Sudanese bishop hopes U.S. Catholics will help keep his church alive

Published: 2003-12-03

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- Despite the war, starvation and extreme poverty that are ways of life in his country, Sudanese Bishop Paride Taban said the people of Sudan live by their faith. "They have nothing, but can smile," the bishop of Torit told the Tennessee Register, Nashville diocesan newspaper, during a visit to the United States. "Some people here have a beautiful house and plenty to eat, but cannot smile." During his U.S. visit, Bishop Taban was working to raise awareness about his war-torn country and appeal for help. He was in Nashville to visit some of the "lost boys," a generation of Sudanese males driven from their tribal villages and separated from their parents during the height of their country's civil war. "I am the shepherd," Bishop Taban said. "I have left 99 at home and am looking for the lost ones." The bishop encourages the "boys," many of whom are now in their mid-20s, to get an education and return to their country to help rebuild it.

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