Agenzia Fides REPORT– An ecumenical prayer service for the peaceful outcome of the referendum on January 6, 2011, regarding the independence of southern Sudan was held October 23 in Rumbek (Lakes State capital in southern Sudan), in the presence of local religious leaders and government officials .Bishop Cesare Mazzolari, Bishop of Rumbek, urged the people of South Sudan to accept Jesus as the "true, the only source of lasting peace."Bishop Mazzolari also urged the Sudanese people to refrain from the temptation to retaliate and to repay evil with evil, adding that in view of the referendum, the population must remain faithful to Christ's teaching on peace and forgiveness.The heads of various Christian denominations prayed that God would send His Spirit to descend upon the people of Sudan and grant that the referendum should take place in peace.The prayer meeting was organized by leaders of various churches, including the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek, the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS), the Pentecostal Church, and the Baptist Church.A UN official who attended the ecumenical, James Fandus, assured that the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is providing support for the referendum, which has accumulated several delays because of political disputes between the parties in the north and south."The people of South Sudan have the right to participate in the referendum in a peaceful environment," said Fandus, who acknowledged the commitment to promote peace on the part of government officials and Christian leaders of the Lakes State. http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=27675&lan=eng
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