February 8 to February 14, 2012
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.