The Southern Cross - 100714 by The Southern Cross

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Putting Africa synod to work

Prayers for criminals and their victims

Jesuit’s degrees of separation

Jesus’ descent into hell

www.scross.co.za

July 14 to July 20, 2010 Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4684

R5,00 (incl VAT RSA)

SOUTHERN AFRICA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY SINCE 1920

Inside Guide for youths A Durban priest has produced two booklets intended to give young people guidance to live by Gospel values.—Page 3

Vatican: Empower women The Vatican has told the United Nations that the empowerment of women is necessary for the economic development of families and society.—Page 4

Take that to the bank… The early Christians strongly condemned usury—the charge of excessive interest on loans—writes David Brattston.—Page 9

What do you think? In their Letters to the Editor this week, readers discuss the World Cup and faith, natural family planning, traditional healing, and sermons for the deaf, justice denied, and more.—Pages 8 & 11

This week’s editorial: The centre must hold

World Cup star turned Catholic

NE of the biggest stars in the 2010 World Cup converted to Catholicism shortly before departing for South

Africa. Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder (pictured) became a Catholic in May, thanks to the influence of the Argentinian captain at Italian club side Inter Milan (with whom Sneijder won this year’s Champion’s League) and his girlfriend’s faith. The Argentinian daily La Nación in an article headlined “The Spiritual Goal of a Dutch Soccer Star” said that Sneijder arrived at the World Cup “completely renewed” after being received into the Church in an Italian chapel. The newspaper said that the player was influenced in his decision by his girlfriend, Spanish-born Dutch actress and model Yolanthe Cabau, whom he reportedly intends to marry. “He was also inspired by his friendship with Javier Zanetti, his teammate and captain for Inter, who is himself a practising Catholic,” the paper explained. Zanetti was not selected for the Argentina World Cup squad which lost 4-0 to Germany in the quarter-finals. Sneijder said that he had was moved to embrace the Catholic faith after attnding Mass with team-mates. He signed up for catechism classes with Inter’s chaplain. “In South Africa, he said he prays every day and goes to Mass on Sundays and receives Communion with Yolanthe. He wears a rosary around his neck that she gave him as a gift,” La Nación reported. “The faith gives me strength,” Sneijder said. “My convictions often keep me strong and give me determination. Everyday I pray the Our Father with [Ms Cabau]. Before each game I always seek out a place to pray.” Faith played a big role during the World Cup. Among the many stars who habitually crossed themselves were South African midfielder Stephen Pienaar, Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba, Germany’s Miroslav Klose and Jerome Boateng, Brazil’s goalkeeper Julio Cesar, and Argentinian coach Diego Maradona.

The final of the 26-team Peace Cup in the Atteridgeville township of Pretoria was won by the South African team. Coinciding with the World Cup, the Peace Cup was organised by Caritas Internationalis and the Franciscan interreligious Damietta Peace Initiative for the African continent, with co-sponsorship from the South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The tournament brought together 26 teams comprising local players, football fans from around the world who were in South Africa to watch the World Cup, and refugees from African countries who live in the Pretoria area. The latter made up 16 teams, representing their countries. But more than about representing countries, the Peace Cup is “about appreciative and friendly relations rather than promoting any national pride”, said Capuchin Father Kees Thönissen, director of the Damietta Peace Initiative. Tournament organiser Martin Munde said that he hoped the Peace Cup initiative could be extended beyond the World Cup as a means to bring people of diverse backgrounds together to play sports, discuss issues of concern to them and develop a sense of solidarity. PHOTOS: ANTOINE SOUBRIER

Why petrol prices are so high BY MICHAIL RASSOOL

HILE increases in fuel prices are to some extent justified by forces well beyond the government’s control, the average South African’s pocket may not be deep enough to deal with the ever-increasing economic demands associated with such an increase, a Church-based analyst has said. Writing about the significant petrol increases of April and May, Samantha Richmond, researcher with the bishops’ Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, explained that sheer demand, combined with the rand/dollar exchange rate, has a significant impact on the price of fuel at the pump in South Africa. The cost of fuel dropped again in June and July due to lower oil prices. Ms Richmond explained in her briefing paper, entitled “The Fuel Price: More than meets the eye”, that the supply of crude oil worldwide is heavily reliant on the reserves of several Middle East and other oil-producing countries (such as Venezuela), which are subject to socio-political and/or economic instabilities. These, she said, ultimately have a significant effect on the price of crude oil as a commodity. As oil companies attempt to increase efficiency by operating with lower stocks of crude oil, there is a smaller margin through which crude oil can be supplied to meet market demands. Moreover, she said, in the longer term it is also clear that supplies of easily accessible crude oil are beginning to tail off. “Scientists are debating whether or not the point of ‘peak oil’ has been reached—the point at which production will decrease irreversibly,” Ms Richmond said. “Some believe

we are already there, while others claim that production by some traditional suppliers is being kept artificially low in order to boost the price. “Either way, the point must inevitably be reached where the world simply runs out of crude oil, or where the costs of its extraction—financial or environmental—make it uneconomical as a mass energy source.” Petrol prices are further influenced by costs of shipping, storing and refining crude oil, as well as the cost of off-loading petroleum products from ships into on-shore storage facilities and the cost of domestic transportation. Fuel prices in South Africa are structured on the basis of the fuel purchase cost incurred by the service station operator as well as the related costs of rental, interest, labour, overheads and entrepreneurial compensation, Ms Richmond said. She noted that while the price of petrol is controlled by the department of mineral and energy affairs, the price of diesel is not, and

retailers are free to offer it at a discounted price. This has brought about a degree of competition, and bulk buyers of diesel may be able to achieve worthwhile savings by “shopping around”. She said in South Africa, the pump price of fuel includes numerous levies and taxes, including an equalisation fund levy, a fuel tax, customs and excise levy, road accidents fund levy, slate levy (the Basic Fuels Price of petrol, diesel and paraffin calculated on a daily basis). Fuel tax is the highest levy incorporated into the price, which every individual making use of fuel has to pay, Ms Richmond said. “Unlike income tax, which aims to differentiate between rich and poor, the fuel tax is equally borne by both rich and poor.” Among other things, Ms Richmond added, fuel tax has become an important and established source of revenue for governments. “Within the South African context, it may be questioned whether a hefty fuel tax is justified. In a country where public transport is grossly underdeveloped, it is arguable that the fuel tax merely provides an extra form of revenue for government, without doing anything to change commuters’ travelling behaviour.” One of the major concerns is that the recent dramatic increases may lead to an escalation in consumer prices across the board, Ms Richmond said, forcing inflation well above the government’s 6% upper limit. This escalates not only food prices, but also the costs of other essential services such as electricity and transportation. “As always, it will be the poor who suffer most from this, as basic necessities will be affected as much as luxuries,” she said.

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, July 14 to July 20, 2010

SA land reform still a contentious issue, says Church researcher BY MICHAIL RASSOOL

UDGETARY constraints, ineffective implementation of progressive land laws, institutional incapacity and a lack of political will by the ruling party have ensured that 16 years into South Africa’s democracy, millions of landless people are still waiting, a Church-based, socio-economic rights political researcher has said. In a briefing paper entitled “South Africa’s Land Reform Programme: Progress and Problems”, Kenny Pasensie, research consultant to the bishops’ Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, said the government has admitted that its post-1994 commitments to redress South Africa’s apartheid legacy by which 30% (approximately 82 million hectares) of the land would be transferred to blacks by 2014, has failed. This failure, he said, has prompted the introduction of a new policy, published as a Green Paper. The policy will make provision for a three-tiered land tenure system comprising state, private and foreign-owned land. The system will allow for limited freehold tenure for private property, the leasing of state land, and will place strict conditions on foreign ownership of land.

Mr Pasensie said the 30% land transfer target was part of an ambitious World Bank-advised land reform programme that the newly elected government embarked on. It was based on a three-pronged approach involving land restitution, land redistribution and land tenure. The government admitted that more than 90% of transferred land has not been farmed productively, a failure that is as much a result of the market-led programme based on a “willing-seller, willing-buyer policy” as it is of the government's lack of planning and institutional support to the beneficiaries. Political opinion differs as to why the land reform programme has failed, Mr Pasensie said. The ruling ANC puts the blame squarely on the “willing-seller, willing-buyer” principle, which is unable to alter historical patterns of land ownership, while the opposition parties ascribe it to an inefficient department and other state institutions as well as budget constraints, the researcher said. Nor has there really been any synergy and cooperation between the programmes of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Land Affairs, he said. Mr Pasensie said the depart-

ment of rural development and land reform (DRDLR) continuously under-spends its budget. This is frowned upon by the National Treasury and usually means a reduced budget for the offending department, he said. Mr Pasensie said the government has arguably been more successful with the restitution programme; more than 95% (79 696) of validated claims lodged before the cut-off date of December 31, 1998, had been settled by the end of 2009. This, he added, translates into more than 2,6 million hectares, which cost the state an estimated R16 billion. “It must be noted, however, that most of the settled claims are in the urban areas where many of the claimants accepted cash offers, while the bulk of the more costly and potentially more contentious rural claims must still be settled,” Mr Pasensie said, In addition, he said, DRDLR may not have enough money to settle outstanding claims. The restitution programme, he said, had been allocated a R1,5 billion, with only R800 million for purchasing new farms. There is also an outstanding amount of more than R496 million to be paid for farms already bought.

New flock of certified healthcare workers ROBERT MAFINYORI

FTER a year of hard work, more than 30 students graduated with a certificate in community healthcare work. At the graduation, held at the Church of Resurrection in Sizanani, 60km east of Pretoria, graduates finally received recognition for their hard work after completeting their Ancillary Health Care level once course (NQF). The course was done conducted by St Joseph’s Care and Support Turst, an organisation which deals with the HIV/AIDS pandemic by providing palliative care and antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS. The training department of St

Joseph’s offers education and training to individuals and corporates in health and social services. In her speech, the director of the organisation Elisabeth Schilling, reminded graduates that they should always draw their inspiration from Jesus Christ. The first “home based carer” was Jesus Christ when he healed Simon’s mother-in-law of fever (Luke 4: 38-42), she said. “Our brothers and sisters are healed when we show compassion and love for them”, she said. Of the over 30 people who had graduated, 15 are from St Joseph’s Home Based Carers. Many of the students, said Ms Schilling, started as home base carers and rose through the ranks and

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have graduated to become Community Health Care Workers. Of the 15 who have qualified as Community Health Care workers, five have enrolled as staff nurses and will be starting their studies soon. She said that what makes St Joseph’s unique is the fact that as a community based organisation, it is investing in staff development to better the lives of its employees and the community at large. One of the graduates, Busiswa Njengele, a beneficiary of St Joseph’s, gave a moving testimony of how her life has changed by St Joseph’s. After being bed-ridden, she said she was grateful to St Joseph’s for the support she received while she was sick.

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The achdiocese of Pretoria recently welcomed four newly ordained priests after their ordination at the Themba Hall in Hammanskraal. Archbishop emeritus George Daniel, assisted by Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha, ordained to the priesthood (from the left) Alpheus Nyakane (next to Monsignor Abel Gabuza), Baile Swele, Karabo Baloyi and Hlaledi Isaac Ramakgolo. SUBMITTED BY FR EFREM TRESOLDI MCCJ

Sodality promotes parish service BY MICHAIL RASSOOL

HE Young Roman Catholic Men’s Union is embarking on a nationwide campaign to recruit new members for their parish-based sodality. The union, which performs various services including the ministry of the Eucharist, visiting the sick in their homes and in hospitals and holding prayer meetings, is present in the Eastern and Western Capes and KwaZulu-Natal. Western Cape regional president Martin Mtwazi said they are hoping that as many Catholic men as possible, from 18 years old, would either join existing unions or form new branches in their own parishes. Mr. Mtwazi hoped that many would have expressed an interest before October 23, the date chosen for investing new members for the union’s Western Cape region, which will be held at St Gabriel’s church, Gugulethu. Prospective members are expected to do some spiritual preparation beforehand, Mr Mtwazi said, particularly at a retreat, which this year, will be

held at the Holy Cross Retreat and Conference Centre in Modderdam, Cape Town. Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town agreed to preside over the investiture at a meeting between Archbishop Brislin, Mr Mtwazi and Fr Dick O’Riordan, parish priest of Koelenhof and who is also spiritual director to the sodality in the archdiocese. At the meeting the new archbishop was told about the union’s activities and given a list of its combined programme for the year. He described the Western Cape regional executive as a busy team comprising men of various occupations, including a prosecutor, a bank manager and consultants in several fields. In the region alone, Mr Mtwazi said, the union, which has its own constitution, has 261 members and office bearers—president, vicepresident, secretary and treasurer— are elected at three-yearly national conferences. A new national council will be elected on September 11 in Mthatha diocese.

For the record

N our edition of June 30 we incorrectly identified Fr James Ralston OMI as the assistant priest at St Charles parish in Victory Park, Johannesburg. Fr Ralston is in fact serving at the parish as a visiting priest while he awaits a new assignment. We regret the error.

LOCAL

Week of prayer dedicated to prisoners, victims of crime BY MICHAIL RASSOOL

HE Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference has resolved to organise a week of prayer for prisoners, correctional services staff and victims of crime. During the bishops’ plenary, it was agreed that the week of prayer would start on Sunday, August 1, the Feast of St Peter’s Chains, in different parishes across the conference territory. Fr Russell Campbell, coordinator of the bishops’ Specialised Ministries Desk, which falls under their Department of Evangelisation, said it is important that this, the first celebratory prayer week of its kind, be held as near as possible to the feast day. He said it commemorates a period when the head of the Church, whose followers were being victimised and brutalised for their beliefs, was a prisoner himself. It has special relevance for inmates and victims of crime, he said. The desk has released a preliminary programme with each day based on a specific theme. It has recommended that the first day be Reconciliation Sunday, when parishes pray that inmates seek forgiveness, that they reconcile with their victims and families in the right spirit, and that Christians reach out to inmates, ex-inmates and their families. Positive actions for the day were identified for all—choosing to forgive someone who has caused offense, hurt or seeking someone one has hurt or offended and asking them for forgiveness. August 2 will be Victim Support Day. Parishioners are asked to pray that the Lord will heal the crime victim’s pain and loss, that victims may find

peace for themselves and with others, even those who have hurt them. A positive act would be to contact a victim support group to find out how they can help a crime victim. August 3 will be Restorative Justice Day. The Church will pray for justice and peace in the community, that God will grant wisdom to judges and others in authority, and pray for government and legislators to enact laws that will help to restore offenders to their communities. August 4 has been set aside as Ex-inmate Support Day. The Church will pray and ask that ex-prisoners be given the resources and support they need as they re-enter the community and recently released inmates would be reunited with their families and received by their communities in peace. They also pray that ex-inmates may have the strength to resist temptation after they have returned to freedom. The following day, Correctional Services Day, the Church will pray for the protection of correctional service officials and their families, for cooperation between inmates and officials, and for all officials to be given grace and perseverance in their work. A good act would be to visit one’s local correctional service facility and thank the staff for their service, to publicly recognise correctional services workers for their contribution to the safety of the community, and to support and encourage them and their families through an appreciation tea or some other social event. On August 6, prayers will be directed to the families of inmates; that they may receive support from their church communities, that the separation of

inmates from their loved ones will not permanently damage their relationship with their families. On August 7, there will be a prayer for inmates to experience God’s love and peace, that they will seek forgiveness from those who have been affected by their crimes, and from God. On August 8, the last day of the week of prayer, Catholics will pray for inmates as well as for victims and their families to be transformed by the power of the Cross. They will also pray for a transformation in the popular attitudes towards inmates and correctional services in their country, and for the work of the Specialised Ministries Desk and for its liaison bishop. Positive acts in this context would be to invite ex-inmates, chaplains or victims to churches to share their stories, commit congregations to celebrate this event annually, and to identify spiritual workers in a correctional facility and support them with one's prayers and financial contributions to their work. The desk’s liaison bishop, Archbishop-emeritus George Daniel of Pretoria, has suggested a prayer for the week: “Lord, you offer freedom to all people. We pray for those who are held in prison. Break the bonds of fear and isolation that exist. Support with your love prisoners, their families and friends, prison staff, chaplains, spiritual workers and all who care. Help those who have been wounded by the activities of others, especially the victims of crime. Help us to forgive one another, to act justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly together with Christ in his strength and in his Spirit now and every day. Amen.”

Priest produces life guides for youth BY MICHAIL RASSOOL

DURBAN priest has produced two booklets—one on life issues and the other on heroic courage—targeted specifically at the youth. Dutch-born Fr Pieter van Heeswijk, who has ministered in the archdiocese for many years, said the first booklet, You too can be great, aims to show young people, who are hemmed in by the trends and fashions of their age, their true worth. Covering a range of topics, including the sanctity of the unborn, various stages of life and the nature of modern culture and the pressures it imposes on young minds often at odds with the values taught by the Church, You Too Can Be

Great encourages young people to take a fresh look at their world and re-appraise what it teaches. “Boys and girls should have their own separate development and find their own dignity and value before they are ready to face the perils of the modern world,” Fr van Heeswijk writes. The priest, who functions mainly as chaplain to the sick and infirm in the archdiocese, in his second booklet, Boy oh Boy: Bafana Bafana, deals with the pain and joy of being a male. In it Fr van Heeswijk deals with the issue of formation and effective management during the first five to ten years of a boy’s life, in which the school and Church could play a decisive role.

He shows that the kinds of pressures adolescents face are even touched on in scripture. Chapters deal with diverse issues such as falling in love, how to use money, HIV/Aids, crime, finding work, about good versus evil and being careful while negotiating one’s way through a treacherous world and how to start believing and to carry one's cross. Boy oh Boy: Bafana Bafana and You Too Can Be Great underscores the idea that life is a journey, in which one can discover God’s guidance and protection, and where one could even make a difference to the world around one.  To obtain a copy of either booklet or for more details contact Fr van Heeswijk on 083 787 3257 or youthdignity@gmail.com.

The Southern Cross, July 14 to July 20, 2010

Spreading news through The Southern Cross every Sunday are young parishioners Siyabonga and Benalee, who sell the newspaper outside Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Vereeniging.

Kopanang Community Trust Part-Time Coordinator for East Rand NPO Kopanang Community Trust, an established community-based women’s self-empowerment project based near Brakpan/Springs on the East Rand, requires the services of a Project Coordinator. This is a part time, three day a week position. The Project's focus is the creation of hand embroidered craft products for the South African and international markets. JOB RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: - Coordinating Project activities and reporting weekly to the Director - Monitoring the Project's monthly income and expenditure - Supervising the production process at all stages - Open communication with the Project members THE APPLICANT MUST: - Proven project management track record - Be self-motivated - Be proficient in WORD and EXCEL PC programmes - Have basic book-keeping knowledge - Own transport essential Experience in community/outreach work and basic knowledge of sewing and/or embroidery, would be an advantage. The position would commence 1st September, 2010. Competitive salary offered. Email your application with a motivational letter and CV to Sister Sheila Flynn at sheilaflynn@ymail.com by 20th July, 2010. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

The Southern Cross, July 14 to July 20, 2010

INTERNATIONAL

Pope: Protect Iraqi Christians BY SARAH DELANEY

that the will of the people for a more stable and unified Iraq may be accomplished”. He addressed the oft-repeated concern about the plight of Christian minorities in Iraq, many of whom have fled in the face of attacks and persecution. The pope said he hoped that conditions would improve so that they could “remain in their ancestral homeland, and that those who have felt constrained to emigrate will soon consider it safe to return”. He acknowledged that both Muslims and Christians have suffered the consequences of the violence that has racked the country for years, but said he hoped that “this shared suffering can provide a deep bond” and promote mutual efforts for peace. The pope also underlined the

OPE Benedict has urged the Iraqi leadership to work for the swift formation of a stable government and to protect the Christian minority in the country still torn by violence. The pope made his appeal to the new Iraqi ambassador to the Vatican, Habbeb Mohammed Hadi Ali al-Sadr, as he presented his diplomatic credentials. Pope Benedict praised the “great courage and determination” shown by Iraqi people who voted on March 7 despite violence and intimidation at the polls. A national government has still not been formed, leaving the country in a political and security vacuum. The pope urged that the new government be formed soon “so

need for freedom of religion and freedom of worship to be protected by law but also thoroughly embraced as a culture. Mr Al-Sadr said the leadership was making efforts to convince Christians to stay and hoped that the pope “would exhort Christians in Iraq to stay rooted in their country and not give opportunities to the criminals who plot against them”. The Iraqi state, he said, was doing its best to secure monasteries and churches throughout the country from terrorist attacks, “in measures even greater than for the mosques”. He said Christians were guaranteed at least five seats in the parliament, full citizenship and the right to use their chosen language in schools.—CNS

CONGREGATION OF MARIANNHILL MISSIONARIES

Ora et Labora The Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill, CMM, sprung from the Trappist Monastery of Mariannhill founded by Abbot Francis Pfanner in South Africa in 1882. We believe that: “Our missionary field is the Kingdom of God and that has not boundaries!” Faithful to the example of Abbot Francis Pfanner, the Mariannhill Brothers and Priests try to be of service to the local church through pastoral, social and development works. We make our contribution to the call for renewing, uplifting, developing and sustaining the human spirit, as our response to the signs and needs of the time. In our missionary life of Prayer and Work (Ora et Labora), we try to effectively proclaim the Good News to all people, especially to the poor and needy, so that there are “Better Fields, Better Houses, Better Hearts!” To know more about us contact: Director of Vocations PO Box 11363, Mariannhill, 3601 or PO Box 85, Umtata, 5099

A priest prays at St Bahnam church in Qaraqush in the northern province of Nineveh, Iraq. Pope Benedict has urged Iraqi leaders to work for the swift formation of a stable government and for protection of the Christian minority in the country. PHOTO: THAIER AL-SUDANI, REUTERS/CNS

Empower women, Vatican demands

OMEN’S economic empowerment is essential for the economic development of families and society, said Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican’s outgoing nuncio to the United Nations. “Tragically, violence against women, especially in the home and workplace, and discrimination in the professional field…are growing concerns,” he told leaders of the world body. “Through adequate legal frameworks and national policies, perpetrators of violence must be brought to justice and women must be afforded reha-

bilitation. Women and girls must be guaranteed their full enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights including equal access to education and health,” he said. Archbishop Migliore delivered the statement to the UN Economic and Social Council during a session about implementing international goals for women’s equality and empowerment. The archbishop stressed that empowering women means recognising their gifts and talents and “honouring their capacity to serve and devote themselves to society and to the family through motherhood”.

He said the Vatican “notes with concern” the ongoing “discrimination, exploitation and oppression of women and girls”. The archbishop said women’s health is a particular concern. The “real advancement of women is not achieved by concentrating on a particular health issue to the neglect of others, but by promoting their overall health, which necessarily includes giving more attention to addressing women-specific diseases.” Regarding women’s economic stability, he said women need to have access to land as well as credit facilities and financial services.—CNS

Bishop who helped topple tyrant Ferdinand Marcos dies at 81

ISHOP Francisco Claver, a vocal defender of civil rights in the Philippines during the martial law era of the 1980s, died on July 1 in Manila from a blood clot in the lung. He was 81. Bishop Claver (pictured) drafted the 1986 statement by the Philippine bishops that is believed to have triggered the People Power Revolution that eventually unseated President Ferdinand Marcos and paved the way for Corazon Aquino’s installation as the nation’s leader. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines described Bishop Claver as “one of the strongest defenders of civil rights among the bishops at the height of strongman Ferdinand E Marcos’ martial law”, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato, secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, eulogised Bishop Claver in a text message. “Filipino prophet without

peer, truest priest, innovative humble shepherd, a very dear friend. He is with Jesus whom he proclaimed with eloquent words, spoken and written, in all arenas of human life. “Who can take his place? My tears flow,” he wrote. The widely respected bishop held a doctorate in anthropology from the University of Colorado

and was extremely active in the social affairs work of his religious order, the Society of Jesus. He wrote extensively and his work appeared in a variety of publications and news websites. In 1961, at the age of 32, Bishop Claver became the first priest ordained from the indigenous Bontoc tribe of northern Philippines. At 40 he became the first bishop of the diocese of Malaybalay in the southern Philippines. The bishop dedicated many years to developing a model of a local Church that involved as many people as possible, but his efforts towards inculturation and joint responsibility caused discomfort among some Church leaders. “There is no other way for us Asians to evangelise our continent and its people, [and] to do pastoral work among them, than through our becoming a truly and determinedly active local Church,” Bishop Claver wrote in his last book, The Making of a Local Church, in 2008.

Guidelines for spiritual priestly life BY WALTER CHERUIYOT

HE Kenyan bishops’ conference has distributed a set of general guidelines to priests to help them live their lives grounded in the vows they took at ordination. Cardinal John Njue of Nairobi, conference chairman, said during a Mass marking the end of the Year for Priests that the guidelines were prepared in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse crisis. He told more than 500 priests attending the liturgy at Holy Family basilica in the Kenyan capital that the Church will not harbour those clerics accused of child abuse. At the same time, he

announced that each diocese in Kenya will be asked to develop child protection policies aimed at reducing cases of sexual abuse by clergy and anyone else affiliated with the Church. Noting that not all allegations of abuse were true, Cardinal Njue challenged the priests to be responsible spiritual leaders and to live in accordance with the expectations that being an ordained priest entails. The guidelines also will help priests in their spiritual, emotional and personal life, Cardinal Njue explained. During the celebration, Cardinal Njue distributed the guidelines, prepared in book form, to each bishop in attendance. The

bishops were asked to make copies available to all of the priests in their dioceses. The cardinal urged the priests to take time to read and study the guidelines for their benefit and that of the Church. Speaking with Catholic News Service afterward, Cardinal Njue maintained that the book will go a long way in assisting priests to live as servants of the church. He said the Church will be best served by priests who respect their lifelong vow of celibacy. “If one has chosen to be a priest, then a celibate life is a must. It is a sacrifice and as such if one wants to disobey then forget priesthood,” he said.

INTERNATIONAL ‘Gizmos won’t replace paper’ BY JOHN THAVIS

RE Catholics soon going to see their parish priest celebrating Mass with an iPad instead of traditional liturgical books? That’s the impression left by recent reports about Italian Father Paolo Padrini’s planned launch of an iPad application that features the Roman Missal on its screen. But Fr Padrini and Church officials say no one should throw the printed books out yet. “Liturgical books on the altar will never be replaced by the iPad. This is an additional instrument, not an attempt to get rid of paper books,” Fr Padrini said. “If I went on vacation, I’d take along my iPad and celebrate Mass that way. Obviously in my parish, where I have the books, I’m not going to deliberately use an iPad.” The application should be ready by the end of July and will feature the Roman Missal in various languages. It loads the missal and breviary, or book of prayers, for a particular day, with the option of pre-loading up to ten days worth of texts. Fr Padrini apparently has not yet secured the necessary permis-

sions for the use of an English version of the missal. Fr Padrini did not run his idea past the Vatican’s liturgical experts, presuming that there should not be a problem. “As far as I can see, there is no liturgical rule saying a printed instrument must be used. The rules do say the liturgy should be dignified and fitting and should not be disturbed.” The small iPad would not detract from the liturgical decorum, and would be less noticeable than other objects placed on the altar, he said. But Vatican officials were not so certain that an iPad belongs on the altar. Fr Anthony Ward, an undersecretary at the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, said liturgical rules generally refer to “the book”, and there’s been an effort in recent years “to promote the book, and the embellishment of the book”. Fr Ward said the congregation was not specifically considering the suitability of the iPad application, and that there did not appear to be explicit rules against such devices. But he added that in this case, one should not assume that if it is not forbidden, it is allowed.—CNS

The Southern Cross, July 14 to July 20, 2010

Mixed Catholic reaction to new Polish president P BY JONATHAN LUXMOORE

OLISH bishops have given a mixed reception to their country’s new president, Bronislaw Komorowski, a 58-year-old Catholic father of five and former seminary history teacher. “I see him as a man of ideas with many personal qualities, a person of dialogue who can also listen—I think this election serves Poland well,” said Archbishop Henryk Muszynski of Gniezno. “I’m also pleased with the manners shown when the results were announced. I see clear progress over what happened previously and a good sign for the future when it comes to the style of exercising government in a democratic country,” he said. In a presidential run-off, Mr Komorowski won 52,6% of the vote, while his conservative challenger, former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, got 47,4%. Mr Komorowski told Poland’s Catholic information agency KAI that the election had marked a break from “factionalism and hunting for special benefits” and a move towards a “quest for what unites”.

Bronislaw Komorowski displays the official confirmation of his presidential election victory in Warsaw. PHOTO: KACPER PEMPEL, REUTERS/CNS

However, another senior prelate said he feared the victory of a candidate from a party already in government risked “not just a party monopoly, but also a monopoly of haughtiness and disdain”, and would strengthen “the diktat of the big cities, with their power, business and media”. “Every monopoly generates deviation, scorn and foppery towards the weakest,” Archbishop Slawoj Glodz of Gdansk told KAI. “So the Church will defend the weakest—this isn’t only its right, but also its duty.” As speaker of the Polish parlia-

ment, Mr Komorowski became acting head of state after the April 10 death of President Lech Kaczynski with 95 others in an air crash in Russia. Jaroslaw Kaczynski was the late president’s twin brother. Arrested several times in the 1970s for anti-communist activities, Mr Komorowski was jailed with other Solidarity union supporters under martial law from 1981-83. As presidential candidate for Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s business-linked Civic Platform, which favours free-market reforms and closer ties with the European Union, he failed to win outright in a June 20 vote. Several Catholic commentators criticised Mr Komorowski for failing to back the Church on key issues, including its strong opposition to a government bill to allow state funding for in vitro fertilisation. Although several bishops rejected campaign claims that the Catholic Church had taken sides, the Gazeta Wyborcza daily claimed local priests had contributed to a “huge mobilisation” on behalf of Mr Kaczynski, who campaigned on a pro-Church ticket.—CNS

Italy appeals EU cross ban BY SARAH DELANEY

I An 18th-century sculpture group, “Last Supper”, from the Spanish city of Murcia , will be part of the Stations of the Cross during the August 16-21, 2011, World Youth Day in Madrid. Pope Beneduct was the first pilgrim to put his name down as registrations opened this month. PHOTO FROM WORLD YOUTH DAY 2011

Pope first to register for WYD 2011 BY SARAH DELANEY

OPE Benedict became the first person to register for the international World Youth Day gathering in Spain next year. The pope kicked off the registration process at a meeting with Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela of Madrid and other organisers of the event. In a talk to the group, the pope said the gathering offers young people a great opportunity to know Jesus Christ and learn to trust his guidance in their lives. They will also be able to share their values and aspirations with others from around the world, united by “the desire to build a

better world inspired by Gospel values”, he said. The World Youth Day international gathering will be held in the Spanish capital from August 16-21, 2011. Pope Benedict will join the young people for a vigil on August 20 and Mass on August 21. The pope told the Spanish cardinal the event “is not just a mass gathering but a privileged occasion for the young of your country and of the entire world to allow themselves to be conquered by the love of Christ Jesus, the Son of God and of Mary, the faithful friend, the victor over sin and death”. The young people will find that

“those who trust in him will never be disillusioned, but will find the strength necessary to choose the right path in life”. Pope John Paul II established World Youth Day in 1985. Organisers in Madrid are encouraging early registration because it helps them predict attendance and plan activities and builds funding for the events. Registrants are being asked to contribute 10 euros to a “solidarity fund” that will enable youths from poorer countries to participate.— CNS

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TALY has defended the display of the crucifix in public schools before Europe’s human rights court, arguing that it is a symbol of the country’s cultural heritage and not an imposition of religious belief on students. In a hearing before the appeals body of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, a representative for the Italian government urged the court to overturn a November 2009 ruling that banned the custom as a violation of religious freedom. The issue has potentially enormous consequences as Europe grapples with increasing secularism and a significant influx of other religions such as Islam

through immigration. Nicola Lettieri, a magistrate, argued that the crucifix was a symbol of Italian cultural heritage and history and should not be considered a religious imposition when displayed in classrooms. The case challenging such a display was brought before the European court by a Finnish-born Italian citizen who said that her two children’s religious and educational freedom in a school in northern Italy was compromised by the presence of crucifixes. Italy was joined in the appeal by only ten of the 47 countries that make up the Council of Europe. The other countries were Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, San Marino and Romania.—CNS

The Southern Cross, July 14 to 20, 2010

FOCUS

The Southern Cross, July 14 to July 20, 2010

Implementing African synod on grassroots At meetings in Johannesburg and Mozambique, African Church leaders discussed ways to implement the resolutions and recommendations of last October’s Synod for Africa. MICHAIL RASSOOL reports on the way ahead.

OOD governance, economic justice and the family were, in terms of the outcomes and resolutions of the Synod for Africa in Rome last October, highlighted as priority areas for the Southern African Church at the gathering of the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) in Johannesburg— the first following the synod. Bishops from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tomé e Principe, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe met to study the outcomes of the synod and how to implement its resolutions and recommendations. These countries were also represented at a meeting of Justice and Peace chairpersons and others of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), where 134 delegates from 46 countries in Africa met in Mumemo, Mozambique, also to reflect on and discuss the synod’s message and propositions. Regarding their first priority, good governance, the bishops from the IMBISA region decided that three years from now they would like to see a clear programme of political education informed by democratic and Christian principles. This included election monitoring and observation, budget monitoring, keeping an eye on what governments in their countries are spending, training of media personnel and the formation of Catholic parliamentary liaison offices. In terms of economic justice,

 J.M.J

the IMBISA bishops said they would like to see that the natural resources and the economies of their countries are well managed and of benefit all. They said they would do this by monitoring national budgets, setting up or increasing income-generating projects. The bishops would also provide education and awareness, formation for politicians so that they understand what economic justice entails, as well as theological reflections on economic justice and training community leaders in advocacy. The bishops said they would like to see the family, the third priority of the Southern African Church, based on a covenant of love and mutual respect between a man and woman in the service of life and society. They also aim to encourage marriage and family life movements, to hold a family congress, a plenary session of IMBISA on the Christian family and, where possible, set up a family desk in each diocese. Bishop Barry Wood, auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Durban and a representative of the South African Church at both meetings, said that the bishops would report the meeting’s outcomes to their conferences, and after a subsequent IMBISA meeting in Pretoria in December, they would be expected to implement them in their countries. In anticipation of the apostolic exhortation of Pope Benedict based on the outcome of the synod’s deliberations, the SECAM gathering’s objectives, like those of the IMBISA, were to take these outcomes forward by identifying priority areas. The aim, Bishop Wood said, was to explore ways in which the different arms of the Church can collaborate more closely and to develop a plan of action for the way forward. He said both the SECAM and IMBISA meetings were facilitated by Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 164 Catholic relief, development and social service organisations operating in more than 200 countries. The Mozambique meeting pro-

A refugee cuts grass for a new roof for her family’s hut in a camp in northern Uganda. A meeting on implementing the outcome of 2009’s Synod for Africa reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to be at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace. PHOTO: PAUL JEFFREY, CNS

duced the Mumemo Declaration, which stated that in order to move forward in the spirit of the “Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops” (the official name for the Synod for Africa) and to enable this “New Pentecost” to become a reality for the people of the continent, delegates committed themselves to specific actions. They agreed to establish Justice and Peace and Caritas commissions, where these do not exist, as a matter of priority at all levels. SECAM is hoping that in six months, through these commissions once they’re up and running, it will be able to hold discussions over possibilities for close cooperation among Church stakeholders, especially for implementing the Africa synod vision. Various targets have been set: • Within 12 months, each national and regional structure is to have at least one joint programme agreed upon and being implemented; • Within six months, Caritas Africa and the Justice and Peace commission

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in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace”, pending the apostolic exhortation, and to get timeframes sorted out for implementation, Bishop Wood said. He said it is natural that the proposed actions be directed at Justice and Peace commissions, at regional, national, diocesan and parish levels. The first step for the SACBC region in particular, he said, is for the local bishop to buy into these insights that the synod has brought to light, and then ensure that those responsible for establishing the proposed structures are informed and motivated to implement the recommendations. “We need to mobilise our seminaries, theologians, universities, marriage and family life organisations, and so on—in fact all members of the Church in our region— to ensure the New Pentecost for our African Church. He recalled Pope Benedict’s call: “Africa take up your pallet and walk the path of Justice, Peace and Reconciliation.”

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LEADER PAGE

The Southern Cross, July 14 to July 20, 2010

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion. Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Believers are the real champions

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

The centre must hold

HAT sets the Catholic Church apart from almost every other religion is its line of governing the affairs of the Church from the centre, with the pope at its head and a centralised administration in the Vatican overseeing the affairs of the institution, its doctrines and disciplines, its liturgical practices and so on. It is reasonable to debate the extent to which the Roman curia, the Church’s government, is acting collegially with the world’s bishops and whether it is sufficiently accountable to the People of God, but it is necessary that the centre must hold. The escalation of abuse scandals has put immense pressure on the Vatican, which does not always give a persuasive impression that it understands just how much the reputation of the institutional Church has declined. The June raid by Belgian police on the archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels—which included a search by scope of the graves of two cardinals in search for buried secrets—illustrates that the Church is regarded by many with suspicion. It certainly no longer benefits from the deferential treatment of bygone times. The recent frankness of some Vatican officials and diocesan bishops concerning the abuse scandal answered the widespread distrust, at least partly. That might have been undone, however, by the Vatican’s public chastisement of one of these outspoken bishops, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna, Austria. In its chastisement, the Vatican said that Cardinal Schönborn had given rise to “misunderstandings” on issues relating to the abuse scandal when he told newspaper editors that the Vatican’s former secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, had been among those obstructing action against abusers by the future Pope Benedict. The Vatican statement did not dispute Cardinal Schönborn’s revelation. The real reason for his public chastisement seems to reside in his violation of a code whereby one cardinal may not criticise another.

Such protocols may exist for good reasons, and it is obvious that the Vatican would not wish the current dean of the College of Cardinals—who in the event of a papal death would preside over the funeral and lead the Church through the interregnum—to be implicated in the cover-up of sexual abuses. However, by publicly rebuking Cardinal Schönborn without rebutting the substance of his revelations, the Vatican has given encouragement to those who accuse the Catholic leadership of being secretive and preoccupied with their reputation—exactly those characteristics which led to the scandal of abuse cover-ups in the first place. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that whistle-blowing in the Church is being discouraged. If a prelate of such elevated standing as Cardinal Schönborn can be subjected to a public humiliation, who else would dare to come forward with the truth? When the truth is subordinated to the reputation of individuals or an institution, public trust in them and their authority is diminished. The Catholic hierarchy’s ability to exercise its teaching authority fruitfully depends on the faithful’s confidence in its leaders’ integrity. Another potential scandal involving the Vatican is brewing, this time concerning possible acts of corruption. We must hope that the Italian investigation will fully exonerate the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, especially since that curial dicastery collects funds from the pockets of churchgoers worldwide every year. But in the unwelcome case that there have been financial improprieties in the Roman curia, the Vatican’s response will need to be fully accountable to the People of God, putting truth before rank and reputation. The centre must hold. If it does weaken now, the blame rests not with the Vatican’s critics, whistle-blowing cardinals or a hostile secular world, but with those who were tasked to lead the Church and failed.

HE football World Cup was a tournament of excitement and emotion. One feature which “hit me in the face” in almost every game during the Word Cup was the tremendous faith and prayer demonstrated on the field (I can only imagine how much more there is off the field!). At every match players from different teams from all over the world blessed themselves as they ran on to the field, praying silent-

ly and even aloud while playing, and giving praise to God when they scored a goal. It was clear to me that in many instances a particular match was dedicated to our Lord, and in some cases to particular saints, such as the Brazilian player who wore shin guards with the names of Ss Teresa and Rita engraved on them. Indeed, the World Cup was a spiritual experience for many of

NFP: an honest insurance claim

What about her?

N response to Margaret Green’s letter “A burglar is a burglar” (June 29), I refer to St Paul who in Ephesians 5 tells us that the sacrament of marriage is modelled on Christ’s love for his Church. Jesus exhibits five aspects of this love: it is faithful, forever, free, fruitful and full. At the exchange of vows the spouses promise the same with the marriage being consummated when they become one flesh. This would mean that every time the couple become one flesh, they are in fact renewing their wedding vows. Hence the Church’s teaching on the openness of each act to the possibility of children. The Church does leave the decision about the size and spacing of children to the parents, but not the means by which this is achieved. God has endowed the woman’s reproductive cycle with periods of fertility and infertility. Science has proved that natural family planning (NFP) is more reliable than chemical or physical barriers to postpone conception. Comparing NFP and condom use to the two burglars of Ms Green’s letter, the analogy must be taken further. The morality of NFP can be compared to an honest insurance claim after the burglary and the condom use to a dishonest claim, with the burglar and the householder splitting the insurance pay-out. Jan Kalinowski, Assagai, KZN Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

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ERENCE Coughlan (“Shabby treatment”, June 2) is rightfully indignant at the fact that “Fr Cyril Axelrod…was not allowed on to the sanctuary at a Chrism Mass because a woman accompanied him as his guide and interpreter”. But, hold on a minute, what about the feelings of the woman interpreter? She had every reason to be embarrassed, angry and hurt on her own behalf, and I hope that she received an apology. Do women have to wait until 2110 before we receive equal status in the eyes of the Church? Jeanette Sandford, Port Elizabeth

Written sermon

EFERRING the letter from the deaf Terence Coughlan, at my church we have one deaf lady and a couple of other real hard-of-hearing parishioners. On arrival they are each given a written copy of the sermon. Maybe Mr Coughlan can ask the priest for a copy, so he needn’t rely on others (who maybe aren’t listening anyway). Pam Castleman, Cape Town

Faithless healing

ith my experience as a nursing sister, I refer to Fr Lino Vinco’s article “Let traditional doctors heal in the Church” (May 12). A father brought his teenage daughter, bitten by a snake, to the hospital. The girl had been treated by a traditional doctor without success and was now at the point of death. The medical superintendent saw as the last and only way to save the girl’s life was amputating the leg. The father refused to give permission, with the remark that “with one leg only the girl has no value for me, no man will pay for her lobola; leave her to die”. The medical superintendent obtained from the magistrate permission to amputate the girl’s leg, with the girl’s permission. Her life

us as we travelled the month-long journey of the event. This is what it’s all about: making our faith and our Lord the centre of all we do—even in football at matches! The World Cup showed once again to the world, and to nonbelievers in particular, that for most of the people on this planet, the Lord is the centre of their lives and that we seek his embrace on a daily basis. It is us, the believers, that are the real champions in his name! Manny de Freitas, Johannesburg was saved. Now rejected by her father, the Catholic mission educated the girl and she took up lessons in sewing. Many people came to seek help and healing at the hospital after having been treated unsuccessfully by traditional doctors. Suffering from tuberculosis, typhoid, syphilis, infertility, leprosy and so on, traditional doctors themselves come for treatment and also refer their patients to the hospital. Traditional doctors are practising anyway. I see them daily walking in the streets. What could Fr Vinco mean by letting them do so “in the Church”? In the Catholic Church we have the sacrament of the sick given to us by our saviour Jesus Christ. Does Fr Vinco see traditional doctors as more effective? MR Kolbeck, Johannesburg

My abuser is safe from justice

HE letter “Let lawyers sort out crisis” (April 21) made sound sense. As a 13-year-old in what s now called Grade 9, I was taught by a lesbian paedophile in a convent school. At the end of the year, 19 girls left the school and the teacher was dismissed. We had to start afresh, in Grade 10, at a new school, wounded and bewildered. This woman went on to teach for many years—guilty, her secret hidden. I was able to trace her whereabouts only recently and wrote to her, supplying my identity document. The result: somebody else received an attorney’s letter threatening her with prosecution, police action and the like. So much for justice and children’s rights. They do not exist! She remains employed, a resident in a Catholic institution, safe from legal action and shielded by an attorney willing to represent a paedophile. Name withheld, Cape Town

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PERSPECTIVES Toni Rowland

Family Friendly

Is the world we knew going, going…gone?

ALK about games and time to play or time to pray, and you’ll find many people over-extended one way or another, right now as I am writing this. It will be a very different story when this column appears. By that time the football will already be becoming a memory, the children will be back at school, and the normal round of work-related activities will be facing us again. Will there be strikes, work stoppages, extra-time put in to catch up for time lost? Will the memories of this once-in-a-lifetime event be good ones; to dine out on or drown out? Probably some will and others won’t, but they are memories and as such are important to us in our continued learning in the game of life. Glorious victories make players into heroes. Defeated teams will not have been welcomed home with great joy and some even with national and public criticism. Is the game no more than a game, as it should be? What lessons have we learned about the game of life? July’s family theme of The Veterans’ Cup, with a particular focus on grandparents, does relate in a way to a more mature approach to sport, and possibly to life and the lessons learned, but there would still be a degree of competitiveness involved. Competing against other older people, who have learned the same lessons but have slowed down their pace of living, is still a match. Roger Federer, hero of many tennis fans, has also been overtaken by the inexorable passage of time and lost his Wimbledon crown. Not every game is a competition. Games are also played for the enjoyment of play, the good feeling one gets after an exhilarating walk or bout of exercise. The gees of play, the energy exerted, the sharpness of mind required, the clever application where brain matters more than brawn—these are also what makes a game worthwhile. But then a time comes when only the gees remains and even that becomes a challenge. Ask any grandparent how much they enjoy life now compared to yesteryear. We grandparents like to be asked. We can share memories of games played in the past, games watched, even games imagined, because memory does have some tricky dishonest ways about it. But it is important, valuable and even necessary for grandparents to share their life experiences.

n our days we used to write personal letters, maybe make phone calls, but had no brief or generic e-mails or chainletters or even briefer SMS messages to share our lives with each other. The power and beauty of words might disappear in cellphone txt spk, but the thoughts and memories need to be expressed, they are part of our human heritage. Although bookstores still make a living, there is a definite decline in reading, mostly among young people, but older people too are more into visual stimulation. At the same time people certainly aren’t talking less—but what are we talking about? Talk radio is a popular modern medium where people are able to express their views freely, whatever they are. Social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter are mediums that intimidate many older people. Although they do have great potential, there is also so much trash tweeted. So grandparents try to keep up with the times and adapt as best we can. We can and do talk about things like football and tennis because these are games that still belong in our world (or so we think). But we also question whether they are really about sport or about money, prestige and power. Is the world as we knew it going, going—and when will it be gone? And to whom does it matter? I am promoting a very informal “Movement of Prayer of Grandparents” for grandchildren, partly because we are deeply concerned about them and fear for them in this modern world, but also in reflecting and praying we can come to a deeper understanding and acceptance of them in their world where in fact they belong and lastly because praying instead of playing is also often all that grandparents are able to bring to the game. (For more on this see www.marfam.org.za/blog)  Catch up with previous Toni Rowland columns at www.scross.co.za/category/rowland/

Take that to the bank…

OULD you like to spend an eternity knee-deep in a lake of pus, blood, and boiling muck? Or spend your life held in the same contempt as forgers, dishonest lawyers, thieves, murderers, oppressors of the poor, and idol-makers? You will if you practise usury. The first sentence describes the place in hell for usurers according to the Revelation of Peter, a Christian book of the first half of the second century that once strongly contended for inclusion in the New Testament. The contempt in the second sentence is from a list of types of sinners from whom the Church should not accept donations. It is from the Didascalia, compiled in the first three decades of the third century. In condemning dishonest sect leaders, Bishop Apollonius in 211 implied that it was inconsistent with the character of a holy person to stain one’s eyelids, demand money for prophesying, or lend on usury. In ancient times, usury was the practice of charging interest on loans instead of being content with repayment of the principal. In modern Christianity it means charging unjust and excessively high rates of interest, especially from borrowers with no other access to credit. The older view reflects the background and static economy of ancient Israel and early Christian times: little or no new money entered into circulation, financing was essential from planting to harvest, and money was considered unable to reproduce itself. In early Israel, charging interest was heinous because any borrower was already poor, which meant his Jewish neighbour had a duty to help a brother Israelite instead of impoverishing him further, which could lead to total destitution and starvation. Nehemiah 5 describes an example of God’s law being disobeyed. Ordinary Jews had to borrow at interest for the necessaries of life and taxes. Eventually they were reduced to selling their children into slavery to pay their mortgages and the interest.

ll Scriptural prohibitions on usury are in the Old Testament: for example Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 23:36, Deuteronomy 23:19, and in Ezekiel 18:8, 18:13, and 22:12. The silence of the New Testament about the ethics of usury is made up for by Church tradition as recorded in the Revelation of Peter 31, the Didascalia 18, and the following authors before the middle of the third century. The aspect of fraternity and help were uppermost in the mind of Clement of Alexandria, dean of the foremost Christian school in the 190s: “…the law prohibits a brother from taking usury: designating as a brother not only him who is born of the same parents, but also one of the same race and sentiments, and a participator in the same word; deeming it right not to take usury for money, but with open hands and heart to bestow on those who need. For God, the author and dispenser of such grace, takes as suitable usury the most precious things to be found among men—mildness, gentleness, magnanimity, reputation, renown” (Stromata 2.18). In the 220s, Clement’s former student Origen mentioned the deleterious effect on usurers themselves: “It is absurd to suppose that the holy man will be a money lender, …distracted over payments and receipts, following a prohibited business; for the righteous man putteth not out his money to usury, and

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The Southern Cross, July 14 to July 20, 2010

Michael Shackleton answers your question

Open Door

David W T Brattston

Point of Ethics taketh not rewards against the innocent” (commentary on Psalm 4). Origen was the most prominent Christian scholar, teacher and preacher of the first half of the third century. He was best positioned to convey the consensus of Christian teaching because he travelled throughout the eastern Mediterranean as a theological consultant, and once to Rome. Written shortly before 249, a massive compendium of Christian practice quoted various Old Testament (but not New Testament) passages as a summary of God’s law that still forbade his people to lend at interest— Testimonies against the Jews 48.

lthough not commenting specifically on the ethics of usury, Jesus taught an anti-materialism inconsistent with it. In Matthew: “Whoever asks of you, give to him. And if anyone would borrow from you, do not turn away from him” (5:42). And in Luke: “And if you will loan to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is due to you? For even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive the same in return. “So truly, love your enemies. Do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. And then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and to the wicked” (6:34-35). In AD 213 the Church Father Tertullian incorporated these sentiments of Christ when discussing the compatibility of the Law of Moses with that of Christ: “The first step was to eradicate the fruit of the money lent [interest], the more easily to accustom a man to the loss, should it happen, of the money itself [principal], the interest of which he had learnt to lose. Now this, we affirm, was the function of the law as preparatory to the Gospel. It was engaged in forming the faith of such as would lean, by gradual stages, for the perfect light of the Christian discipline, through the best precepts of which it was capable, inculcating a benevolence which as yet expressed itself but falteringly…what else does He teach than that we should lend to those of whom we cannot receive again, inasmuch as He has imposed so great a loss on lending?” (Against Marcion 4.17). In other words, forgoing interest is training for forgiving the entire debt. Before conversion and ordination, Tertullian had been a prominent lawyer and was thus probably very familiar with debts bearing interest and the consequent ruin of debtors. In his other books, Tertullian inculcated forgiveness particularly to debtors who are unable to pay, but did not limit the principle only to them. Christ’s teaching to lend without thought of return of the capital (let alone interest) and to be unmotivated about possession of wealth (especially not at the expense of another person), are exercises in detaching oneself from materialism. The common theme of the Jewish and Christian sentiments is: do not be greedy/avaricious or consumed by making money, especially not on the backs of other people.

Jesus in hell? In the Apostles’ Creed we say that Christ “descended into hell”. An old text says he descended to the dead. Jesus was sinless. How could he descend to hell? I can’t say that. Please explain. BFK ELL is an English word with a Germanic origin. Its earliest meaning was the underworld, the place that is home to the souls of the dead. The same place was called Hades in Greek mythology. The Hebrews termed it Sheol. The concept of its being below the earth comes out more clearly in the Latin. In the Apostles’ Creed “He descended into hell” is “Descendit ad inferos”, that is, he went down below or down to the grave (the word “inferior” is a variation of that word). It is unfortunate that the English text still uses the word hell because hell is commonly understood to mean not the place where disembodied people go but where unrepentant sinners are punished for their evil lives. Nonetheless, the English text has preserved the word hell. Even the English Reformers did so. The result is the confusion that you find yourself in, because the meaning of words is not for ever constant. We believe that, before Christ’s resurrection, he went to the underworld of the dead. Why? To affirm that if he truly rose from the dead, he had to be dead in the first place. This abode of the dead was not where good and evil souls dwelt contentedly on equal terms. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, the good souls are happy there whereas the bad souls are in agony. Lazarus is in “Abraham’s bosom” or paradise; the rich man is in torment, yet both are among the dead (Lk 16:19-31). In descending among the dead, Christ presented himself to the souls in Abraham’s bosom as the Messiah, the one who had at last redeemed the living and the dead, and led them to salvation. St Peter described this by saying that in his spirit Christ went to preach to the spirits in prison, referring to the righteous souls waiting in Abraham’s bosom (1 Pet 3:18) for him to do so. Christ assured us that he had died, yet he now lives for ever and ever, holding the keys of death and of the underworld (Rev 1:18). In other words, he is the one and only redeemer of the living and the dead, past, present and future.

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PROFILE

The Southern Cross, July 14 to 20, 2010

Theologian’s degrees of separation The distinguished scholar Fr Gerald O’Collins is currently in South Africa for a series of lectures. CHRIS CHATTERIS SJ looks at the life of

the scriptural expert who once lived next door to the future Pope Benedict XVI.

ANT to find a quick way to reduce the number of “degrees of separation” between yourself and some famous people? One way would be to meet the Australian theologian Fr Gerry O’Collins SJ, who is in South Africa to deliver the Jesuit Institute’s Winter Living theology lectures. Perusing Fr O’Collins’ CV is fascinating. He has some interesting connections and has chalked up a number of remarkable achievements. Keeping God before the eyes of people, as Fr O’Collins has done for many years as a theologian and a priest, seems to be part of the family tradition. His maternal grandfather, Patrick McMahon Glynn, an Irish immigrant, was a leading light at the Federal Convention of 1897— 98 which produced the modern federal Australian state, the Commonwealth of Australia, as it is officially refered to. McMahon

Glynn’s noted contribution to the constitution was a reference to God in the preamble which reads, “humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God”. In Fr O’Collins’ schooling at Xavier College in Melbourne, the Irish connection was maintained. His Jesuit teacher of Latin and Greek was a school contemporary of the famous Irish writer James Joyce. Joyce’s unhappy relationship with the Jesuits did not seem to have transmitted itself to the young Gerry himself, since he later went on to become a Jesuit. At the University of Melbourne, Fr O’Collins distinguished himself as a track athlete, running second to the Australian John Landy who later battled it out with the British Roger Bannister for the honour of breaking the four-minute mile barrier. Despite coming second on the track, Fr O’Collins scored a historic first as a priest at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was the first Catholic priest to be a fellow of the college since the Reformation in the 16th century. As for his contacts, one person he came across in his academic labours was to ascend to the Chair of St Peter. In the northern hemisphere, summer of 1968, when the student world was in turmoil and the Church was in mid-Council, Fr O’Collins found himself at the University of Tübingen in Germany, living next door to a German theologian called Fr Joseph Ratzinger. He attended some of the future Pope’s lectures and went to some concerts with him. Some 37 years later, while com-

Fr Gerald O’Collins SJ—keeping God before the eyes of the people. Fr O’Collins is in SA to deliver the Jesuit Institute’s Winter Living theology lectures. mentating on the conclave that elected the present pope, Fr O’Collins delivered a journalistic coup to the BBC when he predicted, before an audience of millions, that the next pope would be named Benedict. Popes these days are also media personalities, but Fr O’Collins has been associated with a screen idol who is decidedly more of a secular than a sacred celebrity. In 2006 he was created a Companion of the Division of the Order of Australia. He received this honour along with the Australian actress Nicole Kidman. This honour, which is the highest accorded by the government of Australia, is awarded “for the purpose of

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according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service”. For 33 years Fr O’Collins has toiled in the groves of Roman academe at the Jesuit-run Gregorian University, through which many laypeople, priests and bishops have passed. This recalls the wonderful line put into the mouth of St Thomas More in Robert Bolt’s play A Man for All Seasons, when he’s trying to convince Richard Rich to be a teacher: “You'd be a fine teacher; perhaps a great one,” says Sir Thomas. “If I was, who would know it?” asks Richard Rich. More replies: “You; your pupils; your

friends; God”. “Not a bad public, that.” Fr O’Collins’ outreach has been wide indeed. But a teacher’s influence keeps moving outward like the ripples in a pond as the mentor’s students make their mark on the world. These ripples move, not just geographically, but through time, as his contribution to learning goes forward into the future and even outlives him. This is often the case with a scholar’s books and Fr O’Collins’ output in this regard has been prolific. A total of 55 books (so far) in a single academic career is a substantial achievement, especially for a man with a heavy teaching load. Many of these books have been translated into European and Asian languages. Even as the age of 80 hoves into sight, Fr O’Collins hardly seems to be slowing down, and indeed cannot be said to be “retiring”, certainly not from the cut and thrust of theological controversy. His critical response to the novelist Philip Pullman’s latest dig at Christianity: The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, is due for imminent publication. In his network of associations and his personal, academic and popular engagement, Fr O’Collins is a man deeply rooted in the life and history of his country, the Church and contemporary culture. He has rightly been recognised for the huge contribution he has made in these areas. We are indeed fortunate to be hearing him lecture here in South Africa.

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The Southern Cross, July 14 to 20, 2010

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Incense abusive

ITH all due respect to our clergy, incense is abusive. It can trigger asthma attacks in asthmatics and in people allergic to incense. It causes difficulty in breathing for those suffering from emphysema or low lung capacity and it can exacerbate cystic fibrosis, TB and other lungrelated diseases. It also affects the fragile lung tissue of babies and altar servers. For those who suffer from sinus, it becomes an irritant leading to time off work or school as well as extra medical costs. Serious lung conditions

could culminate in death for some. Spiritually, it prevents those affected by it from hearing Mass and taking part in the Eucharist. It is never permitted to expose oneself to the danger of losing faith. If a spouse prevents their wife/husband and children from receiving the sacraments and practising their faith it is grounds for separation and considered spiritual cruelty (canon 1153). Our clergy commit the same cruelty with scant regard for the above illnesses, or the souls of those involved. If we believe that Christ is

represented on the cross, breathing his last for everyone, how can others be kept away? Would we tell our wife or mother to keep out of the hospital ward and leave her husband or child to die alone? (Our Lady was there for her son.) Are we not a Christian community of believers? Is not the family the most basic Christian community? How do we attend funerals if many of the clergy make it impossible for us to breathe? Why do we marginalise our sick? S Curror Witbank

Thoughts for the Week on the Family FAMILY CALENDAR 2010 FAMILY THEME: “Families Play the Game.” JULY THEME: The Veteran’s Cup 18th 16th Sunday of the Year C. Jesus our Friend: In the gospel we hear how

different people relate to Jesus and he to them in various ways. We all play the game of life differently. Older people can look back and evaluate how they have played their game. Think of ways to befriend and help older people with their needs.

COMMUNIT Y CALENDAR Mass readings for the week Sundays year C, weekdays cycle 2 Sun July 18, 16th Sunday of the Year: Gn 18:1-10; Ps 15:2-5; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10:38-42 Mon July 19, feria: Mi 6:1-4, 6-8; Ps 50:5-6,8-9, 16-1721,23; Mt 12:38-42 Tue July 20, St Apollinaris: Mi 7:14-15,18-20; Ps 85:2-8; Mt 12:46-50 Wed July 21, St Lawrence of Brindisi: Jer 1:1, 4-10; Ps 71:1-6,15,17; Mt 13:1-9 Thur July 22, St Mary Magdalene: Songs 3:1-4 or 2 Cor 5:14-17; Ps 63:2-6,8-9; Jn 20:1-2,1118 Fri July 23, St Bridget: Jer 3:14-17; Ps: Jer 31:10-13; Mt 13:18-23 Sat July 24, St Charbel Makhluf: Jer 7:1-11; Ps 84:3-6,8,11; Mt 13:24-30 Sun July 25, 17th Sunday of the Year: Gn 18:20-32; Ps 138:1-3,6-8; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13

BETHLEHEM:  Shrine of Our Lady of Bethlehem at Tsheseng, Maluti mountains; Thursdays 09:30, Mass, then exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.  058 721 0532 JOHANNESBURG:  First Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 10:30. First Saturday: Devotions: Our Lady’s Cenacle, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Rosary, 15:00–16:00. Special devotion to Our Blessed Lady for her priests. Our Lady of the Angels, Little Eden, Edenvale,  011 609 7246  First Saturday of each month rosary prayed 10:30-12:00 outside Marie Stopes abortion clinic, Peter Place, Bryanston.  Joan Beyrooti, 011 782 4331 PRETORIA:  First Saturday: Devotion to Divine Mercy. St Martin de Porres, Sunnyside, 16:30.  Shirley-Anne 012 361 4545. CAPE TOWN:  Holy Hour to pray for priests of the diocese, 2nd Saturday monthly at Villa Maria shrine Kloof Nek Rd 16:00-17:00. To place your event, call Claire Allen at 021 465 5007, or e-mail c.allen@scross.co.za

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DEATHS TOHILL—Sr Cora Maria, 81 years of age, passed away peacefully on 1st July 2010 at Fatima House, Aliwal North.

IN MEMORIAM LETORD—In loving memory of deacon Roger who passed away peacefully after a short illness one year ago on July 19, 2009, aged 96. The deacon of Durbanville parish for 28 years, was a great father and grandfather and a very active member of the Church. He will be lovingly remembered by his family Helen, Stephen, Matthew, Theresa and Kieran, Janet, Dean, Michael and Kyle, Anne, Basil, Sarah and Warren and Joan and his daughter Dawn in Durban and sister Ina in Australia. May his soul rest in peace. LINDSELL—Richard. Died July 21, 2004. Our dearest son and brother will never be forgotten and will always be remembered in our prayers. John, Patricia and family.

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grant my petitions. In return I promise to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. Thank you for prayers answered. DH. HOLY St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. In return I promise to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. CA. O MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are, Mother of God, Queen of heaven and earth I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There is none who can withstand your power .O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary I place this cause in your hands. MR. Saint Martha, pray for us that we might serve Jesus better. Help us to overcome our distractions and worries. Amen. EH.

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July 14 to 20, 2010

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17th Sunday – Year C (July 25th) Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138:1-3, 6-8; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13

AN you bargain with God? All of us like to think that we might (“If I’m good, will you give me this favour?”), but of course God is God, and beyond all our powers (including our powers of reasoning). In next Sunday’s first reading, the narrator starts us off with a God who apparently does not know everything; he begins by having to go and find out what is going on in Sodom, to see whether the reports that have reached him are really true. Somehow, though, Abraham knows what God has in mind, and starts bargaining with him: “If there were fifty innocent people in the city, would you sweep the place away?” Slowly, he beats God down, through forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and finally ten. In the next chapter, of course, Sodom is destroyed, for a disgraceful breach of hospitality, and we are left to assume that they could not find as many as ten innocent people in the entire city. Much more important, though, is that we are dealing with a God who is all love and not at all (despite what his faithful too often say about him) anxious to punish. You can bargain with this God; but not in such a way as might suggest that we have any rights

Bargaining with God? It’s pointless Fr Nicholas King SJ

Scriptural Reflections over him. God’s generous love cannot possibly be earned. This important truth is recognised in the psalm for next Sunday, which starts with a blast of gratitude: “I shall give thanks to you with all my heart; I shall play a song before the gods.” Why is this? Because God has acted graciously: “On the day I called you answered me; you multiplied the strength of my soul.” And (here is the point) God cares, not for the powerful, but for the lowly: “For although the Lord is on high, he looks after the powerless.” We can absolutely trust in this God (not bargain with him): “O Lord, your love lasts for ever; do not abandon the work of your hands.” The second reading likewise emphasises the free gift that God has given us. Nothing of what God has done for us in Christ is in any sense our own doing: “Buried with him

in baptism you have been raised in him through the faith in the activity of God who raised him from the dead.” So it is all God’s doing, “he has raised you to life, giving us the free gift of (pardon for) all transgressions, and wiping out the IOU that stood against us...nailing it to the Cross”. Everything is God’s gift, so bargaining is pointless, except when we remember that God loves us. For if God loves us, then it is presumably all right to ask God to give us things. And that, I take it, is the point of the Lord’s Prayer, of which next Sunday’s gospel provides us with Luke’s version. It is typical of Luke that he has Jesus “praying in a certain place”. Luke does this at all the key moments of Jesus’ life. The disciples, however, clearly do not approve of this form of time-wasting; or rather they want a bit of tuition for themselves in this strange activity. Barely able to contain themselves until he has finished, they ask: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples” (they are not sure if Jesus is a real guru!). So Jesus gives them a formula, slightly different from the more familiar version that we find in Matthew’s gospel; but it is still clearly the same prayer, starting “Father,

Information overload: media-created fear I

HAVE been thinking lately of just how much we take for granted in life. It reminded me how lucky I was to live where I do now and not have to get into a panic about my telephone, computer, electric gates and swimming pool motor being knocked out by a thunderstorm. I remember so well when that first highveld thunderstorm of the summer always managed to dump a deluge of rainwater on to my Internet service provider’s e-mail server with the result that I lost all communication with the outside world. Suddenly I knew what it was like to be a ship without a sail, a hearth without a home, a game without a ball and a spin bowler with arthritis. I was desperate. I had to work incredibly hard to get the simplest job done. I was incommunicado. I was also in trouble. I was forced to do what I always do in times of crisis. I sat down on my stoep and wondered. I wondered about fairly inconsequential stuff—but it wasn’t long before I started to do some serious thinking. I considered what my family would eat if these communications blackouts continued to deprive me of a living. Given the voracity of appetite my children enjoyed in those days, I soon stopped wondering about what they would eat because once the cereal, Viennas and bread rolls ran out they would probably happily lay waste to the dog food and then move on to grass cuttings, hollyhocks and my two remaining ornamental lime trees.

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The Last Word So, I wondered about whether mankind could survive without communication. Without information. It suddenly struck me that we’d probably be a lot happier and healthier without our daily flood of info. For a start, our hectic lifestyles would have to slow down enormously. Jobs would simply take longer as we sent messages by forked stick and then waited for yonks for the answer to come back. We would also become a lot less paranoid about being killed, maimed, beaten, infected, robbed, taxed and tormented. I remembered an incident when I lived in France many years ago. I phoned the insurance company for a quote on a householders policy because in my little village all the houses had massive locks, burglar bars made out of reject rugby posts and dogs that could swallow intruders whole. The insurance company needed a statement from the local police on the number of incidents of housebreaking. I got the answer after a few days. The last incident had been in May 1778—some 200 years previously. So why were the local inhabitants so

terrified of being robbed? Simple. They watched TV and all those American cops and robbers programmes scared them witless. Their perception was that TV fiction was reality. What a shame I thought. Here are these simple peasants living in crime-free Utopia but nonetheless terrified out of their francophone minds. All of which suggests that we are not necessarily being informed by the media and the information highway, but rather scared to death by it all. In a world where perception outweighs reality in the human psyche, it is logical to assume that far from receiving information, digesting it and then keeping what we want and turfing the rest, we are just swallowing the whole bangshoot, feet, feathers and all. Without making any real effort to analyse it, we just accept what is fed to us and allow our opinions to be formed by total strangers. We might be better off by being cut off from the rest of the world and just allowed to get on with our own little thing in our own little community. Perhaps it’s not a bad idea. And apart from having to deal with trivial little irritations like global economies collapsing in a heap and neighbouring communities pillaging us from time to time, maybe we would have more peace of mind. All of this I wondered about as I sat on my stoep waiting for my e-mail server and voicemail to click back into action. I’d almost convinced myself that perhaps one day when I retire I should hive off to some backwoods where there was no radio, no newspaper, no television, no phone, or e-mail. Surely life would be wonderful ? My reverie was shattered when one of my kids, having finished pillaging the kitchen, wandered out onto the stoep and quite casually asked if I would be watching the rugby test on TV. Come back information age, all was forgiven. A test live on TV or waiting three months for the result to get to me by Union Castle and ox wagon? Forget it— no contest.

may your name be held holy, may your kingdom come”. Notice that it begins by addressing God as “Father”, which means that it is all right to ask for things (that is what you do with a parent); but it also recognises that God is different: the holiness of the name and the coming of the kingdom are not quite what children normally ask for. “Bread”, on the other hand (in some form or other) is the kind of thing that they want; but even this is different: it is “daily” bread, but it may also be “supersubstantial” (although to be honest we cannot be quite sure of the meaning of this word). And, similarly, children no doubt often ask to be forgiven for their sins and perhaps are less in a position to say “for we have let off all our debtors” (and how are you doing, on that front this week?). Then Jesus tells a rather daring story in which God is represented as a friend who is reluctant to get out of bed, but in the end does rather grudgingly agree to bestir himself. The point is that God does in the end answer prayers, not because of our bargaining, but because God is utterly generous. There is something to take us through the coming week.

Southern Crossword #400

ACROSS 1. Find old Thailand in Asia Minor (4) 3. Is in touch with (8) 9. Rosary round the head? (7) 10. Monk or angel conceals Muslim book (5) 11. Is not as a sign of secret meetings (12) 13. Day when novena is incomplete (6) 15. Grow fleshy (6) 17. A holy author of Scripture (6,6) 20. Pick numbers to win its prize (5) 21. There's Arian in the man from Tehran (7) 22. It may support a statue in church (8) 23. Sharp side of the blade in red gem (4)

DOWN 1.Trace SOS to wise old Greek (8) 2. Accumulate a Eucharistic celebration? (5) 4. Fugitive from justice (6) 5. Assume that the gospel has been presented (4,2,2,4) 6. Little crown for a statue (6) 7. Here I am, ... me (Isaiah 6) (4) 8. Not serious mistakes (6,6) 12. Sort of hymn where priest comes in (8) 14. Agreed to allow (7) 16. New aid for her (6) 18. Set of three (5) 19. One of many between cup and lip (4)

SOLUTIONS TO #399. ACROSS: 4 Afflict, 8 Sorrow, 9 Clement, 10 Uppish, 11 Eunice, 12 Refining, 18 Old guard, 20 Appeal, 21 Winner, 22 Papists, 23 Belles, 24 Uniform. DOWN: 1 Ossuary, 2 Drop off, 3 For sin, 5 False god, 6 Lament, 7 Cynics, 13 Idolator, 14 Saintly, 15 Address, 16 Sprain, 17 Relief, 19 Guinea.

CHURCH CHUCKLE A woman returned home from an evening of church services, when she was startled by an intruder. She yelled: “Stop! Acts 2:38!” (Repent and be baptised, in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven.) The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done. As the officer cuffed the man and asked: “Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a scripture at you.” “Scripture?”, replied the burglar, “She said she had an Axe and two 38s!” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.