Hungarian cardinal on New York visit decries situation in Sudan

Published: 2004-07-29

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest spoke out in a New York address July 28 against what he described as the humanitarian catastrophe taking place in the western Sudan. Reading a statement in English at a luncheon held in his honor, he said "one cannot remain silent" about what is taking place in the Sudan's Dafur region, where pro-government Arab militias have been accused of genocidal action against blacks. Cardinal Erdo noted that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan had intervened in the issue and that Pope John Paul II had sent Archbishop Paul J. Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum," to the area as his personal representative. The luncheon was hosted by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, a New York-based interreligious organization that has given special attention to Eastern Europe in working for religious liberty and other rights.

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