A message of hope and an invitation to work for peace: such is in synthesis the point made by the catholic bishops of Sudan meeting in Juba from July 15 to 22 for an extraordinary plenary session of the Episcopal Conference. The prelates have, in particular, confronted the issue of the referendum that will be held next year over the potential autonomy of South Sudan from the north as established by the peace accords that ended a 20-year long civil war in 2005. “This is a historic moment – write the bishops in a note – a moment of change that shall inevitably change Sudan”. Outlining broadly the country’s history and its internal issues, the bishops ask that the results of the referendum be respected, regardless of what they are, but they also warn about some critical situations that risk being left unresolved. The bishops are worried about the future of the populations of the Nuba mountains (in the state of Kordofan) and the state of the Blue Nile, which is ethnically and historical closer to South Sudan, though they have been incorporated de-facto in the northern part of the country. The bishops are also worried about the issue of the oil rich Abyei region, contested by North and South. In reference to the central government, the Episcopal conference has asked to maintain an attitude of opening toward all the country’s components regardless of ethnicity, language and religion. Suggestions about fighting corruption and bad management have been addressed to the government of South Sudan. [AB]