Bishop Macram Max Gassis of the El Obeid Diocese, which includes the war-torn regions of Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and Abyei in the Sudan, has worked tirelessly for decades to protect the God-given rights of all people to live in peace and security.

As Bishop of El Obeid, Gassis has passionately advocated for the rights of marginalized ethnic groups in central and Southern Sudan. Until his exile, Bishop Gassis played a unique role as the only Sudanese Bishop who was also a native Arabic speaker (the language of the Sudanese government). This enabled him to serve as the liaison between the Bishops’ Conference and the government and gave him distinctive insight into the danger posed by the Sudanese government to its own people. In 1988 the Bishop testified to a United States Congressional committee on the massacre of more than a thousand Dinka minorities in southern Darfur, drawing attention to the brutal policies of the Sudanese government toward minority groups at a time when little was known about these atrocities. Due to his testimony Bishop Gassis was forced into exile and set up headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

From Kenya Bishop Gassis has organized relief for residents of southern Sudan (including parts of what is now the new nation of South Sudan) and the Nuba Mountains terrorized by war – areas that other relief agencies were unable to reach due to an embargo imposed by the Sudanese government. He secretly flew urgently needed food, medical supplies, and aid workers to the region always under threat of attack from government forces. The Bishop himself has been attacked on pastoral visits to the area, where his sought to provide support to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

While Bishop Gassis has chosen to align himself with the oppressed, he was born in 1938 to a privileged northern Sudanese family. He attended seminary in Italy and was ordained in 1964. Gassis also studied at the Catholic University of America and received a degree in Canon Law and Administration. He has created greater international awareness of the catastrophe in Sudan by testifying to foreign governments, the United Nations Human Rights Commission, other non-governmental agencies, the media, and other Bishops on the atrocities committed in Sudan.

When not on relief missions to southern Sudan, Bishop Gassis persists in his efforts to raise international awareness of the tragedy. He created the Bishop Gassis Sudan Relief Fund to raise money and support for vital relief projects , including building hospitals, schools, and wells. These projects meet immediate needs while making lasting improvements to the quality of life in this devastated part of the world.