---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Wed, Jul 20, 2016 at 7:59 AM Subject: [sudans-john-ashworth] Vatican Envoy Urges South Sudan Peace To: Group <[email protected]>
1. Vatican Envoy Urges South Sudan Peace July 19, 2016 VOA Tito Justin JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN β A top Vatican envoy is urging South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar to peacefully end the wave of violence that gripped the capital, Juba, for four days last week, leaving hundreds of people dead and thousands of others displaced. Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson met Tuesday with Kiir and delivered a message directly from Pope Francis. Turkson, who is from Ghana, said he discussed with Kiir the need to peacefully end the recent conflict in South Sudan. He said Kiir assured him that he remains committed to restoring peace in the country. The cardinal says he wanted to meet with Machar, but the former rebel leader fled Juba shortly after the fighting broke out and is staying at an undisclosed location in South Sudan, according to a spokesman. Kiir strongly opposes a proposal by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a regional body, and the African Union to deploy regional troops to Juba to stabilize the capital and act as a buffer between forces loyal to the president and those loyal to Machar. Turkson says the president conveyed that he is receptive to a meeting with Machar. Turkson said Kiir is not opposed to a third-party security force to ensure Machar's safety, but refuses to allow any foreign troops to stay in South Sudan for any other reason. The cardinal said he urged Kiir to share the content of Pope Francis' letter with officials in the Transitional Government of National Unity. Victims of fighting During his four-day visit, Turkson also met with hundreds of internally displaced people sheltering at a United Nations camp in Juba, and witnessed firsthand how they were suffering. "How can we ensure safety and security for the people so that they can be able to live in their houses and be able to provide development in the area β¦ so that they can find their way in helping South Sudan to develop and grow?" he said. Turkson also met the SPLA Chief of Staff Paul Malong, who briefed him on the latest casualty figures. Turkson called it unacceptable that such a huge number of civilians and soldiers were killed. "The chief of defense has said 300 people-plus lost their lives,β he said. βIt's a very sad thing. When I told the pope, he also expressed the desire someday to visit South Sudan. You know, to lose 300 people of your population, whether they are soldiers or not, it's not a comfortable thing." Turkson passed messages of condolence to the families who lost loved ones, and spoke to Malong about the need to quickly end the conflict and restore peace. Turkson urged the South Sudanese people not to lose hope, adding that he believes the country will be able to overcome its hardships. http://m.voanews.com/a/vatican-envoy-urges-south-sudan-peace/3426134.html END1 2. From a reliable source who attended Cardinal Turkson's Mass on Sunday 17th July 2016 at St Teresa's Catholic Cathedral, Kator, in Juba This morning we attended mass at the Cathedral presided over by Peter Cardinal Kodwo Turkson of the Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice. In his message and homily he conveyed greetings from Pope Francis, that the Pope gave him two letters one for the President and another for the Vice President (1st) which hope to give during the week. In the homily, I picked two main points; (a) the glory of God in us which must manifest itself in peace, and (b) the diversity of God's creation as manifested in the tribes we belong to, which should be celebrated and not source of divisions and war. He prayed for the Government and people of South Sudan. That the Pope told him that he (Pope) too, one day would want to visit South Sudan. END2 ______________________ John Ashworth [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +27 79 832 8834 (South Africa mobile) +44 787 976 8030 (UK mobile) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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