Castel Gandolfo, Sep. 14, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI met on September 14 with Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for a discussion of religious freedom in that country and of the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur.
Bashir was making his first visit to the Holy See. His Islamic government had engaged in a long and bloody civil war with rebels from the predominantly Christian south of Sudan, until a peace treaty ended that conflict in 2005.
Commenting to reporters after the meeting, the director of the Vatican press office, Father Federico Lombardi, remarked that the Sudanese government had been 'very committed to this meeting." He added: "It was a high-level delegation that demonstrated attention and respect for the Vatican.”
In his talks with Bashir, Pope Benedict voices his hopes for the success of peace talks on the Darfur conflict, which are scheduled to take place in October in Libya. A statement released by the Vatican after the meeting indicated the Pope's desire "that these negotiations prove successful in order to put an end to the suffering and insecurity of those peoples, ensuring them the humanitarian assistance to which they have the right, and initiating development projects."
The Pope also spoke with his visitor about "the fundamental right of religious freedom" and the importance of maintaining friendly dialogue between religious groups-- particularly Christians and Muslims. The Holy Father reminded Bashir of the contributions that the Church has made to the welfare of Sudan's society, "especially in the field of education."
After meeting with the Pope, at the apostolic palace in Castel Gandolfo, the Sudanese leader met separately with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States. Before taking his post at the Vatican last year, Archbishop Mamberti had been stationed in Khartoum as the papal nuncio to Sudan.