Communiqué
“Let us come before God with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 95.2)
1. The 8th Provincial Synod of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan,
meeting in Juba from 23rd-29th January 2006, gives thanks to Almighty
God for the opportunity to meet together in peace after 21 years of
civil war. We praise God for the signing of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement on 9th January 2005 and convey our congratulations to the
Government of Sudan and the SPLM/A on achieving the agreement and on the
formation of the Government of National Unity and the Government of
Southern Sudan.
2. On behalf of the Church, we also express our sorrow at the death of
our 1st Vice-President and President of Southern Sudan, Dr John Garang.
During the Synod we have visited his grave and prayed there. We extend
our condolences to his wife and family and assure them of our continued
prayers.
3. As the highest governing body of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, we
express our full support for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and urge
the fullest respect and timely implementation of all its provisions. We
call on all levels of government in Sudan to ensure its full
implementation and call on the international community to guarantee and
sustain the agreement.
4. We are concerned for peace to be achieved in the whole of our beloved
country Sudan and urge all parties to speed up the resolving of
conflicts and issues in Darfur, Eastern Sudan and Abyei. We call for
continued protection and humanitarian assistance to alleviate the
suffering of people in these areas.
5. As people forgiven and redeemed by God through his Son Jesus Christ,
we call for reconciliation and forgiveness among all the tribes and
peoples of Sudan. We urge all people to live in peace and harmony and to
respect and welcome one another. We recognize there have been many
changes through the period of war and our communities have been
traumatized but we encourage people to accept one another in love,
whatever their different experiences have been.
6. We are concerned at continuing violence and insecurity in some areas
of Southern Sudan, and appeal to all parties to play their part in
ending the violence and ensuring respect for human rights. We call for
the upholding the rule of law and of the Constitution at every level. We
urge the managing of local conflicts through healing and forgiveness and
commit ourselves as the Church to work for justice, peace and
reconciliation in all our dioceses.
7. We strongly oppose the segregation of our people according to tribe
and urge the unity of the people of God. We give thanks for places such
as Western Equatoria where the Church has stood firm against tribalism.
Does Jesus Christ belong only to the Dinka or Zande? No. All the tribes
come together in Jesus Christ. We share a common language in the Word of
God in Jesus Christ. We warn people to be on their guard against those
who wish to create divisions and call for the Government of Southern
Sudan to take measures necessary to ensure security.
8. Recognizing the important right of self-determination contained
within the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, we call for awareness and
understanding of this right to be promoted. We propose a programme of
education and information to prepare the people of Southern Sudan, Nuba
Mountains and Abyei over the coming five years so that this right may be
exercised responsibly and with full understanding, and not out of anger
or ignorance.
9. We congratulate all members of the new Government of National Unity,
the Government of Southern Sudan and the assemblies and local government
at every level. We call on all people to uphold good governance and
transparency in running the country. We request the international
community and local civil society to maintain vigilance. As the Church,
we commit ourselves to speak out as necessary.
10. With peace has come new hope and expectation. We appeal to the new
governments to provide services to improve the people’s quality of life.
We call for an urgent focus on education, health and clean water. We
appeal for a readiness to support the return of Internally Displaced
Persons and Refugees in their long-held desire to return to their places
of origin. We appeal to the Government of Southern Sudan, the Sudan
Council of Churches and the international community to assist with their
return. As the local church, we commit ourselves to prepare to welcome
them and work for their peaceful re-integration into our communities.
11. As the Prophet Isaiah declares, our Lord loves justice and hates
robbery and wrong. We recognize the priority needs of people
marginalized during oil exploration in the region of Upper Nile. We are
concerned at the large number of villages destroyed and call for the
issue of compensation to be urgently addressed. We recognize the need to
strengthen the mission and ministry of the Church in these areas and
call on other dioceses and partners to support with developing manpower
and other resources in the region.
12. Our Synod has expressed a real desire to move forwards in the
apostolic mission of the Church. We recognize the important role of our
bishops and dioceses in the Church’s mission and have established a
Committee to assess the need for and viability of proposed new dioceses.
We also recognize that the real strength of the Church is in the faith
and confidence of each believer and encourage renewed attention to
developing strong parishes, deaneries and archdeaconries. We have
affirmed the priority to provide appropriate opportunities for
theological education to meet the needs of the whole people of God and
have established a Provincial Commission on Theological Education to
take forward this work.
13. We strongly oppose actions recently taken within the Anglican Church
in USA and Canada in consecrating a practicing homosexual as bishop and
in approving a rite for the blessing of same-sex relationships. We
reject homosexual practice as contrary to biblical teaching and can
accept no place for it within ECS. We believe that human sexuality is
God’s gift to human beings which is rightly ordered only when expressed
within the life-long commitment of marriage between one man and one
woman. We require all those in the ministry of the Church to live
according to this standard and cannot accept church leaders whose
practice is contrary to this. Valuing our belonging to the one holy,
catholic and apostolic Church and out of love for our brothers and
sisters in these churches, we will continue to call for repentance while
listening to all voices within the Anglican Communion.
14. In our role as the highest governing body of ECS, we have fully
endorsed the actions of His Grace the Archbishop, the Most Revd Dr
Joseph Marona, in the dismissal of the former bishops of Kadugli and
Rumbek, Peter El Birish and Gabriel Roric Jur, which followed
disciplinary action and took effect on 10th August 2001 and 31st May
2003 respectively. They are no longer bishops in ECS and their
subsequent actions in creating “the Reformed Episcopal Church of the
Sudan” have set them outside ECS. Their actions have no recognition or
validity within ECS or the Anglican Communion. We urge all government
authorities to be clear of this in their dealings with the church.
15. Looking ahead to the new future promised to us in our Lord Jesus
Christ, we come before God with thanksgiving for this Synod and for
everything which God has been doing in our life together, during our
worship, our fellowship, discussions and decisions. We welcome the
unanimous election of the Revd Enock Tombe as ECS Provincial Secretary
for the coming five years and express our appreciation to all who have
supported the Synod with their prayers and resources – our members and
friends across Sudan and our international partners. We pray for God’s
strength as we go forward together to build a just and peaceful society
in Sudan. May God’s blessing be richly upon us all.
8th Provincial Synod
The Episcopal Church of the Sudan
Juba, Sudan