Letter
Letter to U.S. Senator Casey on Letter to President Urging Commitment to Peace in Sudan January 20, 2011
January 20, 2011
Honorable Senator Bob Casey
393 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-4904
Dear Senator Casey:
As Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and President of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), we thank you for urging the Administration, in your January 7 letter to President Obama, to maintain its commitment to peace in Sudan well after the referendum for self-determination.
We agree that much remains to be negotiated and resolved in the months remaining to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. When the bishops of Sudan met with you last year they expressed their concerns about the rights of minorities remaining in the north, the tensions in the border areas of Abyei, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile, and the unresolved issues of border demarcation, citizenship, and oil revenue and debt allocation.
The Church in Sudan has also made it clear that the people of Darfur still suffer, and that this suffering and insecurity must be resolved to bring peace and development to the region. The people of South Sudan will need significant and sustained humanitarian and development funding as well as technical assistance to further develop effective and transparent governance. Civil society in South Sudan is nascent too and will need strong partnerships and developmental assistance.
We look forward to working with you and others to ensure that Sudan has the opportunity to build a future of peace and prosperity.
Sincerely yours,
Most Reverend Howard J. Hubbard
Bishop of Albany
Chairman
Committee on International Justice and Peace
Ken Hackett
President
Catholic Relief Services