Bishop Taban urges peace, aid for Sudan in visit
BY ERIN GRACE, Omaha World-Herald
OMAHA, Oct. 29, 2003 — The Catholic bishop of a Sudanese diocese calmly described the chaos that has enveloped his nation for decades.
Bombs with chemicals that burn the skin. Guns instead of plows in the hands of men. Starving people. Fleeing people. Dying people. Forgotten people. His people.
The tale of human tragedy leaving staggering numbers of dead, wounded and refugees in its wake is one Bishop Paride Taban shares readily with the Sudanese refugees scattered across the globe and with those in other countries who can help.
“We are children of God,” Taban said Tuesday in Omaha. “Anyone suffering in any part of the world is your sister and your brother.”
When in his native Sudan, Taban lives in a thatched hut, repairing his own car, building things and ministering to the more than 400,000 Catholics in his diocese and to the many others who pass through, fleeing to refugee camps in neighboring Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.
When abroad, the trim 67-year-old seeks to share the story of his diocese and encourage international aid and efforts to bring peace.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell traveled to Kenya to encourage peace talks between the warring Muslim and Christian factions of Sudan. It’s a sign of hope to Taban, who has felt at times that the world has forgotten about Sudan.
“Khartoum won’t listen to the people of the south,” Taban said, referring to the Muslim-controlled capital of the country. “They call us toothless, barking bulldogs.”
But with international pressure on that government to make peace, he said, there is hope.
During his U.S. journey, Taban said he is trying to meet with the widely known Lost Boys of Sudan – youths who traveled together through Sudan after losing their families in the war, with perilous tales of escape.
Taban said he will tell the Lost Boys they are lucky. And he will ask them to stay in the United States long enough to become educated and return to Sudan to help rebuild the country. He calls the boys, many now grown men, “yeast.”
“We have the flour at home,” Taban said, “and we need the yeast.”
Taban’s visit to Omaha began Monday and ends Thursday. He is staying at St. Richard Catholic Church, 43rd and Fort Streets, which has reached out to the Sudanese refugees in Omaha.
The Rev. Ken Vavrina, pastor of the parish, said the Catholic Church in general has been slow to respond to the needs of the Sudanese, despite the high number of Catholics in Sudan.
But the church is showing more signs of outreach.
At Vavrina’s own parish elementary school, 30 of the 170 students are Sudanese. Three years ago, there were none.
Vavrina said the parish welcomed Sudanese and helped subsidize students’ tuition.
Taban said the Catholic Church has a long history of good work in Sudan. He said Catholic Relief Services has provided help, though more assistance and understanding are needed.
“The need is very great,” Taban said. “The hope of the people is all on the church.”