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"Churches stand at a crossroads in Sudan where the transition from decades of conflict to peace and reconstruction remains bumpy and Islam and Christianity cross paths," said the head of the World Council of Churches the Samuel Kobia. He recently returned from a week-long "international ecumenical solidarity" visit to the country from 26 March to 3 April.
Despite the hardships, in south Sudan, the Episcopal (Anglican) Church of the Sudan (ECS), reportedly opened 10 churches in one month. Where buildings do not exist, the church meets under trees, witnesses said.
HEAD COUNTS
Simple head counts are done each Sunday and gatherings of 1,500 people or more are common at the Dinka-language service in the city of Rumbek, the capital of Lakes State, said Reverend Elijah Magel, a priest in published remarks.
Southern Sudan is home to mainly Christians and animists who do not speak Arabic or abide by Islamic law.
The civil war in the south ended in a 2005 peace deal that provided autonomy and set up a government led by the former rebel group known as Sudan People's Liberation Movement.
However Christians in several parts of the country still face restrictions in practicing their faith, especially in the predominantly Muslim/Arab area of northern Sudan, said Ezekiel Kondo, bishop of one of the biggest dioceses in the ECS. "LITTLE FREEDOM"
"We have little freedom," said Bishop Kondo in s statement. His diocese is home to many southern Sudanese who fled to Khartoum during the civil war.
The Mothers' Union is active in his diocese and he has 150 clergy and assorted evangelists to minister to the worshippers in about 50 churches; the Episcopal Church claims about 1.5 million members throughout Sudan, but the figures are based only on headcounts at weekly services, according to Christian accounts.
Besides restrictions, Christians in Sudan can also face food shortages, especially in the strife-torn Darfur region.
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said in a statement that it will have to cut rations of food in Sudan by half because attacks on its trucks.
UN TROUBLES
"So far this year 60 WFP-contracted trucks have been hijacked in Darfur - where the agency is feeding over two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees - with 39 trucks still missing and 26 drivers unaccounted for,” the United Nations said.
Yet amid the social difficulties and restrictions, devoted Christians still preach the Gospel.
"It is hard for Arabs to become Christians," admitted Bishop Kondo. "We can be suspicious and think that the 'converts' might be spies for the government. We never know if they are genuine."
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