The Southern Cross - 130327 by The Southern Cross

March 27 to April 2, 2013

Whatever happened to limbo?

Page 7

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BIG POSTER OF POPE FRANCIS

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R6,00 (incl VaT RSa)

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4817

A night in the church of the Holy Sepulchre

Pages 12-13

What Pope Francis’ shield means The Editor and staff of The Southern Cross wish all readers, advertisers, Associates, supporters, contributors and friends a blessed Easter filled with the hope and joy of our Risen Lord.

The Resurrection is depicted in a modern painting by Stephen B Whatley, an expressionist artist based in London. The title is “The Glory of Christ”. Easter, the feast of the Resurrection, is on March 27 in the Latin-rite Church this year. In the Orthodox Church, however, Easter will be celebrated this year only on May 5. (Photo: Stephen B Whatley)

By CaROL GLaTz & CINDy WOODEN

OPE Francis’ papal motto is based on the Gospel account of “The Call of St Matthew” the tax collector, in a homily given by English saint St Bede the Venerable. The pope decided to keep his episcopal motto and coat of arms for his pontificate with just a few minor adjustments in line with a papal emblem. For example, the blazon adds the bishop’s mitre and the keys of St Peter. The silver mitre was something Pope Benedict XVI established in 2005, putting an end to the three-tiered tiara that, for centuries, had appeared at the top of each pope’s coat of arms. The simple, more modest mitre has three gold stripes to mirror order, jurisdiction and magisterium, and a vertical gold band connects the three stripes in the middle to indicate their unity in the same person. The Holy See’s insignia of two crossed keys, which symbolise the powers Christ gave to the Apostle Peter and his successors, is on the new papal coat of arms and has been part of papal emblems for centuries. The papal emblem uses a gold key to represent the power in heaven and a silver key to indicate the spiritual authority of the papacy on earth. The red cord that unites the two keys alludes to the bond between the two powers. Something Pope Francis seems to have changed is to have removed the pallium, the woollen stole symbolising a bishop’s authority, to the elements surrounding the shield. The pallium was a new element Pope Benedict added to his coat of arms in 2005. The new papal blazon contains the same symbols Pope Francis had on his episcopal coat of arms. The dark blue shield is divided into three sections—each of which has its own symbol. On the top is the official seal of the Society of Jesus in yellow and red, representing Jesus and the religious order in which the pope was ordained as a priest in 1969. Below are a five-pointed star and the buds of a spikenard flower, which represent respectively Mary and St Joseph. The papal motto, like his episcopal one, is the Latin phrase “Miserando atque eligendo”, which means “because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him” or more simply, “having mercy, he called him”. The phrase comes from a homily by St Bede, an English eighth-century Christian writer and Doctor of the Church. Explaining his choice of name, Pope Francis has said that “as things got dangerous” in the conclave voting, he was sitting next to his “great friend” Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes “who comforted me”. When he went over the 77 votes needed to become pope, the pope told reporters, Cardinal Hummes, who is a Franciscan, “hugged me, kissed me and said: ‘Don’t forget the poor.’” Pope Francis took to heart the words of his friend and chose to be called after St Francis of Assisi, “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation,” the same created world “with which we don’t have such a good relationship”. “How I would like a Church that is poor and that is for the poor,” Pope Francis said.— CNS

The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

LOCAL

Houses offer a fine future STaFF REPORTER

Volunteers help build houses with the aid of Homeplan.

OUSES for Orphans, a programme of the Aids Office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has— to date—built nearly 200 houses for destitute Aids orphans, either in orphan-headed households, or living with elderly grandparents, and has 80 under construction, or planned for the near future. The Aids Office’s Johan Viljoen said the programme was made possible thanks to donors, of whom the largest is the Dutch organisation Homeplan, an NGO consisting of professionals in the building industry, who sponsor houses for the poorest of the poor. “With Homeplan funding, the SACBC Aids Office has already built 90 houses in the vicariate of Ingwavuma—50 in Hlabisa, 30 in Ndumo and ten in Kosi Bay—and 20 houses have been earmarked for Swaziland, of which almost half are already complete,” said Mr Viljoen. In the latest expansion of this project, Homeplan is sponsoring the building of houses for orphans in the Inkomazi district of Mpumalanga in the diocese of Witbank, he said. “Situated between the borders of

Mozambique and Swaziland, Inkomazi experienced a large influx of Mozambican refugees during the 1980s. Many died of Aids, leaving their orphaned children behind in a particularly precarious situation— not having South African parents, these children cannot get South African birth certificates. “Consequently they cannot access South African government social services. Returning to Mozambique is not an option—they were not born there, have never lived there and do not know anyone there. They depend completely on the assistance they receive from the Church,” said Mr Viljoen. Every year Homeplan organises a bouwreis—their donors visit a country where they build houses, stay for a week with local families, and assist on the building site. Last year they went to Hlabisa and this year a group of nine visited Inkomazi. The group were welcomed with a dinner on the farm of the Granville family, followed by an evening in the pastoral centre of Kamhlushwa church. The following day they were divided into five groups. Each group built orphan houses during the day, and spent the evenings with local

host families. “Everyone was deeply moved by the experience. Working in extreme heat, they managed to finish four houses. Two members of the group painted a house, after which the keys were given to the beneficiaries; three orphans. When the two passed by the houses the following afternoon, the orphans had already planted pretty beds of flowers right around the house,” recalled Mr Viljoen. During the evaluation, all members mentioned how much they enjoyed staying with their local hosts. “All of them also expressed admiration for the work done by the local church to support the orphans,” said Mr Viljoen, adding that the Church currently feeds 2 000 orphans in the area. A special Mass was celebrated by parish priest Fr Jean Pierre le Scour followed by a braai, attended by the Dutch visitors, their host families, the orphan beneficiaries and the local builders said Mr Viljoen. “The local hosts also enjoyed the experience,” said Mr Viljoen. When asked whether the Dutch should come back next year, one host said: ‘No. They must already come back in August or September this year.’ ”

Dominican convent hosts new boarders STaFF REPORTER

HE excitement mounted, as one by one 57 Grade 7 boys and girls from schools all over Johannesburg and as far afield as Randfontein to the west, Benoni to the east, Vanderbijlpark to the south and Midrand to the north started arriving at Dominican Convent School for the start of their first-ever boarding experience weekend. After bags were stowed away, everyone met for a snack and drink and was introduced to staff and the boarding leaders and then the real fun began. Lessons on iPads followed by a school tour, delicious dinner in the dining room followed by an exciting timed treasure hunt around the school as the sun went down. Spontaneous singing and dancing and games with the existing DCS board-

ers then a movie under the stars. After an evening snack, all the children cleaned up, the hall, said prayers and snuggled sleepily into their sleeping bags. Saturday morning started bright and early and after breakfast the pupils participated in a marimba and drumming workshop, a drama workshop and played sport. Then it was back to the hostel to collect their pre-packed lunch and luggage to meet their parents at the entrance. Time to say goodbye to all their newly made friends. Each child took with them a school magazine and DVD and happy memories of an unforgettable experience. Dominican Convent School hopes to welcome all the boarding experience weekend guests as boarding pupils at the school next year.

Excited participants at the Dominican Convent in Johannesburg at a boarding weekend.

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The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

LOCAL

Bishops: sexual abuse a crime By CLaIRE MaTHIESON

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier hands Pope Francis a year of Faith band, which the new pope immediately put on his wrist. “I designed a special band for Catholics to wear in this year of Faith as a symbol of their faith and am encouraging all Catholics to be witnesses of their faith,” said Fr Des Royappen of St Joseph parish in Morningside, Durban. “Just before the cardinal left for Rome to participate in the conclave I gave him a gift box with two bands for the new pope.” Cardinal Napier himself wears his year of Faith band all the time. "I joked with him and told him to give it to the new pope but if he becomes pope he must wave, showing his band off,” said Fr Royappen. The priest said he was excited to see Pope Francis wearing the band. He added that every Catholic is encouraged to wear this band and identify as a person of faith. Bands can be ordered from the parish office on 031 303 1890 or email stjosephdbn@iafrica.com.

Funds urgently needed for Mariannhill bus MauRICIO LaNGa

N spite of its outstanding academic achievement, St Francis College in Mariannhill faces the great challenge of lack of school transport to ferry pupils on essential educational trips. For years now the school has been relying on a 14-seater minibus that has proven to be insufficient, benefiting only a handful of pupils. There is an urgent need for a roomy 23-seater for the school to continue pro-

vide a holistic education to learners. The college is appealing to all well-wishers and donors to support the fund for a 23-seater school bus. School principal Mr Jabulani Nzama said it is an urgent matter. “Every year the school takes learners to obtain career information in different institutions. Such trips are important as they help them to get the necessary information directly from universities.” The principal said every year

REMEMBERING OUR DEAD

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

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

the Grade 12s also attend various workshops organised by the subject advisors, go on excursions, and to sporting events. n Those who wish to contribute towards the purchase of the 23-seater school bus are encouraged to deposit the money in the school’s fundraising account: Nedbank acc 1339415801. Or telephone 031 700 2824, fax no: 031 700 3349, or write to administrator@stfranciscollegemariannhill.co.za or principal@stfranciscollegemariannhill.co. za

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ST. KIZITO CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME St. Kizito Children’s Programme (SKCP) is a community-based response to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children, established through the Good Hope Development Fund in 2004 in response to the Church’s call to reach out to those in need. Operating as a movement within the Archdiocese of Cape Town, SKCP empowers volunteers from the target communities to respond to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) living in their areas. The SKCP volunteers belong to Parish Groups that are established at Parishes in target communities. Through the St. Kizito Movement, the physical, intellectual, emotional and psycho-social needs of OVCs are met in an holistic way. Parish Groups provide children and families with a variety of essential services, while the SKCP office provides the groups with comprehensive training and on-going support. In order to continue its work, SKCP requires on-going support from generous donors. Funds are needed to cover costs such as volunteer training and support, emergency relief, school uniforms and children’s excursions. Grants and donations of any size are always appreciated. We are also grateful to receive donations of toys, clothes and blankets that can be distributed to needy children and families.

If you would like to find out more about St. Kizito Children’s Programme, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact Shirley Dunn on (021) 782 2792 Email info@stkizito.org.za. Donations can also be deposited into our bank account: aBSa Branch: Claremont, 632005; account Name: Good Hope Development Fund; account Number: 4059820320 This advertisement has been kindly sponsored

RCHBISHOP Stephen Brislin, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), and Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban have both released statements in which they uphold the Church’s position that “sexual abuse of children is a horrendous crime against children, their families, the Church and society”. The statements were released following an interview the cardinal did with BBC Radio 5 Live after which he was accused of saying that paedophilia was a mental condition or disorder and not a crime. He apologised and said he was “afforded no time to explain that the priority of pastoral concern must always be for the victim”. “The point was and still is: child sexual abuse is a heinous crime among other things because of the damage it does to the child. In that concern I included the abused who has become an abuser,” Cardinal Napier said. “Whether he needs medical help as much as, if not more than, punishment, is a question that is still to be answered by medical experts. Does the damage suffered by the abused in any way affect his culpability before a court of law? Again only the experts can give us the answer.” Archbishop Brislin said there had been for centuries “a veil of silence in the world surrounding child abuse and it is only in recent years that the matter is receiving the attention it deserves. Unfortunately there have also been failures on the part of the Church.” To combat this, the SACBC has, for a number of years, had a protocol in place in which any allegation of abuse is to be handled, said the archbishop.

This was the first of its kind in Africa and has since become a template on the continent. Fr Chris Townsend, spokesman for the Professional Conduct Committee, said the committee is made up of civil lawyers, psychologists, priests and religious groupings and has been used as a model in the Vatican. The South African Church has dealt with 32 cases of misconduct. Fr Townsend said the majority of the cases have been heterosexual in nature. He said once a civil case begins, the Church investigation ceases and will resume once the civil case has concluded. “When paedophillia is acted on, it is always a criminal act,” said Fr Townsend. “One can be a paedophile without doing anything, and this can be treated, but once it is acted upon, the Church is in favour of the weakest and most vulnerable in the situation which is always the child.” All cases of sexual abuse of minors are reported. Archbishop Brislin said the SACBC was “well aware of the devastation caused by sexual and other abuse of minors” and as such, each diocese has a contact person to deal with reports and cases. These people work closely with designated police officers and social workers. “Perpetrators must take responsibility for their actions,” Archbishop Brislin said. “Abuse of children is so widespread that there is an urgent need for a growth in knowledge and understanding of what causes an abuser to harm children, particularly when a perpetrator has been a victim of abuse.”

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“The Gospel is the Revelation of Christ's Mercy” - CCC 1687 4

The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

In the Liturgical year, we have three officially recognised Feasts in the Church which have come about through Our Lord’s apparitions to saints in various stages of our history. These revelations that have been given by Our Lord to the Church are what we call ‘Private Revelation.’ The three Feast Days are:

•

Feast of Corpus Christi: given through the writings of Saint Juliana of Liege O.Praem – (1192-1258aD) and officially recognised as a Feast for the Church by Pope urban IV in 1264. Feast of the Sacred Heart: The devotion towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus was first celebrated by St John Eudes in 1670. It gained greater significance through the life of Saint Margaret Mary alacoque (1647-1690aD). It was finally approved as obligatory for the whole Church by Pope Pius IX in 1856. Feast of Divine Mercy: Given to the Church through the writings of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who lived between (1905-1938 aD). Details of the Feast Day are recorded in the diary of her life entitled ‘Divine Mercy in my Soul’. http://www.saint-faustina.com/drp/?q=home. Our Lord desires it to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. It was officially approved as a Feast Day for the universal Church by Blessed John Paul II in the Jubilee of 2000; thus the Second Sunday of Easter is now officially known as Divine MercySunday.

From the Scriptures:

an annual feast like the Feast of Atonement: See Leviticus 16, especially verses 1-16 in connection with Hebrews 9:15-28. blood and Water: See John 19: 33-37; 1John 5:5-8

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

#67: Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognised by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church. # 766: The Church is born primarily of Christ's total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross. The origin and growth of the Church are symbolised by the blood and water which flowed from the open side of the crucified Jesus. # 1225: In his Passover Christ opened to all men the fountain of Baptism. He had already spoken of his Passion, which he was about to suffer in Jerusalem, as a “Baptism” with which he had to be baptised. The blood and water that flowed from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus are types of Baptism and the Eucharist, the sacraments of new life. From then on, it is possible “to be born of water and the Spirit” in order to enter the Kingdom of God. # 1687: The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners. The angel announced to Joseph: “you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The same is true of the Eucharist, the sacrament of redemption: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

The Eucharist - Greatest Gift of Divine Mercy!

From the Diary of Saint Faustina:

Regarding the Feast of Mercy as a Plenary Indulgence given by Our Lord: •

•

“I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy. Whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment.” (Diary #300) ‘I desire that the Feast of Mercy be refuge and a shelter for all souls, especially for poor sinners. On that day, the very depths of my tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon souls who approach me in the Fount of Mercy. The soul who will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion* shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day, all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to me, even though its sins may be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is my desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the First Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.” (Diary #699) (*Please note that this is no different to the usual conditions for a Plenary Indulgence. The Church allows for Confession eight days either side of the Feast.)

Regarding the Second Coming of Jesus: • • • •

“Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognise My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the Day of Justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the Fount of My mercy and let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them.” (Diary #848) “Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy...souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight me. Before I come as the Just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of my justice.” (Diary #1146) (Matt 25: 31-46 see significance of Mercy in context of Day of Justice.) “My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice, I am sending you the Day of Mercy.” (Diary #1588) “Before I come as the Just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there will be given a sign in the heavens of this sort: all the light in the heavens will be extinguished and there will be a great darkness over the whole earth. (See Exodus 10:21-23; Matthew 27:45; Mark: 15:33; Luke 23:44;) Then the sign of the Cross will appear in the sky (see Matt 24:30) and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Saviour were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day.” (Diary #83)

From Blessed Pope John Paul II (anticipating the Jubilee of Third Millennium)

“In our own day too, the Spirit is the principal agent of the ‘new evangelisation’ ...in the eschatological perspective, believers should be called to a renewed appreciation of the theological virtue of hope, in which they have already heard proclaimed “in the word of truth, the Gospel.’ (Col 1:5)...Christians are called to prepare for the Great Jubilee of the beginning of the Third Millennium by renewing their hope in the definitive coming of the Kingdom of god, preparing for it daily in their hearts, in the Christian community to which they belong, in their particular social context and in world history itself.” (‘Tertio Millenio adviente,1994’; paragraph 45-46; Emphasis shown is the emphasis of Blessed Pope John Paul II.)

"Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Divine Mercy." (Diary #300)

INTERNATIONAL

Argentinians: The Pope Francis we know

By JuDITH SuDILOVSKy

Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, washes and kisses the feet of residents of a shelter for drug users during Holy Thursday Mass in 2008 at a church in a poor neighbourhood of Buenos aires. (Photo: Enrique Garcia Medina, Reuters/CNS) He spoke out often against injustice, such as the treatment of migrant workers from neighbouring countries and those lured into the sex trade, and against social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

e criticised the late President Nestor Kirchner and President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who succeeded her husband in 2007, and their way of doing politics—by building patronage groups, instead of alleviating poverty, he alleged. They responded by going to other churches instead of the cathedral for important ceremonies. “They went off to the provinces ... where there was a more friendly church,” said José María Poirier, director of the Catholic magazine El Criterio, who has interviewed Pope Francis frequently over the years. “Here in Buenos Aires, he was a man politically at odds with the government, very much loved by the poor and members of the opposition. But, fundamentally, he’s a pastor and political man,” he

said. “Bergoglio is very demanding. He demanded a lot of discipline and obedience. He also considered himself a privileged interpreter of St Ignatius of Loyola, and this caused controversy,” said Mr Poirier. “Half [of the Jesuits] liked him a lot, but half wanted nothing to do with him.” Gabriel Castelli, a member of the board of directors at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, said the new pope “always had the ability to say what he thinks”. He put a priority on providing attention to his priests. He had a cellphone reserved just for his nearly 4 000 diocesan priests, and each morning he reserved one hour to take their calls. “He was very committed to his priests, which is difficult with such a large archdiocese,” Mr Castelli said. Many in the Church, like Mr Poirier, speak of his administrative skills in Buenos Aires. Continued on page 15

Will Latin American pope beatify martyred Archbishop Romero? By EDGaRDO ayaLa

ALVADORAN clergy are hopeful that the canonisation of Archbishop Óscar Romero—who was murdered while celebrating Mass on March 24, 1980, during El Salvador’s civil war—will move forward under the Church’s first Latin American pope. “We are in the best of circumstances. The time is ripe for a final verdict,” Auxiliary Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chávez of San Salvador told Catholic News Service, referring to Pope Francis, who as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, until he was elected pope on March 13. The media, he said, have reported about the admiration that the new pontiff has for Archbishop Romero and the conviction that the martyred prelate should be canonised. “The stars are alligned [for Romero’s canonisation], but I insist that we should not rush. God has his time and that time will come,” Bishop Rosa Chávez added. The canonisation process for Archbishop Romero began in 1994. The case is being studied by the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes. Romero biographer Mgr Jesús Delgado also told reporters that

Holy Land Catholics called to follow new pope’s lead

By DaVID aGREN

SCAR Justo, 60, begs for bills and coins from a perch next to St Joseph parish in Barrio de Flores, the neighbourhood where Pope Francis was born. As Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis passed by often, walking from the bus stop or surfacing from a nearby subway station. But he always took time to greet Mr Justo, offer a blessing and provide a few pesos. “He always gave me something ...sometimes 100 pesos (R180),” said Mr Justo, who lost both legs in a railway accident. Such stories of kindness abound in Buenos Aires, where Pope Francis was archbishop for 15 years. Portenos, as locals here are known, came to know Pope Francis as an unpretentious prelate, who took public transport, showed preoccupation for the poor and challenged the authorities. The new pope is mostly portrayed as a pope for the poor and common people. But a more complex picture—as a priest, administrator and football fanatic (he supports the San Lorenzo club)— comes from Argentina, where vendors now peddle his pictures and posters, and where Peronists—the political movement founded by former President Juan Perón and his second wife, Eva—have blanketed Buenos Aires with posters proclaiming him one of their own. He ascended in the Church, something attributed to his force of personality and ability to remember names and faces. “He has a prodigious memory,” said Fr Andrés Aguerre, Jesuit viceprovincial in Argentina. “You tell him your birthday once and he remembers.” In the archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis adopted the attitude that the Church belongs in the street. He built chapels and missions in poor areas and sent seminarians to serve them.

The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

CHOING Pope Francis’ vision for the Church, Franciscan Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, custos of the Holy Land, encouraged Catholics to be witnesses for the poor and for justice in the world out of love for the crucified Christ. During a Mass at the church of the Holy Sepulchre, Fr Pizzaballa said that the new pontiff invoked the spirit of simplicity and humility of the saint whose name he had chosen as an example for all people of faith. The Church is not an organisation, but a “community of faith”, he added during his homily at the traditional burial site of Jesus. “The Church is on a journey, and we have to journey together,” he said. “We can’t greet Christ alone, but only in a community.” In the Holy Land, where the Church is hindered by many binds and fears, the new pope has already offered an example of how to shed those binds, he said. “Pope Francis, as the successor of Peter, will also help our small Church in the Holy Land to work together,” he said. Earlier, Fr Pizzaballa told Catholic News Service the Holy Land is in need of someone who

will open hearts and talk not only about the suffering, but also about hope “in every one of us”. Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal and Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, papal nuncio to Israel and Cyprus and apostolic delegate in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, concelebrated the Mass. The patriarchs of the Armenian and Coptic Catholic churches, as well as representatives from the Greek, Syrian and Ethiopian Orthodox churches, were among clergy attending the Mass. Some worshippers held up tablet computers, video cameras, digital cameras and cellphones to record the event. A barefoot refugee from Eritrea, clutching several plastic bags, lit a candle at the side of the traditional tomb of Jesus and bent his head in prayer. As the Mass began in front of the tomb, the young man crossed himself, glanced at the ceremony and walked away. “We rejoice together with all for the important gift the Church has received from God in the person of Pope Francis,” said Archbishop Lazzarotto. “Our joy is particularly great here in the city of Jerusalem in the Holy Land.”—CNS

a sand sculpture of Pope Francis, created by Indian artist Sudarshan Patnaik, is seen on a beach in Puri, India. (Photo: Reuters/CNS)

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a flag with an image of the late archbishop Oscar Romero is seen during a march prior to the 33rd anniversary of his assassination on March 24. Salvadoran clergy are hopeful that the canonisation of archbishop Romero will move forward under Pope Francis. (Photo: ulises Rodriguez, Reuters/CNS) in 2007 he spoke with Cardinal Bergoglio, who told him that if he were the pope, the beatification and canonisation of the slain archbishop would the first thing he would pursue. In another meeting in 2010, Mgr Delgado said Cardinal Bergoglio recalled what he said about Archbishop Romero in 2007, but added that the problem was that he would never become pope. Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo

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The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Jesus is indeed risen

NE Friday afternoon before the Jewish feast of Passover almost 2 000 years ago there died a leader of a religious movement, crucified by the Romans. As the man’s friends, Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus, took him off the cross and laid the tortured body to rest, the story of the rabbi Jesus of Nazareth was expected to end. The Nazarene preacher seemed set to slip into obscurity, like most other nonconformist religious leaders, self-proclaimed messiahs and diverse charlatans of the day. His supporters, those not based in the Jerusalem area, prepared to make their way back home, defeated and dejected. Two of them set off home to the nearby town of Emmaus. Peter and others of the group around Jesus of Nazareth doubtless contemplated their future after the heady times of following their now dead master. All 11 of them must have wondered what more they should or could have done to preserve the life of their leader, and questioned their own individual stories of cowardice. Peter, who had been a successful personality in the fishing trade of Capernaum, might already have drafted a new business plan for future commercial ventures, when the depression over the events in Jerusalem would allow him. As the despondent followers of Jesus the Messiah who seemed to promise so much and yet died in the most ignominious circumstances on Golgotha dispersed, an exciting but soon to be forgotten chapter of religious fervour in Judaism seemed closed. Then something utterly inconceivable happened. The tomb in which Jesus’ lifeless, broken body had been interred was found empty, with the burial garments left behind neatly folded. Then the man who just days before had been tortured and publicly executed appeared in the flesh to women, a curious choice of encounter. If it was his intention to prove that he was alive, the choice of women to serve as heralds for his resurrection was peculiar, for women’s testimony was not considered credible. But he needed no proof for what was readily apparent.

He proceeded to meet hundreds of people, including his apostles. One of them, Thomas, was incredulous until he received positive proof that before him stood the risen Jesus. Paul, a convert to the nascent Christian movement, visited Jerusalem three times within a few years of the death and resurrection of Jesus. For many years he lived in Antioch, to where many of Jerusalem’s incipient Christians had migrated. In his first letter to the Corinthians, written long before the gospels, Paul notes that Jesus “appeared to over 500 of our brothers [and sisters], most of whom are still alive, though some have died” (1 Cor 15:6-7). Students of what is often called the historical Jesus are sceptical about all manner of accounts of sayings and miracles attributed to Jesus in the Gospel. There is no consensus on the resurrection either. Alas, all of the more than 500 witnesses are long dead and unavailable to consult in our academic pursuits. However, we can accept their testimony by common sense: it would have been a peculiar gambit for Paul to advertise hundreds of still living witnesses if he did not know that he could produce a credible number of them on demand. Likewise, unless something quite astonishing had happened, it is unthinkable that the apostles should have exposed themselves to the mortal dangers of propagating an already crushed messianic theology, and galvanise multitudes of others in following them on their thankless and materially rewardless course. Many of the first believers in Jesus’ divinity died for their conviction of having encountered the risen Christ in flesh and blood. What was their motivation for accepting martyrdom if not their encounter with the risen Christ? Who can doubt the Resurrection? And who can believe that one who can rise from the dead is not who he said he was: the Son of God, who by his death and resurrection offers us everlasting life?

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.

Cut power of the Roman curia However, the bishops’ synod HE election of Pope Francis was a breath of fresh air, and he re- voted for only a consultative vote. T minded me of John XXIII: elderly, If we are going to bring to an end with diminishing energy and not much time to grow into the job. But John XXIII changed the face of the Catholic Church by calling the Second Vatican Council. Perhaps Francis can complete John’s work by an equally dramatic act: to prune the power of the Roman curia and extend the power of the bishops’ synods. The establishment of the synods was in response to requests that the collegial discussion with periti (“experts”), which proved its value at the council, should continue.

the divisions that exist on the dogmatic status of several issues (such as the ordination of women), the bishops must be allowed to exercise to the full the authority given them by Christ on the day of their episcopal ordination. Pope Francis gives every indication of treating them really and truly as his brother bishops and not as underlings carrying out Vatican policy and decisions throughout the world. It would be of immense benefit to the Church if he gave structural

Parking rudeness Bread and roses

ROM time to time I attend Sunday Mass at my daughter’s parish in Johannesburg for the privilege of sharing the Mass with my family. On the first Sunday of Lent, as I arrived at Mass, there was a Mercedes Benz that was pulling into the pavement parking in front of the Church. Patiently waiting behind him to pull in a little further so that I could park behind him, I realised that I was now blocking the entrance to the church’s parking ground. I rolled down my window and asked him if he would please pull forward a little so that I could fit my car in behind his. He ignored me, got out of his car with his family and as he locked the door he said: “I park right here every Sunday.” People waiting to turn into the parking were horrified too. Sadly my experience means I will not attend Mass at that parish again, but hopefully it will give some parishioners a real insight as to how they make their visitors welcome. Di Clarke, Johannesburg

Canon law

EFFERING to your editorial of March 27, where you write that Catholics are proscribed from betting on the papal conclave’s result, Dr Edward Peters, an American canon lawyer, recently addressed canon law by explaining that Pope Gregory XIV’s law forbidding bets on the election of a pope was a penal provision of an older system of canon law, and said law was repealed on May 19, 1918. There is presently no canon law on conclave wagers. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (2413) also states that “Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice”—these wagers only become morally unacceptable when cheating, enslavement to gambling and other undesirable consequences occur. Michelle Evert, Gordon’s Bay

N 1994 I was one of my husband’s team running a rural polling station during the elections, and I remember sitting in the moonlight beforehand and praying. When we went on a world trip a few months later, we realised that people in other countries had also prayed for us in South Africa. Two years later I was an observer at a world organisation of church women in Australia, where 700 women from 46 countries workshopped on “reconciliation”, with ourselves, with each other, with our world. The SA delegation’s chaplain received a standing ovation for his homily on reconciliation. South Africa was held in high regard. Thinking of current violence, especially against women and children, I recall discussion on the World March of Women in 2000, entitled “bread and roses”, the bread signifying life’s basic neccesities, and roses signifying the things that make life worth living, such as the right to live free of violence. I also recall a police station in Rondbosch in Cape Town which in 2001 started a community prayer group and experienced a reduction in crime. Some people started saying the following prayer (which can be said by people of all faiths and even unbelievers can share in the thoughts it contains). “O God of justice and love, bless us, the people of Africa, and help us to live in your peace. 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

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expression to that by pruning the power of the curia and extending the power of the bishops’ synods in Rome. The curia is there to serve the needs of the universal Church. Let them have whatever power is appropriate—but let it be subject to the authority of the synods. And a final word: Pope Francis would establish a most welcome custom, unique (as far as I know) in the history of the Church, if he participated fully in the synod’s deliberations, chairing the meetings as the head of the college of bishops and doing so in a manner that would honour Christ’s mandate to Peter: “Strengthen your brothers” (Lk 22:33). Brian Gaybba, Grahamstown “Crime and violence are on the increase within our city, our country, our continent. “From the depths of our hearts, we pray that you will comfort and heal all the victims of crime and violence; that you will guide our leaders and protect all people from these evils. “We pray especially for the conversion of criminals—remove evil from their hearts and fill them instead with your goodness and love, and we pray also for the grace to remove all violence in our own thoughts and actions, in our family life, and in our relationships with others. “O God, make us instruments of your justice, love and peace.” Athaly Jenkinson, East London

Combox issues

OMETIMES I really don’t envy you your job, Mr Editor. If GB White (March 13) had not mentioned my name I would have no reason to respond as the former does not appear to have any idea of the content of The Southern Cross Combox. Secondly, it is easy to hide prejudices behind labels which is simply judging in these instances, children of God. It is clear that Mr White is inferring a lack of belief and moral standing in those he names—alluding to “sound” doctrine, at the same time alluding to the editor being prejudiced against certain viewpoints taken by some Catholics, on the spectrum of diversity which exists in our Church. Your fears, Mr White, are driving your opinions which are imaginary. Probably the best I could say is that you are possibly your own worst enemy. You could rebut this conclusion by giving specifics. See wearechurchsa.blogspot.com for an answer to one of your questions. I think all the members and friends would like to be considered as “thinking” Catholics. Rosemary Gravenor, Durban

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The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

PERSPECTIVES

Can we do with less?

N his famous book, The Road Less Travelled, the US psychiatrist M Scott Peck argues convincingly that suffering and facing problems are necessary for mental and spiritual health. Starting from the premise that “Life is difficult”, Peck suggests that to solve life’s problems we need discipline, and he identifies four “tools” that constitute discipline and help us to face pain and suffering. These tools are delaying gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to truth and balancing. As human beings we spend a big chunk of our lives trying to avoid pain and suffering, and running away from problems. What Peck is saying is that by avoiding legitimate pain and suffering, and by running away from problems instead of facing them, we prevent ourselves from growing mentally and spiritually. I want to take the argument further and submit that the human race has not grown much beyond childhood in terms of values, deeds and behaviour because, due to lack of discipline, most human effort is directed at avoiding pain and suffering. The emphasis here is not necessarily on physical pain, but on the pain that goes with accepting responsibility, facing problems, telling the truth, denying the body what it desires and controlling our emotions, among other things. For us life must be a bed of roses surrounded by endless provisions of candy, ice cream, pancakes and tasty chocolate. We cherish the easy and pleasurable

things of life. When we face problems, instead of confronting them so as to solve them, we behave like the ostrich—we hide our heads in the sand! When we have made a mistake or have failed, instead of owning up and accepting responsibility, we look for a scapegoat—we would rather put the blame on somebody else! Those of us in positions of authority will find cunning ways of blaming powerless subordinates. By doing all this we are limiting our own potential for growth in values and in goodness and spirituality. This tendency in human behaviour to choose the easy and pleasurable things of life as opposed to facing the difficulties and unpleasant things of life is one way in which the conflict between spirituality and materialism expresses itself.

hroughout the history of human development there has been this endless conflict between those values, tendencies and behaviours that enhance human goodness and spirituality on the one hand, and those values, tendencies and appetites that draw humans away from their spiritual selves towards the high road of pleasure, an easy life and crass materialism, on the other. The latter set of values and tendencies has tended to have the upper hand overall, and has consequently succeeded in constraining true human growth. This is where Peck’s four tools come in. Take delaying gratification, for example. In many societies of the past, both

Time out for limbo P EOPLE sometimes say to me that they were told that Catholic doctrine is true to what Jesus taught and so is unchanging; but in recent years there have been all sorts of changes in what the Church teaches. For example, we used to be taught about the four last things, heaven, hell, purgatory and limbo. These days limbo is never spoken about: has the Church dropped it from its teaching? The answer is simply that limbo was never part of the Catholic Church’s official teaching and there are sound reasons why it has dropped out of current Catholic thinking. It was an attempt to explain what happens to babies who die without baptism. About this God has not said anything to us in what has been revealed to us. On matters about which God has not revealed anything to us, the Catholic Church allows theologians the freedom to suggest possible answers. None of these are matters of faith to be believed. You accept them or not depending on whether or not you find the arguments convincing. Limbo is one of these propositions. Limbo fitted in well with the system of theological thought known as “Thomism” (after St Thomas Aquinas) or “Scholasticism” (due to its method of teaching “scholars”, or students in our current use of language). Although used both before and after the 13th century, this way of thinking about Catholic doctrine became increasingly popular from the 18th century until into the 20th century, fading somewhat during and after Vatican II. In terms of this way of thinking, if I can try to put it very simply, God planned to create the universe, which would include human beings, who would have a “natural” experience and knowledge of God in this life, and a natural “happiness” beyond death. Neither of these included the incarnate Word, the Son of God become one of us in Mary’s womb in order to pay the price of the sin which we

a figure of a child angel on a gravestone. In 2007, the Vatican’s International Theological Commission said there are good reasons to hope that babies who die without baptism go to heaven. (Photo: Bob Roller, CNS) human beings would commit, and reconcile us to the Father through our being united to that same incarnate Word. This would happen through baptism or some other equivalent means. An infant dying without baptism, then, enjoys natural “happiness”, but not the joy of life in the love community of the Trinity, through union with our risen glorified Lord, which a baptised infant dying would enjoy. This is the situation which came to be known as “limbo”, a word derived from the Latin “limbus”, which means border or fringe, because some early writers considered it to be on the border of hell, and some later ones on the border of heaven. The alternate view is expressed clearly in Ephesians 1:1-10 and Hebrews 1:1-15 among other places in the New Testament. It holds that creation was always creation “in Christ” in the mind of God.

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Christian and non-Christian, it was the norm to teach young men and women to avoid instant gratification in matters of sex. Sexual intercourse was normally sanctioned in the context of marriage only, and young men and women were not allowed to engage in sex until they were married. In this way discipline in matters of sex was inculcated, and consequently problems like sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and fatherless children were kept under control. Fasting as practised in the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam is another way of exercising discipline and controlling the urge for instant gratification by denying ourselves the pleasure of satisfying one of our bodily appetites. There is nothing wrong in enjoying good food, but by fasting we learn to exercise selfcontrol, and in that way we grow in spirituality. The human race will grow to higher levels of spirituality and social relationships if we all strive to control bodily appetites such as craving for sex, tasty food and drugs; and negative emotions like anger, hatred and the urge to revenge. In next month’s column we shall see how, by denying himself the glory of heaven, by resisting the desire for instant gratification and by accepting responsibility, the Son of God rose to even greater glory.

Bonaventure Hinwood OFM

Point of Faith

Neither humankind nor the created universe ever had any destiny other than sharing in the life of the community of the Trinity through oneness with the God-Man, Jesus Christ. The Son of God would have become the Son of Mary whether humans had sinned or not. The difference which sin made was that humans were redeemed and reconciled to God through Jesus’ total obedience to the father, which, in a sinful world, led to his suffering throughout his life, reaching its high point in his death on the cross, and subsequent resurrection. In this view there can be no positive goal for human life other than sharing in the glorious love life of the Trinity through oneness with the Word incarnate. The exception is someone who wilfully excludes himself or herself from this joy by closing in on self and shutting out love for God and others, and thus experiences the hell of isolation. So there is no in-between state of natural “happiness” after death. You either enjoy peace and joy “in Christ” with the Trinity, or the eternal suffering of frustration because you have refused to receive and to give love. This way of understanding God’s revelation, while always present in the Church, has come to the forefront during Vatican II and since. It was neatly summed up by Vatican II: “By the incarnation the Son of God united Himself in some fashion with every human being” (Gaudium et Spes 22). Limbo dropped out of the picture because there was no place for it in this second presentation of the Catholic understanding of reality. But again, while this at the present time is the more widely accepted opinion about the destiny of babies who die without baptism, it is not official Catholic doctrine.

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

What does ‘saved as community’ mean? At baptism and confirmation, we are called by our personal name. Each of us is an individual, even in the confessional. What, then, does it mean to say that we are saved as a community? Can we not be saved as individuals? MR Kolbeck ROM the moment that “the Word was made flesh and lived among us” (Jn 1:14), humanity was given a share in the intimate love that penetrates the life of the Trinity. Because the Word, the Son of God, is as much human as he is divine, you and I are bonded to him and taken into a loving relationship with him and everyone else. This keeps us spiritually alive, like a spring within us that wells up to eternal life (Jn 4:14). As long as we all strive to live a life of love for God and love for one another, the bond between God and us is strong. In this way, members of the human race are a loving community of human persons mysteriously absorbed into the loving community of the divine persons in the Trinity. However, sin has entered the world, and sin indicates a lack of love. Sin damages our relationship with God and the rest of humankind. And this is where salvation comes in. Christ has redeemed The Christian symbols us from sin, and so we of hope, faith and salcan confidently say that vation we, as the community of the faithful in Christ, have been saved and will live with God for ever. This requires repentance for our sins and a determination to persevere in loving God and neighbour, and showing it in what we do and say. We, the People of God, are a community of faith, hope and love who are alive in Christ and saved from everlasting death. You agree with that but ask if the individual is also capable of salvation? Jesus described himself as the vine and each individual person as a branch of the vine. He said: “As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me...Anyone who does not remain in me is like a branch that has been thrown away, he withers” (Jn 15:4-6). Individuals are saved provided that they do not deliberately cut themselves off from the communion of the People of God who, in spite of human frailty, keep going with confidence in the love of God and neighbour.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

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POPE FRANCIS

The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2 2013

A brief biography of Jorge Mario Bergoglio P OPE Francis was born JorgeMario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires. He grew up in Barrio de Flores, a working-class neighbourhood. His father was a railway worker, his mother a homemaker. As a youth, the pope studied in public schools and in high school obtained a technical certification as a chemist. From a young age, he knew he would become a priest. Amalia Damonte, who grew up in the pope’s neighbourhood, reportedly was briefly the object of his affections. Ms Damonte, who still lives in the same neighbourhood, has said in interviews that when they were 12, Pope Francis said that, if he could not marry her, he would become a priest. When the pope was 21, he became gravely ill with severe pneumonia and had his right lung partially removed. In 1958, Pope Francis entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus, and two years later he took his first vows as a Jesuit. In 1963, on returning to Buenos Aires, he studied philosophy at San Miguel Seminary. Between 1964 and 1965, he

The future Pope Francis as a boy in an undated photo. taught literature and psychology at a Jesuit secondary school in Santa Fe, Argentina, and in 1966, he taught at the prestigious Colegio del Salvador secondary school in Buenos Aires. In 1967, he returned to his theo-

logical studies and was ordained a priest on December 13, 1969. After his perpetual profession as a Jesuit in 1973, he became master of novices at San Miguel. Later that same year, he was elected superior of the Jesuit province of Argentina and Uruguay. Some controversy had arisen over the position taken by Pope Francis during Argentina’s 19761983 military dictatorship, which cracked down brutally on political opponents. Estimates of the number of people killed and forcibly disappeared during those years range from about 13 000 to more than 30 000. Citing a case in which two young Jesuits were detained by the military regime, critics say that the Jesuit provincial did not do enough to support Church workers against the military dictatorship. The Vatican has dismissed claims that Pope Francis played a direct role in the kidnappings of the two Jesuits. From 1979-1985, Pope Francis served as rector and theology teacher at Colegio Maximo, before heading to Germany to finalise his

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (right), now Pope Francis, is pictured travelling by underground train in Buenos aires in 2008. as archbishop of argentina’s capital he was generally known as “Father Jorge”. (Photo: Diego Fernandez Otero) doctoral thesis. In May 1992, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires. He was one of three auxiliaries and he kept a low profile, spending most of his time caring for the Catholic university, counselling priests and preaching and hearing confessions. On June 3, 1997, he was named coadjutor archbishop. He was installed as the new archbishop of Buenos Aires on February 28, 1998. As archbishop, he was known simply as “Father Jorge”, and he adopted the attitude that the Church belongs in the street. He built chapels and missions in poor areas and sent seminarians to serve them.

He spoke out often against injustice, such as the treatment of migrant workers from neighbouring countries and those lured into the sex trade, and against social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In 2001, he was elevated to cardinal, and later that year he served as an official of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican. Press reports indicate that in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Bergoglio received the second-highest number of votes. That same year, he began a sixyear term as head of the Argentine bishops’ conference.—CNS

Tension of living under a repressive regime Pope Francis has been attacked for not doing enough to oppose Argentina’s military junta of 1976-83. Fr CHRIS CHATTERIS, a former Jesuit superior, discusses what it is like to be a religious leader in times of political conflict.

HERE are over a billion Catholics in the world today, but the wide media interest in this year’s conclave serves to underline that the popes of the 21st century still have significance.

Who the pope is and where he comes from interests and affects not just Catholics, but also other Christians and adherents of other faiths. Even people of no religious belief will still have an opinion about him. Stalin’s sarcastic question about how many military divisions the Pope had is usually quoted to suggest that Stalin simply didn’t understand the very real “soft power” wielded by this unarmed man. As Fr Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis had to face the hard power of military repression in his country. He was a young provincial superior of the Jesuits during the “Dirty War” in the Junta-ruled Argentina.

He has been criticised for not being more forthright in his condemnation of the Junta and for his supposed handling of the case of two Jesuits who were kidnapped and tortured. Such criticisms plunged my thoughts back to the late 1980s and early ’90s here in South Africa where we had our own “dirty war” in the run-up to the elections of 1994. I happened to be based in one of the epicentres of this violence in rural KwaZulu-Natal and later got a wider view of it as the regional superior from 1992-1998. I like to think my generation know something of what Pope Francis went

Looking at Francis as a Jesuit Is it significant that the cardinals elected a man from a religious order to the papacy? FRANCIS X ROCCA suggests that it might be.

HE Church has turned to religious orders for popes at various times over the centuries, often when in need of a reformer, and such may have been the cardinals’ thinking again when they elected Pope Francis. He is the world’s first Jesuit pope, and the electors knew that the Jesuits are historically a missionary order, whose first generation in the 16th century not only carried the faith to nonChristian lands, but marched in the front ranks of the Catholic Reformation in Europe. That heritage may have been a factor in the choice of Pope Francis, at a moment when the Church has placed a priority on the New Evangelisation—the effort to revive the faith in increasingly secular societies. During their official pre-conclave meetings, the cardinals discussed the corruption and mismanagement documented in the 2012 “Vati-leaks” of confidential correspondence from within the Holy See. The new pope’s history of austere living, exemplified by his

modest apartment and practice of riding city buses—not to mention his decision to take the name of St Francis of Assisi, a great reformer known as the “poor little one”—must have seemed especially appealing. Yet many of the cardinals are also known to believe that one aspect of the Church urgently in need in reform is religious life. The last half-century has witnessed a steep decline in vocations, along with well-publicised disputes over doctrine and discipline between members of religious orders and their bishops, including the bishop of Rome, the pope. As the largest of the orders, with more than 17 000 members, the Jesuits exhibit these tensions in an especially prominent way. Some Jesuits enjoy the confidence of the Vatican at the highest levels; Pope Benedict XVI appointed one member, Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. But in 2008, Pope Benedict found it necessary to ask the order to affirm its “total adhesion to Catholic doctrine, in particular on those neuralgic points which today are strongly attacked by secular culture”, including “the relationship between Christ and religions, some aspects of the theology of liberation”, divorce and homosexuality.

There is no doubt where Pope Francis stands on those points. If any cardinals had qualms about the future pope’s membership in an order often accused of tolerating dissent, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s well-known fidelity to Church teaching would have dispelled them. But is it possible that the controversies associated with the Jesuits and other religious orders actually played a positive role in his election? A frequently heard comment during the run-up to the conclave was that the man best qualified to reform the Vatican would be an Italian. Evidently the cardinal electors did not find that argument strong enough to determine their choice. Yet they may have used a similar logic with regard to a different agenda. Throughout the history of the Church, its hierarchical and charismatic sides, traditionally represented by the bishops and the religious orders, have existed in tension with each other. At times that tension has been debilitating, at other times explosively creative. In choosing a Jesuit and longtime bishop to serve as the Church’s head on earth, the cardinals may have set in motion a process of renewal that will be felt far beyond the Vatican’s walls.—CNS

through then. You are young, inexperienced, and burdened with a heavy responsibility at a dangerous time. Today we understand better what was happening, but then it was often utterly confusing. You march for the truth and non-violence but such a stance seems almost irrelevant as the struggle deteriorates into a welter of killing and “political cleansing”. You struggle to keep your feet. A major preoccupation is to prevent casualties among your Jesuit companions. You call this prudence but you wonder whether the situation demands something more

forthright. You are acutely aware that, as a priest, you are in less danger than ordinary people but that your public stance can place them in mortal danger. There are disagreements among your advisors and you do not have the hindsight with which to make perfect decisions, and so you make some mistakes. But you acknowledge these and hope that people will understand. Some will; some won’t. There are some for whom even if Pope Francis was the very incarnation of Francis of Assisi, that would still not be good enough. Hopefully most people will be grateful that he’s human and fallible.

The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

COMMUNITY

The Sacred Heart Sodality of St anne’s mission in Mpophomeni, Durban archdiocese, elected a new team. They are pictured with parish priest Fr Jude Fernando TOR (far right).

The Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians in Malkerns, Swaziland, work in missionary evangelisation and catechesis especially of women and children in the villages, boarding schools, oratories, clinics, families, homes for the aged, street children, rehabilitation of HIV /aids patients and vocational training centres. Sr Bina Basunatary and Sr Mary Clara Topna are pictured with parish priest Fr Jonathan Daniel, and the young apostles of Christ sodality who assist the sisters in preaching the word of God, praying, visiting the sick and catechisis.

Caroline and Carlo accolla were married at St Michael’s in Rondebosch, Cape Town, by parish priest Fr Harrie Hovers.

The learners of Holy Cross primary school in aliwal North celebrated St Valentine’s Day differently: they made book marks with a scripture verse for the prisoners in Goedemoed prison. They are pictured with Fr Bernard Sompane SCJ (right), the prison chaplain, who accepted the box with these gifts of love.

Fr Malcolm McLaren, from the archdiocese of Johannesburg (standing third from the right), recently completed a joint programme between the Hebrew university in Jerusalem and the Pontifical Biblical Institute (PBI) in Rome. The programme specialised in biblical Hebrew, the archaeology of the Holy Land, and the background to the New Testament. It forms part of the Licentiate in Sacred Scripture. 15 students from ten different countries participated in the programme, and they will continue their studies in Rome this February at the PBI. The students are pictured at the Mount of the Precipice in Nazareth. (Photo: Fr Rafal Paprocki)

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The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

BOOK REVIEWS

Veteran Catholic journalist offers revealing look at inside of Vatican THE VATICAN DIARIES: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church, by John Thavis. Viking Adult (2013). 336pp. ISBN: 9780670026715 Reviewed by Günther Simmermacher EGULAR readers of The Southern Cross will be familiar with the byline of John Thavis, who for almost three decades covered the Vatican for Catholic News Service. Thavis gained a reputation for thoroughness and fairness. And he evidently had a wide network of anonymous sources within the Roman curia who would regularly give the journalist the inside scoop. The timing of the publication of The Vatican Diaries in February, just after Pope Benedict’s resignation and before the conclave that elected Pope Francis, was fortuitous: the book became an instant hit, ranking high on the New York Times bestseller list, and deservedly so. The Vatican Diaries provides a view into the workings of the Vatican City state and of the Roman curia. It reveals a very human institution charged with doing the work for the divine. Often it fails to meet its mandate amid intrigue,

power-struggles, incompetence and confusion. Describing the environment which he covered for so many years, Thavis is qualified to offer a perspective of the Vatican. He observes “a culture of miscommunication and miscues, of good intentions and flawed executions, of conflicting agendas and shifting alliances”. It is not the secretive monolith of popular perception. “It is a culture in which clerical careerism often overshadows quiet dedication to the work of the Church. It is a culture founded on hierarchical order, but swamped in organisational confusion. It is a culture in which the pope is considered immune from criticism, yet too often is kept uninformed about the details of important decisions,” Thavis writes. The author doesn’t flinch from naming those whose influence he considers to have been unhelpful. The admirers of former secretary of state Cardinal Angelo Sodano and his successor, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, will find The Vatican Diaries uncomfortable reading. The call by many cardinals in the run-up to conclave that the new pope would have to reform the curia would appear to confirm Thavis’ obseration. Thavis highlight some difficult issues, and, especially in his treat-

ment of the case of the thoroughly wicked Fr Marcial Maciel, he does so with courageous candour.

he book covers how the Vatican has handled specific themes, such as the sainthood cause of Pope Pius X, the sex abuse scandal and sexual teachings. It also charts the conflict between the need for underground parking and the preservation of archaeological treasures, introduces us to

The rich life of Pope John XXIII helps us understand Vatican II THE GOOD POPE: The Making of a Saint and the Remaking of the Church—The Story of John XXIII and Vatican II, by Greg Tobin. HarperOne (New York, 2012). 288 pp. ISBN: 978-0062089434 Reviewed by Rachelle Linner REG Tobin’s The Good Pope is both a well-written and thoughtful biography of Pope John XXIII, and a helpful study of the events, personalities and issues of the Second Vatican Council. This timely book coincides with the 50th anniversary of the council (1962-65), and the 50th anniversary of Pope John’s death in June. It serves as an accessible work of Church history. Tobin clearly admires Angelo Roncalli, the son of a large, impoverished Italian farming family who grew up “surrounded by God and Church” and, from his childhood, had a clear sense of vocation. “I can’t remember a time,” he later wrote, “when I did not want to serve God as a priest.” One of the pleasures of this biography is the way Tobin illustrates the growth of that call, the maturation of the man through his education in Bergamo and Rome and the formative ten years he spent as priest-secretary to Bishop Giacomo Maria Radini-Tedeschi of Bergamo. His mentor “taught him that there was a way to apply changes within the Church while preserving older traditions”. Fr Roncalli’s personality, and thus his priesthood, was shaped by prayer, theology and Church politics. Equally definitive were lessons he wrested from his immersion in the enormous challenges and sufferings of the first half of the 20th century. He served as a medical orderly and chaplain in the Italian army

during World War I and, after the war, was assigned to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In 1925, he was appointed an archbishop and named apostolic visitor to Bulgaria, a largely Orthodox country with a small Catholic population. “Already bearing within his heart the seeds of ecumenism [Roncalli] understood that he needed to approach the Orthodox faithful in a spirit of love and respect rather than condemnation,” Tobin writes. Ten years later he was appointed apostolic delegate to Turkey and Greece, but “as the world headed towards another great war, with Italy one of the aggressors, suspicions fell harder on the Church in Rome and its powerful prelates.” These assignments honed Archbishop Roncalli’s diplomatic skills, and the war years saw him engaged in heroic charity, particularly in assisting Jewish immigration to Palestine. His most important diplomatic role was the years (194453) he spent as the apostolic nuncio to France.

In 1953 he became the cardinal of Venice, and the five years he spent there were “perhaps the happiest time in his life.,” Tobin notes. “He was finally able to realise his long-held desire to be, above all, a priest and minister of souls.” Cardinal Roncalli was 76 when he was elected pope on October 20, 1958, and, because of his age some regarded him as a transitional pope. But, as Tobin makes clear in the second half of this book, John XXIII “wasted no time” and entered his papacy with a “full agenda”. Tobin provides a straightforward chronology of Pope John’s remarkable papacy. He outlines the themes, and reception, of his eight encyclicals and writes about the pope’s urgent concerns about international conflict and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The majority of this section is, appropriately, given over to a discussion of the first session of Vatican II, the only one Pope John saw before his death on June 3, 1963. Tobin explains doctrinal and theological issues and illustrates the contentious atmosphere between liberals and conservatives in the council. His factual and non-polemical discussion is particularly welcome. The Good Pope concludes with a moving narrative of John XXIII’s dying and the outpouring of love and grief that accompanied him on this final stage of his journey. His last clear words were those of St Peter: “Lord, you know that I love you.” Angelo Roncalli’s love for God was the luminous thread in his extraordinary life and Greg Tobin shows us how that love was made manifest. The result is a book that is not only a fine biography but an edifying meditation on a life of fidelity and surrender.—CNS

the forthright and entertaining Latinist Fr Reginald Foster OCD, looks at the function of the Samppietri (the workers at St Peter’s basilica), and takes the reader on a papal trip from the perspective of the press section. The backstories and tangents reveal a picture of the workings of the curia—a conglomerate of turfs whose interests sometimes clash. The thoughtful chapter on Pope Benedict’s complex media profile—offering both a critique and defence of the former pope—is thoroughly illuminating but has been overtaken by events. Time will tell how much of Thavis’ insights on the media and the papacy under Benedict can be applied to Pope Francis. Thavis’ prose is engaging; there is a great novel waiting to be written by him. He is also adept at making plain complex concepts. His long exposure to the Vatican has provided him with a repository of amusing stories. There are several laugh-out-loud moments, such as the story of the (unfortunately unnamed) US president who concluded an inspection of Vatican officials by offering a spirited military salute to a liveried lift operator. Another great story has a succession of inebriated journalists on a papal flight being invited to one-

Vatican Diaries author John Thavis on-one encounters with Pope John Paul II. There are also delicious trivial tidbits. For example, the pope has a button on the underside of his desk which he presses when he wants to cut short a private audience. Southern African readers will be interested in the narrative of Pope John Paul’s 1988 visit to the region, with the emergency stop in Johannesburg. It is safe to say that Thavis is no admirer of Swaziland’s King Mswati. John Thavis takes us on a tour of the Vatican that humanises an institution that is tasked to carry out the work of God. Sometimes it succeeds in doing so, and sometimes it fails miserably. The Vatican Diaries allows us to be both vigorously critical as well as forgiving of curial failings.

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The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

FAITH

A night in church of Calvary and the Resurrection Few pilgrims to Jerusalem enjoy the benefit of spending a wakeful night in the church of the Sepulchre, site of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. PaT McCaRTHy did and here describes his experience.

ETTING permission to stay overnight in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—the ancient edifice in Jerusalem that enshrines the place where Jesus died and rose again—is easier than I expect. The Franciscan sacristan consults a slip of paper with numbers on it, checking he’s within his quota of 15. “No sleeping,” he warns. Sleep? At the most sacred place on earth? Then I remember the disciples who could not stay awake one hour with Jesus during his agony—their drowsiness recalled by sleeping figures under the altar in the grotto of Gethsemane. My wife Suzie and I had led our fifth pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Our pilgrims had gone home and we were spending time by ourselves in the Old City of Jerusalem. The dun-coloured Romanesque basilica stands gloomily against the darkening sky when we arrive, well ahead of the 7pm closing time we have been given. We wait on one side to watch the door-locking ceremony. Two gun-toting Israeli policemen see the last visitors off the premises and an Orthodox clergyman pushes the massive door shut.

Representatives of the other denominations, one a brown-habited Franciscan with a crewcut, see that protocol is observed. Outside, a man in a striped Tshirt—from one of the two Muslim families who for more than 750 years have been charged with holding the key and opening or closing the church—climbs a ladder and locks the door. He then passes the ladder through a square hatch in the door, so it can remain inside until opening time. The clergy depart and our small group of all-nighters—15 altogether, including four nuns, from Mexico, the United States, New Zealand—is alone in lamp-lit shadows beneath the sombre darkness of the great dome. I’ve spent many hours in this church over the years, marvelling that mind-boggling events of salvation history happened right here. Always it has been abuzz with visitors—cameras flashing, cellphones ringing, the chatter of conversation, tourists getting their photos taken in front of the Tomb of Christ... Tonight it is quiet. This unlikely fact is worth restating: It is quiet. Quiet to climb the timeworn steps to the mezzanine floor of Calvary. Quiet to visit the tomb where Christ lay—the site of the Resurrection. Quiet to descend 29 steps to the underground chapel of St Helena and, further down, the rock-cut cistern that is now the chapel of the Finding of the True Cross. A reverential silence permeates this vast building with its sprawling jumble of 20-plus chapels and worship spaces.

above left: an Orthodox clergyman closes the door of Jerusalem’s church of the Holy Sepulchre, which covers the area traditionally believed to be Calvary (or Gologotha). Right: The edicule containing the tomb of Christ, with doors closed while sacristans work inside. (Photos: Pat McCarthy) At the edicule (“little house”) built over the tomb, its unstable walls held together by iron girders installed in 1934 during the British mandate, Orthodox sacristans move in to trim the flickering oil lamps and pick up rubbish left by visitors. When their work is done, we can visit the tomb in our own time. Past memories of being herded in and hurried out by a Greek Orthodox priest controlling a motley queue of visitors behind police barriers are best forgotten. The edicule has two chambers. The first, the chapel of the Angel, is an antechamber leading to the

tomb. In the tomb chamber, a marble slab on the right covers the rock bench on which the body of Jesus lay. The slab was deliberately split in 1555 to deter the Ottoman Turks from looting such a fine piece of marble. Half a dozen ornate lamps and a similar number of candles burn, casting a glow on artworks and vases of flowers. The sweet smell of incense lingers. The angel’s words resonate: “He is risen! He is not here.” Leaving the tomb, I forget how low the doorway is and bang my head on the carved stone arch. Sitting on a bench in front of

the Tomb, one of our all-nighters makes notes on her iPad. At the altar of Mary Magdalene, two nuns sit and pray, their backpacks beside them. In the distance a church bell rings. Somewhere in the church a dove coos. In the living quarters, a key turns and a door opens. Feet hasten on stone steps, evoking an image of Mary Magdalene and the apostles running to the tomb. Shortly after 10:30pm a cool breeze sweeps through the church. Continued overleaf

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FAITH Continued from page 12 The door has been opened and scores of Orthodox faithful, the women wearing head scarves, stream in for their Divine Liturgy. They crowd the Stone of Anointing and queue to enter the tomb. Some light bunches of tapers from candles outside the tomb, then hold them under a snuffer to extinguish them to take home. An air of business prevails as Orthodox clergy and sacristans bustle around to prepare for the vigil service. It reminds us that the church of the Holy Sepulchre— which the Orthodox more appropriately call the church of the Anastasis (Resurrection)—has been predominantly an Orthodox place of worship since 1757. Six churches share the building: Greek, Armenian, Syriac, Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox, and Catholics. The Catholics (known as Latins in the Holy Land) rate second to the Greeks in the pecking order. A Greek priest emerges from the katholikon—the main worship space, which is the Greek Orthodox cathedral — and physically uncrosses the legs of an unsuspecting all-nighter. Crossing the legs is a no-no to the Orthodox, who believe we should always sit attentively in church. An energetic round of incensing, including the Catholic chapels, precedes the Orthodox liturgy. The service itself— in front of the edicule, with the congregation standing—is a splendid ritual of ornate vestments, bells, chants, incense and processions. The only words we recognise are “Kyrie Eleison”. This plea for the Lord’s mercy is repeated time and again. As we move closer to observe, an Armenian priest confronts us. “You Orthodox?” he demands. We shake our heads. “Go, go.” Vigorous arm movements support his words of muscular, rather than ecumenical, Christianity. We retreat to the calm of the Catholic

Inside the chapel of the angel, with a low doorway leading to the tomb. The pedestal at right contains what is believed to be part of the rolling stone that closed the tomb. chapel of the Apparition, which commemorates the tradition that the resurrected Christ appeared first to his Mother. In the choir behind us, Franciscan friars begin to chant their Office. Around 3am a series of resounding responses from the Orthodox congregation heralds the end of the service—four and a quarter hours after it began. Gradually the stillness returns. Lamps gently flicker. Noises echo in cavernous spaces. There’s time to meditate and pray. To bring the Risen Lord into the past, present and future of ourselves and our loved ones. To remember those who have died and gone before us. To remember those who had asked us to pray for them in the holy places.

Time to reflect on the artworks and to think of the thousands of holy people and pilgrims who have walked these flagstones. Shortly before 4:30am a Franciscan invites us to the first Catholic Mass of the day—inside the edicule, in Italian. The priest has set up an altar over the tomb slab. Two nuns bend low to join him in that confined space. The other nine of us, one a young man wearing a Jewish prayer shawl around his shoulders, cluster elbow to elbow in the chapel of the Angel, around a central pedestal containing what is believed to be a piece of the rolling stone used to close the tomb. At Communion time the priest tucks the chalice into the crook of his left elbow, holds the ciborium in his left hand, and gives the Eucharist by intinction on the tongue. The simpleness of the ritual in no way detracts from the immense reality: The Body and Blood of Christ in the very place where his body lay. As we leave the church, the sequence of worship is continuing. A sing-song chant is rising from the Coptic Orthodox at their tiny altar attached to the rear of the edicule. Upstairs, Franciscan friars are concelebrating in the chapel of Calvary. We walk down deserted streets of shuttered shops in the Old City. A lone star stands out in the predawn sky. A rooster crows. We buy warm cinnamon croissants from a man pushing a barrow. Our vigil is over, but the sounds and smells and images remain vivid in our minds. And we are still not sleepy. n Pat McCarthy, founding editor of New Zealand’s national Catholic newspaper, NZ Catholic, now directs the pilgrimage website www.seetheholyland.net. He is a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

The marble slab covering the rock bench on which Christ’s body lay in the tomb. The slab was deliberately split in 1555 to deter Turks from looting it. (Photos: Pat McCarthy)

Orthodox clergy undertake an energetic round of incensing before their Divine Liturgy.

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The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

FAITH

The drama of Holy Week What led to Jesus’ crucifixion and on what date did he rise again? In this edited excerpt from his book The Holy Land Trek, GÜNTHER SIMMERMaCHER explores the events of Holy Week.

T Caesarea Philippi Jesus predicted his death, telling the protesting Peter to “get behind me, Satan”, and he did so again as he and his band of followers set out for that final Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem. En route he visited his friends Martha and Mary in Bethany, who were rather put out with him because he had arrived too late after their brother Lazarus’ death. Jesus didn’t just give comfort, as he had been expected to, but also raised Lazarus’ by now malodorous corpse from the dead. If Jesus was not a celebrity before that, he surely was one by now. He did not like the attention, and withdrew to the Samarian village of Ephraim (now known as Taybeh, the last 100% Christian village in Palestine) until he had to go to Jerusalem for that fateful Passover. His entry into Jerusalem, coming from Bethpage via the Mount of Olives to the city’s east, was a remarkable event, with the waving palm fronds and the exclamations of “Hosannah” by welcoming fans. As Jesus descended the Mount of OIives—which consisted of agricultural land and cemeteries—he looked upon Jerusalem and its Temple and wept for its doom. Less than 40 years later, the city and its Temple lay in ruins, razed by the Romans. Jesus was welcomed warmly by the people, but the authorities were already wary of him. At one point the Temple leadership confronted Jesus with leading questions as to the authority on which he was acting. In the synoptic Gospels, this follows the cleansing of the Temple, when Jesus overturned the moneychangers’ tables, an act of public defiance akin to burning a national flag outside parliament. In Jerusalem, Jesus also issued his list of accusations against the Pharisees (that is, the religious

The

leadership of that movement), a condemnation of hypocrisy that has not lost its relevance even two millennia later. The Scriptures say that Jesus was executed for blasphemy, but the reasons were probably more complex than that. The healings on the Sabbath, for example, did not just violate the laws of Judaism’s legal rulings, the Halakah, which prohibited such intervention. By conducting healings and defiantly picking grains on the Sabbath, and by proclaiming himself—the “Son of Man”—as the Lord of the Sabbath (Mt 12:1-8), Jesus was seen to be claiming to exercise God’s authority. Jesus called himself the “Son of Man”, an unusual title which he applied to himself 82 times in the New Testament. The frequency leaves little doubt that this is the title by which the Christ preferred to refer to himself. On the one hand, “Son of Man” is an expression of his human incarnation, for he was indeed born of a woman. But “Son of Man” also has a scriptural symbolism. The title appears in Daniel 7:13 as a transcendental figure riding on clouds. In the Old Testament, only God (or gods) travelled on clouds. So when a human being called himself “Son of Man”, he was making an extraordinary claim which the high priests would not have misunderstood. Jesus also provoked the priestly classes by challenging their authority, calling into question the exclusion of Gentiles from the Temple. When Jesus asks: “Does not scripture say, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples?’ But you have turned it into a bandits’ den,” the high priests decided to eliminate him (Mk 11:17-18). One can understand their alarm, because in one pithy line Jesus made two scriptural references: Isaiah 56:7, which promised to usher in a new regime, and Jeremiah 7:11, which prophesied the destruction of the first Temple. n top of all that, Jesus spoke out against corruption—and

few things animate the powerful more to action than a threat to their assorted rackets. For example, Jesus condemned the exploitative extraction of qorban, the templar sacrifice demanded of people regardless of their other financial obligations (Mk 7:6-13). The Temple authorities’ corrupt practices, the “den of thieves”, are amply attested to through the generations. They are mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls, in the Jewish Mishna, and in Second Temple era Jewish texts such as the Book of Enoch and the Testaments of Moses, Levi and Judah. Even the first-century Jewish historian Josephus Flavius commented on corruption in the Temple. Political considerations came into play as well. Many of Jesus’ followers believed that the new kingdom which Jesus was promising related to a revolt against the hated Roman occupiers. Indeed, many scholars now acknowledge that Judas betrayed Christ not for profit or out of a sense of disloyalty, but because Jesus was not the insurgent the Zealot thought he was. The late author Fr Bargil Pixner OSB speculated that Judas did not anticipate that Jesus would receive the death penalty, but hoped that his arrest would spark some seditious fervour in his leader. Judas did not understand that the revolution Jesus spoke of was not of this world. It is a view that is finding increasing currency, even outside scholarly circles. The 2010 version of the Oberammergau Passion Play sees Judas that way, as a misguided patsy who regrets his actions and tries to save the situation when he comprehends the terrible consequences of his ill-considered scheme. Seen that way, Judas was not, as Jesus Seminar scholar Dominic Crossan so memorably put it, “too bad to be false”, but a misguided and ultimately tragic man. The Passion Play, which for centuries preached a message that nourished anti-Semitic sentiments, now also portrays the Jewish lead-

Souther n Cross A SPECIAL PILGRIMAGE TO

HOLY LAND • ROME • PADRE PIO in May 2014 with

ARCHBISHOP STEPHEN BRISLIN

and Holy Land Trek author Günther Simmermacher Join The Southern Cross and the Archbishop of Cape Town on a special pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Meet with local Christians before travelling to Italy to see the Pope in Rome and to pray at the places of Padre Pio. HOLY LAND: Jerusalem (with Via Dolorosa, church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mary’s tomb). Bethlehem. Nazareth. Cana (with an opportunity to renew marriage vows). Mount of Beatitudes. Capernaum. Boatride on the Sea of Galilee. Mount Tabor. Jordan River. Ein Kerem. Dead Sea. And much more. ITALY: Rome with PAPAL AUDIENCE, the four major basilicas (including Mass in St Peter’s), catacombs, ancient sites. Monte Cassino. Sites associated with Padre Pio (Giovanni Rotondo, Pietrelcina)

FOR FULL ITINERARY OR TO BOOK: Gail at 076 352 3809 or Fax 021 551 3923 or e-mail info@fowlertours.co.za www.scross.co.za/pilgrimage-2013 or www.fowlertours.co.za

Pilgrims hold the cross as Deacon Wayne Lawrence of East London reads from the scriptures and Bishop zithulele Mvemve of Klerksdorp listens on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem during The Southern Cross’ 2010 pilgrimage to the Holy Land. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher) ership with some understanding, though not with much sympathy. For the high priests, led by Josephus Caiaphas, Jesus posed the exact danger which Judas was clamouring for. Caiaphas’ considerable diplomatic skill had kept him on the right side of the thuggish Pontius Pilate, prefect of the Roman occupation. He feared that Jesus the Nazarene, a troublemaker, might upset the fine balance that had kept the Jewish rebels in check and the Romans happy. Just before Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, the Romans had put down a murderous rebellion by a splinter group of the resistance. Some speculate that Barabbas, the man whom Pilate set free in place of Jesus, was a member of that group, which would explain his popularity. So the authorities were already on edge when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. John’s gospel provides us with Caiaphas’ rationale in a nutshell: “It is to your advantage that one man should die for the people, rather than that the whole nation should perish” (11:50). Translation: “If we don’t get rid of him, we’ll all get it from the Romans.” Some scholars suggest that these security concerns were primarily a ploy to convince Pontius Pilate to condemn Jesus to death, since the Jewish authorities could not try capital cases. Jesus’ fate was sealed long before his arrest, even if the high priests did follow all the correct juridical procedures. The Sanhedrin likely did not conduct a court trial; the nocturnal exchange at the high priest’s residence was an examination, or interrogation, and it passed no sentence, because it could not impose the desired penalty: death. But the priests had to find a case which would appeal to Pilate.

nd so Jesus appeared before Pontius Pilate, reputedly a cruel and uncultured character whose fervent brutality eventually offended even the Roman rulers, who themselves were not known for their compassion. Pontius certainly was not the vaguely sympathetic ditherer we encounter in the Gospels. Pilate knew much about self-proclaimed messiahs. Messianic movements were a dime a dozen at the time, and they always spelled trouble. The Romans were quick to put these pesky messiahs to death. Josephus Flavius names four of them: Judas, son of Ezekias; Simon, slave of Herod; Athronges; and Jesus of Nazareth. Yet, John’s account of the conversation between Pilate and Jesus suggests that the Roman prefect had his doubts (16:34-36), perhaps seeing Jesus not as a political agitator, but as a philosopher. The gospels tell us that Pilate tried his best not to condemn Jesus. Instead he proposed having Jesus flogged, as a warning. He might well have perceived a political risk in executing a man who

had an evident following. Either way, political calculation preceded the justice of the case. The Jewish leaders made their argument forcefully, even threatening Pilate that his refusal to condemn Jesus could be seen as an act of disloyalty to Caesar, since Jesus had claimed to be a “king”.

hen he failed to spare Jesus, Pilate washed his hands of this whole affair, and condemned the prisoner to the most savage death: “Ibis in crucem”—crucify him! Josephus Flavius in his The Jewish War described a very similar scene under Gessius Florus, the procurator in Palestine from 64-66 AD whose inhumanity helped kickstart the Jewish revolt: “Florus took up his quarters at the palace, and on the next day had his tribunal set before it and sat upon it [...] The soldiers caught many of the quiet people, and brought them before Florus, whom he first scourged and then crucified.” It was the Roman way of doing things. So Pilate ordered Jesus to be tortured, in the same excruciating manner by which all those condemned to crucifixion were, having him flogged within an inch of his life. Pontius had the option of choosing an alternative form of execution, but evidently saw no cause, certainly not compassion, to apply it. The manner of this type of execution suited the Romans: other aspiring messianic insurgents would be sent a clear message of deterrence, more so since for Jews crucifixion was also the most humiliating form of execution, reserved for the lowest forms of criminals and insurrectionists. Pilate ordered that a sign be produced to tell the world why Jesus of Nazareth was crucified: for claiming to be a king, a would-be usurper of Roman prerogative. As the Roman historian Tacitus noted: “Christus...suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.” Jesus died on a Friday at 3pm. The noted physicist Sir Colin John Humphreys has arrived at the year 33, based on the testimony of the synoptic Gospels that Jesus was executed on Friday, the 15th of Nisan, in the lunar Jewish calendar. If he calculated correctly, then the date on our calendar would be April 3, 33. The date of the Resurrection— the moment without which our faith is in vain (1 Cor 15:17)— would then be April 5, 33, with the Risen Christ appearing to several disciples on the same day. By sunrise of April 6 the world was a brand-new place. n Order The Holy Land Trek at R150 (plus R15p&p in SA) from www.holylandtrek.com or e-mail books@scross.co.za

The Southern Cross, March 27 to april 2, 2013

The pope Argentinians know Continued from page 5 “He’s not an intellectual [like Pope Benedict], rather a man of government, with great political and administrative abilities,” Mr Poirier said, adding that priests had to keep their parishes in order He said Pope Francis preferred the shanties to high society; he never dined out or went to parties; he cooked for himself and read voraciously. He especially liked Latin American literature and Fyodor Dostoyevsky novels. He did not use a computer or e-mail and listened to the football games of San Lorenzo on the radio. Barrio de Flores is a working class neighbourhood. The new pope’s father was a railway worker, his mother a homemaker. He returned often to the barrio, to St Joseph’s parish, where he was scheduled to celebrate Mass on

Palm Sunday. “He always carried his own bags,” recalled parishioner Zaira Sánchez, 72. After Mass, “people would wait outside and he would bless all of them and talk to them”, before leaving on public transport, she said. He took time for causes, too— such as Fundación Alameda, which sought support from Pope Francis for its work against the exploitation of migrants working in Argentina. It also works to prevent migrant women from being lured into the sex trade. The foundation’s director, Olga Cruz, knew the then-cardinal previously—he baptised both her children, who were not infants, after she asked him personally. “He said it would be an honour,” recalled Ms Cruz, a Bolivian.

Community Calendar

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

CAPE ToWN: Mimosa Shrine, bellville (Place of pilgrimage for the Year of Faith): April 4: 7.30pm Rosary. April 7: Feast of Divine Mercy, Braai 12pm 2.00pm, 3.00pm Mass of Divine Mercy. April 13: 9.00-10.00am Holy hour and Benediction, confessions available April 25: Feast of St Mark, 7.00pm Rosary, 7.30pm Holy Mass. Tel: 076 323 8043 Padre Pio: Holy hour 3.30 pm every 3rd Sunday of the month at Holy Redeemer parish in Bergvliet. Helpers of god’s Precious Infants meet the

last Saturday of the month except in December, starting with Mass at 9:30 am at the Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Mass is followed by a vigil and procession to Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street. For information contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel Manuel on 083 544 3375 NELSPruIT: Adoration of the blessed sacrament at St Peter’s parish. Every Tuesday from 8am to 4:45pm followed by Rosary Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 5:30pm.

Word of the Week

DEUS MEUS ET OMNIA: “My God and my all”— Franciscan motto. GRAVIORA DELICTA: “Grave matters”—Usually relating to liturgical abuses as set out by The Congregation for Divine Worship’s intruction titled Redemptionis Sacramentum. TYPOLOGY: The discernment of persons, events, or things in the Old Testament which prefigured, and thus served as a “type” of the fulfillment of God’s plan in the person of Christ.

Pope Francis embraced the migrants’ cause, making public statements and celebrating Mass for the foundation. “He told me, ‘Don’t be afraid’...that I can confront this,” Ms Cruz said. She also recalled him coming at a moment’s notice to provide spiritual and moral support for women rescued from the sex trade, who were sometimes sheltered in parishes. Parishioners at St Joseph’s showed mixed emotions about Pope Francis having to leave Argentina for a higher calling. “Once he got to know you, he knew you for life,” said parishioner Gloria Koen, 73. “Unfortunately, we had to share him with the world.”—CNS

Liturgical Calendar Year C Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday, March 31, Easter Sunday Acts 10:34, 37-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23, Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, John 20:1-9 Monday, April 1, Family Day Acts 2:14, 22-33, Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11, Matthew 28:8-15 Tuesday, April 2 Acts 2:36-41, Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22, John 20:1118 Wednesday, April 3 Acts 3:1-10, Psalm 105:14, 6-9, Luke 24:13-35 Thursday, April 4 Acts 3:11-26, Psalm 8:2, 59, Luke 24:35-48 Friday, April 5 Acts 4:1-12, Psalm 118:12, 4, 22-27, John 21:1-14 Saturday, April 6 Acts 4:13-21, Psalm 118:1, 14-21, Mark 16:9-15 Sunday, April 7, Feast of the Divine Mercy Acts 5:12-16, Psalm 118:24, 13-15, 22-24, Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19, John 20:19-31

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 543. ACROSS: 3 Enclosure, 8 Ajar, 9 Holy water, 10 Layman, 11 Arian, 14 White, 15 Neri, 16 Smoke, 18 Eddy, 20 Notes, 21 Sowed, 24 Outran, 25 Valentine, 26 Pawn, 27 Dissenter. DOWN: 1 Halloween, 2 Ladybirds, 4 Neon, 5 Layer, 6 Shaman, 7 Reed, 9 Hades, 11 Aloud, 12 Nestorian, 13 Dissonant, 17 Ensue, 19 Yodels, 22 Eaten, 23 Taxi, 24 Once.

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DEATH

HArDIMAN—Sister aine OP. Educator and activist, born in Dublin, april 1926 and died Cape Town, March 2013, after a long life of loving service to God in the community. RIP. Love and thanks from Marian High past pupils. HArrISoN—Joyce from Gelvandale, Port Elizabeth. Passed away 13/3/2013 at the age of 82. My deepest sympathy to Judy and Patrick and all other family. Will always be remembered by Mary da Silva – Bellville. RIP.

IN MEMorIAM

brooKS—Leslie. Passed away in March 1997. Will always be remembered by Doreen and family. VAN SCHoor— Marchelle. In loving memory of Marchelle. always remembered by Lawrence, Machay, Lance and van Schoor family. Our deepest wish would be today to have you back the same old way, to hear your voice, to see your smile, to talk to you just a little while. May her soul rest in peace. VogEL—Mervyn. Sadly passed away in March 1996. We shall always cherish your cheerful smile, your heart of gold and the great example you set. Mom, Dad, Tracy and Roedi.

oF CHILDLIKE CoNFIDENCE (This Novena is to be said at the same time every hour for nine consecutive hours – just one day) O Jesus, Who hast said, ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you, through the intercession of Mary. Thy Most Holy Mother, I knock, I seek, I ask that my prayer be granted. (Make your request) O Jesus, Who hast said, all that you ask of the Father in My name, He will grant you through the intercession of Mary, Thy Most Holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask Thy Father in Thy name that my prayer be granted. (Make your request) O Jesus, Who has said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall not pass” through the intercession of Mary, Thy Most Holy Mother, I feel confident that my prayer will be granted. (Make your request). In thanksgiving for prayers answered. Stephen. rEMEMbEr o most

PErSoNAL

AborTIoN WArNINg: ‘The Pill’ can abort, swiftly and undetected. It clinically makes the womb inhospitable, and rejects those early ‘accidental’ conceptions (new lives) which sometimes occur while using it. (Medical facts stated in its pamphlet) ASIAN CATHoLIC single lady 60 plus, seeking friendship of a gentleman sober habits. No baggage, I have none. My hobbies, cooking, swimming, walking, travelling. Don’t smoke or drink self employed. a friend in the golden years to walk with life. Natal, PO Box 52108, Berea Road, 4007, KzN. HouSE-SITTEr/ PET-LoVEr: Based at Benoni Parish, will travel/with references. Phone Therèse 076 206 0627. NoTHINg is politically right if it is morally wrong. abortion is evil. Value life!

PrAYErS

PoWErFuL NoVENA

gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession and was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins our Mother. To you do we come, before you we stand sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer us. amen. 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. In

thanks for prayers answered. You, O eternal Trinity, are a deep sea into which, the more I enter, the more I find. and the more I find, the more I seek. O abyss, O eternal Godhead, O sea profound, what more could you give me than yourself? Prayer of awe— St Catherine of Siena.

HoLIDAY ACCoMMoDATIoN

LoNDoN, Protea House: Single per night R300, twin R480. Self-catering, busses and underground nearby. Phone Peter 021 851 5200. bALLITo: up-market penthouse on beach, self-catering, for Easter. 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 MELVILLE—South Coast: 2 bedroom beachfront flat, sleeps four, R700.00 per night. Contact 083 3093160. 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. 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. The Southern Cross is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa. Printed by Paarl Coldset (Pty) Ltd, 10 Freedom Way, Milnerton. Published by the proprietors, The Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd, at the company’s registered office, 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001.

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

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2nd Sunday of Easter: April 7 Readings: Acts 5:12-16, Psalm 118:2-4, 22-27, Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19, John 20:19-31

Lord, help our disbelief

Nicholas King SJ

EXT week we conclude the Easter Octave with the gospel story of the overcoming of Thomas’ incredulity. We may wish to pray during these days for our own incredulity to be overcome. In the first reading, however, the incredulity is not that of the apostles, for it starts “through the agency of the apostles, many signs and portents took place among the people, and they were all of one mind in the Porch of Solomon”. It was outsiders who showed the timidity that had previously been the mark of the (male) apostles, for “none of the others dared to stick to them—and yet the people made a great thing of them”. The story is a little bit confused, however, since there seem to be quite serious numbers, of both sexes, “believing the Lord”. Not only that, but “they carried out the sick, and put them on little beds and stretchers, in order that when Peter came, even his shadow might fall on some of them”. We observe that these are changed days for Peter, who not long ago was energetically denying all knowledge of Jesus, and then showed himself clueless about the Resurrection. The psalm for next Sunday knows nothing of Resurrection, but the poet’s tone of gratitude to the Lord is such that you feel he might not

Sunday Reflections

have been surprised to hear about it: “Let Israel say that his steadfast love is forever”and the priests are invited to do the same: “Let the house of Aaron say that his steadfast love is forever”, and likewise “those who fear the Lord”. Then we hear a line that Jesus, in the course of his meditations on the Old Testament, may well have applied to himself, “the stone the builders rejected has become the corner-stone”. And, as always in the psalms, the praise goes full-throated to God: “This was from the Lord; this was a marvel in our eyes.” And, in a phrase that the Church makes its own at Easter-time: “This day was made by the Lord; we rejoice and are glad in it”, and, confidently, the Lord is asked to “save...deliver”. Then we hear an acclamation to the one who comes “in the name of the Lord: we bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and has shed light upon us”. This is very suitable language to build up our Easter faith. The second reading for next Sunday, and for

the five Sundays that follow, comes from the Book of Revelation, a book whose dark menace is rather inclined to make Christians panic but in fact is a glorious celebration of the certainty that God is going to deliver us from all that ails us. It starts, next Sunday, with “John”, one Sunday in his exile on Patmos (“because of the word of God and the witness about Jesus”), meeting the Risen Lord. Not that he is claiming anything special about himself, for he is “your brother, and your partner in suffering and in the kingdom, and in endurance in Jesus”. Anyway, there he is, “in the Spirit”, which is sometimes understood as “in a trance” and he hears a “voice like a trumpet”, instructing him “write down what you see, on a scroll”. Not unreasonably, he looks to see what is going on, and sees “seven golden lamp-stands —and in the middle of them, one like a Son of Man, clothed in a long garment, and a golden girdle round his chest”. His instinct is to “fall at his feet like one dead”. Instead he is given reassurance: “Don’t be afraid—I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. And I was dead—and look! I am alive forever and ever. And I have the keys of Hell and of Death”. So our incredulity starts, perhaps, to ebb away, as John is told to “write down the things

The perfect prayer in crisis H

OW do we lift our darkest, most depressed, most lonely moments up to God? How can we pray when we are most deeply alone, helpless, and our whole world seems to be collapsing? We can learn from Jesus and how he prayed the night before his death in the Garden of Gethsemane, in his darkest hour. It was late at night; he had just had his last meal with his closest friends, and he had one hour to prepare to face his death. His humanity breaks through and Jesus finds himself prostrate on the ground, begging for escape. Here’s how the Gospels describe it: Jesus withdrew from his disciples, about a stone’s throw away, and threw himself to the ground and prayed. “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine.” And he came back and found his disciples sleeping. So he withdrew again and in anguish prayed even more earnestly, and his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. When he rose from prayer he went to the disciples and found them sleeping for sheer grief. And he said to them: “Why are you asleep? Get up and pray not to be put to the test.” And he prayed a third time, and an angel came and strengthened him, and he rose to face with strength what lay before him. This prayer by Jesus in Gethsemane can serve as a model for how we can pray when we’re in crisis. Looking at the

Conrad

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

prayer, we can highlight seven elements, each of which has something to teach us in terms of how to pray in our darkest times: 1. The prayer issues forth from his loneliness: The Gospels highlight this, both in terms of telling us that the prayer takes place in a garden (the archetypal place for love) and in that Jesus is “a stone’s throw away” from his loved ones who cannot be present to what he is undergoing. In our deepest crises, we are always painfully alone, a stone’s throw away from others. Deep prayer should issue from that place. 2. The prayer is one of great familiarity: He begins the prayer by calling his father “Abba”, the most familiar term possible, the phrase that a young child would use sitting on his or her father’s lap. In our darkest hours, we must be most familiar with God. 3. The prayer is one of complete honesty: Classically prayer is defined as “lifting mind and heart to God”. Jesus does

this here, radically, in searing honesty. He asks God to take the suffering away, to give him escape. His humanity cringes before duty and he asks for escape. That’s honest prayer, true prayer. 4. The prayer is one of utter helplessness: He falls to the ground, prostrate, with no illusions about his own strength. His prayer contains the petition that if God is to do this through him, God needs to provide the strength for it. 5. The prayer is one of openness, despite personal resistance: Even as he cringes before what he is being asked to undergo and asks for escape, he still gives God the radical permission to enter his freedom. His prayer opens him to God’s will, if that is what’s ultimately being asked of him. 6. The prayer is one of repetition: He repeats the prayer several times, each time more earnestly, sweating blood, not just once, but several times over. 7. The prayer is one of transformation: Eventually an angel (divine strength) comes and fortifies him and he gives himself over to what he is being asked to undergo on the basis of a new strength that comes from beyond him. But that strength can only flow into him after he has, through helplessness, let go of his own strength. It is only after the desert has done its work on us that we are open to let God’s strength flow into us. In his book, Stride Towards Freedom, Martin Luther King Jr recounts how one night, after receiving a death threat, he panicked, gave into fear, and, not unlike Jesus in Gethsemane, literally collapsed to the floor in fear, loneliness, helplessness—and prayer. King confessed that his prayer that night was mostly a plea to God to let him find an honourable means of escape, but God asked something else of him. Here are his final words to God in that prayer: “But now I am afraid. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.” Then he adds: “At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced him before.” An angel found him. When we pray honestly, whatever our pain, an angel of God will always find us.

you saw, and the things that are and the things that are going to happen after this”. The gospel is always the same on the second Sunday of Easter, two Resurrection appearances of Jesus, a week apart. The first takes place on that first Sunday. The disciples are no braver now, even though they have some evidence that Jesus has triumphed over death, for “the doors were locked...for fear of the Judeans”. Into this fearful shambles comes Jesus, with his characteristic greeting of “peace be with you”, followed by his breathing upon them and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the power over sins. Then there is a second appearance, foreshadowed by the mention of Thomas’ absence, and his understandable, if rather brutal, posturing about not believing that it is Jesus unless he can see the wounds in his flesh; it comes eight days later (the day when we shall hear it proclaimed, that is to say), and Thomas is told to “throw your hand into my side”. At which point all doubt is gone, and Thomas goes way beyond the evidence in making his proclamation, which is in some ways the high point of the entire gospel, “My Lord and my God.” There follows some material about “those who have not seen and yet believed” (which is us, of course); and then the gospel concludes with something about why the gospel was written at all: “So that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah the son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” We may pray this week to have our incredulity overcome, and so find the way to life.

Southern Crossword #543

ACROSS 3. Nuns may be sealed off in here (9) 8. A container in an open door (4) 9. Does it dampen the blessing? (4,5) 10. He’s not found among the clergy (6) 11. Heretic among the seminarians (5) 14 and 16. It’s the sign of a new pope (5,5) 15. St Philip of Erin? (4) 16. See 14 18. Little Edward in the little whirlpool (4) 20. Musician’s written records? (5) 21. Scattered seed (5) 24. The way John got to the sepulchre before Peter (6) 25. Lover’s holy card? (9) 26. One of little value on the board (4) 27. Residents will show up unorthodox person (9)

DOWN 1. The eve of All Saints (9) 2. Flying females like beetles? 4. Will none change the lamp? (4) 5. Stratum hen (5) 6. Ma Nash turns to a sorcerer (6) 7. The soldiers struck Jesus with it (Mk 15) (4) 9. Ancient Greeks departed for here (5) 11. Permitted sound to be audible (5) 12. Trains one to be this heretic? (9) 13. Unharmonious, so stand in (9) 17. Green suede obscured will come after (5) 19. How Swiss priest sings Mass? (6) 22. Consumed by being taken in (5) 23. It goes to state revenue and I find a cab (4) 24. Single time only (4)

Solutions on page 15

CHURCH CHUCKLE

T’S the first Easter Sunday, and Mary Magdalen reports to the apostle Peter. “Peter, I have good news and bad news.” He asks to hear the good news first. Mary tells him that Jesus has risen. Peter is jubilant but asks: “What could possibly be the bad news?” Mary responds: “The bad news is that he’s still miffed about Friday.” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.