Muslims-Christians “peaceful coexistence” Possible in Sudan: Comboni Missionary Sister

Under the leadership of Macram Max Gassis, the bishop of El Obeid (Sudan) from 1988 to 2013, in the region “schools, a hospital, and also a radio station where I was working were built with the help of benefactors,” she said.

“It was very beautiful, because not only Christians participated in my radio program but also Muslims,” she said.

Since its independence in 1956, Sudan has been mired in civil wars and ethnic, religious, and economic clashes.

In 2011, Christian-majority South Sudan broke away and became the world’s newest country.

Christians in Sudan know ‘God is a loving Father’

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The Comboni missionary highlighted the joy of Christians who live their faith in Sudan.

In one of the Christian communities where she served, she said, “the Masses could last more than an hour and a half. They are very happy, they sing, play the drums, and dance.”

“It means a lot to them that there is a Father in the face of the experience that they have had of much pain, much suffering for years of war.”

“Hearing that God is a Father who loves them, who does not abandon them and that, even though they are ‘people of color,’ he is with them, is very consoling for them.”

For example, “when they go to Communion, during the celebration they start to sing around the altar.”

“On one occasion, a lady, wondering if God was with them or not in that situation affirmed that God was there in fact [and] she saw him present in the missionaries who were accompanying them, and she felt that God was showing them his love,” the sister said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.