The Southern Cross - 110928

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September 28 to October 4 , 2011

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How media distortion harms women

Best friends: Priests and their pets

A good time to spring clean your life

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Page 10

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NEW SERIES STARTS THIS WEEK In this edition on page 9 we are inaugurating a yearlong weekly series of articles under the Hope&Joy banner. Written in alternating weeks by Southern Cross writer Claire Mathieson (left) and Fr Anthony Egan SJ (right) of the Jesuit Institute in Johannesburg, the series will cover a broad range of themes drawing from the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and how these relate to the mission of the Catholic Church in Southern Africa today. Ms Mathieson will report on how the council’s teachings find application in the Church; the following week Fr Egan will reflect on the same theme.

Back issues of every week’s edition will be available from Avril Hanslo at subscriptions@scross.co.za or 021 465 5007

Zuma, minister ‘disrespect SA’s Constitution’

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

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Farewell to winter: Two young pals from Linmeyer Marist College in Johannesburg get into the spirit of spring.

HE Public Protector’s recent findings of unlawfulness and corruption have been ignored by the national minister found guilty and by the president of the country—the only person able to enforce the rulings. Both the guilty parties and President Jacob Zuma, are in contempt of the Constitution, according to a Church analyst.

Mike Pothier of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, an associated office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said the legal arm of government relies for its effectiveness “chiefly on being accorded due respect by all elements of society. And the more powerful an element is, the more crucial it is that it should unambiguously demonstrate that respect”.

But recent incidents by high-ranking government officials have undermined the Constitution through a complete lack of respect for both the departments involved in upholding South African laws and the Constitution itself.

Mr Pothier was referring to the Public Protector’s finding that public works minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde acted unlawfully and was guilty of serious maladministration in connection with the leasing of two office buildings for the South African Police Services. Police commissioner Bheki Cele also came in for serious criticism for the R500 million lease agreement for the new police headquarters in Pretoria.

Further reports from a Special Investigating Unit probe into the public works department reportedly have uncovered irregularities of about R3 billion.

The Public Protector is an integral part of the legal system which contributes to the strengthening of constitutional rights and processes, Mr Pothier said.

But neither the judiciary nor the State Institutions Supporting Democracy (called Chapter 9 Institutions)—which include the Public Protector, the Human Rights Commission, the Independent Electoral Commission and the Auditor General—have

ultimate power to enforce compliance with decisions and orders.

The Chapter 9 institutions “rely largely on respect; and if their findings are not respected and complied with, their constitutional role—and thus the Constitution itself—is seriously undermined,” Mr Pothier said.

But it was not just unlawful acts by ministers that are a problem, Mr Pothier said.

The problem extends to those who have been given the responsibility to correct the issues.

“The Public Protector set out a detailed list of actions that the various responsible people were to take. Among these were that President Zuma ‘is to consider taking action against the minister of Public Works’; that the minister must ‘report to cabinet within 60 days on her actions in relation to the procurement of the leases’; and that the minister of police should institute urgent action against SAPS officials—notably including the national commissioner—that were implicated in the unlawful and improper lease agreements.”

Mr Pothier said both Ms MahlanguNkabinde and General Cele ignored the deadline.

In many other democracies, high-ranking officials found guilty of multi-billion rand maladministration and unlawfulness would have resigned immediately, “and failing that, they would have been fired”, Mr Pothier said. “Unfortunately, in our democracy the tendency is rather for the condemned office-bearer to dig in his or her heels, to obfuscate, and to rely on political protection from their superiors.”

Only President Jacob Zuma has the power to dismiss a minister or the national chief of police, Mr Pothier pointed out.

However, “all he has done is to play for time by referring her reports to parliament, and by calling for ‘further information’ from some of those involved,” Mr Pothier said.

“The necessary information is readily

Catholic school’s pupil wins gold for SA STAFF REPORTER

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PUPIL of Holy Rosary School in Edenvale, Johannesburg won gold, silver and bronze medals in swimming events at the IV Commonwealth Youth Games 2011 for youth between ages 14-18, held on the Isle of Man, off the British coast.

Kelly Gunnell (pictured right), a Grade 11 pupil at the school, won the gold medal in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:25:22.

Kelly won a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke in a time of 1:08:26, finishing behind Northern

Ireland’s Sycerika McMahon, and earned a bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 32:20.

Sam Willis, official writer at the games, noted: “Gunnell demonstrated her immaculate efforts in the four-lap breast-stroke swim by submitting a time of 2 minutes and 25:22 seconds for the title of the event. Gunnell acquired secondfastest qualification spot in the qualifying rounds to enter the final, but her gruelling efforts in the final round placed her on the top of podium for gold medal…The crowd was impressed with the

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wonderful effort”.

Kelly was one of two South African gold medallists in the pool.

Marne Erasmus won in the 50m butterfly event. South Africa finished third on the medal table, behind England and Australia, with 30 medals, eight of them gold.

Kelly has been swimming since she was seven years old. She rapidly moved up CGA levels and started swimming for her province at nine.

“In the last 18 months Kelly has managed a very busy schedule of local and international competitions,” said Holy Rosary School’s PR

Kenda Knowles. “Kelly competed in Ireland in July 2010, where she medalled; and in Brazil in October 2010, where she won in the 200m breaststroke, among other medals.

Next was the Zone VI Games in Swaziland, where she won three gold medals. In March this year, she took part in South African National Championships in Durban, once again winning numerous medals; in April she participated in the South African seniors in Port Elizabeth.”

Kelly swims with the Mandeville Dolphins Club, coached by Dean Price.

Continued on page 3

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The Southern Cross, September 28 to October 4 , 2011

LOCAL

Church ‘must be involved in politics’

BY FR MOKESH MORAR

More than 40 men gathered at Ngome in KwaZulu-Natal to pray. A diocesan pilgrimage for Eshowe will take place on the feast of Our Lady Queen of Peace in 2012 and over 500 men are expected to participate in a Men’s Pilgrimage.

Men rough it at Ngome STAFF REPORTER

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ORE than 40 men boarded a very slow-travelling bus to take them to the Marian shrine at Ngome, in the KwaZulu-Natal diocese of Eshowe.

“I think everybody knows how difficult it is to get men together to pray.

Imagine, 40 men travelling with considerable discomfort to Ngome,” said Franciscan Father Christopher Neville.

In the end, he said, “these guys were amazing to be with”.

The men joined another group of pilgrims from Gauteng. The combined group of more than 60 was led by Annie Moodley.

Father Andrew Knott, a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate community who are the curators of the shrine, informed the pilgrims that the bishop of Eshowe and his council of priests had declared the shrine an official pilgrimage site of the diocese. The diocesan pilgrimage will take place on the feast of Our Lady Queen of Peace as of 2012.

The Catholic men of KwaZulu-Natal intend to organise a pilgrimage for men

in 2012, planning for 500 men participants. The men of Chatsworth parish in Durban, for example, said during a novena to our Lady of Vailankanni that they intend to send 100 men to the pilgrimage.

“They will sleep in tents and eat whatever food is available, being prepared to be pilgrims,” Fr Neville said, adding that the “amazing experience” of the Gauteng men’s pilgrimage has given the organisers confidence that the 2012 men’s pilgrimage will be rewarding.

The Gauteng men “prayed the Stations of the Cross in the rain”, Fr Neville said. “Although they became very wet, they amazingly found themselves to be dry immediately after the 15th station, in which the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is commemorated.”

The Fr Neville added: “This event must be experienced to be believed. The reality is that all these men, one of whom was 80 years of age, all experienced an in-flowing of the Divine Presence.” n For further information about Ngome visit http://ngome.wordpress.com/

‘I

F we want to become prophetic, we need to be credible. That includes being critical of ourselves as priests.”

This was the challenge posed

by Dominican Father Mike Deeb of the bishops’ Justice & Peace Department at a workshop for priests in Bethlehem, Free State.

Held at the John Paul II Centre, the workshop was themed “Priests, Politics and the Church”. It was part of an ongoing formation programme for priests organised by the local coordinator, Fr Sifiso Thusi.

According to Fr Deeb, priests need to develop a broader understanding and a better, more positive practice of politics and power which is based on the Gospel values and social teachings of the Church.

“Politics is the way we organise power in each of our relationships, ranging from the most intimate to the most distant groups and communities that we are part of,” Fr Deeb said.

Speaking about how Jesus dealt with the issues of power and politics, Fr Deeb focused on Luke 4:18, commonly known as “The mission of Jesus”.

At the beginning of his pub-

lic ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus declared his primary mission as bringing the Good News to the marginalised. When he called the religious and political oppressors to order, they killed him.

Following Jesus is still not easy, the workshop heard. In Mark 10:42-45, Jesus cautioned his disciples not to “lord it over others”, but to be of service to others.

Through service leadership by priests, people become more empowered and can even challenge wrongs in the Church.

The Church’s opposition to suffering is rooted in what Pope John Paul II called “social love”—dignity of the human person, the common good, solidarity, option for the poor and care for creation—and this requires Catholics to engage with politics.

Fr Deeb said it was acceptable for priests to be involved in party politics for a very short term to build national unity.

However, if priests stay on for long it easily becomes a problem, as it is difficult to avoid getting drawn into power struggles which can bring greater divisions in the Church and society.

The laity, however, must be called to full active and continuous participation to counter apathy, Fr Deeb said. The wave of service delivery protests are

often a good sign that people are concerned and are not happy when the government fails them.

The workshop found that the priority challenges in South Africa are: •To challenge the current culture of self-enrichment and corruption that have become endemic in our societies and to minister to those caught up in it.

•To condemn all forms of intolerance, and especially xenophobic and gender-based violence, including corrective rape.

•To ensure that the Good News of Justice and Peace is at the heart of all Church activities—especially in all liturgies and catechetics—and that Justice & Peace groups are established and active in each parish.

For the Church to speak with credibility about these challenges, it is vital that priests face their own contradictions, the workshop found.

This requires of priests to beware of “participation in corruption” through the abuse of money; living lavish lifestyles in the midst of poverty; abuse of alcohol and involvement in irresponsible sexual relationships; reinforcing racism, sexism and homophobia; and dictatorial use of power that is unaccountable.

Youth workshop connects faith, the movies and Facebook

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

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HE Salesians of Don Bosco Youth Centre and the Paulines of Pauline Books and Media will present a workshop on “Youth Ministry in the Digital Era”, featuring a talk by noted social communications expert Pauline Sister Rose Pacatte FSP. Taking place at the Pauline Convention Centre in Kensington, Johannesburg, on October 9, the event will cover aspects of the digital era ranging on topics from television, movies, MTV and Facebook.

The one-day workshop is targeted at youth leaders between the ages of 19-29, and aims to assist in connecting

contemporary culture and the Catholic faith.

Sr Pacatte holds of masters degree in education of media studies and is the director of the Pauline Centre of Media Studies in California. Her primary work is media literacy education for parents and teachers within the context of culture, education and faith formation.

Sr Pacatte describes herself as a great fan of the movies and will talk about how one can use television and the movies to build better relationships. She is the film and television columnist for St Anthony Messenger Magazine and a contributor to the National Catholic Reporter, a national US weekly.

The charism of the Daughters of St Paul is to carry out a new form of evangelisation by living and witnessing to the Faith through communications.

The sisters are active in all forms of media including traditional publications, e-books, television, social media and as well as developing new internet and mobile apps. Sr Pacette will share with the South African audience how one can use the various communications skills to evangelise and inspire the youth.

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, September 28 to October 4, 2011

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Cycle pilgrimage ahead of climate meet

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

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HE Justice and Peace Department of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference is preparing for the United Nations’ Convention on Climate Change (COP17) through a series of workshops, road shows, and a “climate caravan” as well as a “bicycle pilgrimage” titled Climate Justice Ride.

According to advocacy officer Shaka Dzebu, Justice and Peace have a range of activities lined up to raise awareness on climate change within South Africa and the department is looking for “individuals who can mobilise communities” to take part in one

of the various events hosted by the department.

The Climate Justice Ride is a pilgrimage for serious riders. Set to start in Musina, Limpopo province on November 9, the ride will end at South Beach in Durban on November 25, in time for the start of the climate change convention.

“The event will consist of 14 legs with 17 road shows along the way. Fourteen riders will be selected to ride each leg of the ride; the ride will take the form of a relay with cyclists handing over cycles to another group after riding an average distance of 100km,” Mr Dzebu said. A total of 204 cyclists will take part in the pilgrimage.

Both male and female cyclists

Zuma, minister are ‘in contempt of Constitution’ Continued from page 1 available in the 224 pages of the Public Protector’s two reports. And in any event, it is not up to parliament either to duplicate the Public Protector’s investigations or to second-guess them,” Mr Pothier said.

“Nothing at all has been done by the relevant ministers, and all the president has done is to try to evade responsibility.”

After the special investigation into the public works department discovered evidence of corruption by department officials, Mrs

Mahlangu-Nkabinde claimed she had inherited problems and claims that she had been lied to but vowed to “tighten up” her department.

Mr Pothier said while corruption could be at the heart of the saga, a big problem was the lack of respect the president and the two officials in question have for the Public Protector.

“By doing so they have placed themselves in contempt of the Constitution which all of them are sworn to uphold.”

Send your local news to news@scross.co.za

from all faith backgrounds have been invited to apply for the pilgrimage, but health and fitness has been prioritised by the organisers.

Those selected for the ride will begin to do at least 2-3 hour preparatory bike rides in the 6-8 weeks before ride. They will be riding with a group of six professional cyclists who will act as the core group for the entire length of the pilgrimage. “The core group will consist of individuals with special skills that will be needed along the way,” Mr Dzebu said.

The road shows along the cycle tour will be short one-hour public events that will welcome the cyclists to the check point. “This will involve dance and music, pub-

lic speeches, distribution of information and the planting of a tree,” said Mr Dzebu. Local Justice and Peace structures will be involved in the organisation of these events.

Justice and Peace will also hold workshops to introduce individuals to climate change, raise environmental awareness and prepare for COP17 engagement.

Mr Dzebu said these workshops are aimed at community leaders who will have the ability to mobilise communities to respond to climate change.

Those not involved in the cycle tour or road shows can still get involved in the movement.

Mr Dzebu said Caravans for Climate Justice will bring people in

busses from different dioceses across the country which will arrive in Durban on November 25 in order to welcome the cyclists.

The Justice and Peace effort will culminate in a COP17 rally on December 27 in Durban.

“People of all faiths are invited to apply to participate by getting in touch with Justice and Peace,” said Mr Dzebu.

“Justice and Peace has environmental justice as one of its priorities. Therefore we find it necessary to respond and organise action around COP17,” the organiser said. nFor more information contact Shaka Dzebu on SDzebu@sacbc.org.za or call 012 323 6458 before October 4.

Children from The Love of Christ Ministries (TLC) outside Johannesburg, show their support for the Springbok rugby team as they participate in the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

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The Southern Cross, September 28 to October 4 , 2011

INTERNATIONAL

Africa’s Church must monitor elections T

HE Church must strengthen its role in observing and monitoring elections in African countries where electoral violence prevails, said Church representatives from 20 African nations meeting in Accra, Ghana.

Noting that 12 African countries were scheduled to hold elections before the end of 2011 and 14 others in 2012, participants in a conference organised by the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (Secam) and Catholic Relief Services and said that “poor governance is often the source of intimidation, violence or conflicts in Africa during and after elections.”

“More often than not” elections in Africa have been manipulated “to satisfy selfish or partisan interests to the detriment of the common good”, participants said in statement signed by Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra.

Among the main causes of elec-

Displaced Somalis in cathedral ruins

BY FRANCIS NJuguNA

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JIBOUTI’S Bishop Giorgio Bertin, who oversees Catholics in neighbouring Somalia, has said he is happy that the ruins of Mogadishu’s only Catholic cathedral are housing hundreds of displaced Somalis.

“In Mogadishu there are hundreds of camps for displaced people. The cathedral area is one of them,” the bishop said in an email interview. “I think that at least 300 could easily fit in, but I have no real figures.”

In 1989, Bishop Pietro Salvatore Colombo of Mogadishu was killed at his cathedral. “The cathedral has not been used since January 9, 1991, when it was ransacked” and set on fire, said Bishop Bertin. “It remained open to anybody and was never locked.”—CNS

toral violence are the “lack of political will to implement reforms that support democratic principles and practices, partisan administration and management of electoral bodies”, ignorance, illiteracy and poverty, as well as “manipulation of ethnic identities and inadequate training of polling officials”, the statement said.

The participants resolved to make resources available to support the good governance and peacebuilding initiatives and to ensure that these resources are “effectively, transparently and judiciously used”.

Urging Christians to “bring to bear on politics their Christian faith and virtues”, the participants said it was sad that “after more than a century of Christianity in many African countries, some Christians still use ethnic identities in politics to the exclusion of others.”

The conference looked at issues of justice, reconciliation and peace, in line with the 57 pastoral propos-

als the bishop delegates offered to Pope Benedict as the October 2009 Synod of Bishops for Africa concluded.

The Church “has not always engaged effectively with political leaders for the cause of peace and development,” said the final statement, noting that this “is contrary to the example of Our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Participants said legal frameworks to guarantee Africans the freedom to exercise their democratic rights need to be put in place.

In a talk at the conference, Archbishop Palmer-Buckle said the church needs to “speak out against electoral abuses and all forms of malpractices,” noting that it “cannot afford to shirk” its responsibility to speak out “on behalf of the voiceless.”

“We have to speak out and defend what is right and just, even at the risk of our lives,” he said.— CNS

A classic Volkswagen Beetle with Vatican licence plates drives within the Vatican. The car matches the description of a 2003 final edition model in Aquarius Blue given as a gift to Pope John Paul II in 2004 by a delegation of autoworkers from the Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

Author: Media distortions harm women

BY CAROL gLATZ

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NEW book by a Catholic talk show host looks at how media and culture are sending unhealthy messages to women and how the Church can fill the emotional and spiritual void left behind.

The book, Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ, Not Conformed to the Culture, looks at how the culture is “going after women” and how women are hurt, “whether it be body image, eating disorders and sexual objectification”, said its author, Teresa Tomeo.

Mrs Tomeo, a syndicated talk show host on US-based Eternal Word Television Network, said that women are pressured into being many different things to different people: a powerhouse professional, a flawless wife and beautiful woman.

She said much in society is contradictory: “We have all these advancements and yet we’re more objectified than ever.”

There’s a kind of “split person-

Teresa Tomeo is the author of Extreme Makeover, a book exposing double standards and demeaning attitudes towards women. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS) ality” in the media, she said, when a newspaper or newscast reports on studies showing how influential media are on an audience, especially children, or studies showing ways women are still objectified. “And then they turn around and promote sex at 2 in the afternoon in a soap opera or a commercial.”

Women’s self-image is often distorted because of too much emphasis on youth, physical beau-

ty and sexuality, Mrs Tomeo said.

Add to the mix the modern-day “freedoms” of contraception, abortion, and sex outside of marriage and women end up being not more free or equal “but more in bondage, and you don’t realise it when you’re accepting it”.

In her book, published by Ignatius Press, Mrs Tomeo details the personal crises she weathered—an eating disorder, a frenetic work ethic and a crumbling marriage. She had been living distant from God, she said, and just accepted the current culture’s stereotypes wholesale.

“I realised I was living in the world so strongly, it consumed me. My career was everything and I let everything else slide and almost lost everything in the process,” she said.

Many people, whether they are religious or not, “are sick and tired of the way women are treated, the way families are treated and the way marriage is disrespected”, she said.

The women’s liberation move-

ment failed to provide the solution, she said, because what brings freedom and dignity to women are in the teachings of Christ and the Catholic Church, Tomeo said.

“The Church has been teaching for 2 000 years that there is a plan” called natural law, she said.

Natural law, whose basic norms are reflected in the Ten Commandments, are rights and wrongs that are part of human nature and can be identified by the use of human reason, according to Church teaching. Pope Benedict has said natural law is the only sure foundation for regulating social life and can guarantee that people live in true freedom with their dignity respected.

Mrs Tomeo said she hopes the book will inspire women, especially teens, to learn about the Catholic faith, study it, pray and find out who they are in Christ.

By transforming themselves, women can change the culture, she said, quoting St Catherine of Siena: “When we are whom we are called to be, we will set the world ablaze.”—CNS

Pope meets astronauts

BY CINdY WOOdEN

P

OPE Benedict, who spoke to a group of astronauts when they were in outer space, had a close encounter with them back on Earth.

The pope welcomed crew members from the International Space Station and the space shuttle Endeavour to the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo.

The astronauts returned to the pope a silver medallion that he had given them to carry to the space station orbiting the earth.

Pope Benedict had spoken to the astronauts on May 21 during a video hookup with the space station.

Roberto Vittori, an Italian member of the Endeavour team, had let the medallion float weightless in front of the screen for the pope to see.

The nine astronauts gave the pope an atlas of the universe and a framed memento to hang on the wall containing a Vatican flag, the NASA logo and a photograph of the space shuttle.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, September 28 to October 4 , 2011

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Jerusalem’s gate to three faiths restored

BY JudITH SudILOVSKY

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T the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City, history is literally etched in stone.

From its monumental Roman base to the top of its newly restored Ottoman crown and its stones scarred by bullet holes, the city’s most elaborate gate has been witness to the comings and goings of centuries of conquering soldiers and rulers—and it remains the main gate into the Old City.

In August, Israeli archaeologists completed restoration work on the Damascus Gate, the last stage in a project begun in 2007 to restore and conserve the city’s 4km of ancient walls, said conservation architect Avi Mashiah of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who directed the work.

The Damascus Gate was the last of the gates to be restored not only because of its architectural complexity, but also because of its role as the social and commercial hub for the Old City in East Jerusalem, he said.

The Israeli restoration of the Damascus Gate took ten months, Mr Mashiah said, and was conducted in coordination with the Palestinian merchants whose busy shops line the entrance into the old city.

The Crusaders built the gate on top of Roman ruins.

In history, the ancient Hebrews, the Fatimid, the Mamluk, Ottomans, British, Jordanians and Israelis have also laid claim to the city and its wall.

“This was the most important monument of Jerusalem, the most important entrance to Jerusalem,” said Franciscan

Palestinians buy food outside the damascus gate in the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Archaeologists have completed restoration work on the gate, which once was the entry point for pilgrims to Jerusalem.

(Photo: debbie Hill, CNS) Father Eugenio Alliata, professor of Christian archaeology at the Studium Bibilicum Franciscanum of Jerusalem and director of the school’s museum.

He said that, except under Ottoman rule, the Damascus Gate has always served as the main entrance to Jerusalem. In the time of Jesus there was only a minor entrance at the site but no remains of it have been found, he said.

Also no longer standing is the small Crusader chapel of St Abraham, which was built just outside the gate, though faint traces of paint can still be seen on the stones where archaeologists believe the chapel once stood. Some stones still bear the signs of marks by master stone masons during the Crusader period as a claim on their finest

work. Today, the uncovered site of the chapel is strewn with horse manure and street garbage tossed by passersby and street vendors on the upper level of the gate.

An Orthodox Jewish woman, her hair covered and eyes cast down on a book of psalms held open in her hands, walks up the steps of the gate as she leaves the Old City. An Ethiopian priest passes by on his way inside the gate.

Inside the gate the road leads to holy sites for three different faiths: the Western Wall, the Via Dolorosa, the church of the Holy Sepulchre and the al-Aqsa mosque.

It was through this gate that all pilgrims to the city—early Christians, Jews and Muslims, came to pray.—CNS

WYD in Rio will fight secularism

BY FR TALVACY CHAVES dE FREITAS

B

Y sending World Youth Day (WYD) back to Latin America, Pope Benedict is calling the world’s attention to the region’s Christian past, said Archbishop Orani Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro, host city for the 2013 event.

The region’s Christian roots “are being lost, little by little, to the false belief that we are secular country”, he said in an interview posted on the Brazilian bishops’ WYD website (www. jovensconectados.org.br).

The events of WYD will help “reaffirm our commitment to help the world, Brazil, and our city to become better and better”, he said. “Catholic youth make a difference in the world.”

The last World Youth Day in South America was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1987.

The choice of Rio de Janeiro to host the World Youth Day creates a “big challenge” but also “a very special moment for the Church in Brazil,” the archbishop told reporters in Madrid after the pope announced that

A Brazilian WYd pilgrim to Madrid cheers as Pope Benedict announces that the next World Youth day will be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2013. (Photo: Susana Vera, Reuters/CNS) Rio would host the next World Youth Day. With less than two years to organise the event, scheduled for July 23-28, 2013, the archdiocese is working with the bishops’ conference to form planning teams.

“Several steps have been taken, the fees are already being developed and we hope that by the end of this year, everything will be organised so that we can finalise the selection of locations and all the programming.” said the archbishop.

On September 18, the symbols of World Youth Day—a cross and an icon of Mary— arrived at Campo de Marte airport, where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass during his 2007 visit. Activities at the event, called Botafe, a Brazilian expression meaning “believe in it,” included singers, celebrations, testimonies and Mass.

Following the World Youth Day theme, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all ye nations”, the cross and icon will travel through the 17 regions of Brazil and four other countries in South America: Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina.

Archbishop Tempesta, 61, is an active communicator with young people through social networks such as blogs, Twitter and Facebook. He is a member of the Brazilian bishops’ social communications commission.

No more Hope in LA

D

OLORES Hope, a life-long Catholic who was the widow of English-born US comedian Bob Hope and an entertainer in her own right, died on September 19 at age 102 at her home near Los Angeles.

A family spokesman said she died of natural causes.

With her husband, Mrs Hope (pictured) supported numerous Catholic causes over the years

and continued to do so after his death in 2003.

Mrs Hope and her husband were members of St Charles Borromeo parish in North Hollywood. But it wasn’t until 1996 that Bob Hope officially became a member of the Catholic Church.

She and Bob had been married 69 years when he died on July 27, 2003, also a centenarian.

J.M.J

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LEADER PAGE

The Southern Cross, September 28 to October 4, 2011

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Adam and Eve: allegorical progenitors?

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

A journey of hope and joy

M

ENTION the Second Vatican Council to young Catholics today, and chances are that they will voice their lack of interest in the Church’s most important event in four centuries, believing it to be as relevant to their lives today as the dusty LPs of Engelbert Humperdinck and Mantovani.

They might say that they are turned off by talk of a council that took place long before they were born. In terms of Church history, of course, Vatican II was a very recent event.

If the history of the Church was a football pitch and we stood on the goal-line, Vatican II would be about two and a half metres ahead of us. Or, if Church history was a 24-hour day, with the first Pentecost representing a second after midnight and today being a second before the next midnight, Vatican II would have happened at around 11:24pm.

In short, Vatican II is still immensely relevant precisely because it took place so very recently—just 36 minutes ago.

As we begin our year-long weekly series of articles under the Hope&Joy banner, we hope to bring the Second Vatican Council and its teachings closer to the Catholic community. By focusing on various themes as they relate to the vision and teachings of the council, we hope to present Vatican II not as an abstract point in history, but as a living entity which reverberates in everything we do as Catholics.

Vatican II changed not only the way Catholics celebrate the Eucharist, but also how they relate to one another. It is significant that in our inaugural Hope&Joy article there is a refrain of references to the laity.

Where once the laity’s role was, in the popular wisecrack, to “pray, pay and obey”, the faithful are now called to active participation in the mission of the Church.

The various documents of Vatican II, and those that flowed from the council, serve to guide us in living out our call to the royal priesthood. The mandate, so often reiterated by Popes John Paul II and Benedict, to be missionaries in the workplace by showing others the hope and joy

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.

of our faith is a fruit of the Second Vatican Council.

The Hope&Joy movement takes its name from Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), the council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. In 1982, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) described Gaudium et Spes as “an attempt to officially reconcile the Church with the world” and as an escape from the “ghetto complex” which the Church had maintained since the French Revolution of 1789.

Vatican II changed profoundly the way in which the Church relates to the modern world, in particular to other Christian churches and adherents of nonChristian faiths.

The council did not have much to say about Catholics who become inactive in their faith, but it is fair to say that Pope Benedict’s decision to set up the Congregation for New Evangelisation to oversee the Church’s missionary activities in Europe is a reflection of the spirit of Vatican II. It says that even in traditionally Christian regions, the Church must come to the people, not expecting the people to come to her.

In the course of our Hope&Joy series, we will look at concrete examples of how the teachings of Vatican II are being lived out, and offer reflections on what these teachings mean in our pursuit to live our lives with Christ at the centre.

The series will cover themes as diverse as death and liturgy, ecumenism and priesthood, family and media. We will also look at subjects such as HIV/Aids and how that crisis, which erupted two decades after the council, relates to its teachings.

The series will not go into questions about whether the ecclesiological expectations of Vatican II have been met; that is an important debate for another time.

Our aim is to present the Second Vatican Council as still relevant in the life of the Church, having moved with the times, from the LPs of Engelbert Humperdinck and Mantovani in the 1960s to the digital era of Lady Gaga and Lady Antebellum.

W

HEN it comes to discussions over the origins of man (“How Church’s teachings on Adam and Eve have evolved”, September 7), opinions can and do vary wildly.

Literalists will limit themselves to the narrow confines of their own insular perspective, not allowing any thought that falls outside their thinking; while the other side of the spectrum will, with an equally sectarian viewpoint, insist on a random beginning, claiming that we evolved from the proverbial singlecelled amoeba, with no chance of any first cause.

When considering the story of “Adam and Eve”, we first need to contextualise, putting the story into its own timeframe. The Book of Genesis can be dated to between 1446 and 1406 BCE. It is not hard to envision a tribal society, grounded in an agrarian lifestyle. The concept of origin would have to have been based on personal experience as well as the

world around them; hence, if one were to use the postulation of Ockham’s razor, in the simplest of deductions, man would have been seen to originate from one pair!

However, even the question—where did that first pair come from— would have raised its head. Thus, perhaps, the early extrapolation of the creation?

Do we know the mind of God? Man is slowly unraveling how he set his plan or design into action.

Despite Humani Generis, the Church has come to accept what has proven to be scientific fact, its theology has evolved but its faith has remained constant. When it comes to Adam and Eve, the Church has re-evaluated its view; looking at them as the embodiment of humankind and this is sensible given the advances in genetic understanding.

It makes sense that there would have to have been a large number of Adam and Eves (polygenism) to ensure the chance of survival of the

NHI pitfalls

governance remains widely dysfunctional.

As far as health goes, in 2009/10 only the Western Cape and North West departments received unqualified audits, while four provinces received disclaimers. Perhaps we should not yet talk about fixing the problems: I wonder if we even fully appreciate their scale.

Where health systems of this nature have been implemented, it has typically been done in societies with robust tax bases to underwrite them, and competent state administrations. These conditions do not exist here. Our tax base is narrow, and our economic growth anaemic.

And we have failed to create a skilled, professional and accountable public service.

Too often, political loyalties or demographic formulae trump fitness for purpose. This is not an aberration, but an ideological nonnegotiable for the ruling party. As long as the country’s incumbent leadership loudly proclaims a commitment to “cadre deployment” and is prepared to fight court cases to hold positions vacant rather than employ pigmentally inappropriate candidates (even those unanimously recommended for positions), we cannot expect this to change.

Nor should we ignore the inevitability of a king-sized consumer of goods and services attracting the attention of the country’s

I

F one approaches the proposed National Health Insurance scheme (“National Health Insurance: Nothing to Fear, lots to gain”, September 7) purely from the angle of redistributive justice, then a strong—though by no means unassailable—case can be made for it, at least in broad principle. When one looks at it from the perspective of practicality, the case becomes rather more nuanced. The Church will need to keep this in mind.

Based on what is available thus far, the resultant health system could well be one of the largest entities, economically speaking, in the country. Even its proponents are not arguing it will be cheap. While we may be able to pay for it, whether we can afford it—whether it will be worth the direct and opportunity costs, which will probably include depressing our already insufficient savings rate, a key retarder of economic growth—will depend largely on how well it is managed.

If it works, it may provide better healthcare to the country’s poor. If not, it could simply be a ruinously expensive liability.

Sadly, I think the evidence suggests the latter is more likely. While current plans call for the upgrading of existing facilities as a first step, this is a tune we have heard before.

I can’t help thinking about the billions upon billions that have been poured into education (including the “Outcomes-Based Education” fiasco), or strategies to get municipal governance on its feet. Yet our education system is producing output which is low by developing world standards, and municipal

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.

species homo sapiens; the large variation within humankind today would, within my logic structure, demand a wider gene pool to start with than just one pair. Yet, an alarming number of people still believe in monogenism, despite the contrary evidence or logic.

I hasten to add that this emphatically does not mean that there is no first cause (God), only that as we progress in society, we need to adjust our thinking carefully and within the bounds of our faith, to adapt to demonstrably proven theories.

For me, Adam and Eve represent the dawn of man unto God, where man was given sentience, a soul.

“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

How we arrived at the point of sentience, defines the glory and magnificence of God’s creation, culminating in man, made in his image.

Anthony Sturges, Johannesburg “tenderpreneurs”.

Without the skills to make the systems work, and the professional ethos to protect them, the NHI is going to fail.

If the Church wishes this initiative to succeed, it must move beyond a language of justice towards one of efficiency and effectiveness. This means speaking boldly and unambiguously about getting our systems right, and posing difficult and unpopular questions about the priorities of our country’s leadership, and the trajectory we are on. What is “just” loses a lot of its meaning if it is unimplementable.

This will not make the Church any new friends, and may alienate some who claim to be its current friends.

Is the Church up for it?

Rudi Massyn, Johannesburg

Give our country life

I

T seems that our country is dead.

There are many of us who are addicted to alcoholism, vandalism, drugs and casual sex. However, the youth can bring it to life with their knowledge and enthusiasm.

So to all the youth of South Africa: let us work hard to make our country live.

For us to be strong and to give our country life, we must have a deep relationship with God. If we are close to God, he will guide us in the right way and strengthen our faith, so that we can gain wisdom to fight for the good of our country.

Let us commit ourselves to things that would help us to build our future and the future of our country. Let us all be proud to be South Africans.

David Motaung, St Francis Xavier Seminary, Cape Town

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PERSPECTIVES

Terror attack killed death pen debate

A

SUITCASE bomb at the High Court in New Delhi on the morning of September 7 claimed 13 lives and left more than six dozen others injured.

The victims of the blast at the entry pass counter included a young law intern, hawkers fighting for their vendor licences to be restored, and a senior pilot of a national airline.

However, few noticed a major casualty of a different kind: the blast has virtually snuffed out the fledgling debate on the propriety of the death penalty. The Catholic Church in India, as elsewhere, opposes capital punishment.

With Islamic militant groups claiming responsibility for the blast, media networks instantly switched off the heated live TV debates on the death penalty which had been growing by the day.

Led by the half a dozen English news channels and followed by the many independent news channels in different languages, the death penalty had become “the news” in India in late August.

The hot debate was triggered by twin developments in Chennai, capital of southern Tamil Nadu state, on August 30.

That day the high court of Tamil Nadu state stayed the execution—slated for September 9—for eight weeks of three men convicted in connection with the 1991 assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The assassination had been carried out by a Tamil woman suicide bomber from Sri Lanka at the behest of the Tamil Tigers, with logistical support provided by the accused.

Simultaneously, the legislative assembly of Tamil Nadu state—with 72 million Tamil-speakers who have close connection with the oppressed Tamils in Sri Lanka—unanimously passed a resolution recommending commuting the death penalty of the accused as the three had already completed two decades in detention.

The next day, Omar Abdullah, the

Muslim chief minister of troubled Jammu and Kashmir state, used Twitter to ask how the country would have reacted if the legislative assembly of the Muslim majority state had passed a similar resolution to save the life of Afzal Guru, a Muslim who was sentenced to death for an attack on the Indian parliament in 2001.

At the same time, there was also a clamour for sparing the gallows for Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar, a Sikh sentenced to death for a bomb blast in Delhi in 1993. According to human rights activists, Bhullar had resorted to terrorism after his family suffered in the state crackdown on Sikh separatism in northern Punjab state starting in the late 1980s.

Seizing on these political developments, human rights activists promptly demanded that all death row convicts be spared execution.

They highlighted protracted trials and procedural delays as government sat on mercy petitions for years. As many as 22 death row inmates, with their death sentences upheld by the federal supreme court, live with the prospect of execution as the federal government is sitting on their mercy petitions.

Though India executed almost 40 convicts between 1975 and 1995, there has

Police stand guard at the site of the bomb blast outside the high court in delhi that killed 13 people and injured dozens. (Photo: Parivartan Sharma, Reuters/CNS)

Let’s spring-clean our lives

S

PRING is in the air. It is now the transition period between winter and summer.

Springtime is also commonly associated with the idea of new growth and renewal. It’s where we get the notion of the “spring clean”. During spring we get rid of the old and dirty and make our places new and clean again.

Spring is a wonderful opportunity to make ourselves new again; to set ourselves on a new path again, in all the aspects of our lives (much like Lent, which in the northern hemisphere coincides with spring).

We can make ourselves physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally new again by choosing to let go of the bad old habits we have and replacing them with good new habits. This is easier said than done, but it is of great benefit if we succeed in doing so.

We belong to God. Therefore our bodies, our hearts, our souls and our minds belong to God. It is for God’s sake and for our sake that we renew these parts of ourselves on a regular basis to become new to God and new to ourselves again.

What a liberating thought to know that we do not have to be shackled with old habits—that the opportunities are there all the time to get rid of the old and start afresh with the new.

We are the keepers of the gates of our bodies. Let us feed our bodies as we would feed a child, carefully with what is healthy and good for our bodies. Let us nourish our bodies that they can grow in strength, and let us reject food and drink that can harm our bodies.

Our daily tasks are many and can wear us down, so we need to rest our bodies well at night. The US author Adolfo Quezada once said: “Let us rest at night so that we can co-create with God in the morning.” Let us get into the habit of looking after our bodies.

There are so many memories we hang on to and nurture, and present hurt caused to us by others. We hang on to it, because it gives us some power over that person. We do not want to let that person go free by forgiving them, because then we have no hold over them. Let us free our hearts from these memories and from our plans to take revenge. Let us make our hearts new again.

We all know that regular spiritual practice is important and good for us. Regular spiritual practice centres us and connects us to our deeper self where God lives in us. As with diets and exercise we also struggle to get into a rhythm of regular

The Southern Cross, September 28 to October 4 , 2011

Michael Shackleton Open door

Anto Akkara Letter from India

been only one state execution in last 16 years, carried out in 2004 for a multiple murder convict.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a fundamentalist Hindu party, has repeatedly demanded the hanging of Muslims convicted for the audacious attack on parliament. Many see that as part of the BJP’s Hindu nationalist agenda. Nonetheless, public opinion for abolishing capital punishment had been gathering momentum, with the Indian media focusing on the growing number of nations abandoning the death penalty.

When Haritha, the 19-year-old daughter of Gandhi assassins Murugan and his wife Nalini (whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment) appeared on TV to plead for sparing the life of her “loving” father, public sentiment in India seemed to turn against the death penalty.

Presently a second-year biomedicine student at Glasgow University, Haritha had spent her infancy in prison after being born there—Nalini was one month pregnant at the time of the Gandhi assassination.

Then came the Delhi high court bomb blast, and suddenly the screams for the death penalty became shriller.

The competing Indian media—always eager to increase their viewership by playing to the gallery—abruptly put the curtains down on the debate on the death penalty, and switched to the “national security” message.

Hawkish nationalists argue that India cannot afford to be a “soft state” in dealing with terrorists, and argue that only capital punishment can deter terrorists.

Judith Turner On Faith and Life

spiritual practice. Our daily demands of work and family and friends make it difficult for us to stick to a regular routine of spiritual practice during the week.

In the Catholic Church we have a varied menu of spiritual practices to choose from. This makes it easy for us to choose something that we enjoy and can fit into our daily schedule.

Our week starts with meeting Christ in the Eucharist on Sunday which is the highest spiritual practice for us. We can continue during the week with meditations, devotions, praying the rosary, experiencing God in nature, family prayer and praying in our prayer groups. Let us restart the rhythm of our spiritual practice again today.

Our minds take on the nature of their diet. Let us provide our minds with balanced and well-nourished sustenance. Let us engage in life-long learning. Let us become interested in all that God has put out there for us. Let us move out of our comfort zone of what we know and engage with issues of life that bring meaning to ourselves and our communities. Let us read up on what we do not understand. Let us feed our mind with the bread of life.

Read the sacred writings. Read spiritual books slowly and find meaning in them.

Let us re-commit to nourish our minds.

The beauty and newness and freshness of spring, can bring beauty and newness and freshness to us.

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7

Can Catholics vote for pro-abortion candidates?

Does the Church approve of the proposition that Catholics may, in certain circumstances, vote for pro-abortion politicians, provided they do so not to facilitate abortion but only to obtain other social benefits? If this has in fact been approved and is part of Catholic teaching, it appears to ignore the fact that abortion is murder and proabortion politicians are pro-murder advocates, and would have justified voting for Adolf Hitler, despite his policy on Jewish genocide.

Damien McLeish N 2004 the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) told the United States bishops in a letter that Catholics who deliberately voted for a pro-abortion politician in order to support abortion were guilty of formal cooperation in evil and thus unworthy to present themselves for holy communion.

However, he said, Catholics who did not support a candidate who stood for abortion, and did not consent to abortion but voted for the candidate for other reasons, could do so “in the presence of proportionate reasons”. Such voting, he explained, is considered “remote material cooperation”. This means essentially that unconsenting voters are far removed from performing or actively aiding and abetting the act of abortion.

Now, of course, the serious question immediately comes up: what could be a “proportionate reason” for voting for a pro-abortion candidate while simultaneously not consenting to abortion? In spite of condemning abortion as evil, many Catholics conscientiously vote pro-abortion politicians into power not as pro-abortionists but as reformists who want, for example, to provide free education and hospital care. Could these desirable outcomes have a moral value that compensates for the promotion of the undesirable moral value of abortion, which Vatican II condemned as an “unspeakable crime” (Gaudium et Spes, 51)?

The gravity of the sin of abortion would appear to require really grave moral reasons to justify a conscientious decision to support pro-abortion politicians by voting them into power. Some voters may in conscience claim to have found reasons, such as a candidate’s track record of honesty and efficiency in getting things done for the local community. However, it would be a serious challenge for a well-informed Catholic to do so when immoral practices such as abortion or even genocide are at stake.

For all that, it is because the voter in such cases as these does not consent to abortion that the Church does not prescribe how to vote, but highlights the need to be aware of the moral consequences of one’s vote.

I

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity.

Only published questions will be answered.

8

The Southern Cross, September 28 to October 4, 2011

COMMUNITY Sr Mary Magdalen King OSC celebrated 25 years as a Capuchin Poor Clare in the monastery of Swellendam, Oudtshoorn diocese. A Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated

by Fr Lawrence Mubiru, chaplain of the Sisters.

(Submitted by Sr Maria guadalupe)

37 pilgrims of the diocese of Oudtshoorn stand outside the royal palace in Madrid, Spain, as part of their trip to World Youth day.

(Submitted by Leveinia Botha)

When a group of 34 Catholics from Pretoria made a pilgrimage to Rome and France to accompany Archbishop William Slattery as he received the pallium from Pope Benedict, they unanimously chose Fr Jonathan Shand to represent them. He is photographed greeting the pope at Pope Paul VI hall while Archbishop Slattery looks on.

IN FOC US Send photographs, with sender’s name and address on the back, and a SASE to: The Southern Cross, Community Pics, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 or email them to: pics@scross.co.za

25 young seminarians from Eshowe diocese attended a week-long retreat at Ngome Marian shrine. They were led by Fr Michael gumede. Bishop Xolelo Thaddaeus Kumalo of Eshowe was in attendance on the last day. (Submitted by Friends of Ngome, Cape Town)

Our Lady Help of Christians parish in Lansdowne, Cape Town, celebrated its 50th birthday with a fashion show. The event was organised by Hester Lucas, Ilona Naidoo and Angie Poggenpoel, supported by Envin Carney.

Fr Phumlani Charles Ndlovu OMI was ordained to the priesthood by his fellow Oblate, Bishop Barry Wood, at Inchanga’s St Theresa parish, durban. The Pietermaritzburg-born priest completed his theological studies in germany and said his first religious obedience is to the diocese of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

HOPE&JOY

The Southern Cross, September 28 to October 4, 2011

9

The event that brought new hope and joy to the Church N

EARLY 50 years ago, the world’s bishops sat in St Peter’s basilica in the Vatican, to deliberate, discuss and decide on the documents that would change the Catholic Church in a way that would give the People of God a new direction—rooted in joy and hope, as the constitution Gaudium et Spes put it.

The Second Vatican Council, which ran from 1962-65, changed the Church in many profound ways, and it changed the way the Catholic Church relates to the world.

Dominican Father Albert Nolan was a postgraduate student in Rome during the first session of Vatican II in 1962. As a young priest, Fr Nolan experienced the council as a “profound act of faith in the Holy Spirit, instead of the usual reliance on bureaucracy”.

Fr Nolan said Vatican II was a “fearless opening of the windows of the Church to let in some fresh air and an escape from our selfimposed captivity behind Church walls. It was a very exciting and hopeful time.”

Fr Harry Wilkinson of Rosebank’s Immaculate Conception parish in Johannesburg similarly described the time of the council as “wonderful and exciting”.

Fr Wilkinson was a seminarian when Pope John XXIII made the startling call to the world’s bishops to convene an ecumenical council.

By the time the council was underway, Fr Wilkinson had become the secretary to Archbishop Joseph McGeough, the apostolic delegate in South Africa.

“I was invited to the opening of the second session of the council with the archbishop,” Fr Wilkinson recalled. However, the young priest left his full habit at home and needed to borrow a winter coat as the Italian winter was in full swing.

“I was given the archbishop’s overcoat which kept me warm— but it also identified me as an archbishop!” The young Fr Wilkinson was given the respect of an archbishop and was ushered to some of the best seats in the house. “I was seated within 20 feet of the pope when he said the opening Mass,” he recalled.

The exciting event and his experience of being present at the council profoundly influences his vocation to this day. or Fr Wilkinson, the highlight of Vatican II came after its conclusion in 1965: being in South Africa as the region’s priests were educated on how to implement the Vatican II changes into Church life.

“Bishop Fritz Lobinger, then Fr Lobinger, was made responsible for holding workshops for priests. I went to two of these workshops and it was exciting to see the changes being put into practice.”

Fr Wilkinson said the most exciting thing about Vatican II was the “wonderful experience of being able to share with the laity”.

This profound change was noticed by everyone. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban said in a country like South Africa, the change in the relationships between priests and laity is most notable. “There is nothing like working closely together for getting people to form deeper and more lasting relationships,” he said.

Fr Nolan said Vatican II was a bold attempt to return to the Gospel of Jesus—the Good News— and it did this by involving the laity.

F

Claire Mathieson A Church of Hope and Joy Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Judith Coyle, now a lecturer at St Augustine’s College, was undergoing her religious formation at the time of Vatican II. “I was old enough at 17 or 18 to have experienced the old Church, but when Vatican II’s acts were implemented there was a profound freeing effect.”

She said the council opened up new possibilities and new hopes.

“The liturgy and vernacular were just two of the very big changes,” Sr Coyle said.

People really wanted these changes, she recalled. “This could be seen when the Vatican could barely keep up with applications from countries around the world wanting translations of the liturgy in their local languages. This was one of the reasons the translations were so hasty—people wanted the changes!”

M

ichael Shackleton, former editor of The Southern Cross, was also present at Vatican II. Then a young priest, he was private secretary to Cardinal McCann of Cape Town and in that capacity accompanied his superior to the council.

“The council intended to change the way the Church looked at the modern world,” Mr Shackleton said. He said Cardinal McCann was most interested in the desire of many of the world’s bishops to move away from a western-centred perspective.

“Vatican II was necessary because the world realised the Church was not Europe,” Mr Shackleton said. “The whole Church is a huge organisation and what happened at Vatican II was an attempt to open up the world.”

Sr Coyle said the council answered the call to modernise the Church to reflect the way the world and society were changing.

“It responded to the interaction society and science were having on the Church. Vatican II was like the Storming of the Bastille in that all sorts of possibilities emerged from the event.

Vatican II gave us hope that we could do anything.”

Mr Shackleton said it was exciting to see the changes take place. “I was desperately keen to speak English at Mass. And people were relieved when Mass was said in a language they understood. They knew what was happening!”

Fr Wilkinson said the Church adopted a profound change not only in the liturgy, but also in Catholic thought.

“The effort by the bishops to bring the Church into the 21st Century brought with it tremendous hope.” He said the shift in thinking to involve the laity made a vast difference to the way the laity experienced their faith.

But, Fr Wilkinson said there is still some distance to travel to improve the Church. “We should be putting the thoughts and actions of the laity into every level of the way the Church operates,” he said, adding that this is the spirit of Vatican II. Sr Coyle said the possibilities Vatican II presented still exist today.

“During Vatican II the Church discovered a history. The perception was that the Church had always been the same. But at Vatican II, scholars and theologians found different models of Church and that history continues today.”

She said the intention of the council was not to simply end in 1965: “That history, spirit and possibility continues today.”

Sr Coyle said some things that were instituted during the council will never be unchanged, which she said is good. “Some things can’t be undone, but others need to be carried further.”

Sr Coyle said this is the very thing that represents hope in the Church: the possibilities which Vatican II offers Catholics.

For Cardinal Napier, “the Church in its renewed form is able to bring hope into people’s lives in particular by presenting our faith more as a journey undertaken with Jesus walking alongside, rather than him there in the distance leading us forward”. The joy, he added, is visible in the interaction between the different parts of the Church.

“Being human, the Church will always have problems,” Mr Shackelton said. “But Vatican II allowed the Church to have pride in itself because it was now doing what it was supposed to be doing”—to be ecumenical, interactive and understandable.

These, he said, are the elements that Catholics are able to embrace today and the very fact that Vatican II took place represented hope for further developments in the deepening of faith.

Fr Nolan said in the 50 years since the Church was rocked by the changes of Vatican II, some of the hope and joy has faded even as “there have been some important gains that continue to grow and develop”, including liturgy and spirituality.

“But we have very much further to go and hopefully there will be much more to come in the future.” n This is the first in our year-long series of articles on Hope&Joy. Next week Fr Anthony Egan SJ will look at how Vatican II became such a revolutionary moment in the Church.

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Bishops of the world line the main aisle of St Peter’s basilica during the opening session of the Second Vatican Council in 1962. Pope John XXIII wrote that he would convene the council so that the Church would contribute positively to the solution of modern problems. (Photo: CNS)

10

The Southern Cross, September 28 to October 4, 2011

FOCUS

Priests and the importance of pets Animals can play an important role in our lives, giving comfort and love. As we prepare to celebrate the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, on October 4, THANdI BOSMAN looks at the role of pets in the lives of three priests.

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OR Fr Ignatius Fidgeon it is clear: “Everyone should have a pet, because we all want to be loved and pets love us unconditionally.” So said the parish priest of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary church in Krugersdorp, Johannesburg archdiocese.

Fr Fidgeon’s dog Emily is special to him, he said, and is loved by the parish community. She accompanies Fr Fidgeon everywhere and is his “best friend”.

“Emily follows me to church every day. Holy Mass, weddings, funerals, baptisms—she is there and sits quietly beside the altar,” he said, adding that the children and adults love to see the dog.

“Emily received more ‘Easter eggs’ than I did this year.”

Observing the benefits of keeping animals, Fr Fidgeon noted: “Pets have a calming effect on their owners and a sense of responsibility.”

Fr Fidgeon has had dogs for the past 45 years. He feels that people should give greater respect to animals and nature because “pets are all part of God’s creation”.

The priest is well-known for his great love for animals. In 2006, he held a special service for World Day for Farm Animals, welcoming parishioners and their animals to the church. An article posted on the IOL website about the church service reported Fr Fidgeon saying, “Oh Lord, bless this chicken in the

name of our Father”, as he prayed over a white rooster called Minmo during the service.

The World Day for Farm Animals, which fights against animal abuse, is held around October 2 every year— close to the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, patron of animals and creation, on October 4.

Fr Ezio Venturini is a Capuchin Franciscan serving the parish of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Malabar, Port Elizabeth diocese. He said that as a follower of St Francis of Assisi he loves animals and nature.

Fr Venturini has two dogs, a ten-year-old black and white German shepherd named Tekila, and her son Martini, who is eight years old and brown.

He described his dogs as very playful and active, and always excited for a trip. “My two dogs like to stay with me and when I go with my bakkie, they want to jump in the back. As they see the keys of the car they immediately get excited for the trip.”

Tekila and Martini are loved by the parishioners of Malabar, and care for Fr Venturini with love and security.

“They look after me and the house, but they are very friendly with children and like to play with them. Their nature is very special, and they are always in good mood and happy and obedient,” Fr Venturini said.

Fr Venturini added that when he takes Tekila and Martini out to the sea, the dogs love to play in the waves of the ocean and love to swim.“[My dogs love] to jump through the waves and to run after the seagulls and try to catch them, in vain,” Fr Venturini said.

J

esuit Father Graham Pugin is the chaplain at the University of Cape Town. He said his dog, named Doglet, is loved by the students on campus. In fact, some students, who clearly are fans of Doglet, have set up a Facebook page for the dog, known as Doglet Pugin.

Doglet is a mixed-breed dog, “a

Canis Africanus, an African Dog,” the Jesuit joked.

Fr Pugin said he cannot express in words just how special Doglet is to him. “He is a great companion and someone who talks my language.”

Mgr Clifford Stokes of Sea Point, Cape Town, has three female dogs and two male cats which he said keep him busy and are good company.

His dogs—Lucy, Victoria and Sandy—“enjoy an evening walk followed by the evening meal for all five of the pets”, said Mgr Stokes, adding that he is very grateful that his pets get along very well with each other.

His cats, Bobby and Lester, and his dogs have been adopted over the years, and the parishioners love the pets.

“Lester was found as a tiny kitten in Lester Road, Wynberg, about five years ago,” said Mgr Stokes, explaining how his cat received his name. The other cat, Bobby, loves greeting parishioners in the church.

“Bobby walked into the church a number of years ago and stayed,” Mgr Stokes said. “He is much loved by the parish community, greeting parishioners as they arrive for Mass .”

Bobby was even the subject of a Southern Cross column by the late Owen Williams, who was a parishioner of Sea Point’s Our Lady of Good Hope church.

At the end of a long and busy day, Mgr Stokes said he likes to return to a loving home with his pets waiting for him. “With pets in the presbytery, one is never alone and there is always a warm welcome when one returns after an outing.”

Research indicates that keeping pets can have its benefits. An article posted on the Health24 website pointed out five of them: animals help their owners’ relax and decrease anxiety; they help decrease blood pressure; they are silent therapists; they provide play time, and they may aid recovery after major illness.

Fr Ignatius Fidgeon and his church-loving dog, Emily. Fr Fidgeon considers Emily his best friend.

Fr graham Pugin, chaplain at the university of Cape Town, with his dog named doglet.

The canine is so popular among uCT students that they have set up a Facebook page for him.

Kolping Guest House & Conference facility Situated in a tranquil garden in the centre of durbanville, Cape Town, with pool and braai facilities, we offer both tastefully decorated B&B and S/C as well as a full English breakfast and dinner by arrangement. Conference and wheelchair facilities available, within walking distance of shops, restaurants, banks and close proximity to Catholic church, tennis courts, golf course and wine routes.

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THE DIPLOMA THAT EMPOWERS YOU TO LEAD LIKE JESUS The future of the Church in the face of secularism will depend on exemplary and Christ-centred leadership. The Lead and Inspire School of Leadership in Pretoria is the only institution that offers an accredited and recognised Diploma in Christian Leadership.

This qualification will develop in you skills and qualities that will change your life and mould you into an empowered disciple and apostle of Jesus. Register now and learn to lead like Jesus!

Deadline for applications: 31 October 2011. For more information and application forms contact cell 082 665 8001• Phone and Fax: 012 361 1065 /012 348 0598.

The Southern Cross, September 28 to October 4, 2011

Religious liberty includes freedom to act on beliefs, leaders say

BY CINdY WOOdEN

T

RUE religious freedom includes allowing believers to contribute to their countries’ political discussions and to allow their beliefs and morals to impact the way they engage in public life, according to the Vatican’s foreign minister.

“No one should confuse or compare the marginalisation of religion with the true persecution and killing of Christians in some parts of the world,” but efforts to ban religious expressions from public life are still an attack on religious freedom, said Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican secretary for relations with states.

The archbishop was one of several speakers at a Rome meeting on “preventing and responding to hate crime incidents and crimes against Christians”. The meeting was sponsored by the Organisa-

tion for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The organisation’s office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights has reported “a growing intolerance of Christians”—including desecration of places of worship, arson and other property damage, and attacks on worshippers and religious leaders—in the organisation’s 56 member states, which include most European countries as well as the United States and Canada.

Archbishop Mamberti said the definition of religious freedom cannot be simply freedom of worship, although that is a key element. “With due respect for the rights of all, religious freedom also includes the right to preach, educate, convert, contribute to political discourse and participate fully in public activities,” he said.

Russian Orthodox Metropoli-

BETHLEHEM: Shrine of Our Lady of Bethlehem at Tsheseng, Maluti mountains; Thursdays 09:30, Mass, then exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Contact 058 721 0532.

CAPE TOWN: Good Shepherd, Bothasig. Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel. All hours. All welcome.

Day of Prayer held at Springfield Convent starting at 10:00 ending 15:30 last Saturday of every month—all welcome. For more information contact Jane Hulley 021 790 1668 or 082 783 0331.

Fundraiser Car Boot Sale and morning market at St Brendan’s church, Cnr Longboat Rd (off Ou Kaapseweg) and Corvette Street, Sunvalley, Fish Hoek, Last Saturday every

month. All welcome. Info and stall reservations: Maggi-Mae 021 782 9263 or 082 892 4502 mvidas@mweb.co.za DURBAN: St Anthony’s, Durban Central: Tuesday 09:00 Mass with novena to St Anthony. First Friday 17:30 Mass—divine Mercy novena prayers.

Tel: 031 309 3496.

JOHANNESBURG: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: first Friday of the month at 09:20 followed by Holy Mass at 10:30. Holy Hour: first Saturday of each month at 15:00. At Our Lady of the Angels, Little Eden, Edenvale.

Tel: 011 609 7246.

PRETORIA: First Saturday: devotion to divine Mercy. St Martin de Porres, Sunnyside, 16:30. Tel Shirley-Anne 012 361 4545.

CLASSIFIEDS

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • deaths • In memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,15 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

DEATH DROSTE—Edgar. Passed away on September 1, 2011. Your wonderful contributions to charities and the needs of the destitute and poor, numbering thousands of people will not be forgotten. May god bless you for all your good deeds and may you rest in peace. Will be sadly missed by members of Society of St Vincent de Paul, Holy Cross Conference—Roodepoort.

IN MEMORIAM ADAMS—Mona. Passed

Family Reflections

Community Calendar To place your event, call Claire Allen at 021 465 5007 or e-mail c.allen@scross.co.za, (publication subject to space)

tan Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk, director of foreign relations for the Moscow patriarchate, told the gathering that too many governments, institutions and individuals in Europe “use religious diversity as an excuse to exclude signs of Christian civilisation from the public and political reality”, as if denying Europe’s Christian roots would make Europeans more welcoming and tolerant of other faiths.

In reality, he said, such policies and attitudes teach disrespect for all believers.

For true believers, he said, faith is not something lived only a couple of hours a week in a church, synagogue or mosque. Faith has consequences for the way people live and behave, including publicly, he said.

“Radical secularism is just as dangerous for religious freedom as

September 29: Ss Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels. Angels are special messengers from God, with a particular message that God wants to communicate about himself and his care for us. Michael means image of God, Gabriel strength of God and Raphael healing of God October 2: 27th Sunday. The vineyard of the Lord. Just like a vineyard, building and nurturing a family demands effort and ongoing commitment in spite of hardships, disappointments and frustrations.

Yielding good fruit is the long term aim and each member of the family in producing such fruit is an instrument of peace to one another.

What kind of fruit does each one of us resemble?

Liturgical Calendar Year A Sunday October 2, 27th Sunday Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80, 9:12-16, 19-20, Philistines 4:6-9, Matthew 21:33-43 October 3, Feria Jonah 1:1-2, 1,11, Psalm Jonah 2: 2-5,8, Luke 10:25-37 October 4, St Francis of Assisi Jonah 3:1-10, Psalm 130:1-4,7-8 Luke 10:38-42 October 5, Feria Jonah 4:1-11 Psalm 86:3-6, 9-10 Luke 11:1-4 October 6, St Bruno Malachi 3:13-20, Psalm 1:1-4,6 Luke 11:5-13 October 7, Our Lady of the Rosary Acts 1:12-14, Psalm Luke 1:46-55, Luke 1:26-38 October 8, Saturday Mass of Our Lady Joel 4:12-21, Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12, Luke 11:27-28 October 9, 28th Sunday Isaiah 25:6-10, Psalm 23, Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20,

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St. Kizito Children’s Programme (SKCP) is a community-based response to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children. SKCP was established through the Good Hope Development Fund in 2004 in response to the Church’s call to reach out to those in need. Operating as a movement within the Archdiocese of Cape Town, SKCP empowers volunteers from the target communities to respond to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) living in their areas.

The SKCP volunteers belong to Parish Groups that are established at Parishes in target communities. Through the St. Kizito Movement, the physical, intellectual, emotional and psychosocial needs of OVCs are met in an holistic way. Parish Groups provide children and families with a variety of essential services, while the SKCP office provides the groups with comprehensive training and on-going support.

In order to continue its work, SKCP requires on-going support from generous donors. Funds are needed to cover costs such as volunteer training and support, emergency relief, school uniforms and children’s excursions. Grants and donations of any size are always appreciated. SKCP is also grateful to receive donations of toys, clothes and blankets that can be distributed to needy children and families.

If you would like to find out more about St. Kizito Children’s Programme, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact Bonus Ndlovu or Marian Hendricks on (021) 633 7701, or Shirley Dunn on (021) 782 2792. Emails can be sent to info@stkizito.org.za.

Donations can also be deposited into our bank account: Bank: ABSA; Branch: Claremont,

MATTHEE—Merlyn.

Passed away on 5/10/2010.

It’s been a year since your death, we miss you. Forever in our thoughts. Lovingly remembered by desiree, Bryane, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

MATTHEE—Merlyn.

Passed away on 5/10/2010.

No farewell words were spoken, no time to say goodbye. A year has passed and it still feels like it was yesterday you were still with us.

You were a loving mother and caring grandmother.

You are always in our hearts. Our memories of you will never fade. Love always ursh, greg, Rory, Kelly, Jade, Marcy and Alain—Australia.

ABORTION WARNING: ‘The Pill’ can abort, undetected, soon after conception (a medical fact). See website: www.humanlife. org/abortion_does_the_ pill.php URGENTLY seeking Sister Bride, a dominican nun.

Was stationed at St Pius Convent, Pietersburg in the late 1960s. Please contact denise: 083 778 7477 to leave your number and relevant area codes etc and I will call you back. You can e-mail me: denised0189@ yahoo.com Need to make

New Houses • Renovations • Alterations • Additions • Painting • Plumbing

ST. KIZITO CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME

away on October 2, 2007.

We miss you, Ivan family and friends at St Stephen’s, Rocklands.

ESTABLISHEd 1982

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11

peace with god and to do so I must FIRST make peace with you.

SERVICES ANNUAL REPORTS, newsletters, books etc designed and edited at competitive rates. Phone gail at 082 415 4312 or gailsctn@gmail.com

PRAYERS 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. RCP 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. Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days and then publish. TFg

THANKS GRATEFUL thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Mother Mary and Ss Joseph, Anthony, Jude and Martin de Porres for prayers answered. RCP.

ACCOMMODATION OFFERED CAPE TOWN, Cape Peninsula: Beautiful homes to buy or rent. Maggi-Mae 082 892 4502. Colliers International False Bay, 021 782 9263, maggimaev@colliers.co.za

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION BALLITO: up-market penthouse on beach, self-catering. 084 790 6562.

BETTY'S BAY: (Western Cape) Holiday home sleeps six, three bathrooms, close to beach, R600/night (winter) R800/night (summer).

021 794 4293 marialouise@ mweb.co.za CAPE TOWN: Vi Holiday Villa. Fully equipped selfcatering, two bedroom family apartment (sleeps 4) in Strandfontein, with parking, R400 per night. Tel/Fax Paul 021 393 2503, 083 553

Southern CrossWord SOLUTIONS TO #464. ACROSS: 1 Gall, 3 Alphabet, 9 Victory, 10 Rural, 11 Army chaplain, 13 Merits, 15 Mangle, 17 Intelligence, 20 Curia, 21 Galatea, 22 Elements, 23 Idle. DOWN: 1 Give alms, 2 Locum, 4 Layman, 5 Herald angels, 6 Burying, 7 Tilt, 8 Force the pace, 12 Delegate, 14 Run free, 16 Slight, 18 Noted, 19 Ache.

Word of the Week Monstrance: An ornate receptacle in which a consecrated host is placed so that Jesus, in the form of bread, can be seen and venerated by the people.

Application: During the celebration of benediction, the consecrated host is displayed in a monstrance and placed on the altar for veneration.

9856, vivilla@telkom sa.net FISH HOEK: Self-catering accommodation, sleeps 4.

Secure parking. Tel: 021 785 1247.

GORDON’S BAY: Beautiful en-suite rooms available at reasonable rates. Magnificent views, breakfast on request. Tel: 082 774 7140. bzhive@telkomsa.net JEFFERY’S BAY: Fully equipped self-catering flat, two bedrooms, sleeps six, 50 metres from the beach.

072 462 3993.

KNYSNA: Self-catering accommodation for 2 in Old Belvidere with wonderful Lagoon views. 044 387 1052.

KOLBE HOUSE: Is the Catholic Centre and residence for the university of Cape Town. Beautiful estate in Rondebosch near the university. From mid November, december and January, the students’ rooms are available for holiday guests.

We offer self-catering accommodation, parking in secure premises. Short walks to shops, transport etc. Contact Jock 021 685 7370, fax 021 686 2342 or 082 308 0080 or kolbe.house@ telkomsa.net LONDON, Protea House: underground 3min, Piccadilly 20min. Close to River Thames. Self-catering. Single per night R250, twin R400. Phone Peter 021 851 5200.

MARIANELLA guest House, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of god with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views. Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Tel: Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675 or mjsalida@mweb. co.za NEWLANDS-THE CATNAP: Self-catering accommodation available december/January. For details phone Leslie Pretorius 021 685 2821.

PENNINGTON, South Coast KZN: Twenty steps to the beach, self catering cottage, sleeps 4 for 4 nights. discount price R1400.

Phone Margaret 039 976 1454 or Barney 039 075 3842 .

SOUTH COAST, uvongo: Fully furnished three bedroom house, Tel: donald 031 465 5651, 073 989 1074.

SOUTH COAST, uvongo: Secure holiday unit, with lock-up garage. Sleeps 6. In complex. 078 935 9128.

STELLENBOSCH: Five simple private suites (2 beds, fridge, micro-wave).

Countryside vineyard/forest/mountain walks; beach 20 minute drive, affordable.

Christian Brothers Tel 021 880 0242, cbcstel@ gmail.com STRAND: Beachfront flat to let. Stunning views, fully equipped. garage, one bedroom, sleeps 3. R450 p/night for 2 people—low season. Phone Brenda 082 822 0607 UMHLANGA ROCKS: Fully equipped self-catering 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house, sleeps 6, sea view, The Southern Cross is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa. Printed by Paarl Post, 8 Jan van Riebeeck Drive, Paarl. Published by the proprietors, The C a t h o l i c Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd, at the company’s registered office, 10 Tuin Plein,

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28th Sunday: October 9 Readings: Isaiah 25:6-10, Psalm 23:1-6 Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20, Matthew 22:1-14

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Accept God’s invitation with joy

O you ever have the feeling that God does not really care about you?

It happens to all of us, so don’t get too depressed about it; but what you might do in that case is listen to the readings for next Sunday.

Both the first reading and the gospel present God’s dealings with us in the metaphor of a banquet. Our too-fast society has lost the idea of banquets; we snatch a sandwich on the run, “too busy to stop”, but older and more civilised societies, especially in Africa and in the Ancient Near East, know the importance of taking time over eating together.

In the first reading for next week, “the Lord of hosts” is offering a banquet “for all the peoples” (not just Israel), “on this mountain”, that is to say, where the Temple stands. And it is going to be quite a party, it seems: “A feast of rich food and the best vintages”; and not only that, but “on this mountain” God is going to destroy the “veil”, that which stops us seeing properly, and he will even, we learn, “destroy death for ever”.

So God is going to deal with even our greatest enemy. And, in a beautiful maternal gesture (for God is mother as well as father), God will “wipe away every tear

Nicholas King SJ Sunday Reflections from their eyes”. So it is going to be quite a banquet—and we are invited.

The psalm for next Sunday, many people’s favourite, offers some other images.

First, God is presented as “shepherd”, who ensures that we shall not go hungry (“I shall not want”); then comes the charming image (very telling in the aridity of the Judean desert) of “green pastures” in which we are invited to graze, and “restful waters” where God leads us.

There is the image of the “path of righteousness” on which we are guided, and the contrapuntal picture of “the Valley of the Shadow of Death”, where we “shall fear no evil”, because God is beside us, with “rod and staff” (sticks for both punishment and support, we reflect, nervously).

Then we return to the image of the banquet, “You prepared a table for me,” in

quite unlikely circumstances (“in the sight of my enemies”); and there is even a picture of God’s generous hospitality, “you anoint my head with oil”.

We are asked to contemplate two companions given to us by God: “Goodness” and “Steadfast Love”, and we should be feeling much better, and join the psalmist in deciding to stay always in God’s Temple: “I shall live in the House of the Lord, for the length of my days.”

Paul, in the second reading , lying in a prison from which he may not emerge, is aware that life can be difficult, but he declares that “because of the One who empowers me” he knows “how to have nothing at all, and how to have a cornucopia”, because he has “been initiated into the mystery of having too much and of having not enough, of abundance and of lacking”.

But he remembers to thank the generous Philippians for acting out God’s generosity towards him, and asks that God will “fill up all your needs, and his wealth in Christ Jesus”, and the letter ends in a blaze of gratitude to the Philippians and to God. Gratitude may be what is lacking in

Famous brands through history W HAT do slave trading, newspapers and Cape Governor Sir George Young have in common? Or Mrs Ball’s Chutney, Jeyes Fluid and the French word for “bone”? Or, toothpicks and Tiger Oats, Royal Baking Powder and the Voortrekkers? Or, a tent, Standard Bank and Sol Plaatje?

These stories behind these famous names and others that helped shape South Africa are recounted in a wonderful book put together by my friend Ken Preston, titled From Groot Constantia to Google: 1685-2010, detailing the history of household brand names spanning 325 years.

The narrative, which uses South Africa’s social, economic and political history and consumer culture as a backdrop, is illustrated by more than a thousand pictures and illustrations including advertisements, brand registrations and products, many of which have never been published before.

Indeed, many of the 400-plus brands recorded in the book are at least a hundred years old. One of these, Groot Constantia, dates back to 1685. It was exporting wine to Europe as early as the 1700s. A favourite tipple of Napoleon during his exile on St Helena, it was also favoured by King Louis Philippe of France.

Mrs Ball’s chutney was first made in an outhouse at 59 Southfield Road in Plumstead, Cape Town, in the late 1800s and sold to friends and at the local market. The name “chutney” was adapted from a Hindi word in India, chatnic, meaning “made from fresh fruit

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Digital edition: www.digital.scross.co.za

Chris Moerdyk

The Last Word

and spices”.

Jeyes Fluid (“The World’s Disinfectant”) was advertised in the mid-1800s as “The Best Protection against Measles, Scarlet Fever, and Influenza”.

The name Cerebos (salt) can be traced back to 1892 and is derived from Cere, for the Roman goddess of wheat harvest, and os from the French word for “bone” that the phosphates in salt strengthen.

Standard Bank was the first bank to be established in Johannesburg, in a tent, in 1886. In the 1890s, it had General Jan Smuts and Winston Churchill as customers, as well as Cecil Rhodes, Anthony Trollop and Sol Plaatje.

And South Africa’s first newspaper, Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser, or Kaap Stads Courant en Afrikaansche Berigler, was launched on Saturday August 16, 1800, by slave dealers and privateers Alexander Walker and John Robertson—sole printers to the corrupt governor Sir George Young.

The 19th century was one of immense inventiveness, business savvy and economic energy—and exploitation.

With the commencement of diamond and gold mining the economy expanded and both local and overseas brands started protecting their trade marks, notably Singer Sewing Machines,

Red Heart Rum, Eno’s Fruit Salts, Sunlight Soap, Shell, Cadbury’s, Lea & Perrins, Thrupps, Castle Beer, Cerebos and Clover.

The 20th century was born in the blood and heartache of war. Followed by many technological firsts, it saw a growing number of brands and the laying of a foundation for nearly a century of racial strife. The growth of brands and branding continued with Zam Buk, Bovril, Marmite, Brasso, All Gold, Bisto, Five Roses, Drosty Co-operative, Thomas Barlow & Sons; and on the media side the Rand Daily Mail, Ilanga Lase Natal, South African Grocers Record and General Dealers Gazette.

1910-1920 saw the start of the age of the automobile along with many of today’s leading brands such as Vaseline, Shell, Eskort, Anglo American, Bokomo, Kellogg’s, Camel and Greyhound.

1920-30 heralded the arrival of the Oxford English Dictionary, Time Magazine, Mickey Mouse and the OK Bazaars.

South Africa got the oranje-blanje-blou flag, the Comrades Marathon, the Rand Revolt, Truworths, Edgars and Foschini.

1930-40 and the Wall Street crash was sorely felt across the Union and the globe, though perhaps commercial ingenuity was sharpened by the difficulties.

October 1931 saw the start of Woolworths in Cape Town, followed by Defy, Lewis stores, Shatterprufe and Morkels, and these were washed down by Chateau Libertas, Castle Milk Stout and Klipdrift.

1940-50 saw German U-Boats sinking shipping off the South African coast, and 380 000 South Africans went off to war. Koo appeared on the shelves along with Glenryk Pilchards. I&J started exporting fish products and in the United States car hire giant Avis was founded along with McDonald’s. Volkswagen of South Africa was launched and Pratley Putty was developed in Roodepoort.

Between 1950 and 1960 the first Simba chips were produced and Springbok Radio started broadcasting. African Drum was launched along with Car Magazine and Financial Mail.

It is a fascinating look at the history of South Africa through the eyes of names with which we have become so familiar.

From Groot Constantia to Google: 16852010, from Affinity Publishing, is available from selected bookstores.

next Sunday’s g ospel. For “the Kingdom of the Heavens” is compared to “a King who threw a wedding-feast for his son”. No ordinary party, we understand; but we are also uneasily aware that Jesus is the Son in question, and that Jesus is at this stage in the gospel severely under threat. So the invitations go out, and, to our astonishment, the generosity is rejected: “They were reluctant to come.”

Next we have stage two of the invitations: “I have got the meal ready; my oxen and fatted calf have been slaughtered.” So we are at the decisive moment, and the response (our response, of course) is incredibly casual: “I’m off to the country...to the shopping centre...”, and, quite unnecessarily, “they insulted his slaves and killed them”.

This means war, of course; and war is what they duly get, and a sacked town. So others are invited, from “the highways and the byways”, and they are offered God’s generosity.

But they have to take it seriously; for the story ends with a warning about coming properly dressed to the party.

Read it, and think about it over the coming week.

Southern Crossword #464

ACROSS

1. It was mixed with wine for Jesus (Mt 27) (4) 3. Ordered letters in language class (8) 9. Death, where is your ... (1 Cor 15) (7) 10. Rustic (5) 11. Forces have him at their service (4,8) 13. Timers for your good deeds (6) 15. It squeezes out the laundry (6) 17. Information of our thinking ability (12) 20. Find Vatican office with mecurial speed (5) 21. Pygmalion’s altered tea gala (7) 22. Basic parts that show bad weather (8) 23. Having nothing to do (4)

DOWN

1. Be charitable with your cash (4,4) 2. Doctor’s stand-in (5) 4. Non-professional parishioner (6) 5. Hark! They sing for the Nativity (6,6) 6. Doing this to the hatchet brings peace (7) 7. Incline to be like Pisa’s tower (4) 8. Make procession move more quickly (5,3,4) 12. Representative who could be apostolic (8) 14. Escape sprinting (3,4) 16. Trivial insult (6) 18. Observed the musical score (5) 19. Discomfort from Bach eulogy (4)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

T

HERE was a man who had been lost and walking in the desert for about two weeks. One hot day, he sees the home of a missionary. The missionary finds him and nurses him back to health. Feeling better, the man asks the missionary for directions to the nearest town and whether he can borrow his horse.

The missionary says: “Sure, but there is a special thing about this horse. You have to say ‘Thank God’ to make it go, and ‘Amen’ to make it stop.”

Not paying much attention, the man says: “OK.” So he gets on the horse and says, “Thank God” and the horse starts walking. Then he says, “Thank God, thank God,” and the horse starts trotting. Feeling really brave, the man says, “Thank God, thank God, thank God, thank God, thank God” and the horse just takes off. Pretty soon he sees a cliff coming up and he does everything he can to make the horse stop. “Whoa, stop, hold on!”

Finally he remembers: “Amen!”

The horse stops 10cm from the cliff edge. The man leans back in the saddle and says: “Thank God.” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.