[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 27, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING BISHOP MACRAM MAX GASSIS

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                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 27, 1999

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I am submitting for the Record an article from 
the recent Washington Watch by the Family Research Council about Bishop 
Macram Max Gassis, a Roman Catholic bishop from Sudan. Over the years, 
Bishop Macram has tirelessly fought for justice for his people--the 
people of Southern Sudan and the Nuba Mountains who have suffered and 
died in great numbers during the war that has plagued the country for 
the past fifteen years.
  Over 2 million people have died in Sudan--more than in Rwanda, 
Kosovo, Somalia and Bosnia combined. They often feel they are forgotten 
by the world.
  Bishop Macram reminds us that these men, women and children must not 
be forgotten. He reminds us of their brave spirit, their hope in the 
midst of suffering and their quest for justice. He reminds us of our 
responsibility to speak out, take action and do what we can to help the 
people of Sudan.
  I have been privileged to know Bishop Macram over the years.

                        A Gentle Giant of Faith

                           (By Bill Saunders)

       In Sudan, just south of Egypt, where the church traces its 
     roots to Apostolic times, a radical Islamic government is 
     waging war on its own citizens--torturing and murdering 
     Christians. In this war, the government regularly bombs 
     innocent civilians, destroys their food supplies, poisons 
     their only sources of clean water, desecrates their churches, 
     supports the taking of their children as slaves, and forces 
     non-Arab, non-Muslim people into refugee camps where they 
     must convert to Islam or starve.
       For years, the world has done little to help. The U.N. has 
     allowed the Sudanese government to dictate where it can 
     provide relief (thus, the most needy people starve). Until 
     recently, the U.S. focused little diplomatic effort on the 
     problem, despite Sudan's strategic position as a bridge 
     between black Africa and the Middle East, and despite the 
     Sudanese government's avowed aim of exporting radical Islam 
     throughout the world. Only recently, the House of 
     Representatives passed a stinging resolution, finally and 
     fairly condemning these practices by the Sudanese government. 
     Senator Sam Brownback has introduced a similar resolution in 
     the Senate but it remains to be seen whether the House will 
     vote to take substantive action.
       In the midst of this man-made hell on earth, one man stands 
     out as he fights for justice. That man is Catholic Bishop 
     Macram Max Gassis. Born in Sudan of ethnically mixed parents 
     and educated in England, Italy, and the United States, the 
     Bishop is an articulate modern-day prophet. The only Sudanese 
     bishop born in the northern (Arab) part of the country, he is 
     fluent in the Arabic language and understands those in the 
     North who see all blacks as ``slaves'' and all Christians as 
     ``infidels''.
       Unlike so many others, he refuses to pretend the horror 
     does not exist. He has spoken out before the European 
     Parliament, the U.S. Congress, and the United Nations Human 
     Rights Commission. He travels regularly to the West, 
     particularly to the United States, to expose the evil in his 
     country. His witness has inspired many, from Senator 
     Brownbeck to Congressman Frank Wolf. He, like St. Paul, has 
     spoken the truth to kings and governors.
       In Sudan, the people revere Bishop Gassis for his courage. 
     The government, angry that he has called it to account, has 
     branded him a criminal. Whenever he travels back to his 
     country, he risks being captured and possibly executed.
       Undaunted, he returns to his diocese because his people 
     need him. His presence inspires them. Every time he returns, 
     he smuggles desperately needed supplies through enemy lines. 
     In many areas, he is the only one providing assistance.
       Despite his tribulations, the Bishop remains a gentle man, 
     firmly committed to Christ. He has a special affection for 
     children, particularly those children who were formerly 
     enslaved, and is raising several hundred of them, orphaned by 
     the raiders who abducted them. These children need food, 
     clothing, shelter, education, and counseling, and he provides 
     it. Because of this expression of Christian love, the 
     children are joyful and, like Bishop Gassis, full of hope.
       Christianity in Sudan, its ancestral home, is alive and 
     growing. The church, through heroes like Bishop Gassis, 
     refuses to be silenced. As he says, ``though we in Sudan are 
     being crucified, after every crucifixion, there comes a 
     resurrection.''

     

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