assistance and development.

The Salesian missions are concentrated in the south of Sudan, at Tonj and Wau, and in the north at Khartoum, Nyala and El Obejd. The most important centre of  Salesian activity is the city of Tonj, where about 700 children are benefitting from the construction of a new school where they will be assured of a good basic education. The Salesian project aims at finally resolving the situation of the serious lack of schools by building schools and training teachers and providing vocational training courses.

Published 19/09/2007