Sudan: Information on the Roman Catholic Church's policy on names of its members and whether the church requires its members to have Christian names or permits retention of birth names
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SDN19241.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sudan: Information on the Roman Catholic Church's policy on names of its members and whether the church requires its members to have Christian names or permits retention of birth names, 1 December 1994, SDN19241.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aca71c.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In a letter faxed to the DIRB, a representative of the New Sudan Council of Churches bases in Nairobi stated that "the church does not require its members to have Christian names, though very many persons do choose to adopt Christian names" (17 Dec. 1994). This information is corroborated by a representative of the Groupe d'action pour le Soudan based in Montreal, who stated in a telephone interview, that when Christians are baptized, they usually adopt names of saints but also retain their birth names. He gave the example of the archbishop of Khartoum, whose name is Gabriel Zubeir Wako (19 Dec. 1994).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Groupe d'action pour le Soudan, Montreal. 19 December 1994. telephone interview with representative.
The New Sudan Council of Churches, Nairobi. 17 December 1994. Letter faxed to the DIRB.
