society
Sudan. The Church in the Nuba Mountains
Interview with Msgr Gassis, Bishop of El Obeid. The role of the Church and the
dialogue with Islam
edited by Paola Ronconi
In Milan, we met with His Excellency Macram Max Gassis, Bishop of El Obeid in
central Sudan. He will soon return to his diocese. “After the flight,” he
tells us, “I have a three-hour journey to reach home. I live in the forest,
on the Nuba Mountains, in the areas liberated by the SPLA [Sudanese Popular Liberation
Army], not in the episcopal see, because I am considered by the Khartoum government
a persona non grata since I have often spoken out against the violations of human
rights in my country.” Here the population is African, not Arab, for the
most part practicing the traditional African religion (animists), as well as
many Catholics and Protestants. The Nuban Muslims are moderate, and encounter
the hostility of the fundamentalist government in Khartoum, which wants to take
over this fertile, oil-rich territory and impose the Shariah on them.
Bishop Gassis has not lived in El Obeid for years. But he spends long periods
in Europe and the United States, where he attempts to raise public awareness.
Indifference to the conflict in his country is the most serious charge he lays
against the countries of the West.
Bishop Gassis, in such a difficult situation, what role can the Church play?
The Church has to give hope to the population. Not only to Catholics, but also
to Protestants, to traditionally religious Africans, and to Muslims persecuted
because they are not Arab and thus are considered second-rank Muslims by the
regime. I have in mind the peoples of the Nuba Mountains in particular.
The Muslims… What does all this mean in the dialogue with them?
I do not believe in a doctrinal-type dialogue–this is impossible. On the
contrary, I believe in a living dialogue, i.e., based on mutual respect and cooperation
as human beings and as creatures of God who share this humanity and this earth.
For example, in the field of education: how many Muslims are educated in Catholic
schools! In the field of health care: how many Muslim women have come to the
maternity ward of our hospital! And our people appreciate this–this is
the hope I was talking about earlier. We are building a little hospital in the
Nuba Mountains, and also an educational and vocational training center. This
is called hope and dialogue for our people.
How can peace be achieved in the Sudan?
For me, the most important aspect is the relationship between state and religion,
but the recent treaties do not mention this. In the Sudan, there are laws that
are discriminatory by nature, like the Missionary Society Act [in 1962 the Khartoum
government issued a decree that missionaries had to be expelled from the country],
in order to paralyze the growth of the Church and make it an insignificant minority.
When the Holy Father visited the Sudan, he asked the Islamic regime to repeal
the law. The new version is worse than the original!
It is useless for us to deceive ourselves and deceive public opinion–without
justice there can be no peace. The conflict is not a political or economic matter
at this point, but is racial and religious.
Countries like Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, and Uganda attempt to help the Sudan
stop the Khartoum government, because they fear the spread of Islamic fundamentalism.
What does it mean to be the shepherd of such a tormented people?
For me, it is an immense grace, because suffering with my people enriches me
and gives me strength. The suffering Church knows no compromises and does not
accept them. Either we are on the Lord’s side or we are against Him. I
am not a politician, I am a shepherd. The role of the Church is to raise the
awareness of public opinion about what is happening in the Sudan, not only on
the ecclesial level but also on the political and social level. We speak out
to our brother bishops, to the priests, to the various parishes, but also to
the political leaders of the world.