The Southern Cross - 120208 by The Southern Cross

February 8 to February 14, 2012

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Reg No. 1920/002058/06

HOPE&JOY: Seamlessly for all life

How the Church will use OIympics

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No 4762

Confession must not be like a trial

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Abortion right ‘a monumental wrong’ BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

N the fifteen years since abortion was legalised in South Africa, an estimated one million unborn children have been lost, according to the director of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO), an office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). In his anti-abortion sermon at a Mass held at St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town, Fr PeterJohn Pearson said the congregation had gathered in remembrance of the law being passed because of a shared conviction: to stand up for and in awe of life. “We lament, we repent, we acknowledge that we have wasted life, destroyed innocent life because it is troublesome, inconvenient,” Fr Pearson said. He told the crowded cathedral that “we repent that we have not done enough to preserve life, we have stood by idly for the most part while what started out for some as a human right in respect of reproductive health has morphed into a monumental human wrong visited on the unborn, that most vulnerable of all lives”. Fr Pearson said Christians have no choice but to work untiringly for the repeal of the legislation that puts the weak at risk. He said the anniversary of the law being passed should be marked with “a burning anger about this holocaust”. The CPLO director added that courage would also be needed and like those who were interred in the concentration camps, rally around the motto “never again”. An SACBC statement signed by conference president Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg said that those aborted when the law was first passed would now be in Grade 9 or

Protesters outside parliament in Cape Town mark the 15th anniversary of abortion becoming legal in South Africa. At a Mass in St Mary’s cathedral, opposite parliament, Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office director Fr Peter-John Pearson called for “burning anger about this holocaust”. (Photo: Claire Mathieson) 10, “bringing joy to their families and planning their own futures”. “Those whose lives were ‘terminated’ ten years ago would now be playing on the streets of our towns and villages in the evenings and singing and praying with us in our churches on Sunday. We regret that those children of God were denied the right to be born into God’s world and to enrich it

with their own unique gifts and talents. We will never fully realise what we have missed because the law says ‘abortion is fine’.” The position of the Catholic Church on abortion is clear and unambiguous, the statement said. “Just because the law says it is legal does not make it morally right…He or she has a right to life, a right that must be respected by the mother and protected by the state.”

By law, a woman of any age can have an abortion, if she is less than 13 weeks pregnant. If she is over 13 weeks pregnant, she can have an abortion if her pregnancy or circumstances meets certain criteria. If they are minors they require no parental consent or need to inform the next of kin. Archbishop Tlhagale noted that pregnant women need our help, not our insults. “All of us, parents, teachers, members of the Church, must understand what a young girl is going through when she realises she is pregnant. She needs our love, our support, our understanding and sometimes our forgiveness. We in the Church are committed to helping unmarried pregnant girls and couples tempted to take the abortion route in whatever way we can. We will never condemn, just as Jesus refused to condemn (Jn 8:11).” He said the mothers of aborted children need to be remembered as much as their unborn children. “Just as we do not condemn a pregnant young girl, we do not condemn her if she made the mistake of procuring an abortion. Only she knows how much she has suffered as a result. She needs help and healing. We invite her to come and speak to one of our priests or counsellors so that we can be part of reconciling her to God and bringing about healing.” Archbishop Tlhagale’s statement said there was more to the bill than just the right to have an abortion. “Another right that must be respected by the state and its agents is that of conscientious objection. Those who believe that abortion is morally wrong have a right to refuse to participate in the medical procedures” associated with abortion.

Bishops slam E Cape school crisis Retired bishop dies at 91 STAFF REPORTER

HE Catholic bishops of Southern Africa have expressed their “deep concern” at the current education problems in the Eastern Cape. “Children are the hope and future of the nation,” the bishops said in a statement. “Access to education is a matter of simple justice for each child—and it is incumbent on government to provide it without fail.” The bishops pointed to a “go slow” in the province by teachers affiliated to the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) who went on a protracted “go-slow” in the new school year, as part of a dispute with superintendent-general Modidima Mannya. The Eastern Cape is the worst performer in matric results, where only one in two pupils passed their finals last year. “The lack of infrastructure and the rundown state of schools as well as the ‘go slow’ by teachers is putting the future of many of our children at risk,” said the bish-

ops’ statement, signed by Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha. “The Eastern Cape provincial government must take appropriate action to rescue the floundering education system, which is denying children their right to education. Otherwise the government will be responsible for perpetuating the second class ‘bantustan’ education system, and contributing to the wide divide between rich and poor,” the statement said. The bishops pointed to the central role education plays in building up a democratic society. “Teachers as key role players must put the children first and teach them by example to be engaged and responsible members of society, who give meaning and purpose in life by being agents of change for the good of all. “In order to achieve this, teachers must make teaching a vocation that is marked by conscientious work, professionalism, care, love and a breadth of vision,” the bishops said.

Pope’s plans for Cuba, Mexico trip

OPE Benedict will meet with Cuban President Raul Castro, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and bishops and Catholics from the region when he visits Mexico and Cuba in late March, according to a schedule released by the Vatican. After a 14-hour flight from Rome to Mexico, the pope is scheduled to be in Leon, Mexico, March 23-26. In Cuba, he will be in

Santiago de Cuba and Havana till March 28. During his trip, Pope Benedict will celebrate three outdoor Masses, including one marking the 400th anniversary of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba. In Mexico, he will have a special meeting with children and a vespers service with bishops from Latin America, and in Cuba he will make a private visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.—CNS

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

ETIRED Bishop Everardus Baaij of Aliwal North died on January 31 at 91. Born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, a citizen of Canada and a bishop in South Africa, Bishop Baaij (pictured) was a self-proclaimed “citizen of the world”. The late bishop joined the congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart 70 years ago and was ordained a priest in 1947. At the time of his death, Bishop Baaij was the oldest member of his congregation. In an interview with Sacred Heart USA, Bishop Baaij recalled that he had been first introduced to the Catholic Church by a friend at the age of eight. He was interested in the concept of confession and started joining his friend at Mass. It was soon after, he said, that he decided to become a priest, joining the Sacred Heart order, in which he made his first profession in 1942. After his ordination in 1947 the young priest was sent to France for language studies in preparation for an assignment in Canada where he worked as a hospital chaplain, a ministry that remained close to his heart. The bishop also taught at the seminary in Delaware and provided pastoral care to a sanatorium in Ontario. In 1955, Bishop Baaij became a Canadian citizen. The bishop was meant to move to the United States but due to documentation

issues, it was decided instead that he join the mission effort in South Africa, arriving in March of 1957. The bishop called South Africa home for 54 years and added his South African citizenship to his Canadian citizenship. Bishop Baaij began his South African ministry in Middelburg, later serving in Noupoort and Colesberg, in the De Aar diocese. Fr Colin Bowes, vicar-general of De Aar, called Bishop Baaij a very “dedicated and serious man, disciplined, strict and forthright”. The bishop, he said, had a great passion and concern for the sick and dying. “Many people in Noupoort have a connection to Bishop Baaij—they or a family member were baptised, married or buried by him,” said Fr Bowes. Bishop Baaij was appointed bishop of Aliwal North in December 1973 by Pope Paul VI and was installed on May 23, 1974. Pope John Paul II accepted his resignation due to health issues in 1981. Bishop Baaij lived at Port Elizabeth’s Nazareth House since the mid-1980s. There he served as a chaplain to several local hospitals and mental health institutions. Fr Bowes said the late bishop enjoyed house visits, was interested in getting to know people and loved swimming. Bishop Baaij died at Nazareth House, surrounded by religious sisters who had been praying the rosary at his bedside during his last hours.

The Southern Cross, February 8 to February 14, 2012

LOCAL

Inter-diocesan Consultation aims to encourage all parishes to participate BY STAFF REPORTER

HE local Church is being proactive by trying to respond pastorally to the new culture of modern living through a process called the Interdiocesan Consultation. Fr Barney McAleer of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Department of Evangelisation said the process aims to enhance faith formation and encourages all parishes to get involved. The Church exists to evangelise, as Pope Paul VI told us. However the social, economic, cultural and political context for evangelisation of South Africa differs great-

ly from that of the pre-2000. In response to a changed society and to the call of the popes, the Church in Southern Africa has embarked on a three-phase Interdiocesan Consultation. The first phase looked at the present situation and assessed if the [1989] Pastoral Plan, “Community Serving Humanity”, is alive or dead, Fr McAleer said. The second phase of the consultations, presently on-going, is built around nine stories which are intended to help groups of Catholics examine what it means to be a member of the Catholic Church in today’s world and what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Fr McAleer said the aims and

objectives of the second phase are to engage every Catholic in the region in the process of formulating a way forward for pastoral action following on the vision of renewal for the Church arising from Vatican II. “This process is designed to help every Catholic understand the importance of a personal encounter with Christ and the responsibility they have in witnessing to Christ in their lives. It is designed to help the laity, who form the greatest body in the Church, to rediscover the role they have to play in building the kingdom of God in the structures of society and in the hearts of people.”

“By engaging with the process of the second phase, questions like, these can be addressed and by sharing personal experiences, people can become sensitive to the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives and in the lives of their communities and families,” Fr McAleer said. “We invite every Catholic to make known to the bishops their concerns and views on the future pastoral priorities for the Church in Southern Africa.” Every diocese has a contact person who has the relevant materials and every bishop’s office has relevant information for those who want to make enquiries. Fr McAleer said it was hoped

that by Pentecost a picture will emerge of the pastoral lines and priorities from the point of view of the laity. “Phase III of the Consultation will grow out of the first two phases. All of us will examine how we can grow into the kind of Church Jesus wants us to be and how can we bring the good news of God’s love into today’s world. This task is the task of everyone, of each baptised Catholic,” Fr McAleer said, urging everyone to get involved in the process. n For more information regarding the Inter-diocesan Consultation, contact your local chancery or the evangelisation department of the SACBC on 012 323 6458.

Cape Town parish hosts an international adventure team BY MIRANDA VOSLOO

PARISH in Cape Town has hosted a Polish adventure team, Globall 2012, which is travelling from the Southern tip of Africa to Eastern Europe on a mission to share a special message. Our Lady of Fatima parish in Bellville welcomed Globall 2012 as it shares the message of tolerance, joy and unity—over the distance of 23 000km, beginning in Cape Town.

The expedition comprises Polish extreme adventurers from all walks of life, travelling across 40 interstate borders and through 23 countries. Their key message is: “All borders and prejudices that separate people are man-made and can be overcome only by man”. Wherever the expedition stops, the members play a game of football with the locals—appropriately since their destination, Poland and Ukraine, host this year’s European

Championships. The expedition adventures are capturing their journey in detail as they plan to release a film and a book on their experience. Bellville parish priest Fr Bogdan Buksa, who is from Poland, had invited the members of the expedition to the parish after a chance meeting in a shopping centre parking lot after he recognised the Polish number plates. The adventurers were treated to a special send-off function which Fr Bogdan Buksa of Bellville, Cape Town, signs a “super ball” that is travelling to Poland with a Polish adventure team who were hosted by the parish. (Photo: Piotr Bolko)

HEAD OF SCHOOL

included a dinner in the church hall and ended in playing music together—Fr Buksa is a keen saxophone player! The next morning, a special Mass was celebrated for the group and the fleet of 4x4 vehicles was blessed by Fr Buksa.

Fr Buksa came to South Africa as a missionary priest six years ago. He said he fell in love with South Africa and has been at Bellville parish for four years. n Visit www.dookola.org for more information and to follow the team’s adventures.

We strive for excellence and creativity in forward thinking education, committing ourselves to the preparation of our pupils by instilling in them a sense of responsibility and attempting to ensure that they leave St Dominic’s Priory with a solid foundation on which to build their future. We wish to appoint a Head of School.

This position, reporting to the Board of Governors, will be responsible to effectively manage and drive the school, from an academic, cultural, sport and ethos perspective, in line with the school strategy, and create a unified superior educational facility.

Role requirements Ideally a practising Catholic, the incumbent must have a deep rooted commitment to religious education in a Catholic school environment. The successful incumbent will be a professionally qualified person, an experienced Principal, who has also had substantial experience as an educator, ideally across educational phases. He/she will be conversant with educational developments and trends and will be responsible for shaping the future of the school. He/she will be required to undertake the leadership of the school and its educators, in line with our ethos, as well as the marketing, financial and human resource management. Experience in managing all operational areas of a large school is essential. . Attributes We require a person of integrity, who is a visible and visionary leader. The ability to think strategically, drive delivery and standards within the school is critical. We require an energetic and dynamic approach, which is contagious and focuses on bringing out the best in others, as well as promoting the appropriate balance between academic, spiritual, cultural and sporting aspects of school life. Business acumen, innovative thinking, networking and excellent interpersonal skills are critical.

Should you be interested in applying for the position, please forward a full Curriculum Vitae together with contact details of 3 referees, one of whom should be a Minister of Religion. Submission of an application will not, in itself, entitle the applicant to an interview or appointment. Failure to meet the requirements of the post will result in applicants automatically disqualifying themselves from consideration. Applications close on 20 February 2012 Please address applications to the Chairman of the Board, info@keypointconsulting.co.za The Board reserves the right not to make an appointment

2012 OPEN DAY – TUESDAY 21 FEBRUARY 09h00 to 13h00

We extend a warm invitation to all pupils and parents who may be considering Springﬁeld for 2013 and beyond to visit the campus and see our excellent facilities and beautiful gardens. Nursery to Matric – All most welcome!

Closing date for Grade 8/2013 applications and Grade 8/2013 Catholic Bursary Applications Friday 24 February 2012 Grade 8 2013 Academic Entrance Assessment/Academic Half-Scholarship Examination will be written on Friday 9 March 2012

Springﬁeld congratulates with great pride the 77 Matric pupils of 2011 for 100% Bachelor Pass rate with 341 subject distinctions Address: St John’s Road Wynberg Enquiries: 021 7976169/7979637 Ext 248

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, February 8 to February 14, 2012

Hurley anniversary to be observed in Durban STAFF REPORTER

HE eighth anniversary of Archbishop Denis Hurley’s death will be observed at Durban’s Emmanuel cathedral over the weekend of February 1112. The guest preacher for the weekend will be Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town. According to Denis Hurley Centre coordinator Paddy Kearney, the commemorative weekend will be culminated on Sunday afternoon at 15:00 by a public report-back on the Denis Hurley Centre’s progress over the past year and plans for 2012. “Guests will be welcomed by Fr Stephen Tully; the prayers will be led by Archbishop Brislin, and Bishop Barry Wood, auxiliary bishop of Durban, will talk about how you can help. The ‘First Lady’ of the KwaZulu-Natal province, Dr May Mashego Mkhize, is one of

the special guests, and she will talk on supporting the project,” Mr Kearney said. Parishioners attending Mass over the weekend will also be asked to bring flowers to decorate Archbishop Hurley’s tomb in the cathedral’s Lady chapel. Flowers can also be bought at the cathedral entrance. The flowers will be donated to an Aids hospice the following day. Special hymns and prayers will be used at each Mass and after the Saturday Mass, which starts at 17:30, there will be a candlelit procession to the archbishop’s tomb. Other special features of the weekend include choral items by St Henry’s Marist College Senior Choir. Mr Kearney said the anniversary weekend will reflect on the work of Archbishop Hurley, who was bishop and then archbishop of Durban from 1947-92, as well as look forward to the development

of the Denis Hurley Centre. “This is an ambitious project which will help hundreds of thousands of poor and marginalised people for decades to come,” he said of the current parish centre which will be replaced by a new four-storey multi-purpose building. “The new building will be used to its optimum. It will house the cathedral’s outreach and social responsibility programmes— including homeless support and feeding projects; refugee pastoral care; nursing programme; a comprehensive counselling service; and the St Vincent de Paul Society,” the coordinator said. The centre will also include a conference and educational centre, catering facility, coffee shop, craft and book shops, resource centre, library, museum and exhibition space. Fr Tully said Archbishop Hurley’s passion for serving the poor

Dancers from the KwaThintwa School for the Deaf at Inchanga, KwaZuluNatal, dance in honour of their school's founder, Archbishop Denis Hurley, at last year's "Report Back Meeting" on the Denis Hurley Centre. This year the meeting will be on February 12 at 15:30. Guests of Honour will be the First Lady of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr May Mashego Mkhize and Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town. (Photo: Costa Criticos) and working for justice “has inspired our efforts”, and the commemorative weekend will show how his legacy is being put into action. Contributions to the Denis Hurley Centre can be made by bank

deposit into the Denis Hurley Centre Fund, First National Bank, Durban Branch, Code 221426, Account Number 62204261002. Swift Code FIRN ZAJJ. For more information contact 031-201 3832 or email: pkearney@saol.com.

Eight-week programme Port Elizabeth church hits 50 for unemployed youth BY FRANK MANSON-KULLIN

BY THANDI BOSMAN

IFTY youths between the ages of 18 and 26 have joined an eight-week programme of the Youth Employment Skills (YES) project at the Salesian Institute in Cape Town. The project, which started in 2002, is aimed at helping disadvantaged youths learn skills and find employment. YES project coordinator Allison Appleton said many of the participants come from deprived households where “unemployment, overcrowding, poor nutrition and a general lack of motivation prevail”. Recruitment is mainly done by word of mouth, said Ms Appleton, but advertisements are also sent out to various high schools in disadvantaged areas. “The learners who attend our courses do so with the objective of improving their skills, thereby increasing their marketability in the employment field. These youths have realised that the way out of the unemployment cycle is through skills development,” Ms Appleton explained. Five programmes, each consisting of four courses, are offered per year. These are computer literacy and office management; computer maintenance and repair; tiling, mosaic, decoupage and laminated flooring, and bricklaying.

A life skills course, which deals with some of the “issues challenging the youth of today”, is run during the first three weeks programme, Ms Appleton said. “Life Skills is a very participative and activity-driven programme with the emphasis on group work, games and role plays, always delivering a message relevant to the topic covered,” she said. Ms Appleton said that the YES project helps find employment for youth who have finished the course. “We have managed to build strong relationships with a number of individuals and companies who then contact us for placements on a regular basis,” Ms Appleton said. She added that in the last four years the programme has managed to achieve an average placement rate of 90%. “Feedback from employers has been very positive which reflects well on all our facilitators, the job placement officer and, most importantly, the students,” she said. Challenges faced by the youth and the staff running the programme include the cost of travelling to the programme, and many participants arrive hungry. Some students miss several days of the programme because they are single mothers or their homes and belongings are affected by rain and flooding, Ms Appleton said.

ORPUS Christi parish in Humewood, Port Elizabeth, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its church with a Mass celebrated by Fr Noel Winston OFM Cap, and the publication of a pamphlet outlining the parish’s history. The Golden Jubilee will be celebrated for the whole year. In 1956 Bishop Ernest Green of Port Elizabeth appointed Fr Frederick Martin to build a parish for Humewood, Summerstrand and Forest Hill. The dynamic priest, who resided at St Bernadette’s presbytery in Walmer, bought a house at 2 Second Avenue in Summerstrand, and the lounge and dining room were adapted to celebrate Mass while the priest and the area’s Catholics raised the funds to build a church. The first Mass in the house was celebrated on June 1, 1956. Parish records list the congregation as consisting of Mr and Mrs HJ Wright, Mr Hayes, Francis Hayes, Elsie McGregor, John Shaw, Mrs Pappas, Tony & Dawn Pappas. Parishioner Sheila Murphy (née O’Donnell) recalled that Fr Martin announced at the end of a Legion of Mary meeting in August 1958 that he was “hoping to hear from the municipality the next day whether we would obtain the OK to build our church”. “All the legionaries, and Fr Mar-

Tangney

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Fr Noel Winston OFM Cap preaching during the golden jubilee Mass of Corpus Christi parish in Humewood, Port Elizabeth. tin, with a spade, a miraculous medal and our rosaries, went to the plot and buried the medal, recited the rosary, went home and prayed. The next morning Father got the good news, but we had to wait four years before we got this beautiful church completed,” Mrs

Murphy remembered. In the interim a parish council was formed for fundraising and planning of the structure of the church. The new church was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Green on January 22, 1962.

The Southern Cross, February 8 to February 14, 2012

INTERNATIONAL

Vatican downplays corruption allegations BY FRANCIS X ROCCA

NSISTING on the Holy See’s continuing commitment to transparency and rectitude in economic affairs, the Vatican’s spokesman has downplayed references to “corruption” in a letter apparently sent to Pope Benedict by a Vatican official who is now apostolic nuncio to the United States. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Office, criticised as “partisan”, “partial and banal”, an Italian television news programme, which broadcast portions of letters addressed to Pope Benedict and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state. The letters were apparently

signed by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò and written when he was the secretary general of the commission governing Vatican City. One of the letters, dated April 4, 2011, said that when Archbishop Viganò took office almost two years earlier, he had discovered a “disastrous situation” of “chaotic management” and overspending on contracts. The letter also complained of a “media campaign” launched by opponents of the archbishop’s efforts at reform, and implored the pope not to remove him from his job, “even for promotion to a more important post”. The pope named Archbishop Viganò as nuncio to the US in October 2011. The commission manages the

Vatican City State, including the Vatican Gardens and Museums. During Archbishop Viganò’s stint as the commission’s secondhighest official, a budget deficit of nearly $9,8 million(R76 million) in 2009 turned into a surplus of $28 million (R214 million) million in 2010. According to Gianluigi Nuzzi, an Italian journalist who hosted the TV broadcast, the archbishop’s reforms included cutting the cost of the Christmas nativity scene in St Peter’s Square by more than 250 000 euro (R2,8 million), and lowering expenses for maintaining the Vatican Gardens by some 800 000 euro (R9 million). In a written statement, Fr Lombardi praised Archbishop Viganò’s tenure at the commission as one of “administrative rigour, savings, and rectification of a generally difficult econom-

ic situation.” However, he noted that other factors, including a rise in attendance at the Vatican Museums, help to explain the improved finances during the period in question. The principles of “correct and healthy administration and of transparency” that inspired the archbishop continue today to guide the management of the commission, Fr Lombardi said. The letter to Cardinal Bertone, dated March 27, 2011, eight days before the letter to Pope Benedict, complained of the cardinal’s plans to remove Archbishop Viganò from his post, accusing him of breaking a promise to let the archbishop succeed the then-president of the commission, Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, upon the latter’s retirement. According to the letter, Cardinal Bertone had mentioned

unspecified “tensions” within the commission to explain Archbishop Viganò’s reassignment, but the letter’s author suggested that a recent Italian newspaper article criticising the archbishop as incompetent had contributed to the decision. Fr Lombardi would neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of the letters, which were shown on screen during the broadcast; but his statement deplored the “publication of private documents”. He also suggested that the Vatican might pursue legal action to protect the reputations of Vatican officials named in the broadcast, including investment advisers whose recommendations purportedly led the Vatican to lose 2,5 million euro (R28 million) in a single transaction. The apostolic nunciature in Washington declined to comment.—CNS

London Olympics a chance to spread faith BY SIMON CALDWELL

RITISH bishops plan to use the 2012 London Olympic Games to renew interest in the Catholic faith, with initiatives ranging from fighting human trafficking and homelessness to promoting youth ministry and ecumenical dialogue. The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales is also preparing resources for liturgies and holy hours and will post them on the Internet before the July 27 to August 12 games. Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the bishops’ conference, called the Olympics and Paralympics “a moment of great opportunity for us all”. “These great sporting events generate all sorts of good ideas and initiatives, particularly for young people, reminding all of us of the importance of good health, the dignity of our bodies, the care of our physical wellbeing and its spiritual meaning,” the archbishop said in a statement. The Catholic Church in Britain has been preparing for three years to seize the opportunity presented by the games to evangelise, said James Parker, the Catholic executive coordinator for the games. Twenty-four chaplains have been trained for the occasion, and training is also being offered to representatives of more than 5 000 Catholic churches who will organise parish events, such as street parties, during the games. In London, visitors will have access to two Catholic hospitality centres—one at Westminster cathedral and the other at St Anthony parish, the church closest to the Olympic stadium. The Joshua Camp, a tented village for Catholic youth, will

Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, tours Olympic Park in London. He called the Olympics and Paralympics “a moment of great opportunity for us all”. (Photo: Marcin Mazur, BCEW) open near London’s Olympic Park, to offer catechesis and formation centred around sport themes. Mr Parker said the Church also will use the Olympics to draw attention to a range of social issues, such as homelessness, fair trade and care for the environment, and the bishops intend to use the occasion to promote Catholic teaching on the human body. Many of the Church’s projects will be carried out through More Than Gold, a charity made up of 16 Christian denominations, taking its name from the attempts at Christian engagement made at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. At a parish level, Catholics throughout the country will be

encouraged to make their presence felt during the games, especially on the route taken by the Olympic torch in the two months before the games begin. Parishes are being asked to at least offer refreshments to the people who will line the streets to watch the passage of the torch, which will travel within easy reach of 95% of the nation’s homes. “We hope to bring the presence of Christ into greater play by reaching the 800 000 pupils in our Catholic schools and people within our 5 000 parishes about the goodness of sport, the God-given dignity of the human body, and the untapped talents that lie within each one of us, irrespective of our level of ability,” Mr Parker said.—CNS

American cardinal dies at 88

ARDINAL Anthony Bevilacqua (pictured), retired archbishop of Philadelphia, died on January 31. He was 88. Cardinal Bevilacqua headed the archdiocese from 1988 to 2003. Funeral arrangements were pending. Pope Benedict in a telegram praised the late cardinal’s “longstanding commitment to social justice and the pastoral care of immigrants, and his expert contribution to the revision of the Church’s law in the years fol-

lowing the Second Vatican Council.” Born in New York in 1923, the late cardinal was ordained in 1949. He was named an auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn in 1980. Three years later he was named bishop of Pittsburgh. Following his transfer to Philadelphia, Pope John Paul II named him a cardinal in 1991. In January 1998, with racial tensions flaring in several areas

of Philadelphia, Cardinal Bevilacqua issued a pastoral letter in which he called racism “an intrinsic evil that separates us from God. It is a moral disease and it is contagious.” He served many years on the bishops’ US Committee on Pro-Life Activities and spoke out often to condemn abortion and defend unborn life. He was elected chairman of the committee in 2001.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, February 8 to February 14, 2012

Confession a celebration of mercy, not a prosecution BY CAROL GLATZ

P Children play football near Malabo cathedral in Equatorial Guinea, which is co-hosting the African Cup of Nations with Gabon. The final will be played on February 12 in Libreville, Gabon. Malabo, Equatorial Guinea’s capital, will host the third-place play-off. The majority of the population of Equatorial Guinea is Christian. (Photo: Luc Gnago, Reuters/CNS)

Sudan priests freed two weeks after being kidnapped

WO Sudanese priests have been released two weeks after their kidnapping. One emerged with some injuries. Frs Joseph Makwey Mathod and Silvestro Mogga were well, despite their long and difficult ordeal,, Fr David Laraba Koja, acting vicar-general in the archdiocese of Khartoum, told Catholic Radio Network (CRN) News.

He said that no ransom had been paid to the captors for the priests’ freedom. Fr Laraba said Fr Makwey was wounded in the head and in one hand, but he did not specify the origin or nature of the injuries. The two priests were kidnapped at Kenana parish, in the pastoral region of Kosti, and were taken to Kweik. The kidnappers also stole two cars and some belongings of the priests.—CISA

RIESTS hearing confessions need to replace any negative or aggressive attitudes with meekness and mercy toward the penitent, a Vatican expert on confession has said. The sacrament of reconciliation “has led to a unilateral overemphasis on the accusation and listing of sins”, said Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican court that handles issues related to the sacrament of penance. The end result is that “the thing that is absolutely central when listening to sin, that is, the blessed embrace of the merciful Father, is put on the backburner”. The Italian bishop’s comments, published in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, were made in his address to a symposium for confessors held in Loreto, Italy. “Isn’t it true perhaps that at times confession takes on the semblance of a prosecuting tribunal rather than a celebration of forgiveness”, and that the conversation takes on “inquisitorial or, in any case, indelicate tones”, he asked. A confessor is first and foremost a father who welcomes, listens and engages in dialogue, he said.

People going to confession “are seeking comfort, advice and forgiveness”, he said. Often they are dealing with problems in their personal life or in their relationships; concerns about contraception, separation or divorce; or difficulties between parent and child, he said. “As confessors we are called to show mercy and hope, to be fathers more than judges, to take on the penitent’s pain and listen

A priest hears a penitent’s confession. A Vatican expert on the sacrament has said that confessors must not be judgmental. (Photo: Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier)

with much patience,” he said. “All of this has nothing to do with being lax or permissive,” he said, “rather it focuses on the inner liberation of the penitent”, their feelings of remorse and repentance, and facilitating their reception of judgment, grace and mercy from God. Bishop Girotti said a confessor “would commit a serious injustice” if he dared let his judgment and advice to the penitent be influenced more by his own personal opinions and viewpoints than by Church teaching and doctrine. Priests must carefully control their reaction, including facial expressions and gestures, when hearing confession, he said. The confessor should imitate Christ’s gentleness and never display a sense of shock no matter how grave the sin, he said. The confessor must never pry for personal details, never show impatience or be in a hurry, and should instill a healthy fear of God, but not terror and should condemn the sin, not the sinner, he added. Penitents open their heart and soul to the confessor because they see him as being “God’s minister, and if instead they find in him severity, not mercy, or doubts and obscurity, and not the light of truth, they will have been truly deceived.”—CNS

Christianity ‘at risk of oblivion in many parts of the world’ BY CAROL GLATZ

HRISTIANITY and even religious belief are in grave danger across the globe, risking oblivion, Pope Benedict has said. “Across vast areas of the earth, faith runs the danger of extinguishing like a flame that runs out of fuel,” he said. The world faces “a profound crisis of faith, and a loss of a sense of religion constitutes the biggest challenge for the Church today,” he said. The pope said the renewal of

faith has to be a priority for all members of the Church and said he hoped the upcoming Year of Faith, starting in October, would further such effort. Pope Benedict was addressing about 70 officials, members and consultants of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the office he led for more than 20 years before being elected pope. He said integral to helping the Gospel message seem more credible in today’s world, is Christian unity—a theme that members of the congregation discussed during

their four-day plenary meeting. Pope Benedict said the search for Christian unity requires a solid foundation in truth and Scripture, not the establishment of rules and agreements that are mutually beneficial. “Rather, the heart of true ecumenism is faith, where people encounter the truth that is revealed in the word of God. Without faith, the whole ecumenical movement would be reduced to a form of ‘social contract’ that’s adhered to out of common interest,” the pope said.

Even though dialogue has borne much fruit, in ecumenical talks the Church must guard against the risk of believing all religions are equal, and it must be sure not to distort or obscure Catholic doctrine. The Second Vatican Council call for the sincere search for full unity with all Christians is a process animated by the Word of God. The truth and faith must be central to ecumenical dialogue, and those involved in dialogue must face controversial questions with courage, he said.

Ecumenical dialogue cannot ignore “the great moral questions of human life, the family, sexuality, bioethics, freedom, justice and peace,” he said. “It would be important to talk about these issues with only one voice, drawing on the foundation in Scripture and in the Church’s living tradition” so as to discover God’s logic and plan for creation. By defending the foundational values of the faith and Church tradition, “we defend man, we defend creation”, the pope said.— CNS

The Southern Cross, February 8 to February 14, 2012

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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.

Christ came to redeem us from original sin N reply to Bernard Straughan’s argued: “If there be a God, since free from the law of sin and death” I letter “Time to reassess the doc- there is a God, the human race is (Rom 7:25; 8:2). The Good News of No place for corruption trine of original sin” (January 18), implicated in some terrible aborigi- Jesus can be understood only if we it’s always important to reflect on nal calamity. It is out of joint with are sinners. Editor: Günther Simmermacher

LLEGATIONS that there has been corruption in the Vatican and that an official who had pulled the Vatican City finances straight was shifted aside, require forthright clarification. As we report this week, an Italian television news programme on the La 7 network has broadcast portions of letters addressed to Pope Benedict and Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, apparently written by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, which seem to allege corrupt practices in the awarding of Vatican tenders. The letters suggest that Archbishop Viganò, from 2009-11 the secretary-general of the commission that governs Vatican City and now nuncio to the United States, was moved out of the Vatican by way of an unwanted promotion, after rooting out corruption and financial mismanagement in the Vatican City administration. In his letter to Pope Benedict of March 27, 2011, Archbishop Viganò reportedly alleged, among other instances of financial mismanagement and inflated disbursements, that “work was always given to the same companies at costs at least double compared to those charged outside the Vatican”. Fr Federico Lombardi SJ, the Vatican’s spokesman, is an incisive communicator. His response to the TV programme, however, was not persuasive in reassuring the faithful that the Vatican’s financial management conforms to the highest standards of ethics. Indeed, the response can be described as a non-denial, notwithstanding the Vatican’s threat to take legal action against the broadcasters. It is not good enough to attack the source of the allegation (never mind calling the allegation themselves “banal”), or to gloss over them by referring to breaches of privacy in communications, as if the content of these letters require no answer simply because they were leaked. Fr Lombardi assures us that the principles of “correct and healthy administration and of transparency” implemented during Archbishop Viganò’s tenure continue to guide the management of the commission, and that the archbishop was not alone in seeking fiscal prudence.

This is no doubt true today, but apparently was not so just a couple of years ago. In his letter to Pope Benedict, Archbishop Viganò presciently predicted: “My transfer would provoke confusion among all those who’ve believed that it’s possible to clean up so many situations of corruption and dishonesty.” That confusion has now spread well beyond the walls of the Vatican. The Church, from the pope to local levels, has consistently and vigorously called on governments to exercise transparency and accountability in their governance. The Vatican has a manifest obligation to not only conform to its own rhetoric, but to lead by setting the highest standards. Catholics worldwide therefore have the right to ask for clarity on several questions: l Were contractors overpaid or appointed because of connections, as reportedly alleged in Archbishop Viganò’s letter? l If there was mismanagement or corrupt practices in the Vatican, what actions will be taken in regard to those responsible? l How was the documented culture of fiscal extravagance allowed to emerge in the first place? l Why was Archbishop Viganò transferred, against his appeals and three years ahead of the end of his contract, when his performance demonstrably helped turn around the Vatican’s finances dramatically? The time when putting uncomfortable questions to the Vatican would be regarded as an act of impertinence is well in the past. The Vatican must now show itself to be transparent and accountable—even to the point of admitting mistakes—to maintain its moral authority, especially when the Church speaks on matters of financial ethics. We must hope that the allegations of corrupt practices will be cleared up, and that, should these allegations have substance, appropriate action and remedy will be applied. Anything less will fundamentally compromise the Church worldwide in its fight for the poor and against maladministration, and to give succour to those who are corrupt. And that can only harm the Church’s mission.

our faith, and I welcome hearing Mr Straughan’s sincere difficulties with the doctrine of original sin. GK Chesterton said: “Original sin...is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved.” He meant that the presence of evil in the world, originating in us humans, is self-evident to everyone. And so, as Cardinal Newman

the purposes of its Creator.” Can we not, therefore, each of us echo the words of St Paul: “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do” (Rom 7:19)? Bad news? No! Christ has come to redeem us from sin. “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! [...] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me

How do we come to share in this salvation? Scripture and tradition are unanimous: Baptism. This is why we read in the modern catechism: “The Church, which has the mind of Christ, knows very well that we cannot tamper with the revelation of original sin without undermining the mystery of Christ” (No 389). Lewis Berry CO, Port Elizabeth

Regarding the utterances of Fr Hans Küng, I note that Pope John Paul II revoked his licence to teach as a Catholic theologian in 1979. JH Goossens, Dundee

you have as much right to your views as he has to his. If you disagree with him, you must, by definition, be either mad or wilfully stupid. Peter Onesta, Johannesburg

Faith and reason

F we were to reassess the doctrine of original sin as suggested by Bernard Straughan, what would the consequences be? Oops, we would have to rewrite the Exultet—Oh happy fault of Adam. Our Lady would not be happy—no longer immaculately conceived—and Bl John Paul II would start spinning in his tomb— his Theology of the Body’s fundamental premise is that man (that is, Adam) began in original justice and fell into original sin, hence the need for a redeemer. The book of Genesis was never meant to be a scientific work on how it all began; God explains the why of creation and the subsequent results of man’s rejection of his plan. Man’s evolutionary descendants may go back six million years but geneticists are discovering that modern man may be as young as forty to fifty thousand years, close enough for biblical quotations of “a thousand generations”. As for Fr Hans Küng, his teaching authority in the name of the Church was withdrawn over three decades ago. Changing our doctrines or dogmas is not the way to deepen our faith or increase membership of the Church. We need to put into practice St Anselm’s maxim: “Faith seeking understanding”. Science is not at odds with faith. As time goes on it is proving more and more the veracity of Church teaching: faith and reason go hand in hand. Jan Kalinowski, Assagay, KZN

Sacrifice in vain?

ERNARD Straughan of Cape Town wants to do away with original sin. In that case he cannot call himself a Christian any more. Jesus’ redeeming sacrifice would have been in vain. “Our priests” who refuse to admit that baptism erases original sin need an urgent refresher course. The archbishop of Cape Town clearly has some work to do.

Not much tolerance The real message AGREE with Razia Amod that Pak-

istani Muslims are persecuting Christians (“Islam stands for tolerance”, January 18). However, the central fact is that Islam offers its followers—whether they quote from and interpret the Qu’ran rightly or wrongly—justification for murder on a huge scale for waging a holy war, for indiscriminate killings by missiles or suicide bombings, and the degradation of women and the subordination of individual rights. It is pointless to quibble about the exact wording or meaning or context of verses taken from the Qu’ran; what matters is the use made of (alleged) passages from the book. Such iniquitous use is not legally possible in a state governed by the rule of law—secular law—on the principle of the separation of church and state. This is the central failing of states where Islam is the dominant religion. Where Islamic law is applied, barbarities will result and are directed at fellow Muslims as well: not just execution for sexual offences in Iran, for example, but family honour killings in Turkey. In short, it’s no good expecting Islam-dominated states to grant reciprocal rights to other religions and believers; such concepts don’t exist in their cultures and belief systems. It’s as useless trying dialogue, in the Western sense, with a convinced, let alone a fundamentalist, Muslim as it is to argue with a communist. He just doesn’t accept that Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

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FULLY support Fr Bonaventure Hinwood in his letter of January 18, “Date of Christmas”. Why be caught up in trying to establish the date of Our Lord’s birth? The most important factor is that we are celebrating a wonderful and special event that has touched and changed the lives of billions of people. This was no ordinary human, yes fully human but much more who was born in the stable at Bethlehem. God became intimately close to his fallen creation. He did not turn his back on our sinfulness. He embraced our need and our lives would never be the same again. He will always be there for us. He will never disappoint us. He is Jesus Lord at birth. Please don’t allow him to become just a baby born long ago in a far off land. If that is the case then we have no hope. He always comes through for us. ER Little, Cape Town

Keep the Lord’s Prayer intact

HAT a mercy that the Congregation for Divine Worship has not (yet) seen fit to revise the Lord’s Prayer! At least we still have in the Mass one example of the kind of language the Lord himself preferred: the utmost lucidity of expression even when using paradoxes such as “the last shall be first”. Never did he engage in the kind of mystification and verbal display so prevalent in the new translation of the Roman Missal. Let us therefore keep the Lord’s Prayer as our role model of prayer, just as he recommended, so that we can survive this present liturgical era. Jack Kearney, Gillitts, KZN

PERSPECTIVES

Seamlessly for life

N some circles the “seamless garment” approach to life issues is perceived to be inadequate, almost a “relativising” of Catholic pro-life teaching. This, I suggest, is a mistaken critique that effectively undermines the anti-abortion cause. Vatican II made a number of very important points about the Christian understanding of the person. In its section on personhood, Gaudium et Spes proclaims the human person as “the centre and summit” of creation (12). Echoing the creation story in Genesis, it proclaims that the human being is imago Dei, the image and likeness of God. Proclaiming that we are all social beings, the document states that we share “in the light of the divine mind”, having intelligence, skills, and the capacity for faith. Through this we are able to “come to contemplate and savour the mystery of God’s design” (15) in the universe. Through these capabilities we are able to engage individually and collectively in moral decision-making and to construct our world. We are able to make moral judgment through the faculty of conscience, that inner voice of God that speaks to us (16). (In my next article I shall look at conscience in greater detail, so I will not take it further here). That we are able to act as moral beings, making judgments and act upon them, is the result of our capacity for reason, a reason that moves beyond animal instinct for survival through the divine gift of human freedom. No other creature on Earth has this capacity to the degree that we have. The Council reminds us that “it is, however, only in freedom that [we] can turn ourselves towards what is good” (Gaudium et Spes 17). The Council (and subsequent teaching) also insisted that respect for human life was paramount. It tightened up teaching on war (particularly stressing the principle of non-combatant immunity) and declared that capital punishment was

almost always morally wrong, while reaffirming its opposition to abortion. By virtue of being human with capacity for freedom, intelligence, reason, conscience and skills, human life—created in the image and likeness of God—is sacred. The “seamless garment” approach takes all of this very seriously, from conception to the grave. What we need to see here, however, is that though these are given to us all, humans have varying degrees of capacity to exercise them. Though we may say that we have them, we have them to varying degrees at various stages in our lives. They grow in us as we ourselves grow. Both in principle and practice adults have and exercise all these capacities—reason, intelligence, skills, freedom and capacity for faith. Children have them too, though less developed. The question is: do babies or the unborn have them? It seems they do not. Newborns, babies and young children are in fact wholly dependent on the care of others. The chilling implication of this, some secular scholars conclude, is that they therefore have no rights other than those the law gives them, based on the assumption that they will one day develop into fully autonomous, rational and free human beings. A few even conclude that this gives us the right to abort foetuses at any time and even to practise infanticide.

Young people cheer at a pro-life rally. (Photo: Rafael Crisostomo, Catholic Standard)

Anthony Egan SJ

A Church of Hope and Joy

The Church has, in contrast, consistently opposed such thinking. Abortion and infanticide have always been called grave moral evils. Having said that, it’s worth noting that during the Middle Ages the legal and religious penalties for abortion varied in severity. It was a far greater crime to kill a foetus after the soul was deemed to enter the body (three months for boys, between three and six for girls) than before, as historian John Noonan has documented. The “seamless garment” approach in essence rejects such a hierarchical approach to the right to life based on an individual’s capacity to be fully human. It is capacity, not the exercise of certain human functions, that makes us truly human and thus deserving of protection from being killed. Since as Catholics we do not hold that sin ever totally destroys the image of God in the human person, it is reasonable then to reject capital punishment in almost all circumstances (a point clearly made by the “seamless garment” advocates). Executions in the case where there are no other means to prevent harm to the common good of society, which the Church considers a very rare possibility, are the only exception to the rule—and even more stringent conditions apply than the case of a “justifiable” war. It is for good reason then that the “seamless garment” is called a consistent ethic of life. It is fundamentally a call to moral consistency. Our commitment to protect the life of the unborn (precisely because they have the biological capacity to become fully human) must extend beyond birth and through the entire biological and biographical life of the person. It is thoroughly inconsistent to compel someone to have a child in the name of pro-life and then allow the same child to die of malnutrition a few years later!

‘I believe in God, the Father almighty

Y six-year-old son came back from school—he is in Grade R— telling me that the teacher wanted to know if they knew who created the world. “And how did you answer?” I asked getting interested. “I told her it was God. And she asked who created God, and what was there before God,” he replied. “What did you tell her?” “I told her God kind of created himself by himself.” I explained to him that there was never a time when God was not, since time itself is created by God who exists in the eternal moment we can call now. And I passed my kudos to the wonderful catechists of our parish who teach our children simple wisdom. But the talk left me thinking about the things Christ said are revealed to the babes and the meek but hidden to the clever and the shrewd. The categorical mistake of atheists such as Richard Dawkins and recently deceased Christopher Hitchens is to assume that God belongs to the laws of nature, and therefore within the realm of, say, science, to investigate and test. They want to make God an ordinary part of the natural world. Failing to find God there, they conclude that he does not exist. But God is not and cannot be part of nature. God is the reason for nature, the explanation why things are, an answer to existence, not part of existence itself. We can say God is a non-physical being of consciousness and intelligence or wisdom, who creates the universe for the sake of distinctive values that the universe generates.

These atheists are the spawn of Auguste Comte who in the 19th century propagated the idea of a progress of humanity through three states of thought—religious, metaphysical, and positive or scientific. The final stage supersedes the others, he said, and declared that therefore science has rendered belief in God obsolete. Stephen Jay Gould, leaning more on Kant, in our era, argued that there could be no conflict between science and religion, because science deals only with facts and religion only with values. The conversation with my son made me think also about time as a dimension. We know now that quantum physics has decisively rejected Comte’s philosophical proposal that human sense-observations provide the ultimate truth about objective reality. They more or less vindicate Kant’s alternative proposal, that our senses only reveal reality as it appears to us. Reality in itself is quite different, and is accessible only through mathematical descriptions that are increasingly removed from observation or pictorial imagination. For instance, how do you picture a probability-wave in Hilbert space? It is now almost commonplace in quantum physics to speak of many spacetimes, or of this space-time as a 10 or 11 dimensional reality that dissolves into topological foam below the Planck length. This is a long way from the sensationalism of Hume and Comte, and from the older materialism that insists on locating every possible being within this spacetime.

Mphuthumi Ntabeni

Reflection on the Apostles Creed – Pt 1

Some modern physicists routinely speak of realities beyond space-time (for example, quantum fluctuations in a vacuum from which this space-time originates). And some physicists, such as Henry Stapp, Eugene Wigner, and John von Neumann, speak of consciousness as an ultimate and irreducible element of reality, the basis of the physical as we know it, not its unanticipated by-product. So it is simply untrue that modern physics rules out the possibility of nonphysical entities. And it is untrue that science has established a set of inflexible laws so tightly constraining and universally dominating that they exclude the possibility of other forms, including perhaps non-physical forms, of causal influence that we may not be able to measure or predict. It is more accurate to say that fundamental laws of nature are seen by many physicists as approximations to an open, holistic, and flexible reality, as we encounter it in relatively isolated and controlled conditions. n This is the first in Mphuthumi Ntabeni’s monthly 12-part series reflecting on the Apostles’ Creed, intended to prepare us for the Year of Faith.

The Southern Cross, February 8 to February 14, 2012

Samuel Francis IMC

Point of Ministry

Care for the ill must involve all of us “I have come so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (Jn 10:10)

HAT does the abundance of life that Jesus is talking about mean, especially when many of his followers are weighed down by a terribly poor state of health? In ordinary circumstances, fullness of life would mean that state of our life when we feel physically most healthy, spiritually most nourished, economically unstrained, socially most acceptable, mentally most peaceful and environmentally most secure. However, Jesus did not promise us life without suffering, at least not in this earthly life. In fact in one of his orations he warns his apostles that “in the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). For a while now I have been involved in the pastoral ministry of the sick and I have come to realise that the experience of sickness is universal. Most people go through a stressful and often traumatic experience during transition from health to illness. Sickness involves pain, suffering, worry, fear, anxiety, bitterness, unfamiliar soundings, bed-rest and consequent physical weakening, family and financial strain, lack of privacy, relative social isolation and a sense of vulnerability and frailty. Furthermore, the patients and their families may have experiences involving guilt, diminished selfimage, limited future prospects and unanswered questions concerning the meaning of life. These experiences are handled differently by different people. There are those who surrender and offer all their sufferings to Jesus on the cross; others are torn between loyalty to Christianity and loyalty to African tradition and culture. The Church should be more visible, especially among her faithful who, due to human frailty, are unable to commune with the other members of the Christian family during moments of worship. For this to be realised, pastoral care of the sick should be embraced by all Christians. It should not be left only to priests, religious men and women, and extraordinary ministers of Communion and or ministers of the sick. The involvement of the entire Christian community in pastoral care of the sick is paramount if at all Jesus’ message of hope, courage and consolation is to reach all those who are sick. Illness can alienate us from self, from others and from God; conversely, it can also become for us a means of evangelisation and inspiration. There are people who suffer physically without showing any signs of bitterness or hatred. These people have accepted their suffering and contemplate the passion of Christ as their source of courage and strength. In spite of their physical pain they are full of love and humour. It is from them that we learn how to suffer gracefully. At the end of every Eucharistic celebration, we are always commissioned to depart with knapsacks full of peace to transmit, of prayer to develop, of perseverance for our journey, of optimism notwithstanding everything, and of consolation to take to others. The “go in peace” pronounced at the end of the celebration is not an invitation to remain calm but, on the contrary, to actively follow the teaching of Christ which leads to conversion. During his earthly life, Jesus ministered to the sick; now that we have accepted to be identified with him, we have no option but to follow in his footsteps. n Samuel-Francis IMC is a student of theology at St Joseph's Theological Institute in Cedara.

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The Southern Cross, February 8 to February 14, 2012

COMMUNITY

Archbishop Stephen Brislin confirmed Lindie Uithaler, Roberta Carolus and Thomas Uithaler of Nazareth House in Cape Town at a special Mass in their chapel. (Submitted by Margie Cook)

Bishop Dabula Mpako confirmed 27 young Catholics of St Theresa’s parish in Queenstown. He was joined by Fr Edward Tratsaert SAC (left) and Fr Leopold Scherer (right). It was Bishop Mpako’s first pastoral visit to the parish. In the church, packed to full capacity, Bishop Mpako spoke about the importance of confirmation and explained that every confirmed member has to be a true asset to the Church by making use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which turns them into “shining examples” in a world so often deprived of grace, joy, happiness and peace.

Children from Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Three Rivers and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Vereeniging, Johannesburg, celebrated their first Communion with catechists Anita Teixiera and Rosa Mokoena and parish priest Fr Justin Inandjo SMA.

The Bosco Community had a farewell braai for Br Clarence Watts who moved to the Salesian Institute in Cape Town to take up his new position as projects director. (Back row from left) Sandile Fakudze, Br Mojela Fihlo, Zama Booysen, Br Watts, Fr Joy Sebastian, Fr Robert Gore SDB, Fr John Coleman SDB, Sello and Althea Peters. (Front row from left) Katlego Simaake, Nothando Khoza, Hlonie Yingwane, Shane Forbay, Johannes Karlmeyer and Catherine Stoeckle.

IN FO CUS

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Bethlehem, Capernaum, Joppa, Tabgha, Mt Beatitudes, Nazareth, Ein Karem, Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem – just some of the towns and villages where you will visit Christian sites And walk in His footsteps on this unforgettable pilgrimage organised and led by Fr Davis Cost from R18 000 Tel: (031) 266 7702 Fax: (031) 266 8982 Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net Kindly note that our offices will be closed from 6 Feb to 23 February 2012 inclusive.

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This position, reporting to the Head of School, will be responsible to effectively manage and drive academic excellence at all levels of the school, in line with the school strategy, and create a unified superior educational facility. Role requirements The successful incumbent, preferably a practising Catholic, will be able and willing to promote the Catholic ethos of the school. He/she will be an experienced educator, who has had substantial experience across educational phases. He/she will be responsible for the academic standards of the school and its educators. Experience in educator management and standards management are pre-requisites. Attributes We require a visionary educator and academic enthusiast who has the ability to drive academic delivery and excellence within the school, in conjunction with the Head of School. Academic insight, innovative thinking, networking and excellent interpersonal skills are critical. Applications close on 20 February 2012 Please address applications to the Chairman of the Board, info@keypointconsulting.co.za

Submission of an application will not, in itself, entitle the applicant to an interview or appointment. Failure to meet the requirements of the post will result in applicants automatically disqualifying themselves from consideration. The Board reserves the right not to make an appointment

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 Edited by Lara Moses

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CHURCH

CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION, TABLE VIEW, CAPE TOWN

Church with a view The parish of the Resurrection in Table View, Cape Town, serves one of the country’s fastest-growing residential areas. THANDI BOSMAN found out more about the latest Parish of the Month.

ITUATED where Cape Town leads out to the West Coast, the church of the Resurrection in Table View is growing fast, as housing developments spread out over what just two decades ago was mostly dunes and veld. The church serves some 1 000 families in and around Table View, receiving parishioners from Parklands, Du Noon, West Beach, Bloubergstrand, Bloubergrant, Melkbosstrand and Duynefontein. Parish secretary Melanie Pisanello noted that “the population within the parish boundaries is expanding with each year”, and that growth contributes to what she described as “the vibrant and diverse nature of the parish community”. The church celebrates four Sunday Masses, with each reflecting a different kind of spirituality, Ms Pisanello said. “Sunday morning Masses cater for the more conservative Catholic; the 10am Mass is a family Mass, and is attended by parishioners with young children. The Sunday evening Mass is a Life Mass which is attended by our youth and those who are young at heart. We also have a fifth weekend Mass celebrated at a Mass centre in Melkbosstrand [to the north of Table View], which caters for parishioners living in the village,” said Ms Pisanello. In addition, the Saturday evening Mass, forms part of the Sunday obligation. The parish of the Resurrection was established 23 years ago with

the late Fr Michael Ward as its first priest. The church broke away from its “parent parish”, Our Lady of the Assumption in Brooklyn/Milnerton, in August 1989. “In the early days of the church going back to 1962, the people of Table View and areas beyond could attend Sunday Mass celebrated by the late Fr Bernard Costello at the Maryvale convent of the Good Shepherd Sisters at Killarney [the area where Milnerton and Table View meet]. When the convent closed down in 1973, Fr Ward said the first Sunday Mass in the future Table View parish in the home of the Geard family. Later he hired the Municipal Hall at Table View where he regularly celebrated Mass on Sunday evenings at 6pm,” Ms Pisanello recalled. The present church of the Resurrection, on Janssens Avenue, was dedicated and solemnly blessed by Archbishop Stephen Naidoo on December 16, 1987. It was later consecrated by Archbishop Naidoo’s successor, Archbishop Lawrence Henry. After Fr Ward died in a car accident in 1991, Fr William Doran acted as parish priest, followed by Fr Michael van Heerden, and later Fr Michael Hulgraine, who was appointed parish priest on February 1, 1992, and remained there until his retirement in December 2008. Fr David Anderson then took over the pastoral care of the parish until October 2011, and he was succeeded by the current pastor, Fr Kevin Dadswell. The parish has a strong team running the church, Ms Pisanello said. It has a parish administrator, a parish secretary and a full-time youth pastor. The clergy consists of Fr Dadswell and three deacons. Ms Pisanello said: “The finance committee ensures the financial soundness of the parish, while the Pastoral Council is concerned with the pastoral needs of our community”. The parish of the Resurrection

has a variety of parish activities and ministries in the parish community: Eucharistic ministers, sacristans, proclaimers of the Word, altar servers, Good Shepherd catechism, Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), St Vincent de Paul Society, social and fundraising, flower group, Ecclesia, pre-marriage course, Engaged Couples, Alpha, Catholic Counselling Network, Life Teen, Heartset, youth band, “Date Nite” and Marriage enrichment. “We are part of the West Coast deanery and we host various meetings in our parish centre. We have hosted various workshops such as Engaged Couples, Good Shepherd Catechism training for the chancery; we have also had a number of social events such as morning markets, seniors’ Christmas lunch and international food fares,” Ms Pisanello said. Ms Pisanello pointed to the launch of the youth programme Life Teen as one of the parish’s notable achievements. “Over a year ago we launched Life Teen in our parish and we started with 120 youth on the first evening. This is the catechism group from Grade 812. “They attend the 6pm Mass followed by Life Teen that finishes at 9pm on a Sunday evening. We average between 85-90 youth during the year.” Life Teen, an international youth ministry, is one of the largest of its kind in the world. The parish also has a very active Alpha community. “We have been running Alpha courses since January 1999. Many parishioners who

The Southern Cross, February 8 to February14, 2012

Fr Kevin Dadswell celebrates Mass at the church of the Resurrection with Eucharistic ministers Sue Sprake (left) and Iris Pieters (right) have attended our course have found a new joy in their faith, and have gone on to serve the parish and the wider community. Recent Alpha courses have attracted over 80 guests per course,” Ms Pisanello said. The parish will start the archdiocesan Ecclesia programme in the week of February 19, and the next Alpha course starts in July. Ms Pisanello said that the Good Shepherd Catechism is well received by the pre-primary and primary school children as well as the children’s parents. “The children love to work in the atrium. Good Shepherd catechesis is based on the educational principles of Maria Montessori,” Ms Pisanello said. The church of the Resurrection has seen vocations rise within the parish, with Fr Mark Foster and Deacons Godfrey Solomon, Gary

Lawrence and Stephen Armstrong coming from the Table View area, Ms Pisanello said. Ms Pisanello said that The Southern Cross has been sold in the parish since the church was established. She said that the weekly poster is put on the notice board to promote The Southern Cross. “[The Southern Cross is read] cover to cover and then we select an article that is either striking or which is newsworthy. When the parish notices are read out at the end of Mass, the chosen article is mentioned and parishioners are encouraged to buy The Southern Cross,” Ms Pisanello explained. The results of that form of promotion are excellent, with the result that Table View parish increased its order of The Southern Cross significantly in January.

HEAD OF RESOURCES St Dominic’s Priory, is a Catholic co-educational day school, in Port Elizabeth, that caters for pupils from grade Pre Grade R to Grade 12. This happy, caring and vibrant school is known for its Catholic ethos, high academic standards and holistic development of each pupil. We strive for excellence and creativity in forward thinking education, committing ourselves to the preparation of our pupils by instilling in them a sense of responsibility and attempting to ensure that they leave St Dominic’s Priory with a solid foundation on which to build their future. We wish to appoint a Head of Resources This position, reporting to the Head of School, will be responsible to effectively manage and drive operational functions of the school. Role requirements The successful incumbent will be an experienced manager with skills in financial and people management who is able and willing to function within the Catholic ethos of the school. The successful incumbent will be responsible for the Finance, HR Information Technology, and Facilities Management. Attributes We require an experienced people manager, who has the ability to ensure that all the day to day operational issues are effectively dealt with, in conjunction with the Head of School. Applications close on 20 February 2012 Please address applications to the Chairman of the Board, info@keypointconsulting.co.za Submission of an application will not, in itself, entitle the applicant to an interview or appointment. Failure to meet the requirements of the post will result in applicants automatically disqualifying themselves from consideration. The Board reserves the right not to make an appointment

The Southern Cross, February 8 to February 14, 2012

FOCUS

A theft of land by law Since building its security wall around Bethlehem, Israel has barred Palestinian landowners from accessing their olive groves. Now these landowners have been declared absentee landowners and thereby stand to lose their land to Israel, as JUDITH SUDILOVSKY reports

ALESTINIAN Jamal Salman stood on one side of the double chain-link fence, on land belonging to his family. On the other side of the Israeli-erected fences, only a few hundred metres away but beyond his reach, was more family land with a grove of olive trees. In November, Mr Salman and more than 180 Bethlehem landowners were informed that Israel had placed their olive groves—more than 690 hectares of land located beyond the barrier— under the Guardian of Absentee Property, deeming the owners of these lands as “absentees”. This is the last step before formal confiscation. “I stand here...and I can look onto my land over the fence as an absentee [property owner],” Salman said, pointing across the fences to the trees. The last time he was permitted through the barrier to work his olive grove was in 2009. The 73-year-old is leading a campaign of mostly Christian

landowners in an attempt to pre- land. A year later the attorney genvent yet more of their land from eral’s office also ruled it illegal to being confiscated. They are consid- use the Law of Absentee Property ering challenging the absentee against West Bank residents whose decision in the Israeli Supreme land was located on the Israeli side Court, he said. of the barrier. The expropriation of land is not But the reality was different. a new story here, said Mr Salman, The gates were opened only at spea Catholic and the former town cific times, and the farmers were manager of Bethlehem. issued permits to access their lands After Israel built the separation only three times since 2005, said barrier in 2002, farmers were not the landowners. allowed to cross through the fence The permits were given only to to the valley to reach their olive the person to whom the land is groves. Mr Salman was left with registered, all of whom are now in only 360m 2 of land, their 60s, 70s and 80s. while the other No other members of 1 560m2 of his properthe families were This land ty was confiscated and allowed to enter to now lies on the other help with the harvest, was the side of the barrier, he said Jallal Hanouna, 61. said. Mr Salman said that, hope for the since “These lands used Israel took conto earn us and our trol of the West Bank Christian families a lot of from Jordan in 1967, money,” from the Palestinians have been people, for olive oil produced prevented from transfrom the olives, he ferring ownership of our sons to said. “We also got our property even to their own olives and olive children, so they were expand. oil from there. We lost unable to transfer land everything.” deeds to younger memAfter the farmers’ bers of the family. case was taken to the Supreme “It is impossible for us to cultiCourt by Israeli human rights vate the land ourselves,” said Mr lawyer Danny Seidmann, the court Salman. “They don’t allow any ruled that gates be built into the other relatives or members of our series of double fences and special family to help us. They didn’t give permits be issued to the farmers us authority to go to our lands, during harvest time so they could and now they are saying they conhave access to their property. sider us absentee from our lands, In addition, said Mr Seidmann, which we can see with our own in 2004 he was given a written eyes. I am not absentee. I am right understanding from government here.” officials that the landowners One year, when the farmers would be given access to their were permitted onto their land,

Palestinian Catholic Jamal Salman, 73, stands beside the Israeli-erected barrier that divides his olive groves near Bethlehem, West Bank. The Israeli government, which will not allow him to cross the barrier, has declared him and others absentee landowners. The growing Israeli settlement Har Homa is seen in the background. (Photo: Debbie Hill, CNS) they arrived on their property to discover that all the olives had already been harvested by someone else, said Mr Hanouna. Mr Seidmann said it was unclear whether the decision to claim the land under the Law of Absentee Property was simply an attempt by the government to try something illegal during a US election year when the attention in the United States is directed elsewhere, or if it has become a government policy. The Israeli Civil Administration responsible for issuing the permits did not respond to requests for comment. Mr Hanouna said the land not only represents their future in terms of income from the olive harvest, but it also symbolises their ability to provide a future for their

children in Bethlehem. Other property parcels threatened are the last remaining land where the city, and specifically Christian residents, can expand, since Bethlehem is surrounded on all other sides by Israeli settlements, he said. “We feel abandoned by the whole world. We are all Christians. This is 99% Christian land,” said Mr Hanouna. “This land was the hope for the Christian people, for our sons to expand. That is all we own.” If there is no room for their children to build their own homes, the exodus of young people from the city will continue and increase as they seek to make lives for themselves somewhere where they do not feel imprisoned, he said.— CNS

The Southern Cross, February 8 to February 14, 2012

Bishop warns of war in South Sudan BY BRONWEN DACHS

HE Church in South Sudan is frustrated that its efforts to build peace in the infant country are threatened, but will not given up, Catholic officials said. A serious political deadlock between South Sudan and its northern neighbour, Sudan, over the split of oil revenues “could lead to a declaration of war”, said Auxiliary Bishop Santo Loku Pio Doggale of Juba, capital of South Sudan. Bishop Doggale said that he and other Church leaders met with South Sudan President Salva Kiir and other senior government officials in Juba after the government announced on January 20 that it was shutting down oil production immediately. “We are very concerned that no agreement has been reached with Sudan” on contentious issues, the bishop said while in Pretoria, where he was meeting with the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Bishop Doggale was in Pretoria to seek help in setting up a strong parliamentary liaison office and to get guidance on how to “develop our justice and peace office and its reach into

communities.” South Sudan, which gained independence last July, produces 350 000 barrels of oil per day, but the only pipeline to market runs through Sudan. Oil revenue accounts for almost all of South Sudan’s budget. There is no agreement on the terms of pipeline use and, since December, Sudan has been diverting the oil to its own refinery. Church agencies have been providing emergency assistance to South Sudan after a series of retaliatory attacks between ethnic groups in Jonglei state displaced tens of thousands of people, beginning in late December. The Sudan Council of Churches, of which the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference is a member, has warned that expressions of ethnic hatred “could be the precursor to larger-scale atrocities”. Another “threat to peace is the implosion of cultural divisions that is happening in South Sudan,” said Bishop Doggale. “Now that the civil war is over, deep internal wounds are emerging that need healing,” he said. When it gained independence from Britain in 1956, Sudan was

Word of the Week

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO #483. ACROSS: 1 Knox, 3 Pharisee, 7 Toddled, 9 Snips, 10 Reverence, 12 Negate, 14 Bidder, 16 Sacrilege, 19 Drugs, 20 Tutored, 21 Shelters, 22 Styx. DOWN: 1 Kitchens, 2 Order, 4 Hiders, 5 Stipend, 6 Easy, 8 Leviticus, 9 Sentiment, 11 Orthodox, 13 Gesture, 15 Bitter, 17 Egret, 18 Odds

Community Calendar

Litany: A ceremonial or liturgical form of prayer consisting of a series of invocations or supplications with responses that are the same for a number in succession. Application: A litany is a well-known and much appreciated form of responsive petition, used in public liturgical services, and in private devotions, for common necessities of the Church

DURBAN: St Anthony’s, Durban Central: Tuesday 09:00 Mass with novena to St Anthony. First Friday

17:30 Mass. 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.

Sunday, February 12, Sixth Sunday Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46, Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11, 1 Corinthians 10:31,11:1, Mark 1:40-45 Monday, February 13, feria James 1:1-11, Psalm 119:67-68, 71-72, 75-76, Mark 8:11-13 Tuesday, February 14, Saints Cyril, Monk and Methodius James 1:12-18, Psalm 94:12-15, 18-19, Mark 8:1421 Wednesday, February 15, feria James 1:19-27, Psalm 15:2-5, Mark 8:22-26 Thursday, February 16, feria James 2:1-9, Psalm 34:2-7, Mark 8:27-33 Friday, February 17, feria James 2:14-24, 26, Psalm 112:1-6, Mark 8:34, 9:1 Saturday, February 18 James 3:1-10, Psalm 12:2-5, 7-8, Mark 9:2-13 Sunday, February 19, Seventh Sunday Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24-25, Psalm 41:2-5, 1314, 2 Corinthians 1:18-22, Mark 2:1-12

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BIRTHS

BYRNE—Paddy and Yvonne take pleasure in announcing the birth of their first Great Grandchild, Skylah Megan, born to Roxane and Ryan on January 4, 2012. Congratulations to all. Deo Gratias.

DEATHS

KLEINE-VORHOLT—Sr Elsbeth. Holy Cross Sister, Sr Elsbeth, aged 80, passed away at Holy Cross Home, Pretoria, on January 29, 2012. Lovingly remembered by her family circle in Germany and the Holy Cross Sisters. May she rest in peace! MEYER—Sr Martha. Holy Cross Sister, Sr Martha, aged 85, passed away at Holy Cross Convent, Fatima House Retirement Home, Aliwal North, on January 29, 2012. Lovingly remembered by her sister, Sr Clemens Meyer HC, her family circle in Germany and the Holy Cross Sisters. May she rest in peace!

IN MEMORIAM

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PERSONAL

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PRAYERS

SAINT MICHAEL, the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

THANKS

WE GIVE thanks to Our Lord Jesus, St Cupertino and the prophet Daniel for prayers answered during our children's examination. Nothing can be done without our Lord Jesus. Thanks for graces received. Praise and thanksgiving now and forever. The Francis family, DE GOUVEIA—Edward Homem. Born February 16, 1947. Died July 30, 2010. Sadly missed along life's way, quietly remembered every day, no longer in our life to share, but in our hearts he’s always there. Loving you always, Maria, Joanne, the boys and family. PEREIRA—Joao. Born 14/01/1906. Died 08/08/1974. Sadly missed along life's way. Years may fly and tears may dry, but memories of you will never die. Love you Pia, Maria, sisters, mom and all the family. HUSKISSON—Claire passed away on February 9, 2009. Thank you Claire, for all the love and oy, you always showered upon us. You are lovingly remembered by, your husband Des, and all your children and grandchildren. “So

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Liturgical Calendar Year B

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two distinct regions and peoples—a dry, Arab-dominated North, and a more lush, ethnically African South—joined into one. Until a peace agreement was signed in 2005, southern rebels fought successive wars with the North, leaving millions of people dead and the region in ruins. During the decades of war some tribes within the South developed ties with warlords linked to the North “in complex allegiances that still cause conflict”, Bishop Doggale said. “There is much bitterness that leads to revenge killings,” he said, noting also that “more than 15 communities in South Sudan have huge herds of cattle and there have been raids and counter-raids”. “There is an overwhelming number of guns in the country that the government is unable to control on its own,” he said. “It needs military support to help the army to disarm lawless people,” Bishop Doggale said, noting that South Sudan is a “huge country with a lot of forest, where militia groups hide.”— CNS

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7th Sunday: February 19 Readings: Isaiah 43:18-19, Psalm 41:2-5, 1314, 2 Corinthians 1:18-22, Mark 2:1-12

How God deals with sickness and sin

Nicholas King SJ

MONG the great mysteries of life are those of sin and suffering; and somehow or other the two are connected. If we are to get our answer right, it means keeping our eyes firmly on the Lord our God. This is clear in the first reading for next Sunday. Here, the prophet is addressing the exiles in Babylon, and (although it is not clear in our excerpt) encouraging them to return across a thousand miles of desert back to Jerusalem, and wanting them to realise that God is “doing a new thing—now it is springing up; do you not understand it? Indeed I am going to put a highway in the desert, and rivers in the wasteland”. The problem is that Israel has not been aware of God’s goodness: “This people I formed for myself, that they might proclaim my praise, and Jacob did not call upon me, Israel got tired of me.” And, above all, God has offered to clear away their sins: “It is I, I, the one who wipes away your transgressions, your sins, for my own sake, I no longer remember.” As so often, the psalm presents this same teaching with a degree of cheerfulness: “Happy are those who care for the poor: the

Sunday Reflections

Lord will deliver them on the day of evil, the Lord keeps them and gives them life, and makes them happy in the land.” The theme of sickness is here also: “The Lord looks after them on their sickbed.” (As well as the related theme of sinfulness.) “Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against you”, and the whole psalm ends with a burst of good cheer (though it is only fair to point out that the final line, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel...” is probably a later editorial addition, to indicate the end of the first book of the Psalms). In the second reading, there is not much about either sin or suffering, to be perfectly honest; Paul is angrily defending himself against the charge, laid by some of his Corinthians, that he never did what he

promised; he had ended the first letter by saying that he hoped to be with them, and never turned up! So they had been saying “you can’t trust Paul”; and his answer is that “God is faithful: our message to you was not ‘Yes and No’.” Then, as always, he turns to his beloved Jesus, who was the “Yes” to God’s promises. “Therefore through Christ, the Amen goes to God, for glory, through us.” The general message is clear enough, even if the details are obscure; and what counts is what God is doing in “us”, which is Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, and no doubt Jesus himself. God is “the one who strengthens us along with you into the Anointed One (‘Christ’) and anoints us, and sealed us and gave us the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts”. Like the author of the first reading and the psalm, Paul is convinced that these listeners, and we ourselves, have personal experience of God. The gospel reading is a remarkable story, combining these two themes of sickness and sin. As so often in the first half of Mark’s gospel, there is a huge crowd, preventing people from having access to Jesus. So four people who have a paralysed friend rather daringly

Why faith is thicker than blood I GREW up with strong, conservative, Roman Catholic roots: the Baltimore Catechism, the Latin mass, daily rosary, daily Mass if possible, and a rich stream of devotional practices. And that’s a gift for which I’m deeply grateful. But that wonderful grounding also brought with it a distrust of all religious things not Roman Catholic. I was taught that the Roman Catholic Church was the only true church and the only road to heaven; so much so that we were strongly discouraged and tacitly forbidden to participate in any Protestant church services. In fairness to that catechesis, we didn’t believe that Protestants and other religious communities were doomed to eternal perdition, but we struggled mightily to articulate how this might take place. Among other things, we postulated a place we called Limbo, where sincere, nonCatholics with good souls might spend eternity, happy but without God. But as TS Eliot once wrote: “Home is where we start from”. And home is a good place to start from in terms of how we as faith communities, divided from each other, might better understand each other and each church’s own particular relationship to Christ. And often the impetus for that comes not as much from biblical and theological insights as it does from an ecumenism of life. As we interact with each other we begin to sense that the question of who has access to God and Christ is infinitely more complex than can be captured in any theological formula. In John’s gospel

Conrad

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

(10:16), Jesus says: “I have other sheep too, that are not of this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” I’ve learned the truth of that statement through personal experience. Within my nearly 40 years in ministry I have met, befriended, and become a faith-companion to men and women from every type of denomination and religion: Protestants, Episcopalians, Anglicans, Evangelicals, Unitarians, small free churches of all kinds, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists. In all of these denominations and religious communities, I have met men and women of deep faith and outstanding charity. And this has caused me to ask myself the question that Jesus once asked those who approached him and told him that his mother and family were outside the circle he was talking to, asking for him: “Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever does the will of my Father which is in heaven, is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Mt 12:46-50). We tend to believe that “blood is thick-

er than water” and so we sometimes defend our own families, ethnic groups, countries, and churches, even when they do wrong things. What Jesus affirms is that “faith is thicker than blood” and, even more deeply, that faith is also thicker than denominational or religious affiliation. St Paul agrees. In his epistle to the Galatians, he asks the question: Who is living inside the Holy Spirit? Who really has genuine faith? His answer: Those whose lives manifest charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and chastity. The presence of these virtues manifests faith and Christ. Conversely, he warns that we shouldn’t delude ourselves when our lives manifest, among other things, adultery, hatred, factionalism, strife, and envy. Our real brothers and sisters in faith are those whose lives manifest charity rather than selfishness, love rather than hatred, large hearts rather than selective sympathies, gentleness rather than hardness, and kindness rather than mean-spiritedness. Virtue trumps denominational identity. I will always be a Catholic, just as I will always be a member of my biological family, the Rolheisers, and my religious community, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. I’ve been baptised into these families and baptism, as the old catechisms rightly teach, leaves an indelible mark on our souls. These will always be my families; but they may not be my only loyalty. I have other families too, not of these sheepfolds: non-Catholics, non-Rolheisers, non-Oblates. And I don’t love the Catholic Church, my biological family, or the Oblates of Mary Immaculate any less because of this. Paradoxically, I love them more. When Jesus asks the question: “Who is mother and brother and sister to me?”, he answers that whoever does the will of God is his true mother, true brother, and true sister. But, as the Gospel writers have at that point already strongly emphasised, his biological mother, Mary, was the first person who fits that description. Hence, he is not denigrating his mother, but re-establishing her worth and importance at a higher place. The same should be true for us in our relationship to the faith families into which we have been baptised, even as we open up our hearts more and more to embrace those others who are not of our fold. Faith is thicker than blood—and thicker even than religious affiliation.

climb up onto the roof of the house (please don’t try this at home), and let the man down on his mat. We wait to see how Jesus will respond; and, just when we are expecting him to concentrate on the illness that has paralysed the man, he refers instead to the mystery of sin: “Child, your sins are forgiven”. This leads to a question about Jesus’ identity; the scribes who, quite unexpectedly, turn out to be in the overcrowded house, mutter that he is committing “blasphemy”, because he is taking on himself a function, that of forgiving sins, which is reserved for God. Jesus vindicates his remark by then going on to heal the paralytic: “Up you get, take up your mat, and go to your house.” That is precisely what happens: “He was raised, and immediately he took up his mat and went out before all of them.” And notice the effect: “They were all astonished, and glorifying God, saying ‘We never saw anything like this’.” Look out, in the coming week, for the ways in which God and Jesus are going to intervene in your life, dealing with the mystery of sin and suffering.

Southern Crossword #483

ACROSS 1. Sounds like Scottish reformer is at your door (4) 3. A sphere I must change for one in Jewish sect (8) 7. Learning to walk, Jesus surely did it (7) 9. Bargains with scissors? (5) 10. Deep respect for the priest (9) 12. Deny and nullify (6) 14. Is he at prayer or at an auction? (6) 16. Large ices can be a violation (9) 19. Dangerous medicines (5) 20. Privately instructed (7) 21. Protected places for busstops (8) 22. Main river of Hades (4)

DOWN 1. Cooking areas (8) 2. State where everything is in the right place (5) 4. They conceal things (6) 5. It helps pay the priest (7) 6. Comfortable street that's not hard? (4) 8. One of the first five Books (9) 9. The general feeling? (9) 11. Church of conformists? (8) 13. Re: guest. He will show his hand (7) 15. Taste that makes you resentful (6) 17. Heron you can greet (5) 18. Do they not even the chances? (4)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

ew Priest warranty: It has come to our attention that the priest you received was shipped with a slight defect: he is not psychic. This defect necessitates certain special procedures to ensure optimum performance of your unit. 1. It is necessary to inform him of any parishioners who are hospitalised. 2. It is necessary to inform him of any parishioners who should be added to the “shut-in” list. 3. If someone you know is sick or otherwise in need of the priest’s prayers, or if you know of someone who should be included in prayers at Mass, the priest must be told, or he won’t know. 4. If you are in need of a pastoral visit or some other service from the priest, you will get best results if you ask him. We regret any inconvenience this may cause. If these special procedures create an undue burden, please feel free to send the unit back, and one with full psychic abilities will be shipped as soon as one becomes available. Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.