Two Sudanese bishops will be welcomed to the diocese next week as a partnership link with West Yorkshire and the Dales is strengthened.
Bishop Abdu Al-Nur Kodi (pictured left), the Bishop of Port Sudan, and Bishop Hassan James (pictured below right), the assistant Bishop of Kadugli, will arrive in Bradford on Monday 15 February and over the following seven days will visit churches and projects both in Bradford and in the Dales.
The exchange visit will see the Bishop of Bradford, Bishop Toby Howarth, travelling home with them to Khartoum the following week on his first visit as bishop to the partner dioceses in the troubled country. With him will be two more link supporters from the Bradford Episcopal Area – the first time a group from the diocese has visited Sudan.
Bishop Abdu is responsible for churches in Port Sudan, an important shipping terminal on the Red Sea in a largely desert area, but also churches in towns on a long road south to Wad Medani, a distance of about 800 miles. His diocese is the eastern side of Sudan, covering an area 200 miles by 600 miles. 
Bishop Hassan was consecrated as Assistant Bishop of Kadugli in July last year to lead work in the government held Nuba Mountains. His diocese is about half the size of Bishop Abdu's but is also split in two by civil war. Bishop Hassan is ministering to the northern, government held half.
Their visit has been welcomed by Bishop James Bell, the Bishop of Ripon. He said, “At the Lambeth Conference in 2008, it was a huge privilege to meet and hear the stories of brother bishops from Sudan. The memory of them has been with me ever since. It will be a blessing to renew the encounter as we welcome them to the Diocese!”
All interested in meeting both bishops are invited to an open meeting on Tuesday February 16th, 7.30pm at St. John the Evangelist, Ben Rydding.