U.S. cannot remain silent on Darfur, bishops say

Published: 2006-05-01

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As thousands of Americans gathered at "Save Darfur" rallies across the country April 30, the nation's Catholic bishops joined with other religious and political leaders in calling for greater U.S. efforts to end the genocidal campaign against the non-Arab population of Sudan's Darfur region. "Sunday's 'Save Darfur' rally should remind our leaders that our nation cannot remain silent in the face of killings, rape and wanton destruction," said Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., chairman of the bishops' Committee on International Policy. "Our country can and must do more, much more, to defend and protect innocent civilians in Darfur. Anything less would be unworthy of us as a people committed to human life and dignity," he added. At the chief "Save Darfur" rally, held on the National Mall in the nation's capital, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington reminded an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 participants that people of the world are all brothers and sisters. "What happens to the people of Darfur happens to us," he said.

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