Catholic leaders in Sudan pray for peace as independence vote looms

JUBA, Sudan - Roman Catholic leaders have launched a countrywide campaign in Sudan to pray for peace ahead of a scheduled referendum on southern independence that some fear may lead to violence.

Southern Sudan, which is predominantly animist and Christian, is scheduled to vote on independence Jan. 9, but preparations for the vote are badly behind schedule. The body charged with organizing the vote has not set a date for voter registration, a process likely to be contentious as officials decide who is eligible to vote.

The Obama administration has said it is "inevitable" that the south will declare independence. But given the south's substantial known oil resources, many here worry that the predominantly Muslim north will find it difficult to accept an independent south.

"There are a lot of forecasts of war and all these indications that tell us the situation between north and south is as tense as ever," said Sister Cecilia Sierra Salcido, a Mexican nun.

Salcido and other members of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba have organized "101 Days of Prayer for Peace." The effort began Tuesday to coincide with the International Day of Peace. It ends Jan. 1, eight days before the referendum.

"The least we can do is pray," said Salcido.

Hundreds gathered on a rainy morning in the southern capital of Juba to mark the launch of the prayer campaign.

Interfaith Christian work has long worked toward peace in Sudan during the country's long civil war and since the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended more than two decades of fighting.