The Southern Cross - 130123 by The Southern Cross

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January 23 to January 29, 2013

Pope Benedict and the sacraments

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What makes a film a ‘Catholic movie’ – or not?

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Bishop Dowling interview on Catholic schools

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Catholic schools’ matric pass rate 12% better than rest of SA BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

ATHOLIC schools again exceeded the national average in the 2012 matric examinations, the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE) has said. But Catholic schools may not be complacent. “While the country improved its Grade 12 pass rate, which must be acknowledged and affirmed, and while Catholic schools do better than others, there is no place for complacency,” said Anne Baker, the Johannesburg-based CIE’s deputy director . In 2012, 106 Catholic schools wrote the National Senior Certificate. 78 of those schools wrote the state examinations and 28 the Independent Examination Board, which is usually written by private schools. Catholic schools which offer the IEB obtained a 99,4% pass rate. Of these, 85% obtained a bachelor pass. Only eight pupils nationally did not meet the requirements to pass matric. The overall pass rate for Catholic schools was 86,3%, marking 12,4% above the national pass rate of 73,9%, said Ms Baker. “Teachers and pupils are to be congratulated on these results, especially those whose hard work has borne fruit,” she said. The deputy director said that the CIE would be analysing the results to better

prepare schools in the year to come. “The quality of the passes must be examined and plans be made to enable pupils to achieve quality, not just quantity, in their passes.” She added that interest in education needs to come from all levels of society. The majority of Catholic children, she pointed out, do not have the privilege of attending Catholic schools and the Church needs to be just as concerned about these young people as it is about those who attend Catholic schools. “With approximately 50% of pupils dropping out of school—mostly in Grades 9, 10 and 11—it is obvious that there is a major problem in education,” Ms Baker said. “Further analysis of Grade 12 results shows a huge discrepancy between provinces and districts, largely based on economics. This continues to widen the gap between the haves and have-nots in our land, a social problem which leads to greater and greater youth unemployment,” she said. “In this Year of Faith we need to ask ourselves: what we can as a Church do to help,” said Ms Baker. She referred to Pope Benedict’s apostolic exhortation on the Second Synod of Bishops for Africa, Africae munus, which noted that Continued on page 3

Lance symbol of rotten world BY CAROL GLATz

YCLIST Lance Armstrong’s admission to doping is just the tip of the iceberg, since high-stakes commercial interests pressure almost every professional cyclist into the illegal practice, said a Vatican official. “It’s a world that is rotten, all of cycling, even football,” said Mgr Melchor Sánchez de Toca Alameda, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture’s “Culture and Sport” section. Professional sports “have become a commodity that are subordinate to the free market and, therefore, to profit,” he said. Instead of sports being an activity that builds important values, respects human dignity and helps shape the whole human person, “it has reduced people to merchandise”. The monsignor’s comments came the same week Armstrong appeared on US television to admit that he had used performanceenhancing drugs throughout his career. Armstrong, who won the famed Tour de France for a record-breaking seven consecutive times, was stripped of his titles in 2012 after he was accused of using and distributing performance-enhancing drugs. He was also banned from professional cycling for life. Though he had denied doping, Armstrong never officially appealed the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s sanctions. Mgr Sánchez said that some pro-athletes who have confessed to doping also revealed the enormous pressure they felt to give everimproved performances; some said they felt it was physically impossible to fulfil such high expectations without the illicit boosts. The practice is especially rampant in cycling, he said, adding, “it’s very sad.” Pope Benedict recently condemned dop-

Lance Armstrong, pictured during his 2010 visit to Cape Town, has finally confessed his doping. (Photo: Mike Hutchings, Reuters/CNS) ing in sports and called on athletes, coaches and team owners to strive for victory through ethical and legal practices. In an effort to flex its moral muscle in the professional sports arena, the Vatican has invited top-tier Christian athletes to help bring ethical values back to a scandal-ridden world of sports. The Pontifical Council for Culture is planning to host an international conference on re-instilling values in sports this spring, inviting representatives from top world governing bodies like the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the International Cycling Union and the Italian National Olympic Committee. The former-modern pentathlete-turnedpriest said the council also wants to hold a “Race of Faith”—a 100-metre jog, shuffle or sprint up the Via della Conciliazione towards St Peter’s Square during the gathering. “We want to see lots of cardinals in tracksuits, too,” he said.—CNS

Pope Benedict poses with Prince Albert II of Monaco and his South African wife, Princess Charlène, during a private audience at the Vatican. The former Charlene Wittstock, who represented South Africa as an Olympic swimmer, converted to Catholicism before marrying Prince Albert in 2011. She was instructed in Monaco by Fr Carlo Adams OSFS, formerly of Kakamas in the Northern Cape. (Photo: Vincenzo Pinto, Reuters/CNS)

Award for SA head of Vatican Radio’s English section STAFF REPORTER

HE South African director of Vatican Radio English section will receive the the prestigious Daniel J Kane Religious Communications Award from the University of Dayton in Ohio for outstanding lifetime dedication to Gospel values using the mass media. Seàn Patrick Lovett, who was born in Cape Town and grew up in the city’s Pinelands suburb, will receive the award from the university’s Institute for Pastoral Initiatives on January 31. His talk at the ceremony will be recorded and posted online on February 1, at http://vcc.udayton.edu. “The Church is communication, because it is the ‘Word’. And the ‘Word’ is alive, dynamic and interactive by nature. So the Church will continue to use everything available to ensure it remains true to that nature,” Mr Lovett said. “My own experience at Vatican Radio over the past 35 years has taken me from recording programmes on magnetic tapes to uploading blogs on smartphone apps, from shortwave broadcasts to Internet podcasts. The ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘where’ and ‘why’ of Church communication hasn't changed much in 2 000 years—nor is it likely to. The ‘how’ is changing even as we speak, so it’s just as well we’re adaptable,” the lecturer in communication at Pontifical Gregorian University said. Mr Lovett—who describes himself as Irish by blood, African by birth and Italian by adoption—began working at Vatican Radio under Pope Paul VI in 1977. In the 1980s he helped establish a shortlived television station in 1982 which was sponsored by the US bishops through what is now Catholic News Service, and later served as a conflict correspondent in the 1980s in Lebanon, Northern Ireland and East Germany. He is the vice-president of the Centre de Recherché en Communication in Lyon, France, coordinating media and communi-

Seàn Patrick Lovett, the South African head of Vatican Radio’s English section, who will receive a communications prize in the US on January 31. cations workshops in Africa. His most recent programmes have been aimed at seminarians in non-verbal and effective communication, he told The Southern Cross in an interview in October. Mr Lovett said in the interview that it is important for Vatican Radio to have a place in the fast-paced world of social communications, without losing its identity. People today, he said, “know more than ever but we’ve never understood so little”. The likes of Vatican Radio can still help fill that void of understanding. He also worked with Mother Teresa to write The Best Gift is Love, a bestselling book of Bl Teresa’s meditations, and done voice-overs for dozens of films, cartoons and documentaries.—CNS

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, January 23 to January 29, 2013

Youth camp for Christ BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

St Mary’s Primary School in Cape Town will celebrate 150 years this year. Originally an independent high school for girls, today the school serves both boys and girls from Grades R to 7, with the Dominican ethos being strongly upheld. (Photo: Claire Mathieson)

Mass will mark abortion law BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

O mark the anniversary of the passing of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act on February 1, 1997, the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) will be hosting a special Mass at St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town. The Department of Health reports the rate of legal abortion is around six per 1 000 women and

estimates illegal abortions at 38 per 1 000 women. In 2011, more than 12 000 legal abortions took place at state hospitals and clinics in the Eastern Cape alone—mounting to approxiamately 50 per day in just one province. Children as young as 12 have been reported having abortions. Since the Act being passed, “many thousands of unborn children have been killed, their dignity and humanity counting for noth-

EARLY 800 young people from around Southern Africa gathered for the annual Youth Week, a camp for young Christians in January. Held in the Magaliesburg, people aged 13-22 from Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa gathered for a week of fun, sports, worship, sun and adventure, said Nhlanhla Mdlalose of the Bosco Youth Centre in Johannesburg, who attended with Kani Buthelezi, the host of the popular Radio Veritas show “Youthwise” which airs on the Catholic radio station every Friday from 19:00 to 20:00. Mr Mdlalose, who also presents on Radio Veritas, said seeing “young people happy and rejoicing in the name of Christ, the different adventurous activities we had to participate in like abseiling, the slide, bridge swing and fun run, and inter-

acting with so many young people from different cultures and backgrounds, and accepting each other and appreciating life and the love of God” were some of the camp’s highlights. Youth Week was the brainchild of Dennis House and the first Youth Week was held at Carmel near George in 1963. After moving locations over the years the annual event today has a permanent home in the Magaliesburg where land was donated by Vernon Dinkelman. Mr Mdlalose said as Radio Veritas presenters he and Ms Buthulezi found the camp relevant and a way to connect with the youth. “It made me realise that God has a purpose for young people and we need to be closer to him. We also need one another.” Mr Mdlalose said Youth Week was a great success and that the Radio Veritas presenters would be better able to make a positive impact on Catholic youth today.

ing,” said Fr Peter-John Pearson, CPLO director. Fr Pearson said the Mass would mark this anniversary, and would be to pray for a change of heart on the part of all who disregard the rights of unborn children. The Mass will be celebrated at St Mary’s Cathedral (corner of Roeland and Plein streets) on Friday, February 1 at 13:10. All are welcome.

The Prayer of Parents to St Joseph for the Children O Glorious St Joseph,

to you God committed the care of His only begotten Son amid the many dangers of this world.

We come to you and ask you to take under your special protection the children God has given us born and unborn. Through holy baptism they become children of God and members of His Holy Church.

We consecrate them to you today, that through this consecration they may become your foster children.

Guard them, guide their steps in life, form their hearts after the hearts of Jesus and Mary.

St Joseph, who felt the tribulation and worry of a parent when the

Child Jesus was lost, protect our dear children for time and eternity.

May you be their father and counsellor. Let them, like Jesus, grow in age as well as in wisdom and grace before God and men. Preserve them from the corruption of this world and give us the grace one day to be united with them in heaven forever.

Amen.

Radio Veritas presenters Kani Buthelezi (left) and Nhlanhla Mdlalose (right) are seen with Thembalethu Mncube at the annual ecumenical Youth Week.

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, January 23 to January 29, 2013

Rape presents a problem for all in SA STAFF REPORTER

CATHOLIC doctor has attributed violence against women to the socialisation of men or boys which has “induced a deep fear and hatred of women, particularly of women who are either vulnerable or those that are achievers”. “Rape is about power, not sex. A rapist uses actual force or violence or the threat thereof to take control over another human being,” said Dr Teboho Maitse of Maryvale parish in Johannesburg, the former deputy chair of the Commission of Gender Equality. “These forms of violence are a product of a broader trend of male resistance to changing life patterns irrespective of political change, class, race and educational status. “Furthermore, women’s increasing exposure to and involvement in public life and the changing powers between genders has not made things easy for those who have always perceived themselves as the ‘most powerful gender’.” Dr Maitse said most often power relationships in the family define those of society as a whole. “Family dynamics are based upon a complex series of relations between gender and custom and tradition where there is an imbalance of power between men and women. Patriarchal ideology is responsible for determining these relations by confining a woman’s role to that of a ‘good mother, girl and wife’. Therefore, some men deem it necessary to punish and humiliate women they

think have stepped out of their prescribed role. Dr Maitse said the fear of violence is a very effective deterrent for women. “In this respect violence is an instrument in the hands of men, which enables them to keep their traditional supremacy over women.” She said violence against women is a means of perpetuating the subordination of women and enlarging the inequalities between the genders. “The violence directed at women clearly states that men have the sole monopoly in the home and in public,” something which Dr Maitse believes can be changed in the upbringing of children. “Whether the person committing rape is a stranger, a date, an acquaintance or a family member, legally rape is a crime. In essence rape is the fundamental desecration of another human being. While this form of violence demeans the other it also demonises the perpetrator,” she said. Dr Maitse said that women were the fastest-growing group of people infected with HIV/Aids—a statistic increasing on account of the high incidence of women being infected by their partners and through rape. Furthermore, she said, poor women as well as those who have been socialised into believing that women have to be in a relationship are in danger of contracting the disease. “No matter how it happened, rape is frightening and traumatic; the trauma can last a lifetime. People who have been raped need care, comfort, and a way to heal,” said Dr Maitse.

New principal starts at Holy Family College STAFF REPORTER

ORMER director of the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE), Mark Potterton, has taken up his new role as principal of Holy Family College in Parktown, Johannesburg and has dedicated his role to the school’s vision: “to prepare a child for life by unlocking their potential”. After six years at the CIE, Mr Potterton has described his new job as “hectic”. “But the people at the school have been wonderful, staff have been open and welcoming and the pupils very encouraging,” he said. “I have always known that schools are intense places, but being at the helm really brings this fact home. Every minute of the day has been filled and there are a lot of people who want to talk to you,” he said. But it’s not just the nearly 600 stu-

dents he has been making time for. “The current economic climate is really taking its toll. Many parents are finding it more difficult to make ends meet and our school fees are a challenge to some. It breaks my heart to hear of some of the hardships being faced.” Mr Potterton sees his role as the instructional leader and really believes that a solid school foundation is “the best gift we can give any child”. Holy Cross College, he said, is a school that provides the kind of foundation necessary for success. He said he hopes former learners will rise to the challenge of the school’s motto: “Quid Retribuam”? What shall I give back? n Former learners wanting more information on how to support the school can contact Mark Potterton on pot tem@hfc.co.za.

Pupils from Nardini Primary School in Vryheid, Kwazulu-Natal, enjoyed a weekend outing to Babanango Valley for an Education For Life workshop on values.

CIE’s views on education in SA Continued from page 1 Africa, like the rest of the world, is experiencing a crisis of education. “The members [of the synod] stressed the need for educational programmes combining faith and reason so as to prepare children and young people for adult life. These solid foundations will be able to help them address the daily decisions arising in every adult life.” Two Catholic school students

from Limpopo claimed the country’s highest spots in NSC examinations. Mmadikgetho Komane from Glen Cowie Girls High was the top matriculant in the country, and Kamogelo Mamashela from Pax Boys High came second. But while they are a tribute to the Catholic school system, Ms Baker said this was not necessarily a reflection of the education all Catholic children are receiving. A greater concern for the

country’s education at large is needed from Church and state. Ms Baker said the CIE would continue to strive to ensure the quality of education in Catholic schools but that the Church should also be concerned about the education offered throughout the country. n See page 9 for an interview on Catholic education with Bishop Kevin Dowling.

CATHOLIC WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

DIRECTOR

Catholic Welfare and Development is the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s outreach to communities and individuals struggling with poverty and a lack of resources. The agency aims to empower those with whom it works to recover their sense of dignity and become self-reliant and self-determining.

Position

Catholic Welfare and Development has a vacancy for a suitably skilled and qualified person for the position of Director. The Director will provide overall leadership for Catholic Welfare and Development. S/he will be responsible for coordination of programmes, planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. S/he will need to look after a significant and diverse staff and volunteer community and engage in relationship-building with key stakeholders, including relevant government departments. S/he will report to CWD’s Board of Management.

Qualiﬁcations

University degree in Social Sciences, Finance or related ﬁeld. Knowledge of and experience in • Organisational operation and management • Financial management • Catholic values, especially the social teaching of the Church • the NGO sector • at least two oﬃcial languages, one of which will need to be English

South African citizenship or permanent residency a prerequisite Position available from 1st March 2013 Salary appropriate to qualiﬁcations and experience

If you feel that you meet these criteria please submit your letter of application and CV to Catheral Place, PO Box 2910, Cape Town, 8000. Closing date of applications is 1st February 2013 and only suitably qualiﬁed and experienced applicants will be considered for this position.

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, January 23 to January 29, 2013

When the pope administers the sacraments BY FRANCIS x ROCCA

S the chief shepherd of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict plays many roles, among them minister of the sacraments. Along with his daily celebrations of the Eucharist, the pope’s 2013 agenda opened with the ordination of new bishops, followed a week later by the baptism of 22 infants in the Sistine Chapel. For most Catholics, receiving any sacrament from the pope would be a special event, yet such opportunities are necessarily rare. On what occasions does the pope personally administer the sacraments and to whom? Baptism: The babies whom the pope baptises in the annual January rite usually are the children of Vatican employees, as was the case this year. The pope also traditionally administers the sacraments of Christian initiation—baptism, confirmation and first Communion—to a group of adult converts in St Peter’s basilica on Holy Saturday every year. This event became the focus of controversy in 2008 after one of the baptised, Egyptian-born journalist Magdi Allam, publicly and emphatically repudiated his former Islamic faith.

Pope Benedict has not continued Pope John Paul II’s practice of baptising adults during foreign trips, occasions that the late pope used to initiate hundreds into the Church. Communion: Who receives Communion from Pope Benedict at papal Masses in Rome and elsewhere is up to the pope’s master of liturgical ceremonies, Mgr Guido Marini. During papal trips, prominent or highly active members of the local parishes are usually among those chosen. Though parents around the world have asked, Pope Benedict has never celebrated a Mass specifically for a group of children receiving their first Communion, but a few children have received their first Communion from him at Mass during papal trips. The pope gives Communion at the Mass he celebrates every morning in his private chapel. During the pontificate of Bl John Paul, those Masses were often attended by dozens of outside guests, but Pope Benedict has typically limited attendance to members of the papal household. Confession: Pope Benedict heard the individual confessions of young people in St Peter’s during Lent in 2007 and 2008, then again at World Youth Day in Madrid in August 2011. He has

not continued John Paul II’s practice of administering the sacrament in St Peter’s every year on Good Friday morning. Confirmation: Pope Benedict confirmed a group of young people attending World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008 and will confirm another group in Rome on April 28 of this year, one of the events organised for the 2012-13 Year of Faith. Matrimony: While this sacrament is actually administered by the spouses themselves, the Church normally requires Catholics to marry in the presence of a priest or deacon. Pope Benedict has not celebrated a marriage ceremony as pope, but given his increasing emphasis on the need to defend traditional marriage, it would not be surprising if he were to do so soon. At a Mass marking the Jubilee for Families in October 2000, Pope John Paul celebrated the weddings of eight couples, using his homily to affirm the family as a life-long union of husband and wife with naturally conceived children. The late pope also married a young couple from Rome in 1979. He had been visiting a sanitation centre there when the bride, the daughter of a street cleaner, asked him to celebrate her wedding, which he did in the Vatican’s Pauline chapel.

Pope Benedict baptises a baby during a Mass in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on January 13. The children chosen to be baptised by the pope usually are those of Vatican employees. (Photo: L’Osservatore Romano/ Reuters/CNS) Holy Orders: Pope Benedict ordains priests in St Peter’s basilica every year on the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Good Shepherd Sunday, which will be on April 21 this year. Since his election as pope, he has also ordained 22 bishops, most recently on January 6, when he ordained four new prelates, includ-

ing Archbishop Georg Gänswein, his long-time personal secretary who is now also prefect of the papal household. Anointing of the Sick: The pope has administered this sacrament in public only once since his election, to ten sick pilgrims at the shrine of Lourdes in France in 2008.—CNS

As fighting escalates, Mali’s people live in fear BY JONATHAN LUxMOORE

CATHOLIC bishop in wartorn Mali whose diocese lies in the path of Islamic insurgents said that “people are hiding in their homes, unable to venture out”. Bishop Augustin Traore of Segou, Mali, told Catholic News Service by telephone: “Although our churches are still intact, people are becoming afraid to enter them. Our entire Catholic culture will clearly be in danger if this conflict drags on. “Until the havoc caused by the French bombing ends and the hostilities cease, no one will be in a position to know what has happened,” he said after noting that the country’s churches could face destruction if conflict continues. Bishop Traore spoke as French combat troops prepared to engage government rebels at Diabaly, 140km north of Segou.

Meanwhile, Helen Blakesley, regional information officer for Catholic Relief Services (CRS), said more than 200 000 Malians had migrated to the south since a March 2012 military coup, while a similar number had fled to Niger, Burkina Faso, Morocco and Algeria. Ms Blakesley said a tradesman from the rebel-held town of Tombouctou, or Timbuktu, a world heritage site, was renting rooms with 40 members of his extended family in Mali’s capital, Bamako, helped by CRS cash donations. She said the man told her more family members were arriving weekly. She added that the tradesman, Ibrahima Diallo, had been robbed by armed rebels during the five-day truck drive to the capital, which he had made with his blind sister and five small children. Ms Blakesley said two women, Fanta Poudiougou and Mariam Dembele, had described fleeing their hometown of Gao without

Twins Hawa and Adama Keita, 15, are among the more than 200 000 Malians who have migrated to the south since a March 2012 military coup. (Photo: Helen Blakesley, CRS) their husbands to avoid the threatened rape of their young daughters. She added that both women were “praying negotiations would work”, fearing military intervention could place civilians in the crossfire. Bishop Traore said relations

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between Christians and Mali’s Muslim majority remained “good at local level” and had not been damaged by the Islamist insurgency, adding that people of all faiths were “vigorously committed” to maintaining the country’s secular character. “People are deeply anxious and longing for this turbulence to end,” Bishop Traore said. “The needs are great everywhere, and they include securing places of worship,” he said. Ethnic Tuareg rebels seeking to establish a separate state overran most of northern Mali during 2012, operating alongside the Islamist group Ansar Eddine, which is believed linked to al-Qaeda. Sean Gallagher, CRS country representative in Mali, said the international development agency was providing help to people fleeing from rebel-occupied parts of Mopti diocese. He added that many northern

inhabitants had fled to Segou but were now moving south to Bamako as the insurgent threat to Mopti and Segou increased. “Conditions aren’t so bad in the rural towns, where the autumn harvests were good and there’s food available,” Mr Gallagher said. “Since most of the displaced are women and children, it’s much harder in urban areas like Bamako, where the priority is to ensure they have enough to eat and can maintain their dignity.” The Catholic Church has six dioceses and makes up less than 2% of Mali’s predominantly Muslim population of 15,8 million. In a New Year’s message, Archbishop Jean Zerbo of Bamako said all of Mali seemed “possessed by demons of division” which had brought a wave of “robberies, rapes, persecutions, mutilations, profanations of places of worship and sacred tombs, and death sentences”.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, January 23 to January 29, 2013

Court: Worker had right to wear cross BY SIMON CALDWELL & CINDY WOODEN

HILE applauding the European Court of Human Rights’ recognition of the right of a British airline employee to wear a cross on her uniform, the Vatican lamented the court’s denial of the full right of conscientious objection in other cases claiming religious discrimination in Britain. Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican secretary for relations with states, said the cases demonstrate how “questions relating to freedom of conscience and religion are complex, in particular in European society marked by the increase of religious diversity and the corresponding hardening of secularism”. No matter how complex the questions, though, “regarding morally controversial subjects, such as abortion or homosexuality, freedom of consciences must be respected”, the archbishop told Vatican Radio. The archbishop was commenting on the European court’s ruling on four claims of religious discrim-

ination against English Christians. The court found that Nadia Eweida, 60, a Coptic Christian, suffered discrimination when she was told by British Airways, her employer, to stop wearing a cross on her uniform. Her case was one of four claims of religious discrimination against English Christians heard by the court, but the only one to succeed. A ruling dismissed the cases brought by Gary McFarlane, 51, a relationships counsellor fired after he said he had a moral objection to offering therapy to same-sex couples; Lillian Ladele, a registrar who objected to presiding over civil partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples; and Shirley Chaplin, 57, a nurse who said she was forced from her job for wearing a cross in breach of uniform policy. Mr McFarlane and Ms Chaplin said they would appeal the judgment at the court’s Grand Chamber. The court decided that in the case of Ms Eweida there had been a violation of Articles 9 and 14 of the European Convention on

Human Rights, which protect freedom of thought, conscience and religion and prohibit unjust discrimination. It awarded her 2 000 euros (R23 500) in damages and 30 000 euros (R353 000) in legal costs. The four took their fight to Europe after the highest British courts defended their former employers. Archbishop Mamberti said: “Rather than being an obstacle to the establishment of a tolerant society in its pluralism, respect for freedom of conscience and religion is a condition for it.” The archbishop said, “the erosion of freedom of conscience” seen in the European court’s decisions also is an expression of “pessimism with regard to the capacity of the human conscience to recognise the good and the true”. But the Church, he said, affirms that “every person, no matter what his beliefs, has, by means of his conscience, the natural capacity to distinguish good from evil and that he should act accordingly. Therein lies the source of his true freedom”.—CNS

‘Holy Crime Fighters’ have prayer in arsenal BY CAROL GLATz

PIRIT and prayer come in handy for the “delicate” and unique mission of helping protect the pope and maintain law and order on the Vatican’s perimeter, said the head of an Italian police force’s special unit. Performing police and security duties “in the heart of Christianity” is a one-of-a-kind operation, Enrico Avola, general director of the Inspectorate for Public Security at the Vatican, told Pope Benedict during a special papal audience with the police force. It’s like following the Rule of Benedict where work and prayer

merge in perfect harmony, which is not easy given that police work means having to face “evil in its most varied expressions: from crime to the violence of terrorism, to desperation or even simply the folly of insane and fanatical people”, he said. The chief inspector’s comments came shortly after his officers had to restrain and forcibly carry away four young women who had stripped down to bare torsos to protest against the Church’s stance against same-sex marriage. Mr Avola did not mention the incident in his speech to the pope. The Italian police officers are in charge of providing security and

law enforcement in St Peter’s Square and the entrance area of the Vatican Museums. The special Italian police unit also guarantees and coordinates all armed escorts for the pope, some top Vatican officials and important heads of state every time they leave or head to the Vatican. The pope told them in his speech: “May your presence always be a more effective guarantee of that good order and tranquility, which are crucial for building a peaceful social life, and that, in addition to being taught by the Gospel, are a sign of authentic civility.”—CNS

Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui, Central African Republic, arrives at Bangui airport before departing for Gabon. Archbishop Nzapalainga helped mediate between the Seleka rebel alliance and government leaders, resulting in a peace agreement to end fighting. (Photo: Reuters/CNS)

Archbishop helped end CAR rebellion

NE of the Central African Republic’s leading Catholics helped mediate between the Seleka rebel alliance and government leaders, resulting in a peace agreement to end fighting that left a Catholic journalist dead. Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui represented civil society and helped mediate at the talks in Libreville, Gabon, archdiocesan chancellor Fr Dieu-Béni Mbanga confirmed. The two sides announced a peace agreement and plans for a unity government. The rebel alliance, which had hoped to overthrow the government of President François Bozizé, began its drive in the North on December 10 and captured about a dozen towns. During the occupation of the city of Bambari, rebels looted a diocesan-run radio station and killed journalist Elisabeth Blanche Ologio. Renee Lambert, head of the

Catholic Relief Services programme in Central African Republic, said the agency’s staffers remained safe, but CRS programmes in the country’s south-east were delayed. For instance, the UN Humanitarian Air Service temporarily suspended its flights in the country, so agencies were not as easily able to travel or assess the impact of the fighting, she said. “One important thing to note is that...the humanitarian situation before this crisis had already been classified as a forgotten emergency,” Ms Lambert said. “Poverty levels are some of the highest in Africa. Health statistics, when they exist, are alarming. And there is little to no road infrastructure to develop market access. “The need for humanitarian assistance in CAR was and still is extremely high,” she said, adding that it was “disheartening that it takes a situation like the current one to bring CAR to the world’s attention”.—CNS

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Franciscan Brothers Richard McFeely and Robert Frazzetta read prayer requests on their cellphones at St Anthony friary in Butler, New Jersey. The largest group of Franciscan friars in the United States is offering the faithful a new way to pray in the digital age by accepting prayer requests via text messages. (Photo: Octavio Duran)

SMS Franciscan friars for prayer

FTEN, prayer intentions are offered with hands folded, but a new service in the United States allows hands and fingers to move freely—provided a cellphone is handy. The New York-based Holy Name Province of the Franciscans has started a service it calls “Text a Prayer Intention to a Franciscan Friar”. The intentions are received on a website, and will be included collectively in the friars’ prayers twice a day and at Mass. “With technology changing the way we communicate, we needed to offer people an updated way to ask

for prayers for special intentions and needs either for themselves or others,” said a statement by Fr David Convertino OFM, executive director of development for the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name province. “We have been working on this for some time and it’s a great way to bring in the New Year,” Fr Convertino added. “If the pope can tweet, friars can text!” Pope Benedict launched his own Twitter account in mid-December. “This is one more way of reaching people who ask us to pray for them,” Fr Convertino said. “We hope it can reach people all around the globe.”—CNS

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The Southern Cross, January 23 to January 29, 2013

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Scorched earth Catholics

ARLIER this month The Southern Cross took the difficult decision to suspend the comments facility on its website. The comments section was intended to serve as a forum in which readers could exchange ideas on topics within the Church. Perhaps invariably, these discussions frequently became marked by intolerable levels of hectoring polemic; sometimes accompanied by calumny and distortion. This stood in direct breach of the eleventh commandment given to us by Our Lord. The Southern Cross has for many decades encouraged robust debate on questions of our faith, but such discourse must be rooted in a spirit of mutual respect, even when the positions of disagreement are in conflict. When this quality is lacking, fruitful dialogue—a necessary condition for effective evangelisation—is impossible. Conversations that lack in basic human decency cannot be facilitated by a forum that is truly Catholic. It is deplorable that the quality of discourse in the Catholic Church, at least in its Anglophone regions, has become increasingly nasty. Debates within the Church tend to resemble more the scorched earth partisanship of US politics than discussions between fellow disciples of Our Lord. Often those with whom we disagree are regarded as an enemy whose arguments must be mercilessly vanquished—all this predicated on a burning love for Jesus and his Church! But belligerence was not Christ’s way. Jesus did not bully those who did not believe him; he persuaded and healed, and had compassion even for those who crucified him. Some Catholics, it seems, are prone to ascribe the least charitable interpretation to the positions taken by those with whom they disagree, ascribing to them agendas that may not exist. Let us be clear, however, about this: Those who oppose the sacerdotal ordination of women are not, specifically, exercising gender discrimination. Those who advocate more traditional elements in the liturgy do not, specifically, seek to reverse the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Those who are tolerant of the legalisation of same-sex unions do not, specifically, propagate a reform of

the Church’s teachings on sexuality. It is an act of injustice to heedlessly ascribe hostile agendas to others, be it by the (often selfappointed) guardians of orthodoxy or by the advocates of reform. In discourse on the faith with fellow Catholics, our default position always must be that we all act in love for the Church. We are served well to ascribe the most generous interpretation to other Catholics’ motives. The sense of mutual suspicion is eroding our Christian mission. How can we spread the message of Christ’s love when we so readily show hostility towards others? How can we defend Christ crucified when we place an inordinate value on the Church’s laws above the definitive Christian virtues of love, compassion and humility. The magisterium is a living, constantly evolving entity. There were times when the Church taught definitively that the sun rotates around the earth, outlawed usury, imposed extensive days of fast, and sold indulgences to finance building operations. Today, the Church affirms scientific inquiry, accepts the world of banking, allows the consumption of meat on most days of the year, and has mostly disowned the sale of indulgences. These reforms were the result of ongoing dialogue, deliberation and prayer. The teachings of the Church require perpetual reflection and contemplation, in charity and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in whom we must invest our full trust. There is no disloyalty in examining the doctrines and disciplines of the Church and how they are exercised, provided one persists in submitting to these teachings to the best of one’s capacity and informed conscience. In debate, we should be guided by the words often (though inaccurately) attributed to St Augustine: “In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.” It is a sin to use one’s faith as a weapon with which to hurt others. It is a sin to show hatred in the name of Christ. And it is a sin when love for the law or one’s own opinions of it prevail over Christ’s command to be gentle and compassionate.

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.

Exultation rather than sadness HY is it that all the icons we from so delightful an event. Surely words such as “rapture” W have in our churches and historical paintings and books dis- and “radiance”, “glorious” and play sad-looking saints, angels and even a sad Mary, sad Joseph and sad Jesus himself? At a Catholic bookshop, I recently requested a small statue of a happy Jesus to place in my home, but was saddened at being told that there was no such thing. The Christmas painting by Benedictine nuns in Madrid which you chose for the front page of the special Christmas edition (December 19) was beautiful, but on closer inspection I noticed that the angels did not display the “joy to the world” I would have expected

Contraception

REFER to Derek Bayman’s letter (December 26) on whether the Church would ever sanction a form of “just contraception”. The strongest argument against this is that the vast majority of birth control methods are infallibly (for example, the intrauterine device) or potentially (for example, the Pill) abortifacients. They do not prevent the new life being formed but destroy it after its formation or conception. Damian McLeish, Johannesburg

Catechism call

AGREE with Terrence Watson (December 26) that there is a greater need of catechism in the Church. However, we need to remember that catechism needs to begin in the home. For the Church to properly sacramentalise our children, we need to ensure that the parents are evangelised first. As a catechist I have only one hour a week to teach my class, which is quite challenging as the everyday secular world leaves little room for Christ. There are small things parents can do to help children improve their knowledge of faith, starting with little basics like saying the rosary or other prayers with their children. This will surely lead to further discussion of faith. I always encourage my children to bring any questions they have, no matter how outrageous these may seem, as I would rather have them find the answers in the environment of the Light of Christ. Parents should also speak to their children’s catechists regularly to bring any concerns of topics lacking understanding. I believe the archdiocese of Cape Town, with its Centre for Pastoral Development, has been making great strides with initiatives to

“joyous” with which the Scriptures are liberally sprinkled describe our deliverance from all that is dark and dreadful, and surely should cause us to exult in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Can one really glorify and praise God with a sad and sombre face? Surely the sorrow of the cross is overshadowed by the glorious Resurrection. I would like to challenge our modern artists and painters to portray our Lord Jesus as we see him in Scripture, from the tiny babe where the fullness of God dwelt in

encourage people to learn more about their faith. Cape Town will be having its third season of Ecclesia later this year, and Mgr Andrew Borello will be starting another three-year theology programme for those who want to learn more about their faith at a very affordable price (approximately R400 for the year, which can be paid off). Please pray for the catechists and all who are responsible for teaching the faith. André Gildenhuys, Cape Town

Alcohol abuse

ODAY I witnessed the degradation of a human being completely addicted to alcohol. I was sickened. Seeing pictures of addicts in various stages of their addiction is nothing compared to seeing the downfall of a human being in living colour. I had no idea we humans could sink so low. My first thought was “there but for the grace...” All out there who think the Pioneer Association is a throwback to the early-mid-20th century should think again. I’m convinced the Pioneers have as much relevance today as they did back then. Perhaps the name should not include “total abstinence”, this bit of the full title gives modern people a completely wrong idea of who Pioneers are. A young woman said to me, after a bystander explained the significance of the title Pioneers of Total 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. Letters can be sent to Po box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

ROMAN UNION OF THE ORDER OF ST URSULA

him bodily, to the young adult who strode among the hills of Galilee, suntanned and strong, muscles rippling from cutting wood, sawing and shaping it into useful and beautiful pieces of furniture. I see a Jesus with sparkling eyes, looking with compassion on the mantle of our humanity which had been placed on him as well, looking constantly to his Father for guidance, then with stories and playful illustrations opening the eyes of those who would believe. And how I would like to see the wonder of the young Mary, gazing at the infant in her arms, as she discovers with amazement that the young child is looking back at her with equal delight. Heather Withers, Johannesburg Abstinence, “Oh, well, I suppose it gets easier as one gets older!” I know a lot of us were bullied into “taking the pledge” when we made our first holy Communion. Today’s Pioneers are all volunteers. They are not “Holy Joes”. Whatever the reason people join the Pioneers, they, first and foremost, give up one of life’s good things to make reparation to the the Sacred Heart of Jesus for sins committed because of excessive drinking. One only has to see the daily carnage on our roads shown on TV news broadcasts (a large percentage of which is caused by drunken drivers) to know the potential the Pioneers have in our hedonistic society of changing a few lives for the better. Kevin Murphy, Johannesburg

Mother Church

OHN Lee (January 2), on the one hand identifies himself as Catholic through and through, yet beats us with a stick with the other hand. One gets tired of his moaning; the implication that a Mogodon is as beneficial to one as listening to most Catholic sermons; that we’re lazy; that we’re ineffectual. I would say that there isn’t anywhere in the world where greater peace can be received than in receiving the blessed sacraments. Who needs the hype that spouts from the cheesy grins of American evangelists? They sleep well in their mansions and tour in their SUVs. Most of those preachers are about as sanctified as a burnt croissant! Holy Mother Church and her faithful have the answers, the mystery, the integrity and the peace the world needs. Poverty is a dirty word to most evangelicals, and, it seems, marital vows too (just follow Ray McCauley’s marital travails). Lucy Rubin, Pretoria

MONK?

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PERSPECTIVES Chris Chatteris SJ

Pray with the Pope

Flights into Egypt General Intention: That migrant families, especially the mothers, may be supported and accompanied in their difficulties.

N 2009, Jamila Abdulle walked 1 200km from Somalia to Uganda to save her 5-year-old daughter, Sagal, who was born with a hole in her heart and needed medical attention unavailable in Somalia. Jamila made the painful decision to leave behind her husband and seven other children to seek help. She joined a travelling group of fellow Somali migrants to Kampala. The journey took 21 days, during which time she also helped a young mother in labour. This account of one mother’s sacrifice, reported by the International Rescue Committee (www.rescue.org) is a moving illustration of the sacrifices that parents will make for their children. The story has resonances of Mary’s flight into Egypt in which she too left her home for the wellbeing of her child. Jamila was fortunate enough eventually to make contact with an organisation that arranged for her child to be treated in the United States. Migrants seek a normal and predictable life where they have access to food, shelter, security, medicine, education and work. One young woman’s description of life in a Jesuit Refugee Service Camp in Malawi sums up this yearning. She says that although being in the camp was stressful it was also a blessing, “because I had a place where I legally belonged. It was home. I was alive, accounted for, fed, clothed and I could see a nurse or a doctor if I became ill. There were no more sounds of guns, grenades or bombs. It was calm; I could actually sleep” (www.jrs.net/Voices). Eventually, with the help of JRS, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business studies from Africa University in Zimbabwe in 2001. In South Africa we have no camps to receive and support refugees, which is one of the reasons they are perceived as “taking local jobs”. This should make us South Africans more understanding and welcoming of them. The Church asks us to give prayerful as well as financial and practical support to today’s migrant families. The Lord and his family also suffered the plight of the migrant.

SA still gives hope Missionary Intention: That the peoples at war and in conflict may lead the way in building a peaceful future. CCORDING to Peace Direct’s website, 1 000 people die in conflicts throughout the world each week. The website tells the story of Freddie and Henri. “Freddie is 11 years old. He was a child soldier for three and a half years in war-torn Congo, lured, like thousands of other children, into a life of fighting, brutality and fear. He was rescued and returned to his family by the man they call Africa’s Schindler—Henri Ladyi of the Centre Résolution Conflits (CRC) (http://bit.ly/VqATW7). “Henri is 36 years old. For ten years he has led CRC, a charity in Congo that rescues child soldiers, disarms rebels and rebuilds village communities. In 2011 Henri rescued 650 child soldiers from a life of violence.” What strikes me about this account is that people like Henri do not sit about waiting for peace to break out before they get to work. Even though Congo is still plagued by seemingly endless conflict, people like Henri start building peace anyway. Apart from being a great act of faith, this is no easy task. Henri has been abducted by militias twice and tortured, but this has only made him more determined. We salute such people. Can we help them? Well, the world still watches post-apartheid South Africa. This is because the world looks to previously conflicted countries like ours to give others hope that peace is possible, no matter how dreadful the past has been. Hence we are able to give hope and encouragement, not just by praying for peace, but also by keeping the peace, working for it and deepening it, here at home.

The Southern Cross, January 23 to January 29, 2013

Why the Church engages with the world

HE Church is often reproached for remaining in the sacristy and never entering worldly affairs. In contrast, to some people it is like she oversteps her boundaries when she raises her voice on social issues. Is she overstepping? There are different responses, often conditioned. A poor worker on whose behalf the Church speaks, or a political party in opposition, will mostly likely side with the Church when she chides employers or those in public office for abuse of power. But employers or those in government will perceive this as an attack and as meddling in their affairs. Even a political party that used to side with the Church, once it gets into power the rift between the two widens. The criticisms that were once appreciated are tolerated no more. However, the legitimacy of the Church’s involvement in social issues does not lie in such volatile and conditioned human approval but rather in her mission, the very reason for her existence. She announces the Good News, witnessing the Kingdom of God in the present and concrete life situation of the people. Is there not confusion between spiritual and worldly matters? Faith is not abstract and it is not indifferent to any one aspect of human life. Besides, a human person is not a divided being but integrated. A believer lives in society and his or her belief should permeate and influence all relationships and activities. This is what the Church does by her social teaching: permeating and enriching the social structures with Gospel values (Gaudium et Spes, 40). However, the Church still faces the challenge of a worldview that compartmentalises the world between the sacred and the profane, whereby one is expected somehow to change coats depending on which domain one is operating from. Such dichotomy is not a Catholic view. Human beings and the world are both created by God. The social teaching of the Church is founded on this awareness that the entire world is sacred ground where

God is at work. Thus, there is no divide between what is profane and sacred. Hence, “with her social doctrine not only does the Church not stray from her mission but she is rigorously faithful to it” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church CSDC), 64). This is also related to the mystery of incarnation by which God reaches out to man in the fullness of his life: corporal and spiritual. Thus, a real encounter of the Gospel and life must necessarily embrace such aspects of human existence. This does not mean, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church clarifies, that the Church is a kind of jack of all trades (2420). Rather, she acts as a torch bearer in order to illuminate what politicians, health workers, educators and all others do in their respective areas of competence to ensure that human dignity is respected. That torch is the Gospel. In his encyclical letter Sollicitudeo Rei Socialis, 1987, John Paul II says: “The Church does not assume responsibility for every aspect of life in society, but speaks with the competence that is hers, which is that of proclaiming Christ the Redeemer….this means that the Church does not intervene in technical questions with her social doctrine, nor does she propose or establish systems or models of social organisation.” So, far from merely meddling in other

A nun protests in Germany against a G-8 meeting. (Photo: Hannibal Hanschke, Reuters/CNS)

What is ‘family-friendly’?

HAVE used this title for my column for so long that I have begun to take it for granted and don’t normally give it any serious thought. But what does “family-friendly” really mean, or how is it understood and by whom? We like to talk about things as being userfriendly, which would mean easy to use and understand. Does the same apply to familyfriendly, meaning simple, straightforward, not too challenging to understand? Maybe not. Maybe family-friendly is challenging, taking into consideration what is good and right, not necessarily what is simple and comfortable. Pope Benedict in Africae Munus, the African Synod document, writes beautifully: “It is there [in the family] that they [the children] learn to love as they are unconditionally loved, respect for others as they are respected, learn to know the face of God as they receive a first revelation of it from their parents.” That statement illustrates the concept being developed in the Marfam Family Moments and Faith Moments booklets that accompany the SACBC Family Life Desk 2013 calendar. It is not through external acts or saying prayers only, but through the intimacy and acceptance in the relationship that the face of God is so powerfully revealed. That does sound pretty straightforward and is promoted long and hard by the Church and all those involved in marriage and family ministry and education. Parents are the first educators, or let us Is Blessed Mother Calling You?

MIR TRAVEL AND TOURS

Pilgrimmage to Medjugorje, visiting London for a night and Dubrovnik, Croatia. From 29 April to 10 May

say the family is the first educator because very many children are not brought up by their parents. Faith is born, nurtured, modelled, transmitted, taught and expressed in that home environment quite naturally, whether we are conscious of it or not. That is fine if the family members accept this and share a common belief system but how often is that not the case? Children, when they become teens, will quite frequently rebel and want nothing to do with the faith of our fathers. They may be seekers and seek elsewhere for a faith experience they can relate to, but many also drift into a secular world. Is it a faithless world or one of –isms such as materialism and individualism? I am too often faced with the pain of parents or grandparents who believe they have failed in their task of passing on the faith. Have they been family-friendly, or overly so? In adult relationships, as children marry and new families are formed, these can and should have the right to their own traditions. This is a possible area where there is a challenge to leave alone and not try to impose your belief system. This may come about around times such as Christmas when young families want to do it their way. So, hurtful as this can be for their older members, with the January 2013 family theme of Faith in Families in mind we ask: what is the truly family-friendly thing to do? It would seem to me that this, like so much around family life, changes over time. Couples expressing their love for one another are family-friendly in a non-challenging way. Nuclear or extended families and groups who from early days have shared

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The Social Teachings

people’s affairs, the Church, in line with her mission, seeks to build a truly human society according to the will of God. She achieves that by assuming a prophetic voice that guides, encourages and sounds alarm when there is deviation from values of a truly human and godly society. Here is a beautiful recap of what the social teaching of the Church is all about: “Men and women must respond to the gift of salvation not with a partial, abstract or merely verbal acceptance, but with the whole of their lives—in every relationship that defines life—so as not to neglect anything, leaving it in a profane and worldly realm where it is irrelevant or foreign to salvation. For this reason the Church’s social doctrine is not a privilege for her, nor a digression…it is her right to proclaim the Gospel in the context of society, to make the liberating word of the Gospel resound in the complex worlds of production, labour, business, finance, trade, politics, law, culture, social communication, where men and women live” (CSDC 70). And inspired by St Paul, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1Cor 9:16), the Church cannot abandon her prophetic role in society without doing injustice to her very reason for existing. She just cannot remain mute. This witness is not limited to the pulpit but extends to the lifestyle of every Catholic, rendering society a privileged milieu of evangelisation for the laity. Thus, their places of work are not just a space for earning a living but also a field of evangelisation. Therefore, we would say, the social doctrine of the Church is a spirituality, a manner of living and witnessing the Gospel, proposed especially to the laity in their daily life and work.

Toni Rowland

Family Friendly

their lives and their faith along with their prayers have established the best possible foundation for the next generation. Forming this generation in values of commitment to one another and one’s beliefs, integrity and honesty in dealings with one another, the freedom to choose to “be” who and what they choose are foundational life skills that are essentially family-friendly, but need to be complemented with a growing relationship with God, as an individual and a member of a family community if we want to be considered a Christian Catholic family. That must be, as I see it, what true familyfriendliness is all about. At the same time while it is a positive image and, for those of us on the giving end, a worthwhile ideal, the joys and hopes, anxieties and fears of life must be faced by each one and choices must be made by each developing family. Undoubtedly there are times when our best and only contribution to being familyfriendly is not to teach, impose or indoctrinate, but to live and let live, live and love, accept the differences and the changes and bring our families in prayer to the Father, to Jesus the Son and the Holy Family all of whom have experienced those joys and hopes, anxieties and fears too. Resources are available for developing a family’s faith life, for family catechesis and for the February theme of Faith and Love which will incorporate a marriage focus too. n Visit www.marfam.org.za/blog or email info@marfam.org.za.

COMMUNITY

The Southern Cross, January 23 to January 29, 2013

Mmakau Adult Education Centre/Mmashiko Community Projects has been running a catering course and recently formed a partnership with Peter van Aswegen, the catering manager of Netcare in Arcadia, Pretoria and Sr Raphael of Christ the New Man church, in Ga-rankuwa zone three. Both have agreed to offer learners on the job experience which has been a missing component of the course. Learners from the two catering classes spent one week at the two places of work. (From Left) Sr Raphael Sakala and students Masixole Mapasa, Daniel Mokhine and Mishack Mongwe.

The St Anthony’s conference of St Vincent de Paul in Bergvliet, Cape Town, distributed toys to educare centres in Westlake RDP village and Die Gatjie Elfindale. Additional gifts were provided to St Mary's in Retreat and a children’s safe house in Lavender Hill. The toys were donated by the Bikers Toy Run and Grade 7 pupils at Springfield Convent as well as a parishioner from Holy Redeemer. (Above) SVP members Jenny Koen, and Tony East and Br Richard Maidwell CSsR from the Redemptorist monastery in Bergvliet at at Die Gatjie. (Inset) Jenny Koen (seated), SVP spiritual director Fr Sean Lunney CSsR, Helen Brown from Little Squirrels with the Holy Redeemer community.

Fr Vincent Pienaar, spiritual director of the Catholic Womens League in the archdiocese of Johannesburg for 23 years, presented diocesan president Elaine Phillips with a gift of a lectionary.

Sekwele Centre for Social Reﬂection

is a community development organisation under the auspices of the Catholic Church. The organisation works across the Eastern Free State with an objective to promote social reﬂection so that communities, organisations, leaders and ordinary citizens through critical reﬂection can bring about change in their environment based on their ideas, thoughts and plans.

The staff at St Theresa’s Convent school in Coronationville, Johannesburg, had their first team-building session of 2013 at Camp Discovery in Hammanskral near Pretoria.

Programme Director

Sekwele Centre for Social Reﬂection seeks to appoint a

based in Bethlehem, Free State.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the management of the organisation, including strategic planning, human resource management, fundraising and financial management. Requirements: • Tertiary education in a relevant field of study and capacity for academic research; • Proven experience in community development work with CBOs, NGOs and CBOs; • Management experience and proven skills in conceptualising and organising; • Fluency in English is essential. Knowledge of seSotho and isiZulu will be preferable; • Excellent written and spoken English is essential and IsiZulu and Sesotho preferably; • Willingness to relocate to Bethlehem; • Minimum of three years management experience; • Proven ability to build teams of diverse cultures; • Ability to manage resources and people respecting the social teachings of the Catholic Church; • Proven financial management experience; • Ability to implement management systems across the province; • Proven human resource management experience; • Ability to manage stakeholder relationships; • Ability to generate professional donor proposals and to write professional programme reports; • Excellent facilitation and presentation skills; • Computer literacy. • Self-initiator, pro-activeness, established leadership qualities; • Ability to interact with and mobilise people at all levels around community development and social reflection; • Valid code 10 driver's licence; • Own vehicle will be preferable.

The starting monthly salary will not exceed R15 000.

Interested candidates are requested to ask for an application form by e-mail no later than 1 February 2013, from oﬃce@sekwele.net which will have to be returned by post together with a letter of motivation, a CV and copies of relevant documents, no later than 15 February 2013.

St Francis of Assisi parish in Yeoville, Johannesburg, received a picture and message of blessing from Pope Benedict on their 100 year anniversary. Archbishop Buti Tlhagale is pictured with parish priest Fr Stanley Masilompana and parish secretary Mpumi Mashele.

37 adults and children of St Theresa of the Child Jesus in Lidgetton, an out-station of St Anne’s parish in Mphopemeni, archdiocese of Durban, had their baptism and first Holy Communion. The Missionaries of Africa have served in the area for the past two years. Pictured with them are Fr Philippe Docq (back), Br Antony Alckias (front left), Margret Mhlong (front second left) and Cindy Mhlong (right) who prepared the candidates.

INTERVIEW

The Southern Cross, January 23 to January 29, 2013

Dowling: Catholic schools can teach the country With Catholic schools again outperforming state schools, the Church’s education system can serve as a model to the government, according to Bishop Kevin Dowling, liaison bishop for education. MATHIBELA SEBOTHOMA interviewed the bishop. What is your reaction to the 2012 matric results? As with the past few years, our Catholic schools for the most part score significantly higher than the national average—this in spite of significant challenges and situations particularly in the poorer resourced areas of our country. The fact that it has happened again for the Grade 12 Class of 2012 does not surprise me; in fact, if we are operating as a truly Catholic school education system—with all that goes with it including ethos—I would have expected our schools to have done better than the national average pass rate. There are many relevant questions about the 40% and 30% pass marks required for most subjects. What do you attribute the success of Catholic schools to? I attribute the success to, firstly, the very committed and self-sacrificing work of the educators who, again for the most part, teach out of a sense of calling and not because it is a job, and always have the good of the learner before their eyes. Secondly, to the learners who have been motivated by educators, parents, and the whole school community support system to work very hard and consistently throughout the year, and to make real sacrifices to achieve their potential. Thirdly, to the school environment which has for many years been at the centre of our vision of a Catholic school, with the values and principles which are lived out in a Catholic ethos which one can actually feel as one enters such a school. Fourthly, to a well-integrated Religious Education programme in

Bishop Kevin Dowling schools where this actually happens. This will enable our learners to grow as wholesome young people, develop critical minds, and a real sense of personal calling and responsibility to become good citizens with a commitment to society and the issues which need transformation in this country. Why should the communities take Catholic education seriously? Communities need to take Catholic education seriously and support it, if we are to sustain what a truly Catholic education is all about. It does not exist in all our Catholic schools, but where it does it is immediately evident in the quality of personhood in the learners, their self-confidence, their ongoing and holistic development as thinking and engaged young people, and their fundamental attitudes and commitment to life, to all other people especially the most vulnerable, and to the environmental issues which will ensure sustainable life for the planet and its peoples in the future. What can the government learn from some of these achievements? In my view, the government and the Department of Education need to really look at the reasons why those schools in our Catholic education system succeed well. And

this is simply because these school communities holistically integrate academic excellence and an ethos which ensures young people grow as human beings to their full potential through the entire programme in the school. This comes about only when there is a commitment on the part of everyone in the school community to work together on the basis of the vision, ideals, values and principles which are at the heart of a Catholic school community. If the government is going to succeed in truly developing a quality education system which transforms the life and future of all our young people, then it is also going to have to look seriously at the power of the unions vis-a-vis schools. Either the government is A learner on her first day of school. Catholic schools have again achieved going to run education, or the high pass rates and good results in the 2012 matric exams. (Photo: Claire unions are. Mathieson) At the moment, in the view of many serious educationists and educators, it is unions like the Browse our education section on our website South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) which run eduwww.scross.co.za/category/features/education cation in the public sector schools. This affects our Catholic schools also. I have frequently encountered the problem in the Catholic public schools in this diocese [Rustenburg]. Sadtu will call out all the teachers to a meeting in the morning when those teachers should be in school in the classroom. This is not an isolated occurrence. Statis(Member of SATSA) tics show the huge number of hours which are lost to teaching by this kind of behaviour and lack of comFly-in and overland tours. See www.vivasafaris.com mitment by educators. Until the whole education sector starts looking at Viva Safaris is engaged with the root of the problems, education is going to consis4 projects aimed at the upliftment tently fail our learners from the rural and poor areas of of the Acornhoek community, our country. including the COMBONI Any other comments? I congratulate our school MISSIONARIES’ OUTSTATION communities which have done really well this year, and I hope and pray that Father Xico with partially completed church building our Catholic schools can continue to model what education in this country 082 450 9930 Trevor should be all about, not just Reservations: 082 444 7654 Piero 082 506 9641 Anthony in some or the majority of our Catholic schools, but in all of them.

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Bishop Kevin Dowling said the Catholic school environment, with its values and principles, ensures a wellrounded and holistic approach to education. (Photo: Claire Mathieson)

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The Southern Cross, January 23 to January 29, 2013

YEAR OF FAITH

What is a ‘Catholic movie’? What makes a movie Catholic? JOHN McCARTHY discusses new and old movies through a Catholic lens.

N Porta Fidei (“The Door of Faith”), his apostolic letter announcing the current Year of Faith, Pope Benedict urges us to study the history of Catholicism, which he describes as “marked by the unfathomable mystery of the interweaving of holiness and sin”. This striking observation can also apply to the medium of film. All too often in movies, however, sin dominates and holiness is difficult to recognise. In the spirit of the New Evangelisation, the Year of Faith is an appropriate time to ask what constitutes a faithful and, more specifically, a Catholic movie. If the definitions are too narrow, few films will make the grade; if too broad, the designations themselves will become meaningless. Movies seeking to embody the tenets of a particular religious tradition, explain one of its sacred texts, or profile a key prophet are the easiest to classify in this way. Admiring portraits of clerics, converts, laypeople or other believing protagonists are also strong candidates, as are films that use storytelling techniques, such as allegory, to impart an article of faith. Turning to Catholic films, there are many reasons a picture might be deemed Catholic. But the

dynamic between those who create a work, the work itself, and the audience beholding it is a useful shortcut. A movie may qualify as Catholic if the filmmaker has a Catholic sensibility, if the subject matter—plot, characters or setting—involves Catholicism, and/or if a viewer offers a plausible Catholic interpretation. Adducing meaning in a film by reference to the filmmaker’s intentions and outlook is problematic because cinema is such a collaborative medium. Still, provided they are manifested on screen, a filmmaker’s aims and sensibility are a rich source of interpretive material. The pantheon of Catholic directors (lapsed and devout) includes Frank Capra, Francis Ford Coppola, Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Robert Bresson, Luis Buñuel, Martin Scorsese and Andrei Tarkovsky.

f course not every one of their films is Catholic, and not every film with a Catholic theme, plot, setting or protagonist qualifies either. A minimum amount of respect for the Catholic subject matter must be evinced, even if strong doubts are expressed and considerable ambiguity permitted. The range of examples stretches from Carl Theodor Dreyer’s silent masterwork The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) and popular entertainments from Hollywood’s Golden Age—Bible epics and certain Bing Crosby vehicles, for instance—to more recent fare. The latter includes the biopic Romero (1989), The Chronicles of Narnia series (2005-2010), the documentary Into

Great Silence (2007) and the factbased French film Of Gods and Men (2011). When assessing subject matter, movies blatantly hostile to religion, patently heretical or obviously antiCatholic are readily disqualified. Those that merely pay lip service to religious faith or peddle watereddown beliefs are nearly as easy to dismiss. While better than many alternatives, what passes for religiosity in most mainstream movies is too shallow and generic to leave a deep impression. Humanism, non-specific ethical concerns and advocacy of a vaguely spiritual, less materialistic approach to life are not enough.

Clockwise: Scenes from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010), Lincoln (2012), Of Gods And Men (2011), and Life of Pi (2012)

everal recently released films illustrate this point. As a boy, the title character in Life of Pi embarks on a personal quest to find God, picking and choosing from a number of different faiths, including Catholicism. Yet, as his atheist father remarks: “Believing in everything is like believing in nothing.” Many elements in the time-travelling fantasia Cloud Atlas can be considered pro-faith. But its overarching theme concerning individuals linked throughout history is insufficiently detailed and cogent. In The Sessions—a drama in which a Catholic priest encourages a paraplegic member of his flock to have relations with a so-called sex surrogate—a young woman, asked if she’s religious, replies: “I don’t think about God much but I do believe there’s a mysterious logic or poetry to life.” This line succinctly expresses the type of soft, unthinking religiosity typically encountered

at the multiplex. Two other current releases underscore another important point. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained address the immorality of slavery in very different ways. Both want to entertain and enlighten audiences about historical realities. Yet, along with its revenge narrative, the extremely graphic violence, plethora of obscene language, and exploitative tenor of Tarantino’s latest undercuts any salubrious message. Although completely separating form and content is impossible, when attempting to fathom an artwork we tend to focus on the “how” more than the “what”. Style and tone convey as much, and

sometimes more, than action and dialogue. At this juncture the viewer’s act of interpretation becomes decisive. A movie can be deemed authentically Catholic through description and evaluation presented from a Catholic perspective. Offering a convincing Catholic interpretation that accurately reflects form and content, and possibly the sensibility and intentions of a movie’s creators, requires a certain manner of discernment. The interpreter must train a Catholic imagination on the film and be committed to reading it through that prism. That said, each movie must be considered on its own merits Continued on page 11

Faith was ever-present in Alfred Hitchcock’s life T BY KURT JENSEN

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O famed director Alfred Hitchcock, the ideal premise for a suspense picture—one he used many times— was a man wrongly accused of a crime. He thought of it as a fear to which everyone could relate. Born in 1899, Hitchcock died in 1980. The widely-held impression is that he only found religion, and specifically the comfort of the Catholic faith, at the end of his life. In a Wall Street Journal essay last month, “Alfred Hitchcock’s Surprise Ending”, Jesuit Father Mark Henninger—a professor of philosophy—describes how he and a fellow priest, Fr Tom Sullivan, visited Hitchcock at his Beverly Hills home on Saturday afternoons during the last weeks of the director’s life. There, Fr Sullivan celebrated Mass and heard Hitchcock’s confession. Fr Henninger was struck to see Hitchcock with tears on his cheeks after receiving Communion, and recalled that image as a stark contrast to the director’s harsh portrayal in the new film Hitchcock. He also correctly points out that his personal experiences with Hitchcock refute the conclusion of one of the director’s many biographers, Donald Spoto, who claimed that the “master of suspense” rejected religion as death approached. “Why exactly Hitchcock asked Tom Sullivan to visit him is not clear to us and perhaps was not completely clear to him,” Fr Henninger wrote. “But something whispered in his heart, and the visits answered a profound human desire, a real human need.” Yet Hitchcock may not have needed to “find” faith towards the close of his life, because he may never actually have lost it. He certainly spent his life in a

Catholic milieu, beginning with his education. Hitchcock received his early education at Howrah House, a convent school, and from 191013 was enrolled at St Ignatius College, a Jesuit secondary school in London. One of his older cousins was a priest in Britain. Hitchcock didn’t speak often of his Catholic background in interviews. But for filmmakers of Hitchcock’s generation that would have been considered bad professional form—like trying to impose one’s personal political beliefs. Film scholars, however, have discussed and attempted to analyse his faith for decades.

n 1957, French filmmakers Eric Rohmer and Claude Chabrol concluded, “though Hitchcock is a practising Catholic, he has nothing of the mystic or the ardent proselyte about him. His works are of a profane nature, and though they often deal with questions relating to God, their protagonists are not gripped by an anxiety that is, properly speaking, religious.” Patrick McGilligan, another

biographer, wrote: “Catholicism pervades his films, albeit a brand of Catholicism spiked with irreverence and iconoclasm.” He cited a scene in The 39 Steps (1935) in which bullets were stopped by hymnals, and the image of Henry Fonda clutching a rosary in The Wrong Man (1956). The biographer noted that Hitchcock often spoke of acquiring “a strong sense of fear”, an ability “to be realistic” and “Jesuit reasoning power” from his schooling. In 1972, a reporter for the Catholic Herald in Britain noted: “He doesn’t flaunt or parade his Catholicism, but talking to him, I felt it was very basic, born and bred, even were there no sign of it in his work.” Hitchcock made just one overtly “Catholic” film: I Confess, a 1953 murder mystery. Starring Montgomery Clift as Fr Michael Logan, it had a complicated plot and was not commercially successful. In the screenplay by Catholic novelist Paul Tabori, Fr Logan hears the confession of Otto Keller (O E Hasse), his sexton. Keller tells the priest that he committed a murder to cover up a robbery. Fr Logan can’t report the crime, of course, because of the circumstances in which he learned of it. Fr Logan himself is later accused of the murder when it turns out that Keller disguised himself in a cassock. Hitchcock turned serious when discussing I Confess with French filmmaker Francois Truffaut: “We Catholics know that a priest cannot disclose the secret of the confessional, but the Protestants, the atheists and the agnostics all say, ‘Ridiculous. No man would stay silent and sacrifice his life for such a thing’.”— CNS

The Southern Cross, January 23 to January 29, 2013

What’s a Catholic movie? Continued from page 10 without bias or preconceptions. Valid judgments can only be made after engaging with a film on its own terms. This must be followed by reflection and analysis in which sound critical method, clear values and personal experiences are brought to bear. A movie is authentically

Catholic when its Catholic traits are fully integrated into its form and content. Such integrity is similar to that perceived in a person whose beliefs and behaviour always appear to be in concert, someone we can justly say “lives their faith”. This critical process is analogous to the task Pope Benedict calls us to undertake regarding

Community Calendar

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

CAPE ToWN: Mimosa Shrine, bellville (Place of pilgrimage for the Year of Faith): Rosary, 7.30pm, Holy hour and Benediction every 2nd Saturday, from January 2013, 9.00-10.00 am. Confession available during Holy hour. Tel: 076 323 8043 Padre Pio: Holy hour 3.30 pm every 3rd Sunday of the month at Holy Redeemer parish in Bergvliet. Helpers of god’s Precious Infants meet the last Saturday of the month except in December, starting with Mass at 9:30 am

at the Salesian Institue Community Chapel in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Mass is followed by a vigil and procession to Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street. For information contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel Manuel on 083 544 3375 NELSPruIT: Adoration of the blessed sacrament at St Peter’s parish. Every Tuesday from 8am to 4:45pm followed by Rosary Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 5:30pm.

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 534. ACROSS: 2 Swineherds, 8 Thessalonian, 10 Ridge, 11 Odyssey, 12 Accent, 13 Warsaw, 16 Lineage, 18 Limit, 19 Intelligence, 20 Convention. DOWN: 1 Waterfalls, 3 Western, 4 Nelson, 5 Honey, 6 Reassessment, 7 Mendicant nun, 9 Eyewitness, 14 Allegro, 15 Merlot, 17 Anele.

HOLy SITES TRAVEL

Saints of Italy Pilgrimage Organized by Jemima Masire Holy Land Pilgrimage Organized by Sr Lidia

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the history of the Church during the Year of Faith. The question is not whether holiness and sin are intertwined in our faith, in ourselves and in what we create. We are challenged to discern how they are woven together—and to begin unspooling the mystery of why.—CNS

CLASSIFIEDS

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • Deaths • In memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,25 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

DEATH

Liturgical Calendar Year C Weekdays Cycle Year 1

Sunday, January 27, 3rd Sunday Nehemiah 8:2-4, 5-6, 8-10, Psalm 19:8-10, 15, 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27, Luke 1:14; 4:14-21 Monday, January 28, St Thomas Aquinas Hebrews 9:15, 24-28, Psalm 98:1-6, Mark 3:22-30 Tuesday, January 29 Hebrews 10:1-10, Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 10-11, Mark 3:31-35 Wednesday, January 30, St Hyacinth Marescotti Hebrews 10:11-18, Psalm 110:1-4, Mark 4:1-20 Thursday, January 31, St John Bosco Hebrews 10:19-25, Psalm 24:1-6, Mark 4:21-25 Friday, February 1, Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart Hebrews 10:32-39, Psalm 37:3-6, 23-24, 39-40, Mark 4:26-34 Saturday, February 2, Presentation of the Lord Malachi 3:1-4, Psalm 24:7-10, Hebrews 2:14-18, Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22-32 Sunday, February 3, 4th Sunday Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19, Psalm 71:1-6, 15-17, 1 Corinthians 12:31,13:13 or 13:4-13, Luke 4:21-30

Word of the Week

RESIDUUM REVERTETUR “The Remnant shall return!” This saying applies to the truth that throughout history, a remnant has always remained faithful to God in spite of the corruption and lapses into paganism of their leaders. PER MATREM AD FILIUM “Through the Mother to the Son.” The motto of the Marianist Order.

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DAVIDS—Dominic Cecil. Passed away December 31, 2012. Missed by his parents Cecil and Judith, siblings Tina Langley, Stephanie van den Berg and Angeline Davids and families. SNELL—Constable

Quintin Charles. Born 6/11/1979 died 25/12/2012. Tragically died on police duty in a car accident in the early hours on Christmas morning. He was buried from St Martin de Porres Catholic church, Bishop Lavis. Requiem Mass was celebrated by Frs Louis Padua, John D' Souza, Victor Fernandez Justin Chimba and assisted by Deacon Arthur Arries. He was an active youth in the parish. Always remembered for his smile by his godmother Agnes Julie. May his soul rest in peace.

IN MEMorIAM

DA SILVA—Terence. Passed away January 25, 2006. In loving memory of my dear husband. You are always in my prayers. Rest in peace. Always remembered by his wife Mary, all the families, friends, parishioners of Our Lady of Fatima and Holy Family Parish, Bellville, the Legion of Mary—Care Group and Prayer Group, Bellville.

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PrAYErS

o HoLY ST JuDE! Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor for all who invoke you, special patron in time of need; to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart, and humbly beg you, to whom God has given such great power, to come to my assistance; help me now in my urgent need and grant my earnest petition. I will never forget thy graces and favours you obtain for me and I will do my utmost to spread devotion to you, including having this prayer printed in this publication. Amen. St Jude, pray for us and all who honour thee and invoke thy aid. David. o MoST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are, Mother of God. Queen of heaven and earth I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There is none who can withstand your power, O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands. Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days and then publish. MFR. HEAr MY cry, O God, listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. (Psalm 61:1-4).

THANKS

SINCErE gratitude to St Anthony and St Jude for their powerful intercession for a successful medical procedure. My grateful thanks too, to Fr D Bohé of St Michael’s, Potchefstroom, for his on-going kindness and prayers. Karl Affonso.

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REMEMBERING OUR DEAD

“It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins” (II Macc XII,46) Holy Mass will be celebrated on the first Sunday of each month in the All Souls’ chapel, Maitland, Cape Town at 2:30pm for all souls in purgatory and for all those buried in the Woltemade cemetery.

For further information, please contact St Jude Society, Box 22230, Fish Hoek, 7975 Telephone (021) 552-3850

The Southern Cross is published independently by the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd. Address: PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000. Tel: (021) 465 5007 Fax: (021) 465 3850 www.scross.co.za Editor: Günther Simmermacher (editor@scross.co.za), business Manager: Pamela Davids (admin@scross.co.za), Advisory Editor: Michael Shackleton, News Editor: Claire Mathieson (c.mathieson@scross.co.za), Editorial: Claire Allen (c.allen@scross.co.za), Mary Leveson (m.leveson@scross.co.za) Advertising: Elizabeth Hutton (advertising@scross.co.za), Subscriptions: Avril Hanslo (subscriptions@scross.co.za), Dispatch: Joan King (dispatch@scross.co.za), Accounts: Desirée Chanquin (accounts@scross.co.za). Directors: C Moerdyk (Chairman), C Brooke, P Davids, S Duval, E Jackson, B Jordan, M Lack (UK), Sr H Makoro CPS, M Salida, G Simmermacher, Archbishop B Tlhagale OMI, z Tom

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4th Sunday: February 3 Readings: Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19, Psalm 71:1-6, 15-17, 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:3, Luke 4:21-30

Listen to the life-giving word of God

Nicholas King SJ

E live in a world that has grown deaf to the life-giving word of God, and it is our (rather burdensome) task to speak that word out loud. First, though, we must hear it; and this is what Jeremiah is doing in the first reading for next Sunday. As with all prophets, we are to listen (perhaps admiring their self-confidence) as they declare “the word of the Lord came to me, saying...” What they share is this total conviction that God has spoken, and that they are charged with passing the word on. Jeremiah is given strength by God’s affirmation that this is a long-standing vocation: “Before I fashioned you in the womb, I knew you...I consecrated you in the womb.” And what is the job that he has been given? “A prophet to the nations” (so not just to Israel), but also it will be a fairly combative one, so he will have to put on special clothing (“gird up your loins”), and be ready for a fight, as “a pillar of iron, a wall of bronze, against the whole country, and against the kings of Judah, and its princes, and its priests and the people of the land”. So he is not going to win friends; clearly this “word of God” is not going to be a walk in the park. “They will fight against you”, but, in the end, all will be well, God tells Jeremiah (who might at this stage have been pardoned

Sunday Reflections

for remembering that he had something else to do), “for I am with you”. The psalm for next Sunday sees it from the other end, not so much the young man starting out on his difficult life, as an old man looking back and seeing where God’s word has led him, “in you, Lord, I have taken refuge—I shall not be put to shame, ever”. It is not that all his troubles are behind him, for he still needs God’s help, but it is with confidence that he can ask: “In your justice, rescue me, hear me and rescue me.” Like Jeremiah, he has been in God’s hands since childhood, “from my mother’s womb you have been my help”, and, now in old age, he can confidently assert: “You have taught me since my youth, and I am going to proclaim your wonders.” That is what we are all to do, in a world that needs to hear those wonders. In Corinth, whose Christians the second reading for next Sunday is addressed, the need was rather different; they had received

God’s word, but had arrived at an inflated view of themselves because of the spiritual gifts that God had given them, and they had to be reminded that it was through no merit of their own. So Paul allows them to “look for spiritual gifts”, but tells them that they have to look for “a better way”—namely the way of love. This extraordinary chapter could with profit be read to our world, several times a day. For it uses the everyday experience of those Corinthians (“echoing bronze, clashing cymbals” were actually regularly produced in and around Corinth), and the charisms they had been given (“tongues...prophecy...knowledge...faith”) to point to the one thing that, in the dispensation of God, really matters, namely love. And to get the message across, Paul draws a picture of his beloved Jesus, which is decidedly not a picture of those squabbling Corinthians; everything that is true of Jesus is simply not true of them. And is it true of us or of our world? Read through the list, carefully, this week, and answer the question for yourself, and remember God’s word: “The greatest of these is love.” In the gospel for next Sunday, we pick up where the reading last week left off, with the shortest-ever sermon (Will the priest in your church be content with “Today this scripture

One for atheists and believers Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI I N a deeply insightful essay on God and unbelief, the English Catholic theologian Nicholas Lash suggests that the God that atheists reject is often simply an idol of their own imaginations. “We need do no more than notice that most of our contemporaries still find it ‘obvious’ that atheism is not only possible but widespread, and that, both intellectually and ethically, it has much to commend it. “This might be plausible if being an atheist were a matter of not believing that there exists ‘a person without a body’ who is ‘eternal, free, able to do anything, knows everything’ and is ‘the proper object of human worship and obedience, the creator and sustainer of the universe.’ “If, however, by ‘God’ we mean the mystery, announced in Christ, breathing all things out of nothing into peace, then all things have to do with God in every move and fragment of their being, whether they notice this and suppose it to be so or not. “Atheism, if it means deciding not to have anything to do with God, is thus selfcontradictory and, if successful, selfdestructive.” Lash’s insight is, I believe, very important, not first and foremost for our dialogue with atheists, but for our understanding of our own faith. The first thing that Christianity defines dogmatically about God is that God is ineffable, that is, that it is impossible to conceptualise God and that all of our language about God is more inaccurate than

Conrad

Final Reflection

accurate. That isn’t just an abstract dogma. Our failure to understand this, perhaps more than anything else, is the reason why we struggle with faith and struggle to not fudge its demands. What’s at issue here? All of us, naturally, try to form some picture of God and try to imagine God’s existence. The problem when we try to do this is that we end up in one of two places, both not good. On the one hand, we often end up with an image of God as some superman, a person like ourselves, except wonderfully superior to us in every way. We picture God as a superhero, divine, all-knowing, and all-powerful—but still ultimately like us, capable of being imagined and pictured, someone whom we can circumscribe, put a face to, and count. While this is natural and unavoidable, it leaves us, no matter how sincere we are, always, with an idol, a God created in our own image and likeness, and consequently a God who can easily and rightly be rejected by atheism. On the other hand, sometimes when we try to form a picture of God and imagine God’s existence, something else happens: We come up dry and empty, unable to either picture God or imagine God’s

existence. We then end up either in some form of atheism or afraid to examine our faith because we have unconsciously internalised atheism’s belief that faith is naïve and cannot stand up to the hard questions. When this happens to us, when we try to imagine God’s existence and come up empty, that failure is not one of faith but of our imagination. We are living not so much inside of atheism as inside of God’s ineffability, inside a “cloud of unknowing”, a “dark night of the soul”. We aren’t atheists. We just feel like we are. It’s not that God doesn’t exist or has disappeared. It’s rather that God’s ineffability has put God outside of our imaginative capacities. Our minds are overmatched. God is still real, still there, but our finite imaginations are coming up empty trying to picture infinite reality, tantamount to what happens when we try to imagine the highest number to which it is possible to count. The infinite cannot be circumscribed by the imagination. It has no floor and it has no ceiling, no beginning and no end. The human imagination cannot deal with that. God is infinite and, thus, by definition unimaginable and impossible to conceptualise. That’s also true for God’s existence. It cannot be pictured. However, the fact that we cannot imagine God is very different from saying that we cannot know God. God can be known, even if not imagined. How? We all know many things that we cannot imagine, conceptualise, or articulate. Inside us there is something the mystics call “dark knowledge”, namely, an inchoate, intuitive, gut-sense within which we know and understand beyond what we can picture and give words to. And this isn’t some exotic, paranormal talent that fortune-tellers claim to have. The opposite: It’s our bedrock, that solid foundation that we touch in our most sincere and deepest moments, that place inside us where, when we are at our best, we ground our lives. God is ineffable, unimaginable, and beyond conception and language. Our faith lets us bracket this for a while and lets us picture God as some idolised superhero. But eventually that well runs dry and our finite minds are left to know the infinite only in darkness, without images, and our finite hearts are left to feel infinite love only inside a dark trust.

has been fulfilled in your hearing”?), and we are given the reaction to the spoken word of God: “They bore witness to him and were amazed at the words of grace that were coming out of his mouth.” Then, however, they decide that since it is “the boy next door” (“isn’t this Joseph’s son?”), that he can’t be worth listening to, and Jesus puts on their lips the old proverb: “Doctor, cure yourself.” Then Jesus faces the grim reality, that God’s word tends to be rejected by God’s people: “There were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel...and Elijah was sent to none of them, but to Zarephath in Sidonia...and there were many lepers in Israel in Elisha’s day, and none of them was cured, except Naaman, the Syrian.” Now Jesus is not exactly setting out to win friends here, and the inevitable happens: “They were all filled with rage, those in the synagogue who heard this.” The upshot is attempted murder, as Jesus is expelled from the city, and taken “to the brow of the hill on which the city was built, to give him the clifftreatment”. God is still in charge, however, and Luke brings the story to a happy ending: “He passed through the middle of them, and went his way.” But it is risky, listening to the word of God; are you willing to take the risk, this week?

Southern Crossword #534

ACROSS

2. They gave news of the demoniacs (Mt 8) (10) 8. Anne hosts Ali, one of St Paul’s addressees (12) 10. Kind of dog, back at hilltop (5) 11. Homer’s epic travelogue (7) 12. Stress that could be grave (6) 13. Polish capitalists live here (6) 16. Angel, ie with pedigree (7) 18. I’m lit up about boundary (5) 19. Ability to use your mental faculty (12) 20. Usual way for assembly of delegates (10)

DOWN

1. Rain comes down on Victorian cascade (10) 3. Left side of the compass (7) 4. This Lord is not Mandela (6) 5. Something sweet for Samson (Jg 14) (5) 6. Re-evaluation (12) 7. She is in a begging order (9,3) 9. He tells you what he’s seen (10) 14. Organist's brisk movement (7) 15. French sea, plenty, turned into wine (6) 17. Anoint, having some Roman element (5) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE T

HE pope was working in his office one day when a very excited priest came rushing down the hall, robes flying. “Holy Father! I have news!” the priest panted as he skidded into the room. The pope looked up patiently from his work and asked: “What is your news, Father?” “Jesus is back! He’s coming here right now! What should we do? What should we do?” The pope smiled and picked up his papers and a pen and answered: “Look busy.” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.