June 15, 2011. (Romereports.com) After 22 years of war and 2 million dead, South Sudan is gaining independence from the North. On July 9, representatives from the Catholic Church and the new government will meet in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, to celebrate this historic moment. It's a chance to look to the future with a new confidence but also an awareness of the significant challenges they face.

The bishop of Rumbek, in the center of South Sudan, explained that the main shortcomings of the new country is the lack of a ruling class, a transparency in government as well as the reconciliation and integration of the different tribes.

Msgr. Cesare Mazzolari
Bishop of Rumbek (South Sudan)
“We need engineers, we need doctors, we need people prepared at every political level, people who can join the rest of the world with an honest administration, without corruption, an administration that can make a respectable name in society.”

Aware of these shortcomings, the country's bishops proposed, 101 days before the referendum, 101 days of prayer in Sudan and around the world for the future of the country.

The Catholic Church is helping the situation through the University of Sacred Heart in Milan which has launched a program to train the future leaders of the country as well as the Italian Episcopal Conference which has financed the construction of schools.

They hope to help rebuild the country and the lives of nearly 9 million people from the world's youngest country.