SALT LAKE CITY — Bishop John C. Wester of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, in an Oct. 18 interview with the Intermountain Catholic, expressed concern about the International situations in Darfur, Sudan and Myanmar (Burma). "I am certain the prayers of Utah Catholics continue for the victims of the ongoing genocide in Darfur, in the western region of Sudan, where many of Africa’s poorest men, women, and children continue to be slaughtered and mowed down by rebel groups. Certainly this situation calls for our ongoing prayer and concern. "I encourage the United States government, the United Nations, and other international organization to bring whatever influence they have in the area to bear to end this senseless slaughter," Bishop Wester said. As for the growing violence in Myanmar (Burma) on the Indochinese peninsula, bishop Wester said: "We always pray for people who are unjustly imprisoned. "I have been privileged to be a participant in the Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue in California over the past five years, and this dialogue has deepened my respect and admiration for those who follow the Buddhist path. It is tragically ironic that people so dedicated to peace would be so violently treated. "To those who are suffering there, I would say our thoughts and prayer are with you."
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