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March 21 to March 27, 2012
Reaching the top of Kilimanjaro with God
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Behind the angel’s Hail Mary greeting
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R5,50 (incl VAT RSA)
Reg No. 1920/002058/06
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Getting ready for married life
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New nuncio returns to SA BY CLAIRE MATHIESON
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FAMILIAR face to some local Catholics will return to South Africa as the newly appointed nuncio to South Africa. The apostolic nunciature has confirmed that Archbishop Mario Cassari (pictured) will begin his tenure in the country at the beginning of May, succeeding Archbishop James P Green, who was transferred to Peru in December after five years in Southern Africa. Archbishop Cassari previously worked in the country as secretary to Archbishop Joseph Mees from 1985-87, and then to Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli until 1989. “I’m pleased to see Mgr Mario Cassari return to Southern Africa as Archbishop Mario Cassari, our new nuncio,” said Bishop Hugh Slattery, retired of Tzaneen. Bishop Slattery, who was appointed bishop shortly before the then Mgr Cassari arrived in the country, said the young secretary had a good grasp of the difficult political situation in South Africa during the 1980s. His stint in Pretoria was marked by successive states of emergency and the ruthless suppression of all forms of protest and dissent. Bishop Louis Ndlovu of Manzini, Swaziland, was also appointed bishop during Mgr Cassari’s tenure as secretary. “I know Archbishop Cassari well. He was with us when the bishops’ conference of Southern Africa was struggling to fight the apartheid regime,” said Bishop Ndlovu. Bishop Ndlovu said Archbishop Cassari was someone with whom you could “confide in and ask for guidance and he was always willing to help”. Mgr Cassari briefly ran the nunciature after Bishop Mees retired in 1987 and before Archbishop De Paoli took over in 1988. During that time, the country’s bishops appreciated his stance on the country’s political situation, which was more supportive of
More than 200 people from across the archdiocese of Johannesburg celebrated a combined Alpha Weekend hosted by the Bryanston Alpha team. Catholic Alpha aims to answer questions about Christianity and reintroduce people to their faith. the bishops’ anti-apartheid position than that of Archbishop Mees. “As bishops, we appreciated his understanding of our efforts to be ‘a voice for the voiceless’,” said Bishop Slattery. “He supported our various initiatives to make a difference in the lives of the people.” Archbishop Cassari has been appointed nuncio to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana as well as Swaziland. In that role, he represents the Holy See in the local Church and as an ambassador to the those countries. Bishop Ndlovu recalls the archbishop very much liked Swaziland “because of the culture and I once invited him to the country when he was in Maputo to grace one of celebra-
tions in the diocese. He was fond of our school, down in the south of Swaziland, Our Lady of Sorrows. He liked their drum majorettes and the play Sarafina,” the bishop recalled. Archbishop Cassari was born in Ghilarza on Sardinia, Italy, and was ordained a priest in 1969. He has worked as a parish priest, secondary school teacher and bishop’s secretary in Italy. The 68-year-old has a doctorate in theology and a licence in canon law. He graduated in diplomatic studies in 1977 at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome and was admitted to the diplomatic service of the Holy See the same year.
Belgian monks’ brew voted world’s best beer BY JONATHAN LUXMOORE
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HEARTY dark brown beer produced at a Trappist monastery in Belgium has been rated the world’s best brew by an online community of beer lovers. Coincidentally, the monks are temporarily boosting production of its special brew to pay for renovation work at its western Flanders abbey. The monks at the Trappist Abbey of St Sixtus of Westvleteren said they will temporarily make one additional batch per month and offer it at participating supermarkets, a first for the order. The monks’ Westvleteren 12 brew—with an alcohol content of 10,2%—was rated the best in the world by California-based Ratebeer, which offers beer connoisseurs the chance to discuss and rate their favourite brew. Until now, the Trappists sold their beer only to individuals—never to distributors or retail outlets—directly from the abbey. Customers must call ahead to reserve their purchase, which is limited to two crates of 24
bottles each every 60 days. The extra income will “finance important works” at the abbey, which dates to 1831, monastery spokesman Mark Bode, told La Croix, France’s Catholic daily newspaper. In a report, La Croix said the 30 monks usually produce 100 000 gallons of their popular Westvleteren 12 brand annually. For the short term, the monks have launched a six-pack for supermarket customers. The packaging is inscribed: “I’ve contributed to building a monastery.” Customers must obtain a voucher and present it a participating store to claim their share of the brew. Directly from the monastery, a crate of Westvleteren 12 sells for about R390. There is an additional R120 deposit on the bottles and the crate. The newspaper reported that the monks also were seeking customers froim as far as the United States and Canada but would revert to selling the beer only from the monastery once “current stocks are exhausted”. A commentary on the Ratebeer website
describes the Trappist brand as “a vast canvas of intense Belgian yeasts, sweetness, brown sugars, caramel, plum, raisin, Danish breads, malty depth, cereals and gentle hops.” Drinkers habitually “notice a gentle warmth on the throat without even tasting any hint of alcohol”, the website said. The Trappists also brew Westvleteren 8, which ranks 16th on the Ratebeer list, and Westvleteren Blond, a lighter beer. The monks’ website (www.sintsixtus.be) cautions that purchases require “a lot of patience as well as a lot of luck”. “You may often get a busy signal when you call to make a reservation, due to the fact that our beer lines are overburdened. You’re not the only one calling at that moment,” the website said. The Trappist order, whose 170 monasteries worldwide follow the Cistercian tradition of prayer, penance and silence, is widely noted for its brewing and culinary skills. A beer produced by the Trappist monastery at Rochefort, France, was ranked eighth on Ratebeer’s world list.—CNS
Archbishop Cassari has worked various nunciatures around the world, and has served as a nuncio to the Republic of Congo and Gabon, then to the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Niger, and most recently to Croatia. “I pray the Lord will bless him and reward his efforts as he continues to serve the Church in Southern Africa in his new role as the representative of the Holy Father,” said Bishop Slattery and Bishop Ndlovu added that he hoped the new nuncio will be “as helpful to me and the whole diocese as he was before. We are looking forward to working with him.” The new nuncio is currently finishing up his current projects in Croatia.
Op uw gezondheid! The Trappist beer that has been voted the best brew in the world.