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March 6 to March 12, 2013

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How a papal election works

Page 7

Page 5

Bishops to Mugabe: This time, let’s have free, fair elections

By CLAIRE MATHIESON

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Cardinal Wilfrid Napier practices his swing for the inaugural Cardinal’s Golf Day to be held on May 24 at Durban Country Club where funds raised will go towards the cardinal’s projects in the archdiocese. For more information on playing or sponsoring of tees and greens, contact John Wheatley on 031 303 1417 or johnwheatley@catholic-dbn.org.za. (Photo: Paul Lichkus)

Our Lady of Fatima statues awarded STAFF REPORTER

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HE Portuguese businessman who offered to donate 12 statues of Our Lady of Fatima to Southern African churches has finalised the allocations, with some parishes already having received them.

The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he had received more than 60 requests from parishes after his offer was published in The Southern Cross on January 9.

The 13 statues—due to the number of applications he added one—were awarded on a first-come-first-serve basis, provided they satisfied his conditions that the parish as a community recites the rosary once a month, and that the donated statue must be placed at an altar in the main church or in a side chapel or shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Fa-

tima.

His purpose in donating the statues, he said, was “to bring the people to the rosary”, pointing out that “Our Lady in the first apparition at Fatima asked us to recite the rosary daily”.

The delicate 7kg, metre-high statues are handmade and handpainted, with a replica of the bullet which injured Pope John Paul II in 1981 placed in its crown.

The parishes to which statues have been allocated are Durban North, Musina, Kuils River (Cape Town), Franklin (Kokstad), St Joseph’s in Uitenhage, Graaff-Reinet, Vredenburg, St Raphael in Khayelitsha (Cape Town), St Xavier in Oudtshoorn, Bulawayo cathedral in Zimbabwe, and three in Klerksdorp diocese: Ikegeng, Bloemhof and Wolmaransstad.

HE bishops of the Inter-Regional Meeting of Catholic Bishops of Southern Africa (Imbisa) have met with Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe in a meeting to “try to influence Mr Mugabe and [ruling party] Zanu-PF to allow fair and free elections”, which are expected to take place later this year.

Nine bishops—representing Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé and Principe, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe—met with the president where he was invited “to speak peace and to act in peaceful ways before, during and after the elections,” said Bishop Giuseppe Sandri of Witbank. The bishops also requested the impartiality of the army, police and other security structures.

However, Harare-based Jesuit Father Oskar Wermter said the meeting was not unlike the previous two meetings the bishops had in the plenary assemblies of 2001 and 2004— which preceded elections marred by violence.

“Church representatives and the president avoid provocation,” said Fr Wermter.

Nonetheless, “the bishops made a number of important points. Both sides are aware of differences”.

Bishop José Luis Ponce de León of Ingwavuma was representing Swaziland in his capacity as apostolic administrator of the vacant Manzini diocese.

“Bishops from Imbisa are being trained to promote peace before, during and after elections in Southern Africa.” He added that the bishops hoped to be accredited as official observers of the elections.

Fr Wermter told The Southern Cross: “The bishops want to be elections observers, so they have to cooperate with the state authorities, the people of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. Their involvement shows that they wish Zimbabwe to have a democratic future and become a country where all can participate in public affairs. This is a slow process. There is a positive future, but not overnight. It needs much patience and per-

Representatives of Imbisa with President Robert Mugabe (front centre) and Zimbabwean government officials. Bishop Sandri is second from right and Bishop Ponce de León second from left in the back row. severance”.

Bishop Sandri struck a cautious note: “The bishops’ hope against hope that the meeting will contribute somehow to make the forthcoming elections fairer and freer and less violent than those previously.”

Meeting Mr Mugabe was also a way to acknowledge progress that has been made in Zimbabwe, said Bishop Ponce de León.

“I think it was important for us to acknowledge the positive elements of the past years, like a new home-grown constitution, for example, which will be considered by the people of the republic in the coming referendum” on March 16. He said the bishops also acknowledged the progress made by the Government of National Unity, which includes Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change, in creating a greater sense of optimism and hope among Zimbabweans and their efforts to stabilise the economy.

Fr Wermter said free and fair elections are the long-term aim. “In the near future [the possibility of] transgressions cannot be excluded. But this should not discourage Christians doing their part in improving the quality of the elections.”

Bishop Ponce de León added that this was not only the wish of the bishops but also the message of the people the bishops met.

“The few we were able to meet asked us to pray for peace. As President Mugabe Continued on page 3

No pope: Vatican issues sede vacante coins, stamps

By CAROL GLATZ

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HE Vatican has issued special-edition stamps and will release minted special coins marking the sede vacante, the period when the see of Rome is vacant before the election of a new pope.

The stamps are marked with the sede vacante symbol, which is a special striped umbrella extended over a pair of crossed keys, as well as printed with the words, “Sede Vacante”, “Citta del Vaticano” (Vatican City), and the year in Roman numerals.

They were issued on March 1 in four denominations of 70 and 85 eurocents, 2 and 2,50 euros.

Collectors will have to wait longer for the

coins, however, which may be out as late as May, said an official at the Vatican’s stamp and coin office.

A 2 euro coin and a silver 5 euro commemorative coin will be issued for sale, while a portion of the 2 euro coins will be put into general circulation.

The sede vacante coins will have the denomination on one side and the sede vacante symbol on the other.

The coin issue takes longer because Vatican coins are produced by the Italian mint and work is backlogged, the official said.

The last of the Pope Benedict XVI coins, which bear the portrait of the former pope, will also be issued at the end of March.—CNS

An empty slot indicates where a medallion of the future pope will be placed next to Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor Pope John Paul II in the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. The upper basilica walls contain medallions of all 265 popes. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

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The Southern Cross, March 6 to March 12, 2013

Annual soccer day for Johannesburg

By CLAIRE MATHIESON

T

HE St Vincent de Paul Society in Johannesburg’s southern deanery will once again play host to a six-a-side soccer day on April

13.

Organiser Nick Tenner said the annual event is an opportunity to meet and compete with other parishes in the deanery. “There are also plenty of prizes to be won so bring the whole family along for a fun day out,” said Mr Tenner.

The event was inspired by the 2010 World Cup as a way to involve as many parishes and schools as possible in the work of the southern deanery. “We hardly ever meet with our fellow Catholics on a personal and social level,” said Mr Tenner. The secondary aim was to raise funds for the work of the society.

“I believe that sport is very important in developing people physically, mentally and even spiritually.

“It keeps you fit, it keeps you thinking and it is a team effort that unites people. In life we are guided by the Ten Commandments. Similarly in sport, there are a few rules and regulations, if we stick to them, the fun is maximised, if you break them there are consequences,” said Mr Tenner.

Since its inception, the event has grown to become an ecumenical event with more nonCatholic teams entering. This year’s event will take place at Marist Brothers Linmeyer and will run from 8:30 until the late afternoon.

Mr Tenner said space was limited due to the different categories teams could enter. “Teams can be made up of boys, girls or mixed, and can fall into the following groups: 6-10 year olds; 1117;18-30; and adults 30 plus.” Mr Tenner said the teams would comprise of six players with two substitutions.

“Each team should play a minimum of four games, this is however dependent on the final number of registrations per age category,” said Mr Tenner.

Primary school teams will pay R360 to enter and high school and adult teams R480. n For more information contact Nick Tenner on 082 451 1385 or svdp.stpatrick@gmail.com. Registration closes on March 29.

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LOCAL

Guilty: pro-life stickers

By CLAIRE MATHIESON

P

ETER Throp, a pro-life activist accused of placing anti-abortion stickers over illegal street abortion adverts, has been found guilty of contravening the Outdoor Advertising and Signage Bylaw.

He has been given a R5 000 fine or three months in prison, suspended for five years, for continuing to place “Value Life” stickers over illegal abortion advertisements on municipal property.

“Peter began his pro-life movement by attending Mass and the pro-life monthly march from Salesians in Cape Town to the Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street,” said his wife Terry Throp.

When the city council prohibited the group from praying on the centre aisle opposite the clinic, Mr Throp separated himself from the group, so as not to compromise their activities, and began his lone daily vigil in front of the clinic, “as a permit from the council is not needed if there are less than 15 people involved”.

He has been praying in front of the abortion clinic for nearly three years and has been known to approach women in pregnancy crisis situations “only on very rare occasions when the Lord prompts him to approach anyone who is waiting to go into the clinic to hand them pro-life literature or talk about the choices,” said Mrs Throp.

“Peter began cleaning the backstreet/illegal abortion advertisements off the lamp posts and other city property in and around Voortrekker Road in Parow, as the council seemed to turn a blind eye to them,” she explained. “Peter did this for about two years, two or three times a week, but the illegal abortion adverts were replaced daily. As Peter was in contact with the council, they informed him that his actions were in fact illegal!”

“After much prayer and asking Our Lord Jesus Christ for direction, the Value Life sticker was designed and thousands printed. The idea of covering the illegal abortion adverts with the Value Life sticker was to warn uninformed and un-

Peter Throp (far right) and supporters with (below) a Value Life sticker. Mr Throp has been found guilty under a bylaw of posting pro-life stickers on abortion banners. suspecting women of the plight of abortion and explain that abortion is not okay, it’s evil.” The stickers also include website addresses which provide information about abortion.

Mr Throp’s actions, while not supported by the city, led to new contractors employed to clean the abortion posters off the lamp posts in Parow and Bellville. But, Mrs Throp said, the posters continue to return.

Mr Throp’s conviction for damaging city property by placing the Value Life stickers over the existing illegal abortion adverts was a “sincere effort to protect women from assault, not to break down law and order, yet the court judgement stated that he was polluting the environment and that a clear message needed to be sent to the public with an example made of Peter,” said Mrs Throp.

The pro-life activist has had great support from the Christian world and has an advocate, Darryl Cooke, representing him pro bono. In addition, support has come through to help pay towards his appeal,

which could be costly and lengthy.

“The immediate step is that the Value Life mission must, and will, continue, but Peter will have to change his strategy, at least until the appeal is heard,” said Mrs Throp. “If the appeal fails, he will go back to putting the stickers onto abortion adverts and he is prepared to go to prison if necessary to do what his conscience dictates as he does not feel that he is guilty of an offence in the eyes of Our Lord and society,” she said.

Pretoria lecture series kicks off S STAFF REPORTER

ANTA Sophia conference centre in Waterkloof, Pretoria, will play host to a series of lectures over the next four months, covering both practical advice on Christian living and theological offerings.

“Dealing with difficult people is something many people face as part of their everyday life. The stress of handling difficult people and tough situations can create a lack of job satisfaction, poor attitude, fatigue, guilt, disabling resentment and an overall lower quality of life satisfaction,” said Fr Anselm Prior OFM about the series of four workshops where participants will learn how to deal with all sorts of troublesome people and situations.

“By the end of this programme, participants will understand how they can better manage their relationships with challenging people and feel confident in using a set of techniques which can assist them build better relationships with partners, family, relatives, friends and work colleagues as well as avoid potential con-

flicts,” said Fr Prior.

Presented by Fr Hugh Lagan SMA, and sponsored by the Institute for Catholic Education, the four presentations take place one Saturday a month and consist of a lecture, reflection time and discussion followed by a celebration of the Word and Eucharist.

Fr Lagan is a clinical psychiatrist and is on the staff of St Luke Institute in the United States. He is currently working closely with church leadership in Southern Africa to develop education and clinical services for priests and religious in the region.

Santa Sophia will also be screening recordings from a conference entitled “Jesus and Buddha” every second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

“The four noble truths are the distilled essence of Buddhist teaching. In these talks, each is introduced and explored, with emphasis given to the presence of these truths at the heart of Jesus’ call to awaken to God’s presence in every detail

of our lives,” explained Fr Prior. Topics include Buddhism 101, the Mind of Christ, and Nirvana and Kingdom Consciousness.

Fr Prior will also present a series of lectures entitled “Steps forward in growth”.

He said the ability to absorb the riches of other cultures is one of the greatest strengths of Catholicism.

“In this course we continue to reflect on the challenge to become more fully ourselves through reflection on Gospel teaching in the light of Jung’s psychology,” said Fr Prior.

“As we mature we become more concerned about the meaning of life and this can lead us to serious questioning and even doubts,” said Fr Prior, a Franciscan priest who lectures at St Augustine College and works as a research fellow at UNISA. The course will look at themes from Church life from a fresh angle. n For more information, contact Fr Prior by phoning 073 220 0234 or at prior. laurence@gmail.com.

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The Southern Cross, March 6 to March 12, 2013

LOCAL

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Time for an African pope?

STAFF REPORTER

F New edition for Passion

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HE Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has published a new edition of the Passion Readings for three readers for use on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, using the Bible translation now in use in the Church (Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition).

“With the change from using the Jerusalem Bible translation for the lectionary, one of the side effects was that the booklet with the threepart ‘trialogue’ Passion Readings for use on Palm Sunday and Good Friday became out of step with the Missal and lectionary,” said Chris Busschau, a member of the Liturgical Committee of the SACBC. “A new version of the booklet has been prepared and has now been printed by Mariannhill Press. Orders can be placed through Sr Jordana Maher at the SACBC by parishes, communities, schools, other organisations and diocesan chanceries.”

Mr Busschau said the layout also makes provision for the congregation to join in those sections that indicate a crowd. Parishes, schools and communities would need at least three copies for the three readers, and may also want to order a bulk stock to enable the congregation to participate in the crowd passages. n The new edition can be ordered from the SACBC by contacting Sr Jordana Maher at landline telephone 011 323 6458 or email jmaher@sacbc.org.za at a price of R15 per copy (plus postage).

ATHER Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, former member of parliament and mayor of Tshwane, has described the silence of Africans about the pope’s election as “deafening”.

“Most of the speculation and public comments have been left to Europeans and Americans,” he said.

“That gives the impression we have yet to take full ownership of our own Church. I do, however, know that the good Catholics are praying for Benedict XVI as well as his succes.

Fr Mkhatshwa believes Pope Benedict’s act has modernised the papacy itself—“a recognition that we no longer live in the Middle Ages”. But to further see change in the Church, the question is frequently asked: isn’t it time for an African pope?

“There is a saying that whoever goes into the conclave as a pope comes out a cardinal; quiet a sobering thought,” said Fr Mkhatshwa.

“The only thing we know about the elective cardinals is that all of them packed their bags for Rome, and that whoever is elected pope will not return home.”

But behind the question of an African pope, Fr Mkhatshwa said, is a desire that is truly universal and transcends but incorporates all cultures, ideologies, traditions and nationalities.

“This would make the most powerful statement about the catholicity of the Church in a world that is drifting towards secularism. After all, some of the most eminent leaders, fathers and theologians of the Catholic Church were Africans.”

But Fr Mkhatshwa said those who support the candidacy of an African cardinal would need to take some realities into account.

The Church is still “Euro-centric” in practice, he said.

“Most of the elective cardinals are from the First World. Our theologies, liturgy, governance, financial and intellectual resources are largely dependent on Europe and

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Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher (left) and chairman Chris Moerdyk welcomed Sr Hermenegild Makoro CPS to the annual general meeting of the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company, publisher of The Southern Cross. Sr Makoro, the secretary-general of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, is a director on the board of the company. The AGM also welcomed Archbishop Stephen Brislin, who could not attend, to the board of directors. (Photo: Sydney Duval)

Bishops meet Mugabe Fr Smangaliso Mkhatshwa North America.

“There is also no guarantee that an African pope would necessarily be progressive by taking the Church into the 21 st century. Leading the Catholic Church is not based on sentimentalism.”

Fr Mkhatshwa said we should not discount the element of surprise. The election of 76-year-old Pope John XXIII in 1958 took many people by surprise.

“Contrary to the expectation of many bishops, Christian and political leaders, he unleashed a revolution in the Catholic Church by convening the Second Vatican Council, which gladly accepted the modern world as its natural interlocutor.”

Furthermore, Fr Mkhatshwa said, although Latin America and Africa boast the biggest number of Catholics, the elective cardinals from the First World still lead the pack.

“In the back of cardinals’ minds will be the realisation that His Holiness is head of two-in-one institutions.

“He is a spiritual and political head. He is the successor of St Peter the Apostle as well as the head of the Vatican State,” he said.

“Who knows? Our own Cardinal Wilfrid Napier may not return to Durban,” Fr Mkhatshwa added.

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Continued from page 1 himself told us, the problem is not so much the day of the elections but the process towards the elections. It is during that time that violence is manifested and people are intimidated,” Bishop Ponce de León said.

Bishop Sandri said the message to the people of Zimbabwe was to avoid violence “Do not let yourself be intimidated. Register to vote.

Cast your vote freely.” He added that the bishops had also called on all political parties of Zimbabwe to accept the results.

Bishop Sandri told The Southern Cross that a real democratic Zimbabwe would “reduce the flow of refugees from that country to nearby countries, especially to

Fr Petrus Shiya, the new parish priest of Maryvale parish in Johannesburg, drew the winning ticket in the parish raffle to raise funds to send eight pilgrims to World youth Day in Rio de Janeiro this year. The next fundraising event will be held at the parish on St Patrick’s Day.

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South Africa, and will promote regional stability”.

It would also spur economic development of the region, he said.

The Imbisa bishops said the Church would strive for “justice and the common good for all the people of the country”.

In a statement, the bishops said peaceful elections, free of violence and intimidation, are “an essential part of building the nation” and that with the recognition of human rights in the new constitution and their practical application, especially by government agents, sanctions will fall away.

“The people of Zimbabwe need our prayers and support,” said Bishop Sandri.

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The Southern Cross, March 6 to March 12, 2013

INTERNATIONAL

Vatican, South Sudan to establish diplomatic links

By PAuL JEFFREy

T

HE Vatican has announced it is establishing diplomatic relations with South Sudan, but a Church official in Juba said the move was unlikely to happen soon.

The move means South Sudan will open an embassy in the Vatican, while the Church will open an apostolic nunciature in Juba.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Leo Boccardi, papal nuncio to Sudan and Eritrea, will continue to represent the Vatican in South Sudan.

“The news that we’ll have a nunciature here—and it doesn’t matter if it takes six months or two years or more—is a big deal,” said Fr Nicholas Kiri Bate, vicar-general of the archdiocese of Juba “It may take a while, as things here have their own rhythm. But it’s significant in that it reflects the government’s desire to collaborate closely with the Church,” he said.

“Yet even more importantly it reflects what the people think. Even before independence, the people invited Pope John Paul II to come to our independent country. So this desire for a closer relationship has been there for quite a while,” he said.

While the news was welcomed by many in South Sudan, it also underscored serious tensions within the Church hierarchy.

A move by South Sudan’s Catholic

bishops to break away from their colleagues in Sudan and form a separate episcopal conference was squelched by the Vatican last year. After months of tension, a compromise left Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, archbishop of Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, as the conference president, and conference offices were relocated to Juba.

Most of the conference’s members are in South Sudan, and of the four bishops who remain in two dioceses in Sudan, only one is a Sudanese citizen.

The other three hold passports from South Sudan.

“They are considered foreigners in the North. Since our governments have a hostile relationship, they are finding it increasingly difficult to be there,” Fr Kiri said.

The three prelates have had difficulties in getting permission to leave and obtaining visas to re-enter the North.

Fr Kiri said the latest development caps a long history of the Church earning a place of prominence in South Sudan’s history.

“At one time, especially at the end of the first civil war here, the Church wasn’t at the centre of people’s lives.

Nobody talked to the Church. Yet today it’s at the centre of society, it has a voice, it has a following,” he said.

“This news is going to add to what we have already achieved. It’s a boost not only for Catholics, but for all Christians in the country.”—CNS

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German bishops’ rule on ‘Plan B’ pill ‘acceptable’

By CAROL GLATZ

T

HE Catholic Church has long accepted the possibility of preventing ovulation in a woman who has been raped, but withdraws that option if there is a possibility that ovulation may have already occurred, according to the president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life.

A recent statement by bishops in Germany saying it was acceptable to use medication that hinders conception after rape reflects an “unassailable rule” that has been proposed by the Catholic Church the past 50 years, said Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula.

“To consider the possibility of using a drug whose active ingredient is a contraceptive in the case of a woman who has been raped seems acceptable to me,” he told Vatican Insider, the online news supplement to the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

The Church, however, refuses the administration of an abortive drug in all cases. “In the case of rape, one can do what is necessary to avoid a pregnancy, but you cannot terminate it,” the bishop said.

Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the US bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities and a member of the pontifical academy, told Catholic News Service that “you are not violating the teaching on contraception by seeking to stop ovulation or fertilisation”.

Rape “is not an act of unitive love, it is an act of violence [and] the woman has a right to defend herself against this attack,” he said.

However, “once a new life has been conceived, now you have a second innocent victim, and you don’t attack that victim” by administering drugs with abortive effects like preventing implantation, he said.

Bishop Carrasco and Mr Doerflinger agreed that it is up to

According to the Church, the morning-after pill can be administered to rape victims to prevent ovulation, but not if conception has already taken place. doctors and scientists, not the Church, to determine if a drug’s effect will be contraceptive or abortive.

However, while the Church’s moral stance is clear, science is still not 100% certain in determining whether ovulation has occurred, Mr Doerflinger said, adding that “some people dispute the reliability of the tests for whether ovulation has occurred”.

“That’s something that we hope that research can clarify in the future, but the prospect of being sure about this is very limited,” he said.

“The Catholic doctor has to study the evidence that’s out there and make a responsible decision,” he said. “If there’s serious evidence that the abortifacient effect is there, our moral approach should be to not risk the destruction of life.”

I

n late February, the German bishops announced that morning-after pills, sometimes called “Plan B”, can be dispensed at Church-run hospitals to prevent rape victims from becoming pregnant.

“Women who have been victims of rape will, of course, receive human, medical, psychological and pastoral help in Catholic hospitals—this can

include administration of the ‘morning-after pill’ as long as it has a preventive rather than abortive effect,” the bishops’ conference said.

“Medical and pharmaceutical methods that result in the death of an embryo may still not be used. The German bishops trust that, in facilities run by the Catholic Church, decisions on practical treatment will be based on moral and theological guidelines. In every case, the decision of the woman concerned must be respected.”

The statement said a “moral and theological evaluation” of the morning-after pill had been provided by Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Mainz, president of the bishops’ commission for doctrine and faith, “on the basis of scientific findings”.

However, it added that the bishops would continue studying the issue and making “necessary differentiations” with “those responsible in Rome”, as well as holding talks with Catholic hospitals, gynaecologists and consultants.

Controversy erupted over German Church attitudes to rape victims in December, after a 25-year-old was referred by her doctor to two Catholic clinics in Cologne after being drugged at a party and suffering suspected rape.

However, doctors refused to treat her, claiming this would require using the morning-after pill, often taken after sex to avoid pregnancy.

The woman was later treated at a Protestant-run hospital.

In a January 22 statement, Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne apologised for the clinics’ “shameful failure” to care for the woman, adding that it contradicted the Church’s “Christian mission and purpose”.

The German Church runs a quarter of all hospitals in the country and half in the Cologne region.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, March 6 to March 12, 2013

5

Strict rules govern papal elections in conclave

By CINDy WOODEN

T

HE voting by cardinals to elect the next pope takes place behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, following a highly detailed procedure that underwent major revisions by Pope John Paul II and a small, but very significant change, by Pope Benedict XVI. Under the rules, secret ballots can be cast once on the first day of the conclave, then normally twice during each subsequent morning and evening session. Except for periodic pauses, the voting continues until a new pontiff is elected with at least two-thirds of the votes.

The written rules for the conclave, which have developed in reaction to the problems—political and moral—that have arisen throughout history, are “rigid and highly formal,” said Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

For example, he said, Pope Paul VI’s rules excluded cardinals who were 80 years old or older on the day the conclave began. Pope John Paul II changed the rule to 80 years on the day the papacy became vacant. The change ensured cardinals did not choose a conclave start date specifically to include or exclude a cardinal close to the age of 80.

Under current rules, only cardinals who were under the age of 80 on February 28, the last day of Pope Benedict’s pontificate—can vote in the conclave.

There are 117 cardinals eligible, but at least three have announced that they will not travel to Rome: Indonesian Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja, 78, for health reasons; US Cardinal Roger Mahony, 77, following criticism of his handling of

clerical sexual abuse cases as archbishop of Los Angeles; and Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, 75, following allegations of inappropriate behaviour, which he has denied.

In theory, any baptised male Catholic can be elected pope, but current Church law says he must become a bishop before taking office; since the 15th century, the electors always have chosen a fellow cardinal.

Each vote begins with the preparation and distribution of paper ballots by two masters of ceremonies, who are among a handful of non-

cardinals allowed into the chapel at the start of the session.

Then the names of nine voting cardinals are chosen at random: three to serve as “scrutineers”, or voting judges; three to collect the votes of any sick cardinals who remain in their quarters at the Domus Sanctae Marthae; and three “revisers” who check the work of the scrutineers.

The paper ballot is rectangular.

On the top half is printed the Latin phrase “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as the most high pontiff”), and the lower half is blank for the writing of the name of the person chosen.

A

A detail view of the oath in Latin that each cardinal elector takes before the start of the conclave.

Placing a hand on the Gospels, each elector swears to uphold the rules and secrecy of the conclave.

(Photo: CNS)

fter all of the non-cardinals have left the chapel, the cardinals fill out their ballots secretly and fold them twice. Meanwhile, any ballots from sick cardinals are collected and brought back to the chapel.

Each cardinal then walks to the altar, holding up his folded ballot so it can be seen, and says aloud: “I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected.” He places his ballot on a plate, or paten, then slides it into an urn or large chalice.

When all of the ballots have been cast, the first scrutineer shakes the urn to mix them. He then transfers the ballots to a new urn, counting them to make sure they correspond to the number of electors.

The ballots are read out. Each of the three scrutineers examines each ballot one-by-one, with the last scrutineer calling out the name on the ballot, so all the cardinals can record the tally. The last scrutineer pierces each ballot with a needle through the word “Eligo” and places

Next pope ‘must fix curia’

By FRANCIS X ROCCA

A

CCORDING to some highly informed observers, the next pope will have an urgent task: reforming the Roman curia, the Church’s central administration at the Vatican.

“The curia not infrequently caused acute embarrassment to Benedict XVI, putting obstacles in the way of his evangelical, catechetical and pastoral efforts, and ill-serving the pope’s attempts to reframe the global agenda of debate on the crucial issues facing humanity,” the conservative US Catholic commentator George Weigel writes in his new book, Evangelical Catholicism.

The author, a biographer of Bl John Paul II, paints a picture of an inefficient bureaucracy where incompetence often goes unpunished and all too many players serve their own ambition rather than the interests of the Church.

“Things are in fact worse now, in my view, than they have been in perhaps 40 years,” Mr Weigel told Catholic News Service.

“Everyone who does not have a vested interest in the status quo understands that a major task in the early going of the next pontificate is going to be not only to change structure but to change attitude.”

Charges of mismanagement and corruption within the Vati-

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran said that the next pope will have to reform the curia. (Photo: Leonhard Foeger, Reuters/CNS) can bureaucracy were spectacularly documented in 2012, in the so-called “VatiLeaks” of confidential correspondence.

Part of the problem, Mr Weigel said, is that the headquarters of the universal Church is still dominated by the citizens of a single nation, Italy.

“This curia needs to be thoroughly internationalised,” he said. “It needs to be detached from what has become, according to one of my Italian friends, a deeply rooted culture of corruption in Italy as a whole, which has a way of seeping over the boundary between Italy and Vatican City.”

Even more necessary than

technical changes in administration, Mr Weigel said, is a “change of curial culture and cast of mind”.

In an interview with the French Catholic agency, I.Media, French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran—“proto-deacon” of the College of Cardinals and the one who will announce the new pope to the world—said the next pope will have to “reform the curia” and promote more coordination among offices.

Asked if Pope Benedict hadn’t also set out to do that, the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue said: “Yes, but the curia is a big machine. It may need a younger pope.”

US Archbishop Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis, a former curial official and before that the Redemptorists’ superior-general, said calls for the reform of the curia “is a reasonable priority to have, not so much to avoid scandals, but to provide for a government that will help the Holy Father exercise his Petrine service” Noting that there is a lot of goodness in the curia, he said “there are structures and trends that blunt the effectiveness of the curia”. One of those trends, he said, is the tendency of Italians to dominate the staffs of the various Vatican offices.—CNS

The central balcony where the new pope will be introduced to the world is seen on the facade of St Peter’s basilica behind the statue of St Peter.

(Photo: Paul Haring, CNS) it on a thread, so they can be secured.

After the names have been read out, the votes are counted to see if someone has obtained the twothirds majority needed for election.

The revisers then double-check the work of the scrutineers for possible mistakes.

At this point, any handwritten notes made by the cardinals during the vote are collected for burning with the ballots. If the first vote of the morning or evening session is inconclusive, a second vote normally follows immediately, and the ballots from both votes are burned together at the end.

When a pope is elected, the ballots are burned immediately. The

ballots are burned with chemical additives to produce white smoke when a pope has been elected; they are burned with other chemicals to produce black smoke when the voting has been inconclusive.

Slightly changing the rules in 2007, Pope Benedict said that after about 33 or 34 ballots without an election—about 12 or 13 days into the conclave—the cardinals must move to a run-off between the top two vote-getters. The two candidates may not participate in the voting, Bishop Arrieta said, and one of them is elected only once he obtains more than two-thirds of the vote.— CNS

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6

The Southern Cross, March 6 to March 12, 2013

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion.

Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

Symbolism of Mass profound READ the letter from Fritz Rijken- ing or as interesting as our underAlone with God in Lent Iberg (February 13) with real inter- standing of it allows us to be. Some est. It is always good to find years ago an American visitor asked OOKING around us during true home is not here but in a Guest editorial by Michael Shackleton

L

the holy season of Lent, we are not surprised to see little or no evidence of people eating less or avoiding chocolates and drinks in order to practise some sort of personal self-denial for the benefit of their immortal souls.

This could be because our communities in cities, suburbs and country districts tend to be less outwardly obvious in the practice of fasting and abstinence than in days past when meat-free dishes were the common food for Lent and people spoke openly about doing without sugar or tobacco or some other pleasure.

On the other hand, the reason for the common public neglect or ignorance of Lent could be that Catholics have, to an alarming degree, lost their appreciation of just what self-denial means in their spiritual lives.

The traditional, rather harsher, Lenten observances prescribed by the Church have gone by the board, apart from the few easy rules about fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Modernday Catholics are urged to take responsibility themselves to do some additional penance for Lent in preparing their souls for the liturgical celebrations of the Resurrection.

A good way to keep the traditional sense of sorrow for sin and a desire to make reparation, not only for our own sins but also for the sins of others, is to appreciate the meaning of Jesus’ 40 days and nights in the wilderness. He was hungry and lonely, enduring a great deal of discomfort. There was no one there to console him. He was alone before God his Father.

This experience was the preparation for his mission, his calling by God to bring the Good News to the world. But it was not the Good News of worldly delight and satisfaction.

It was the news of a real conversion to a commitment to living with the knowledge that our

new life with God forever.

In accepting our hope in this new life we accept that the present world is passing away and we must deny ourselves any excessive dependence on its material benefits.

Lent implies a spiritual sojourn in the wilderness where, like Christ, we stand alone before God and our conscience.

We turn away from the world and concentrate our minds and efforts on cleansing our hearts and souls of the clutter of sin, selfishness and despair.

Approaching Christ in the sacrament of reconciliation is a great start, and in this week’s issue we are providing the “tools” for making a good confession.

Unburdening oneself to a priest brings with it God’s loving embrace, similar to that with which the father hugged his wayward boy in the parable of the Prodigal Son. There is no substitute for confessing one’s sins, being absolved and hearing the advice of the minister anointed to act in Christ’s name to bring reconciliation and peace.

A decision to do something extra for Lent for our own good and the good of others must be firm once it is taken. This is because we cannot do without self-denial, penance and a confident trust in God’s forgiveness and blessing.

Right now even seems a most appropriate time to beg God’s mercy on those in our country who are openly and criminally malicious.

We can pray more, do corporal and spiritual works of mercy, attend Mass or Lenten devotions, give alms to the needy.

Whatever is done, it must not lose its traditional purpose: to do penance for our sins, to build up our faith, hope and love, and make us capable of celebrating the Resurrection of the Lord with the gift of penetrating peace in our hearts, which is the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding.

someone who has really applied their mind to an area of concern.

I would like to pose a few alternate views for Mr Rijkenberg and other readers to consider.

Firstly, there is no need for people to be limited to the Mass being the only spiritual support available to them. Parishioners should be encouraged to participate in the many excellent community-oriented programmes available through most parishes. Alpha and Renew Africa are two examples. It really is incumbent on parish priests and parish pastoral councils as the local leadership of the Church to encourage people to take part in these.

And then there are Justice and Peace groups that focus on social justice, economic justice, ecological justice, gender justice—and should be setting out to recruit the wonderful idealism of young people to help drive those initiatives.

The liturgy of the Mass is as bor-

Beauty of Mass

B

ELOW is my response to the “Format of the Mass loses followers” letter (February 13).

This may come as a shock to Fritz Rijkenberg and the older generation, but many a youth—despite our obsession with technology, convenience and pop culture—actually love a bit of structure and tradition.

I am a young convert to the Church in my early 20s, and find our liturgy to be anything but “dour” and “boring”.

Mr Rijkenberg reckons young people need an exciting service—if by this he means one of the “happy clappy” Protestant churches, then I’d much rather stick to the “ancient rote” of Catholicism, thank you very much. The Catholic Church has endured for over 2 000 years precisely because it does not bow to the whims of people seeking modernisation and so-called relevancy.

Our Mass is the highest form of prayer, which feeds us both spiritually and theologically in a way no other church community’s service can. Not only is our Mass deeply poetic and beautiful, but it is consistent and eternal like God's love for us. The “exciting” services Mr Rijkenberg speaks of can only offer the youth a social gathering cum rock concert, in which egomaniac pastors use the pulpit to market themselves and their products.

In order to not lose young people to those seemingly “exciting” (but spiritually devoid) services, the older generations need to ensure that they pass down a proper, thor-

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me to drop him off at a cricket match as he wanted to see one. He was absolutely bemused, and after about an hour of irritation he phoned and asked me to take him home.

A few days later I spent a couple of hours explaining cricket to him, and giving him an insight into the dynamics of the great game. I took him to another match the following weekend. I sat next to him and connected the information I had given him with what was happening on the field. What a difference! He now runs a cricket team in New Jersey!

I have no intention of trivialising the Holy Mass by inferring that it is like cricket, but the same truth applies. If we understand the background, history, culture and ritual of the Mass, our experience of the Mass becomes very different. So, Mr Rijkenberg’s discomfort with chasubles, rituals and what he has called “rote” can easily become excitement at the meaning and imough and impassioned understanding of not only the Mass, but the Catholic faith as a whole, to the youth. If they did so you could easily keep young people’s “bums on seats” week in, week out.

What we don’t need is lukewarm Catholic parents and grandparents who see Mass as something to attend out of habit, and who also instil no fire in their children and grandchildren to believe, nor to know the beauty of what they believe.

Michelle Evert, Gordon’s Bay

Well done

I

HAVE been a subscriber to The Southern Cross for many years, and after all these years I am still taken aback at the tone of some letters in your paper—acrimonious, critical and sometimes downright rude.

I have found The Southern Cross a pleasure—intelligent, informative, humorous, and many times a consolation.

If I disagree with an article, I remember that there are always two sides to a coin.

Often I have sent photocopies of interesting articles to a friend overseas, as well as to non-Catholic friends here in our country.

And what a heartwarming story in your January 2 edition of the infant Christ’s first Shabat—lovely.

So I am grateful that we have our own Catholic newspaper, grateful for the editor and contributors. In admiration and heartfelt support, I wish you every blessing.

L Joan Gayko, Hilton, KZN

Pope Celestine

T

HE picture in your February 20 issue showing Pope Benedict XVI placing a white stole on the remains of the 13th century Pope Celestine V, who was pope from 1294 to 1296, cannot pass unnoticed.

The incident when Pope Benedict visited earthquake-shattered L’Aquila in Italy in 2009 is poignant, interesting, and not without significance at this time.

Pope Celestine is the only other pope to have resigned voluntarily as pontiff. Celestine was elected pope by a unanimous vote of the Sacred College.

Pietro di Murrone (the pope’s real name) had been a hermit from an early age. He wore a hairshirt 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

pact of the symbolism, the drama and the deep prayers.

The excitement of a celebration that has its roots in Jewish prayer, in particular the Passover seder meal (which, of course, is what Jesus and his disciples were celebrating together at the Last Supper). That meal is the commemoration of the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb that allowed Moses to lead his people from slavery in Egypt to freedom.

The excitement of becoming aware that the Mass is in fact the celebration and expression of deepest gratitude for that original Paschal event being fulfilled in Jesus as the Paschal Lamb whose sacrifice leads us from the slavery of sin to freedom.

The excitement of reaching back over 20 centuries to celebrate in union with the earliest Christians, and the Christians of every age since then. And so much more!

I recommend that all Catholics encourage their priests to offer insight into the Mass. This could be done through elements in the homily each week or through a course of instruction (or both!).

Chris Busschau, Johannesburg roughened with knots. A chain of iron was fastened around him every day except on Sundays, and for long stretches of time he lived on bread and water.

In July 1294, three cardinals acccompanied by a multitude of monks ascended the wilderness of Mount Majella where Pietro lived as a hermit and announced he had been chosen pope.

Pietro received the news with tears but after a brief prayer obeyed what seemed the clear voice of God. Because of his inexperience, the affairs of the curia fell into extreme disorder.

He looked at affairs of state as wasting time that ought to spent in exercises of piety.

He eventually proposed abdication, fearing that his soul was in danger, and proclaimed the cardinals free to proceed with a new election.

Pope Celestine was most cruelly treated by his successor Boniface VIII, who had Pietro arrested and imprisoned. He died in prison on May 19, 1296. Boniface entertained extreme notions of papal supremacy.

His reign was marked by political intrigues all over the Western world, in which he played no small part.

It is reported that he died in a frenzy, gnawing his hands and beating his brains out against a wall.

We need to ardently pray, at this pivotal time in history, that the College of Cardinals be truly inspired by the Holy Spirit in the election of Pope Benedict’s successor.

John Lee, Johannesburg

Paedophile truth

F

RANK Bompas (February 13) writes of “hundreds if not thousands” of paedophile priests. Where does he get his figures from?

As the Catholic Church has the greatest number of priests of any Christian denomination, it will of course have the greatest number of wrongdoers. Not all are paedophiles.

Also, it must be remembered that the Church revealed all cases for the last 50 years at the same time.

If there had been a large number of cases of wrongdoing, we would have heard about them years before.

If we are not to hear about the present scandals for the next 50 years, the Church should prepare and publish a spreadsheet for each country, showing for the last 50 years how many priests were guilty of sexual offences of a serious nature in each ten-year period, and how many serving priests there were in that timeslot.

Will the wrongdoers work out as one in every 100 priests or one in 20? I rather think the figures will be a lot closer to one in 100.

A Haylett, Howick

PERSPECTIVES Cardinal Wilfrid Napier OFM

Why an African pope?

T

HE shock resignation of Pope Benedict triggered off an enormous amount of debate and speculation about his successor.

Some, particularly the Western media, are identifying Africa as the place from which the pope should come, hence the title of the piece. Let me hasten to add that it has nothing to do with any of the cardinals from Africa aspiring to the position.

Many reasons are being put forward, ranging from honest appreciation of the fact that in Africa the faith is evident; its practice is alive and vibrant; by and large the teaching of the Church is accepted and adhered to; expressions of faith are unashamedly manifested even in public life.

For others, it’s the novelty. For them it is the allure or attraction of the mysterious people from an even more mysterious continent—Darkest Africa. There is perhaps something of a fascination of strange black people and wild animals that Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan brought into people’s lives.

Others again may have been touched

by Africa’s still strong belief in and communication with the spirit world. This continues even among those who have adopted Christianity and its rather different understanding of the reality. That spirit world still plays an important role in the lives of those who look beyond themselves and their world for the One who gives real meaning to their existence.

A fourth group perhaps sees Africans as an “easy touch”—apartheid era president P W Botha would have said “a push-

over”. For that group Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, both conservatives, were too strong to be pushed over; the one because he was moulded in the difficult and challenging environment of communism and its aggressively antiCatholic ideology; the other a “converted liberal” who became an ultra-conservative.

For this group an African pope would be more amenable, more open to revolutionary changes in dogma and doctrine, discipline and practice. He would accept post-modern insights and values. He would open the window to let in not just air and light, but the whole world and its confusion.

That of course would mean abandoning the whole tradition of Christianity which from the beginning had a vision of faith as grace building on nature, not nature determining how faith is to be lived.

So, what would an African pope bring to the Church?

I believe some of the qualities which an African pope could bring to the Church, are well expressed in the two post-synodal apostolic exhortations Ecclesia in Africa (The Church in Africa) and Africae Munus (Africa’s Commitment/Gift).

The first is the reality, a strong sense of family. This is so characteristic of Africa that both synods use the expression Church, the Family of God to describe the Church in Africa appropriately.

In all three cases, in times of crisis, personal or communal, there is likely to be a reversion to the primitive beliefs, unless the integration has been cogent and consistent.

A second reality, already alluded to, is of the spirit world, whether traditional or post traditional. The spirits of the ancestors are for real, because they survive in and about their progeny; they are interested and active in the lives of these; they play a significant part in what happens in their lives.

There are three ways in which African Christians relate to the spirit world; a) they push it into the background and adopt the Christian version; b) they work out a balanced approach; c) they totally suppress the African version and live an exaggerated Christian one.

So, what exactly is the world looking for an African pope?

For those who dwell on the theological conservatism of Popes John Paul and Benedict, an African pope would bring the Church up to date with the world. He would apply the world’s agenda willynilly to the Church.

So, the flawed logic goes, we would have abortion on demand, contraception, condoms in every pocket or handbag, absolute equality of men and women (indeed the progressive blurring of the differences between men and women), same sex “marriage”, divorces, adoptions, and the removal of all restraints to human freedom except those dictated by political correctness.

Some of these are utter nonsense, but Continued on page 11

Mphuthumi Ntabeni

T

Pushing the Boundaries

Pope Benedict announcing his resignation from the papacy. (Photo from CNS) public, to such an extent that some Catholic politicians challenge and even resign from their parties for reasons of policies contrary to the social teachings of the Catholic Church.

Within the Church, Pope Benedict’s mission was to reverse the trivialisation of the liturgy, lax clerical discipline, and the weakened sacramental safeguards. In a nutshell this pope’s mission was to call the Church to deeper sanctity.

Pope Benedict’s renunciation of the mission of the bishop of Rome has to be seen through the lens of the Church’s founder, our Lord Jesus, the Christ.

The greatest show of obedience in human history was Christ’s conscious de-

7

Talking Frankly

What the secular media failed to grasp HE resignation of a pope was always a going to be a controversial thing.

What I didn’t expect was the secular media, of all people, to be so displeased by it as to accuse Pope Benedict of not being sufficiently Catholic.

Apparently the fact that Pope Benedict renounced the ministry of bishop of Rome meant that he had broken his vocation vows and even the dogma of infallibility.

Others said his resignation was due to legal pressures (that old story of him shielding priests who abused children).

You had a range of conspiracy theories to choose from; they abounded.

Others yet said he was making room for a leader who would be open to dialogue and would have the courage to create systems that will address the sexism, exclusion and abuse in the Church. And others hoped for a non-European pope.

Among many Catholics Pope Benedict gained renewed respect for the grace and humility in his courageous move after he “repeatedly examined my conscience before God”. In fact the pope’s resignation speech had the quality and tone of St Paul’s second letter to Timothy: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith…”

The legacy of Pope Benedict XVI is still up for debate. Secular media like to judge him with the accusation that he was implicated in sheltering abusive priest and the Vatican financial scandals that emerged during his tenure.

Before his resignation Pope Benedict had hinted at his regret about divisions within, leading cardinals jockeying for influence in the upcoming conclave and in the papacy that it will produce.

For me the lasting legacy of Pope Benedict XVI will be the manner in which he put faith back into dialogue with the world, especially in Europe. You now see many Catholics gaining confidence in

The Southern Cross, March 6 to March 12, 2013

cision to permit his own crucifixion.

In Gethsemane you get a sense that Jesus would have preferred to live on a little longer. He felt that the termination of his temporal ministry, extreme human torment and certain human death would be contrary to his mission.

Even as his human body was suffering egregiously and as he was approaching the hour of death, Our Lord proclaimed that he would have preferred to live. Yet he submitted to the will of his Father.

This most unique act in human history represented both the affirmation of an informed conscience and the free submission to divine will.

To me, the resignation of Pope Benedict was informed by the same motive.

The essence of Benedict's gift to the Church is in using time, near the end of his days, to teach others to reach and correspond to a personal relationship with God, driven by conscience and consistent with Church teachings, via the sacraments and personal sacrifice, no matter what the world thinks.

It is demonstrated in the resignation speech. You feel the hidden personal sacrifice behind words such as “after having repeatedly examined my conscience before God...” This is Christ-like and the essence of the Rock the Church was founded on.

We do not expect the secular media to understand that, even as it preaches Catholicism to the pope.

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A boy is pictured playing a video game. Can violent video games be recociled with the Catholic faith, asks Adam Shaw. (Photo: Lisa A Johnston)

‘Game over’ for violent video games?

By ADAM SHAW

E

VEN as people across the United States mourned the children and teachers who were killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December, the question of what drove killer Adam Lanza to commit such a horrific crime was already being debated.

Violent video games were cited as an aggravating factor by some even before it was discovered that Lanza was a fan of the Call of Duty franchise— a brand of popular first-person war shooters.

This should come as no surprise; in the wake of many earlier atrocities, video games have shared in the blame. In the case of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, for example, perpetrators Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were found to have been obsessed with classic shooters Doom and Wolfenstein 3D. This led to a host of accusations that those titles played a role in encouraging mass murder. Yet research on the subject appears inconclusive.

Some maintain that video games exert a deeper psychological effect than a passive medium like film or TV because the gamer takes an active role in the violence at hand. Those who disagree point out that, despite many studies, no tangible link has ever been established between bloody video games and real-life violence. In fact, it has been argued that just the opposite is true—that “play” violence actually provides an outlet for destructive urges that might otherwise be acted on in reality.

Certainly video games by themselves do not a killer make, given that millions who play them don’t end up slaughtering children, or harming anyone. Still, it seems quite likely that Harris and Klebold’s constant playing of Doom or Lanza’s hours put into Call of Duty may have brought previously latent tendencies to the fore.

How should gamers of faith view this issue?

The teaching of the Church has always emphasized the personal nature of sin. While collective factors or social trends may contribute to shaping misguided values, each offence against God is first and foremost the chosen act of an individual.

To say that violent video games can have negative effects on the personality of the player is not to say that all gamers will go on to be rampaging sociopaths. Still, interactive entertainment can affect real world behaviour to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the individual’s personality.

To look at what may be an analogous situation, a connection between pornography and rape has been shown to exist. Not everyone who engages with pornographic images becomes a rapist, of course. But, given the consequences of original sin—the burden of concupiscence that all human beings bear—the harmful effects of obscene material may take their toll on otherwise well-balanced people in far subtler ways.

Such repercussions may range from an addiction that causes responsibilities to be cast aside to an inability to form relationships or a disposition to flout marital vows. The damage wrought by mayhem-filled games may be equally insidious.

There is, obviously, a qualitative difference between the two activities; unlike the use of pornography, playing video games is not inherently sinful. But morally minded gamers should evaluate the kind of influence to which they may be subject from the games they choose to play. Will some inflame negative emotions or have a desensitising effect, inuring the player to actual violence?

Perhaps another useful comparison can be made with the art of cinema. There is all the difference in the world, after all, between movies nicknamed “torture porn” and films which necessarily include violence as part of the story they have to tell. A similar gulf separates games that invite players to relish opportunities for bloodletting—the recently released Hitman: Absolution would be a case in point—and those in which violence is merely incidental.

There should be more than a discussion about how violent games may affect the mentally disturbed. Rather, healthy players should take a step back and ask what the games they play are doing to their minds and, by extension, to their hearts and souls.—CNS

8

The Southern Cross, March 6 to March 12, 2013

COMMUNITY

Srs Benedict Wurm and Emily Russ OP celebrated their 100th birthdays at Emmaus retirement home in Port Elizabeth.

Sr Wurm (left) grew up as the eldest of 13 children in Gilching, Bavaria, Germany. As her parents owned a big nursery, she learned gardening at an early age and continued practising and loving it all her life. She entered the convent in 1936 and sailed together with 12 companions to South Africa in 1939.

Due to her many talents she learned a number of trades and became very proficient in all the work she did. Over time, she qualified as the convent’s carpenter, shoemaker, painter, sewing mistress, assistant cook and nurse.

Sr Emily Russ (right) was born in Heimenkirch, also in Bavaria. She entered the convent in Schlehdorf in 1935 and came to South Africa in 1939.

She was much appreciated as a teacher and respected by her pupils. As mother prioress she was sincerely loved by her fellow sisters as an understanding, helpful and generous person.

She endeared herself to all with whom she came into contact. She gave to all a splendid example of the ability to live very simply.

Catechists from Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary parish in Waverley, Preto- St Peter’s parish in Durban went on a pilgrimage to Ngome ria and St Mary’s parish in Mamelodi, Pretoria, had a recollection conducted Marian shrine in Eshowe diocese, KwaZulu-Natal.

by Consolata Fr Rocco Marra, parish priest of Waverley. The group is pictured with Fr Marra (left back) and Sr Miriam (front left).

Dick Chan, a member of Sacred Heart parish, Kabega Park in Port Elizabeth was awarded a Bene Merenti papal medal for his service to the Church. He is pictured with parish priest Fr Paul Fahy.

St John Bosco in Robertsham, Johannesburg, held a farewell Mass for parish priest Fr Jeffrey Johnson SDB who was transferred to Cape Town to become rector of the Salesian Institute.

Fr Don Bohé OMI and retreatants from all over the country celebrated his 25th annual preached charismatic retreat at the Rabbuni Retreat Centre in Klerksdorp.

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FAITH

The Southern Cross, March 6 to March 12, 2013

9

Season of harmony and joy what we sow; that the richer the seed, the richer the harvest?

We risk missing out on the opportunity to share our joy of communion with the entire Church when we give little time to prayer and only the least of our goods to suffering humanity.

When we manifest little determination for conversion, we weaken our strength in overcoming sin.

During Lent we are called to experience joy as we accompany Jesus in the wilderness, but often the season is seen as one of gloom, writes GYAVIIRA KISUTU IMC

T

HE Zulus have a saying, “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, which teaches that one is a person in relationship with people.

This aspect of ubuntu advocates a need for persons to respect, support and accept one another, irrespective of one’s weakness, strength, failures or success in society. This is dwelling in harmony irrespective of social status, based on the notion that we are all equal in dignity as persons.

The field of music provides us with a useful analogy.

Discord in music results in disharmony, but voices coming together in harmony produce a sweet melody.

Still, the voices aren’t actually the same. The soprano is not an alto, nor is the bass the same as the tenor. And when one of the voices goes it alone or sings out of tune, there might be no sweet melody.

Likewise, we ought to live in harmony despite our uniqueness— which of course is a beautiful characteristic of God’s creation.

More than any other time of Christian life, Lent is a moment that calls to us to witness perfect harmony with God, with one another and with all of creation.

The spirituality of Lent is not one of individualism but of communion; not of self-triumph but humility; and not too much of receiving but of giving.

Harmonious living brings forth the experience of joy. Lent is a penitential but also joyful season as it calls us to communion, and support of one another.

Although harmonious living requires a spirit of give-and-take, expression of remorse, the granting of forgiveness and so on, experience gives us a directly opposite picture.

We live in a society where the expression of remorse risks being interpreted as cowardice, and the granting of forgiveness as an exercise of superiority and power (or, alternatively, both might be interpreted as signs of weakness).

I

n families, spouses may be slow to sing a psalm of forgiveness to one another. No one wants to appear before the other as weak, and so a volcano of resentment can build up.

A failure to take responsibility and express remorse can sour a relationship so much that it spreads even to the children. They then too learn to be aggressive, dictatorial and intoler-

W

A priest marks a cross on the forehead of a woman during an Ash Wednesday Mass in Nairobi, Kenya when Catholics around the world began the penitential season of Lent with prayer, fasting and the mark of ashes. Although Lent is a penitential season, it is also one of joy as we renew our Christian commitment. (Photo: Thomas Mukoya, Reuters/CNS) ant of one another.

During Lent we are urged to revisit the way we relate with one another. It’s a period of real change, to start afresh with Christ, so as to make this world hospitable—to make a better day, as the 1985 hit “We Are The World” put it.

The problem that we most often face in our struggle to improve relationships is that we don’t always put our abilities and gifts into play.

Sometimes we act as if we don’t care, as if we are no different from the rest of creation, as if we were stones which have no feelings!

Church event that happens to be on the liturgical calendar?

Our joy and choice of Lent should be inspired by our awareness of its meaning in our lives as Christians.

It is unfortunate that sometimes we miss out on the joyous characteristic of the Lenten period, living it as if it were one of misery.

A call to deny ourselves some

T

he 20th-century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre cautioned us not to behave like cauliflowers, “for cauliflowers just exist, things happen to them from without; they grow, but without thinking about it.

They are not conscious (as far as we know), whereas we humans are conscious and have the possibility of changing the world around us and creating”.

In his 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness while fasting (Mt 4:1-11), Jesus made a choice that he considered necessary and important for his mission ahead. It couldn’t have been a choice characterised by sadness and lamentation but by joy and willingness.

This brings us to a very important question.

Do we choose to live the period of Lent freely? Or do we feel compelled to “join in” because it is a

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pleasures and offer them as sacrifice might be frustrating, as does the call to spend more time in prayer.

That may explain why we take so long in deliberating on what to give up in our fast, how to pray and how to offer our alms—not because we want to be effective but because we are looking for an easy landing.

But is it not true that we reap

e must beware that the 40 days of Lent do not become like infinite years of sadness, giving us cause to pull our faces and give gloomy looks as we count down to the day when it will be over with.

Better to turn to what Lent would mean for Jesus. No doubt our imagination is greatly enriched by Jesus’ experience of the 40 days’ fast in the wilderness.

Lent would be a period of holistic contemplation, reflection and physical and spiritual detachment from the temporal pleasures to the eternal joys.

It would be a period of falling in love with his mission of salvation due to be accomplished at the will of the Father.

Lent would be a period of witness to faith in the Father’s providence and a moment of renouncing Satan’s empty promises. It would be a period of sacrifice and prayer for the cause of communion and mutual love.

Our faith teaches us that through the Lenten period we accompany Jesus as witnesses to his mission of salvation. How prepared are we to live this with joy in contrast to sadness?

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.

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Preserve them from the corruption of this world and give us the grace one day to be united with them in heaven forever.

Amen.

10

The Southern Cross, March 6 to March 12, 2013

LITURGY

Striking the right note in Holy Week Parishes are now preparing for the Holy Week celebrations. In the first of two articles, Fr MALCOLM McLAREN advises how parishes can best structure the music for the Easter Triduum.

I

PREVIOUSLY wrote two series of articles in The Southern Cross outlining some key liturgical principles which concern the use of music during the Mass.

People have since responded with specific questions concerning instruments, choirs, celebrations outside of the Mass, and liturgical seasons.

These are valid questions which begin to build on the initial principles. They show that there is both a keenness to understand and a desire to celebrate the liturgy well: not simply as a ritual action, but in a way that enables an encounter with God. At present I am investigating the most beneficial way of facilitating further questions on liturgical music, in collaboration with the liturgy office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

This article addresses a group of questions that enquired about music during the Easter Triduum. Since here I can only refer to some of the more important aspects which are unique to the Easter Triduum, it ought to be read together with my previous articles which concerned the Mass more generally, and the Roman Missal (www.scross.co.za/2012/07/music-inthe-mass-1/).

To begin, the Triduum is not three separate celebrations: it is one great celebration which takes place over three days.

It begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday), includes the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion (Good Friday), reaches its climax in the Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday), and ends with the celebration of Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday.

Celebrated well, these three days can be a most profound spiritual experience—a participation in the Paschal Mystery—and the Roman Missal itself points out the special role which music has during this time.

This article is written in anticipation of upcoming meetings of parish liturgy commissions to plan for Holy Week and the Easter Triduum. If you have not already met, avoid meeting only days before the Triduum (or Holy Week). Instead, try to meet as soon as possible since there are many aspects of this special liturgy, the greatest and most solemn of our Church, that deserve attention.

Moreover, instead of rushing to assign readers, altar servers and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, a meeting where the commission also read together at least parts of the Roman Missal that concern the Triduum, could be much more productive and useful.

Music is, of course, only one aspect of the work of the parish liturgy commission. But musical planning, likewise, is about much more than simply choosing hymns and putting together a makeshift choir: it is firstly about understanding the celebration on each of the three days, and then seeing how music (in all of its forms) might help during the celebrations.

It involves working with the priest and the deacon.

Moreover, as this is also a time when there is only one celebration each day for the entire parish (with the exception of Easter Sunday), I would encourage parish choirs to unite, rather than divide up the celebration of the Easter Triduum.

The Triduum might also be the chance to invite those who feel unable to make a weekly commitment to join the choir, perhaps as part of their Lenten commitment!

A

lthough a diversion from music, I would like to highlight four liturgical issues that the parish liturgical commission might consider in preparation for the Triduum.

1. After the distribution of Communion on Holy Thursday, the Blessed Sacrament is transferred to a “place of repose” not to the altar of repose. This incorrect terminology perhaps arose because the place of repose was one of the (old) side altars in the church. There is nothing incorrect in continuing to use a sidealtar.

However, it is the central altar on which the Eucharist will be celebrated which remains a focal-point in the Church, and which later will be stripped bare. An attempt to create a place of repose that outdoes the main altar in terms of flowers, candles and cloths is more than simply distracting.

2. There is no entrance procession at the liturgy on Good Friday, nor is there mention of concelebrants. It is the priest and deacon alone who go to the altar. Such an approach should be simple and not resemble the entrance procession of the Sunday Mass.

Altar servers for this day, other clergy, as well as those who might help in the distribution of Communion, should already be seated before the liturgy begins and may even be seated outside the sanctuary.

3. There is only one cross to be used for the adoration (previously called veneration) of the Cross on Good Friday—and it is a cross that is adored, not a crucifix. Notice that only one of the options includes un-

A priest holds a crucifix during veneration on Good Friday. (Photo: Michael McArdle, Northwest Indiana Catholic). In his article, Fr Malcolm Mclaren outlines the liturgy to be used for the Easter Triduum. veiling the cross (not both). Under no circumstances should there be more than one cross for adoration!

In the presence of a large number of people, the Roman Missal outlines a proposal in which adoration of the cross may take place. We adore the cross, since this is the object on which Jesus was glorified by God. Indeed, the Passion Narrative that is read on this day shows how the cross may be considered Jesus’ throne.

Moreover, this liturgy is a celebration of the passion of the Lord who is already risen, which is why we use red vestments during the celebration (and not black or purple). If you do not have a cross, invest in one. They can easily be made without great cost to the parish.

Finally, the missal indicates that the priest removes his shoes (and chasuble) before he adores the cross.

4. The use of light (and darkness) during the Easter Vigil is cause for much debate, some yearning for a dramatic lighting of the church at the Gloria. And yet the Roman Missal is clear: at the start of the celebration the church is in darkness, and the lights of the church are then turned on immediately before the Exultet is sung, and once the entire congregation is in the church.

Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday) The evening Mass of Holy Thursday is traditionally associated with the Last Supper. However, take care to notice the words of the Entrance Antiphon which marks the end of Lent and the start of the Easter Triduum: we are beginning a threeday celebration of the triumph of the cross: We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection,

through whom we are saved and delivered.

The entrance procession at this evening Mass will be more elaborate for most parishes than a normal Sunday Mass: it may take place from the back of the church rather than from the sacristy, it may involve more altar servers (with the processional cross, candles and those with the thurible and incense), and may also include concelebrating priests.

Therefore a suitable entrance hymn, in line with the theme just mentioned above, should be chosen to accompany both this procession and also the incensing of the altar.

The Gloria frames the beginning of the Triduum (on Holy Thursday evening) and the end of our period of waiting at the Easter Vigil. The ringing of the church bells usually accompanies the Gloria on these two occasions, although care should be taken not to overpower the Gloria with the church bells.

Moreover, a Gloria on Holy Thursday evening that is more elaborate than the Gloria at the Easter Vigil would be inappropriate. Remember that it is the Easter Vigil which is the highpoint of the Triduum.

It is also important to comment on the use of musical accompaniment after the Gloria has been sung on Holy Thursday. Until the intonation of the Gloria again at the Easter Vigil, care should be taken to change the nature of the accompaniment so that it serves only to sustain the singing, mostly in tone.

While some parishes and communities will not have any musical accompaniment during this period, using only their voices, the missal makes allowance for accompaniment to continue, but its level must change. Therefore the organist

should use softer stops on the organ, or pianist a lower volume on the keyboard or piano: the accompaniment should be distinctly subdued and simple.

Throughout the Triduum, the Roman Missal provides suggestions of texts that should be sung to accompany various actions including, for example, the Washing of the Feet.

Try to use some of the common hymns which have been composed from these given texts.

However, remember that the Washing of the Feet is not just an action for the priest, but for the whole community. The significance of this great act of charity should not be missed by those whose heads are buried in the pages of a hymnbook.

Therefore, rather than searching for extra hymns to fill every moment with sound, it might also be useful to combine periods of silence together with song, to give the community space to reflect on the meaning of what they observe. (Incidentally, it is both feet of those chosen that should be washed, not just one).

The missal also proposes Ubi Caritas to be sung during the Preparation of the Gifts (and Offertory Procession). This is the only celebration in which an offertory text is given in the entire Roman Missal, and it should not be replaced with an alternative hymn, without at least trying to learn it first.

In fact, if the choir were to learn one new piece for Holy Thursday, this would be it. The melody is repeated in the verses, the response is easy for the congregation to follow, it does not need to be accompanied, and there are versions available online which can assist in the learning.

Interestingly, it is one of the chants chosen by the Church in its collection Jubilate Deo: a selection of Latin chants that would be kept in use following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, and which could be used during large celebrations.

Although a popular Taizé version also exists, the problem is its lack of verses. On Holy Thursday the offertory hymn or chant needs to support a long action: the procession might include gifts being brought up for the poor (including the Lent mite boxes) and there is the incensing of the gifts, altar, cross, celebrants and the community. Using the longer chant, the verses could be repeated if needed, or it could be followed by some repetitions of the Taizé version!

Finally, a post-Communion hymn may be useful on this day to allow the priest and the servers to prepare for the second distinct moment of this liturgy: the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament to the place of repose. n Part 2 next week.

The Southern Cross, March 6 to March 12, 2013

An African pope?

Continued from page 7 I’ve noted them precisely to show that some expectations of an African pope are totally unreasonable.

First of all, like any bishop, the pope is solemnly entrusted with the triple duty of believing, teaching and living all that Jesus Christ himself believed, taught and commissioned his apostles to do.

In the course of history under the inspiration, guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus guaranteed he would send his disciples, the Church developed a rich body of teaching and practices

which is passed on from generation to generation.

Every bishop—and by definition the pope is the bishop of Rome—is a successor of the Apostles, and as such is by the nature of his vocation and commission, a Conserver of the Tradition of the Church and an Interpreter of Divine Revelation and its application to life.

Therefore, the pope, whether he is African or not, is duty-bound to be no more of the world than Jesus himself was of the World. Like his Master he is to be prepared to be persecuted for his faithful witness to Jesus. He is sent to make disciples

of all the nations, rather than himself become a disciple of the world.

My own prayer and dream is that the pope will be one who has Jesus firmly as the anchor of his life; is well aware of the key situations in the various parts of the Church; and is, pastorally and spiritually equipped to lead his brother bishops and their priests, religious and laity through the New Evangelisation and the witness of his life to being a Church that by its fidelity to God and his divine will, will bring the world and all its people the Kingdom of God.

Fr Arnold Fischer SAC

F

ATHER Arnold Fischer SAC died on January 21 at the age of 86 . He was a Pallottine for 61 years and a priest for 57 years.

Fr Fischer was born on April 4, 1926, in Brachbach-Büdenholz, diocese of Trier in Germany. He grew up in a staunch Catholic family of eight children.

He qualified as a draughtsman in Siegen but was called up for military service in 1944. He was a prisoner of war until August 1945.

The events he witnessed during the war and imprisonment left a great impression on him. He had been active in Church life on a local level and also deeply inspired by the life of the now-canonised Belgian Father Damien de Veuster, who was the apostle to the lepers on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.

In December 1945 he went to Limburg an der Lahn, where the Pallottines had opened a minor seminary mainly for people coming back from the war, being too old to study at an ordinary high school.

After his matriculation in 1949, he went to the Pallottine noviciate in Olpe, Westphalia because he was convinced that he would find “the best chances to put his abilities and energy in the service of God in the framework of the Pallottine projects”.

On April 25, 1951 he made his first consecration and was ordained a deacon in 1955 in Vallendar by Bishop Eugene D’Souza of Nagpur, India. On June 17, 1955 he was or-

dained a priest by the Australian Pallottine Bishop Otto Raible.

His superiors sent him to South Africa. He arrived at the end of May 1956 in Cape Town.

He took over the pastoral responsibility in the mission stations of the diocese of Queenstown. To get acquainted with the language and the mentality of the local people, he stayed one year in Zigudu.

From 1957 to 1984 he worked in Cofimvaba. During the time he resided in Butterworth, he was the pastor in Willowvale, McKay’s Nek and finally in Qoqodala.

His love for the Xhosa people led him to learn their language fluently and he published an English-Xhosa dictionary which became, thanks to his tireless researching and exploring, an officially recognised standard work in the academic world.

His pastoral zeal was based on some very clear structures concerning the spiritual and material needs of the several congregations where he was in charge.

It was clear to him that every community needed a place where catechesis and worship could be practised in a dignified way. With the help of his native country he built at least 14 churches and chapels and he also gave the best of himself in the formation of catechists at the Lumko Institute which he headed from 1970 to 1976 and for which he did preparatory studies at the Lumen Vitae Institute in Brussels and at the university of Johannesburg, where he studied anthropology.

Word of the Week

ROOM OF TEARS: Room where pope robes himself before being presented to the public.

URBI ET ORBI: “To the city and to the world”.

This apostolic blessing is given at Easter and Christmas time and also when a new pope is elected.

CASSOCK, ROCHET, MOZZETTA: The pontifical choir robes that a newly elected pope dons in the room of tears. A mozzetta is a short cape, a rochet is worn over the cassock (long robe) and under the mozzetta and is sometimes made of lace.

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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.

IN MEMORIAM

LOVATT—Terence John (Ted) 2/3/2002. Lovingly remembered and always in our prayers. From your wife Eileen and children Graham and Patricia and grandchildren.

PERSONAL

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NOTHING is politically right if it is morally wrong.

Abortion is evil. Value life!

PRAYERS

Fr Fischer was a zealous and also a very pious man. His piety was very Christological and helped him during his ministry in places where people could feel really lonely.

He remained a life-long committed Pallottine with a never-ceasing interest in the global life of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate.

In 2008, he left Qoqodala and came to Queenstown, where he lived in the bishop’s house, befriending Bishop Herbert Lenhof.

In November 2010, he went back to Germany where he lived in the Pallottine Mission house, spending his leisure time with his favourite interests: botany, the world of ornithology, and classic music.

He died at St Vincent Hospital in Limburg, the day before the feast of St Vincent Pallotti.

His Pallottine confreres laid him to rest in their own cemetery in Limburg an der Lahn on January 28.

Fr Edward Tratsaert SAC

Liturgical Calendar Year C Weekdays Cycle Year 1

Sunday, March 10, 4th Sunday of Lent Joshua 5:9, 10-12, Psalm 34:2-7, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Monday, March 11 Isaiah 65:17-21, Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13, John 4:4354 Tuesday, March 12 Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12, Psalm 46: 2-3, 5-6, 8-9, John 5:116 Wednesday, March 13 Isaiah 49:8-15, Psalm 145:8-9, 13-14, 17-18, John 5:17-30 Thursday, March 14 Exodus 32:7-14, Psalm 106:19-23, John 5:31-47 Friday, March 15 Wisdom 2:1, 12-22, Psalm 34:17-21, 23, John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 Saturday, March 16 Jeremiah 11:18-20, Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12, John 7:40-53 Sunday, March 17, 5th Sunday of Lent Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126:1-6, Philippians 3:8-14, John 8:1-11

Southern CrossWord solutions

SOLUTIONS TO 540. ACROSS: 1 Doings, 4 Height, 9 Extraordinary, 10 Curdled, 11 Ocean, 12 Mauve, 14 Jesus, 18 Quill, 19 Nothing, 21 Annual retreat, 22 Silver, 23 Alaska. DOWN: 1 Drench, 2 International, 3 Grail, 5 Epitome, 6 Grave business, 7 Trying, 8 Pride, 13 Vulgate, 15 Equals, 16 Entry, 17 Agatha, 20 Total.

11

HOLY St Jude, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. In return I promise to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. For prayers answered.

OUR MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel,

Fruit of the vine splendour of heaven. Blessed Mother of the Son of God. Immaculate Virgin assist me in my necessity. O star of the sea

help and show me herein you are my mother, O holy Mary, mother, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity. There are none that can withstand thy power, O show me where you are my mother. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3x).

Thank you for your mercy towards me and mine. Amen. Say this prayer 3 days and then publish. Special thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Ss Jude and Daniel for prayers answered.

ST MICHAEL the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

YOU, O eternal Trinity, are a deep sea into which, the more I enter,

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084 790 6562.

CAPE TOWN: Fully equipped self-catering, 2 bedroom apartment with parking, in Strandfontein R400 or R480 (low/high season) (4 persons per night) Paul 021 393 2503, 083 553 9856, vivilla@ telkomsa.net FISH HOEK: Self-catering accommodation, sleeps 4. Secure parking.

Tel: 021 785 1247.

HERMANUS—PLEASANT GETAWAY: Selfcatering double accommodation. Comfortable, fully equipped, in tranquil church garden. Five minute walk to the Village Centre and seafront.

R200 per day—minimum two days. Phone Caryn during office hours at 028 312 2315 (Mon/Wed/Fri 09:00—1pm) or on Cell 082 075 0033.

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

MARIANELLA: Guest House, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views.

Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Tel: Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675 or mjsalida@mweb.co.za SEDGEFIELD: Beautiful self-catering garden holiday flat, sleeps four, two bedrooms, open-plan lounge, kitchen, fully equipped. 5min walk to lagoon. Out of season specials. Contact Les or Bernadette 044 343 3242, 082 900 6282.

STELLENBOSCH: Five simple private suites (2 beds, fridge, microwave). Countryside vineyard/forest/mountain walks; beach 20 minute drive. Affordable. Christian Brothers Tel 021 880 0242, cbcstel@gmail.com STRAND: Beachfront flat to let. Stunning views, fully equipped. One bedroom, sleeps 3. Seasonal rates. From R525 p/night for 2 people—low season. Garage. Ph Brenda 082 822 0607.

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5th Sunday of Lent: March 17 Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126, Philippians 3:8-14, John 8:1-11

N

EXT Sunday we enter into that deeper part of our Lenten journey which we call “Passiontide”; it is more sombre, and our attention is less on our own feebleness and more on what is happening to Jesus, and what God is doing there; and for this Sunday, it seems that God’s speciality is the impossible.

The first reading has the prophet talking about the return of the exiles from Babylon (which of course is quite enough impossibility for one day), and in very graphic images, “the Lord who opens in the sea a way, and a path in the mighty waters”, echoing the great story of the Exodus from Egypt.

Trumping that, and telling us to forget about the past: “Do not remember the past and what went before you are not to look at,” for “Look! I am doing a new thing; now it is springing forth—don’t you see it? I am making a way in the desert, and rivers in the wasteland!”

And it is all for the sake of God’s people: “This people I have fashioned for myself, they shall proclaim my praise.” We read (or listen) and are immensely heartened.

The psalm for next Sunday is one of those that the Israelites used to sing as they went up on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; and this one reflects on God doing the impossible (that same extraordinary experience of coming back from exile): “We were like people who were dream-

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God’s ‘impossible’ acts of love Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

ing; then our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues sang for joy.”

The people rejoice in God’s impossible acts of love, and imagine the reactions of their enemies, “they shall say among the Gentiles, ‘the Lord has done great things with them’”.

However, that return from Exile now seems long ago, and there is another crisis facing them, so more impossible deeds are called for: “O Lord, restore our fortunes, like streams in the desert.”

The psalm ends on a beautiful note of confidence in God’s ability to bring joy out of sadness: “Those who sow in tears will harvest in joy; ...they shall certainly come back in joy, carrying their sheaves.” It is a wonderful picture of God’s ability to do the apparently impossible.

Paul expresses this well in the second reading, where he declares himself ready (and we have to believe him, so transparently sincere is he in what he claims) “to regard everything

as loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost everything and regard it as dung, in order that I might gain Christ and be found in him”.

And the impossibilities continue to pile on, as Paul speaks of “the power of his resurrection, and the sharing in his sufferings, being shaped in the form of his death, so that somehow I may encounter the resurrection from the dead”.

Then he uses a metaphor from sport (and I never get the feeling that Paul would have turned naturally to the back pages, so this may be another impossibility): “I am going for the post, for the gold medal, the calling-upwards of God in Christ Jesus.”

The gospel for next Sunday is yet another impossibility; the voice is unmistakably the voice of Jesus, but it does not belong in the setting where we find it, nor was it written by John, and we must be grateful to the person who somehow managed to smuggle it in there, otherwise we should have lost it.

The deeper impossibility, however, is Jesus’ encounter with a woman who has certainly done wrong, the way he first escapes a lethal trap set for him, and then how he treats her like a human being.

It starts with “scribes” (and we know that means trouble) who drag on stage “A Woman

How to overcome anxiety A

NXIETY, like all tensions, eats at us at various levels. More superficially, we worry about many things. Deep down though we are anxious in a way that colours almost everything we do.

So much of what motivates and drives us is an unconscious attempt to free ourselves from anxiety. We are forever nursing the hope that we can free ourselves from anxiety through achievement, success, financial security, fame, leaving a mark, and through power and sex.

We nurse the secret belief that if we have the right combination of these in our lives, we will have the substance we need to feel secure and non-anxious.

But experience soon teaches us that these things, though good in themselves, are not our cure. Indeed they can, and often do, make us more anxious.

As soon as we have financial security, we become anxious about protecting it; and as soon as we have power, we are constantly looking over our shoulders in fear about losing it.

As well, success can quickly become a cancer because we have a congenital propensity to identify our self-worth with our achievements and this pressures us always to be doing something of importance for fear of no longer feeling worthwhile.

And sex, unless it is experienced inside a truly committed and unconditional relationship, becomes a drug, with the same addictive quality and ineffectiveness as any other drug. Sex, like achievement and fame, will not quell the deep demons in-

Conrad

083 640 5848

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

side us.

We are forever trying to give ourselves wholeness, but we cannot. We cannot self-justify. We cannot make ourselves immortal. We cannot write our own names into heaven.

Only love casts out anxiety and, indeed, only a certain kind of love can give us substance. Only God’s love can write our names into heaven. What’s the algebra here?

Some years ago, I went on a week-long retreat directed by Fr Robert Michel, a French-Canadian Oblate missionary.

He began the retreat with these words: “I want to make this a very simple retreat for you. I want to teach you how to pray in a particular way. I want to teach you how to pray so that in your prayer, sometime, perhaps not this week, perhaps not even this year, but sometime, you will open yourself so that in your deepest self you will hear God say to you: ‘I love you!’

“Because before you hear this inside you, nothing will be enough for you.

You’ll be searching for this and for that, running here and running there, trying every kind of thing, but nothing will ever

be quite right. After you hear this from God, you will have substance; you will have found the thing you’ve been looking for for so long. Only after you have heard these words will you finally be free of your anxiety.”

In a culture too easily given to false sophistication, it can be tempting to dismiss his words as naïve, or over-pious, or sentimental; but what these words are inviting us to is, in essence, what Jesus invites us to in John’s gospel.

As we know, in the gospel of John, Jesus exhibits very little humanity. John’s gospel depicts him as divine from the first page to the last.

In that gospel, the first words out of Jesus’ mouth are an invitation: “What are you looking for?” The entire gospel of John then tries to answer that question: What are we looking for?

Throughout John, Jesus tells us that we are looking for many things: Living-water which quenches our deepest thirst and never needs to be drunk again, a truth that sets us free, a rebirth to something above, a light that shines eternally. But these images can seem abstract. What’s the real kernel inside them?

The gospel of John eventually answers that in a very clear way. Near the end (indeed this was probably the original end of John’s gospel) we have that poignant, post-resurrection meeting between Jesus and Mary of Magdala.

It takes place in a garden, the archetypal place where love happens. Mary, carrying spices to embalm his dead body, goes searching for Jesus on Easter Sunday morning. She meets him, but doesn’t recognise him. Supposing him to be the gardener, she asks him where she might find the body of the dead Jesus.

Jesus replies by repeating the question with which he opened the Gospel: “What are you looking for?” Then, before she can answer, he gives the deepest answer to that question: He pronounces her name in love: “Mary”.

In that very particularised affirmation of love (for which Fr Robert Michel invites us to pray) he writes her name into heaven. He gives her substance, and he cures her of her anxiety.

Since love needs to be mutual, that affirmation has to be responded to in kind.

And... in that lies the risk.

As the French philosopher and Christian mystic Simone Weil puts it: “Inner communion is good for the good and bad for the bad. God invites all the damned into paradise, but for them it is hell.”

God willing, for us it is heaven!

Caught in the Act of Adultery”, with the intention of either stoning her to death or getting Jesus to abolish the law of Moses.

They recount what the crime is, what the verdict (they are judge and jury, and there is no counsel for the defence), and what the punishment ought to be, and then, all innocentlike, ask for his opinion.

There is a silence as he writes on the ground, but they are not going to let him off the hook. So he looks up and delivers his devastating, not to say impossible, verdict: “Let the one of you that is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Now there is a real silence, and one by one the accusers sidle off, leaving Jesus alone with the woman. He is the only person to talk to her like a real person, as he enquires of her: “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?”

Now at last she speaks, and utters the impossible, “No one, Lord”; and, more impossible yet, Jesus says: “Neither do I condemn you”, and she is set free: “Off you go, and from now on, no more sinning.”

We are left breathless at this extraordinary, one has to say impossible, reversal of our expectations.

Our task is to ponder on what God is doing as we go deeper into our Lenten journey.

Southern Crossword #540

ACROSS 1. Acts, Of the Acts of the Apostles? (6) 4. Praise to the Holiest in the ... (hymn) (6) 9. Not a common minister (13) 10. Turned in a milky sort of way (7) 11. Canoe turned over in expanse of seawater (5) 12. Liturgical colour (5) 14. Jesuists’ namesake (5) 18. The scribe’s old instrument (5) 19. Creation’s material (7) 21. Priests and religious go on it regularly (6,7) 22. Pieces given to Judas (6) 23. America’s frozen state?

(6)

DOWN 1. Pour too much baptismal water (6) 2. Not local bishops’ meeting (13) 3. It was holy in King Arthur’s quest (5) 5. Meet Pio, the embodiment (7) 6. Serious pursuit of the undertaker (5,8) 7. Hard time for the judge while hearing court case (6) 8. A fall may follow this vice (5) 13. St Jerome’s translation (7) 15. Is on a par with (6) 16. Kind of fee for admission (6) 17. Roman virgin martyr (6) 20. The result of addition (5) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

T

HERE was a very rich man who was about to die.

He made his wife promise to put a chest full of gold in the attic so he could grab it on his way to heaven. That night the man passed on.

The next morning the wife and son went to the attic to check on the chest of gold, and they found it right where they left it the day before.

The wife sighed and said: “The old codger, I told him I should have put it in the basement.”

Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.