Canterbury – “Peace is the only option” for Sudan and South Sudan; Refugee Children Dying at Alarming Rate in South Sudan, Aid Groups Say; Evangelicals Fight Over Therapy To ‘Cure’ Gays; Monsoon rains cause havoc in Bangladesh; Pakistani Christian group demands exclusive province for minorities
Archbishop of Canterbury declares “Peace is the only option” for Sudan and South Sudan
“Peace is the only option which can allow the flourishing of South Sudan and its neighbour Sudan,” the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned.
Speaking on the first anniversary of the independence of South Sudan, the Archbishop of Canterbury has called for urgent efforts to resolve outstanding differences between South Sudan and its neighbour Sudan.
The first anniversary of the new nation of South Sudan gives an opportunity for renewed effort towards achieving peaceful relations between Sudan and South Sudan. The new nation was created with the support of both South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan, and the well-being of both countries depends on their mutual co-operation. I strongly endorse the joint appeal which the Anglican and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Juba have made on this significant anniversary. As the two archbishops have warned, the current impasse is damaging to both nations. I welcome the vision which the Sudanese Church has set before us of “two nations at peace with each other, co-operating to make best use of their God-given resources, promoting free interaction between their citizens, living side by side in solidarity and mutual respect.”
I share too their hope for a just and free society in both countries in which people of all religions, ethnicities, cultures and languages enjoy the same human rights based on citizenship according to the human dignity given by God. To that end I appeal for urgent humanitarian assistance to be allowed to reach all those affected by conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile States as well as in Darfur. I also urge respect for freedom of worship and religion for all the Sudanese people and am particularly concerned at the demolition without warning of St John’s Church in Hai Baraka, Khartoum, Sudan, by government authorities on 18th June. With the World Council of Churches and All Africa Conference of Churches, I call on the Government of the Republic of Sudan to investigate this and other recent incidents and to ensure religious freedom and due protection for all its people.
Refugee Children Dying at Alarming Rate in South Sudan, Aid Groups Say
New York Times – Nine children are dying every day from preventable illnesses like diarrhea in an overcrowded, swampy refugee camp in South Sudan, and United Nations officials said Friday that they were stepping up efforts to evacuate people as fast as they could.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/07/world/africa/refugee-children-dying-at-alarming-rate-in-south-sudan-aid-groups-say.html
Evangelicals Fight Over Therapy To ‘Cure’ Gays
The largest “ex-gay ministry” that has promoted conversion therapy as a way to “cure” people of same-sex attractions now says the approach is wrong. The shift comes after new studies by evangelical researchers showed that conversion therapy does not work. It’s created a ruckus about whether people can change their sexual orientation.
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/06/156367287/evangelicals-fight-over-therapy-to-cure-gays?ft=1&f=1016
Monsoon rains cause havoc in Bangladesh
Christian Today – Christian Aid is assisting some of the hundreds of thousands of people affected by torrential rain in Bangladesh. At least 121 people have been killed following heavy monsoon rains in Bangladesh.
Raging floodwaters have hit the north west of the country, marooning a million people and causing flash floods and landslides, Christian Aid reports.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/monsoon.rains.cause.havoc.in.bangladesh/30209.htm
Pakistani Christian group demands exclusive province for minorities
ENI – A Christian human rights group in Pakistan has called for an exclusive region for religious minorities whose numbers have been on a steady decline in the Muslim majority nation. “We demand setting up of an exclusive province for (religious) minorities if the government cannot take drastic action to uphold our fundamental rights,” said Joseph Francis, founding director of the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance-Settlement (CLAAS).
http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=5776