When five church leaders appeared in a court in Sudan on 8 August, they had the shock of their lives: the judge actually ruled in their favour.
When five church leaders appeared in a court in Sudan on 8 August, they had the shock of their lives: the judge actually ruled in their favour.
For years the Sudanese government has been trying to take over church property illegally. This particular case involves a long-standing dispute over property owned by the the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC). The Ministry of Religious Affairs had ordered that the property should be handed over to a committee run by the government. Since then, church leaders had been regularly harassed, interrogated and taken to court. In May 2017 the SCOC risked writing an open letter of protest to the Sudanese government about what it called ‘the systematic violation of Christian religious freedoms’.
So no wonder the surprise of the five church leaders – including the SCOC president Ayouba Telyan – when at their court hearing their rights were upheld, and the judge ruled in their favour.
The judge ordered that administration of the property should be returned to the SCOC, and the five church leaders were back in their offices the next day.
Of course, there is a lot more action needed form the Sudanese government to end the persecution of religious minorities in the country. Several other denominations, like the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church, are also in conflict with the government over ownership of its properties, and are facing fines and the closure and destruction of church buildings.
But thank you for all your prayers over this issue: and thanks to God that our prayers for justice to prevail have been answered.
Your support helps persecuted Christians continue to courageously follow Jesus.
Together, we can reach those where persecution hits hardest.