The Southern Cross - 131002

The

S outher n C ross

October 2 to October 8, 2013

Reflection on Pope Francis’ interview

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Best-selling author visits Catholic school

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‘Police, society failing in fight against crime’

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

R

ESPONDING to the release of national crime statistics, Fr Peter-John Pearson of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) has said the statistics have shown some of the worst numbers in almost a decade—and society shares a blame in that.

“It is impossible to escape the conclusion that the police are not succeeding adequately to counter crime,” said the director of the CPLO, an associate body of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

However, Fr Pearson added that civil society also has a role to play in improving the statistics.

Fr Pearson said that better policing and a more rigorous criminal justice system alone cannot turn these figures around.

“Without excusing all that is dysfunctional within the police service and the criminal justice system, it is nonetheless true that many crimes, and much criminal behaviour, flow from poor social skills, poor values, bad relationships and a number of behavioural malfunctions,” he said.

“These can only be reversed through the choices we make at home, at school and in other social environments which are largely

of our own making.”

He said while the police are not succeeding, it is to some degree also a situation which “we must take in hand and do our part to rectify, so that the statistics for next year will once again be evidence of an improving situation and a sign of a safer environment for all our people.”

The statistics, released in September, saw a reverse in the trend which had seen major crimes drop.

“The release of the crime statistics for the year ending March 2013...showed some of the worst numbers in almost a decade, especially in the crimes that particularly heighten fear, namely residential robberies up by 3,6%, robbery with aggravating circumstances up by 1,2%, and car hijackings, which rose by 5,4%,” Fr Pearson wrote in a formal response to the statistics.

The murder rate also increased by two additional murders a day. Fr Pearson noted that this number is a spike: the figure for murders has decreased by 27,2% over the past nine years.

According to criminologists, around 60% of murders in South Africa are committed by people who are in some type of relationship

Pope Francis waves to a pilgrimage group led by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban during a general audience in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

with the victim. “Such murders,” Fr Pearson noted, “are not necessarily preventable by better policing.”

There was also an alarming 6,5% increase in attempted murders over the past year, and a sharp increase of 13,5% in drug-related crimes.

The crime statistics did offer some positive statistics. Sexual offences were down by 0,4%, business and non-residential robberies decreased 0,6%; bank robberies by a staggering 80%; cash-in-transit robberies by 20,3%; and shoplifting by 3,9%.

However, Fr Pearson noted, many of these decreases are in the commercial arena where private security is used significantly, and thus “the decreases cannot be attributed to better policing alone”.

Fr Pearson said the statistics remind us that “violence in South Africa remains unacceptably high, and that much of it is still racially skewed. The figures underline yet again that crime and its dire consequences drain the country of important resources that should normally be applied to social and economic upliftment.”

The return of Chris Moerdyk, in a new book

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

F

OR more than eight years, Chris Moerdyk was a familiar face in the pages of The Southern Cross, his words entertaining readers in a wholesome fashion.

While Mr Moerdyk is no longer writing in The Southern Cross, his best columns have now been collected in a new book titled Moerdyk Files.

“The idea for the book was by [Southern Cross editor] Günther Simmermacher, who has responded with great wisdom and enthusiasm to the quest by The Southern Cross to find additional revenue streams because, like most newspapers in this country, it is struggling to make ends meet,” said Mr Moerdyk.

Mr Moerdyk is currently serving as the chairman of the board of the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Co, which publishes The Southern Cross.

Mr Simmermacher selected the articles, going back to a time when Mr Moerdyk wrote

a monthly column in The Southern Cross. He also edited them and did the book’s layout.

“When Chris took over the weekly slot on the backpage, which had been left open by the death of our great Owen Williams in 2007, he asked me what his brief was. I told him to go out and entertain readers with humour, stories, opinions and amusing material,” Mr Simmermacher recalled. “I told Chris to imagine he was visiting friends on a Sunday afternoon to shoot the breeze. I think he did that admirably, and the book testifies to that.”

While the book is primarily aimed at the Catholic market, Mr Moerdyk is certain it will also appeal to non-Catholics.

“Günther has been very creative in choosing content that will appeal to a much wider faith-based audience and the general public in general,” said Mr Moerdyk, who is well known outside of Catholic circles as a columnist for various publications and on-line organs. He is also regarded as one of South

Africa’s leading marketing analysts.

“Since I stopped writing this column a few years ago, there have been a vast number of people—well only two, excluding my immediate family—who clamoured for more of my writings,” joked Mr Moerdyk.

He hopes that Southern Cross readers “will have forgotten much of what I wrote and would like to take a literary walk down memory lane”.

Proceeds from the sale of the book will contribute to the economic sustainability of The Southern Cross,” said Mr Moerdyk.

“I will not receive royalties from the book, and Günther has asked not to receive money from it either, even though he put the book together in his private time. So once we have paid for the printing, every cent of the price will go towards keeping The Southern Cross going,” he said.

“I’m asking everyone I know to buy the book, if only to keep our 93-year-old newspaper going. If it is not read, then it can be used

Chris Moerdyk and the cover of his newly-published anthology of his best Southern Cross columns from 2004-2011, titled Moerdyk Files. as a fan in hot weather or as a doorstop.”

Moerdyk Files joins the collection of other titles published under the Southern Cross Books imprint, including Günther Simmermacher’s The Holy Land Trek and Owen Williams’ Any Given Sunday. n Moerdyk Files is available at R150 (plus p&p) from www.books.scross.co.za or e-mail books @scross.co.za or phone 021 465 5007.

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2

The Southern Cross, October 2 to October 8, 2013

LOCAL

SA Catholic helped draft letter to pope STAFF REPORTER

A

SOUTH African Catholic was part of an international group of 13 which wrote a letter to Pope Francis and his group of eight advisors calling for greater involvement of the laity in decision-making processes.

Written under the banner “Catholic Church Reform”, the letter was sent on behalf of about 100 reformist Church movements to coincide with the pope’s October meeting with the team of advisors

he appointed earlier this year to advise him on Church governance.

Geoff Harris of Rooi Els in the Western Cape said the letter went through at least 12 drafts.

“The original request was for a one-paragraph submission covering what one believed to be the most important and needy facet of reform,” Mr Harris said. “I guess something in mine must have resonated, as I was asked to join the drafting committee.”

The letter notes that in his recent interview with Jesuit publications,

Pope Francis said that “thinking with the Church” is not just a matter of taking orders from the hierarchy.

“When the dialogue among the people, the bishops and the pope goes down this road and is genuine, then it is assisted by the Holy Spirit,” the pope said.

It is in this spirit that the letter asks that priests, religious and laity are given a major role in Church decision-making, including in the selection of their bishops; “that dialogue and respect for conscience

replace authoritarian rule”; that social justice be promoted, and that Church officials who have facilitated or ignored the scandal of clerical sex abuse be removed from office.

The letter also refers to financial corruption in the Vatican and the “destructive effects of clericalism and an all-male celibate governing body”.

“Full participation of all baptised Catholics in the Church’s decisionmaking is fundamental to Church reform, and is firmly based on the

Gospel, tradition, and the vision of the Second Vatican Council,” the letter says.

Catholic Church Reform is seeking an audience with Pope Francis to present and discuss the concerns raised in their letter.

“Our fondest hope is that Pope Francis will accept a delegation of our leaders at the Vatican,” said Rene Reid, one of the organisers in Catholic Church Reform. “He has been reaching out to atheists, gays and others. He wants dialogue. We want that too.”

Call to help Cape churches

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

A

The Krugersdorp Branch of the Catholic Women’s League celebrated its 75th anniversary with their annual dedication Mass at which Mary Lawlor was presented with her 50-year badge. Seen here are (from left) president Cleone Wullf, Fr Ignatius Fidgeon OMI and Ms Lawlor.

Fr Peter Whitehead and Deacon Wayne Lawrence (right) with altar servers before a procession from East London’s Immaculate Conception church.The annual Catechetical Sunday of Port Elizabeth diocese was celebrated in the East London deanery under the “Year of Faith” banner. At 09:00 a procession started from the church of the Immaculate Conception headed by Fr Whitehead, Deacon Lawrence and altar servers. It stopped five times along the way to let catechetical coordinators of different parishes lead one decade from the “Mysteries of Light”. Hymns were sung along the route, and the procession was followed by Mass.

RETIRED priest has called on all other priests in Cape Town to make a concerted effort to see the Year of Faith building fund a reality.

The project, an initiative of Archbishop Stephen Brislin, sought to raise funds to repair and rebuild three churches in some of Cape Town’s most impoverished areas, but it has been poorly supported.

Fr Ralph de Hahn said he was disappointed by the lack of response from priests and their parishes—many having donated nothing to the fund. Fr de Hahn said he understood that the economic climate and unemployment might have been a reason for the lack of promotion in various churches. He praised those who had donated.

“It is likely many priests do not have a missionary vision; the parish is not seen as a cell in the greater body of the Church or even our archdiocese. The little parish is no longer a local church; it is truly universal—it has to be in order to have any meaning.”

Fr de Hahn said attitudes needed to change. “We must abolish the idea of ‘rich’ parish and ‘poor’ parish.”

He said this attitude was certainly not enacted as the diocese did have well-appointed churches and those that were without basics.

These included St Elizabeth’s in Wallacedene, St Josephine Bakhita in Old Crossroads, and St Catherine of Siena in Kleinvlei.

Fr de Hahn said the archbishop had appealed to all parishioners to get involved to help raise R12 million to give these communities churches they could be proud of.

While some parishes had donated handsomely through internal fundraising projects and private do-

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Fr Ralph de Hahn with children from St Joseph’s Home. nations, others had ignored the call.

Fr de Hahn donated all the proceeds from his latest book On Poetic Wings towards the project. “We are one universal Church. It doesn’t matter which parish you belong to, we are here to support each other.”

The anthology of poetry has sold 2 500 copies, many of which have been used as a tool for catechists, converts and teachers. The book has also been “gratefully received by non-Catholics,” Fr de Hahn told The Southern Cross.

But while the priest understands not everybody will write books for

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the cause, he said he was disappointed that some parishes had done nothing for the project. “If a retired priest can raise R100 000, why can’t your entire parish raise something?”

With the end of the Year of Faith fast approaching, Fr de Hahn said only half of the required funds had been raised.

He appealed to parishes to rally together and support the fundraising effort. “Indeed, this will demand the gift of faith, generous sharing and a trust in God’s providence.”

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The Southern Cross, October 2 to October 8, 2013

LOCAL

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Author meets matrics STAFF REPORTER

C

ATHOLIC school learners attended a talk by Sarah Penny, author of The Beneficiaries, the current IEB matric setwork.

Ms Penny now lives in Britain, but was able to come to South Africa, though pregnant with her third child, to talk to a few of the IEB schools about her novel.

Holy Rosary, St Benedict’s and Assumption Convent schools in Johannesburg enjoyed the opportunity to meet the author of this great South African novel.

“It was an privilege to meet the author and an opportunity that students seldom get,” said Holy Rosary learner Simone Soares. “It gave us a chance to look into the mind that fashioned the characters whom we

Book fair in Jo’burg STAFF REPORTER

K

HANYA College will host the Jozi Book Fair on October 25 and 26 in an effort to promote a culture of reading and writing.

Khanya College supports various efforts to strengthen civil society by providing different training workshops and events to communities across Southern Africa.

According to Fr Mokesh Morar, the event, at Museum Africa in Newtown, will run under the theme, “Reading the word and the world: the role of libraries”.

Among the writers will be Fr Albert Nolan discussing his book Jesus before Christianity. The keynote speaker is Walter Bgoza, a wellknown Tanzanian writer and activist.

There will also be a roundtable interfaith discussion. n Entrance is free for reading and book-club members and R10 for all others. Phone Khanya College at 011 336 9190 or visit the website www.jozibookfair.org.za

Holy Rosary matric learners spend some time with the author Sarah Penny, whose book is this year’s IEB examination setwork. (From left) Simone De Abreu, Kiara Tarry, Sarah Penny, Dani Lau and Sabrina Filippi. have become so familiar with.”

Simone was particularly impressed with the “personal level” in which Ms Penny delivered her talk.

“The Beneficiaries itself is semiautobiographical. Hearing Sarah

speak of her school life, and the process of writing the book, gave the already compelling novel a new, much more personal perspective.

We were able to gain some insight into her inspiration for various

characters, and truly understand what life was like for Sarah under the hierarchies she encountered in both boarding school and South Africa at the time,” Simone said.

“Being able to interact with this

great South African author inspired me to want to go forward and write my own story. Sarah Penny made me feel like, in the words of another great South African, Steve Biko, I too can ‘write what I like’.”

British baroness visits SA seminary STAFF REPORTER

S

T FRANCIS Xavier, the country’s national orientation seminary in Athlone, Cape Town, was visited by Baroness of Asthal, Patricia Scotland, during an official visit to discuss trade.

The baroness visited, along with the British consul-general in Cape Town, Chris Trott, and the baroness’ assistant, Oliver Murphy, to attend Sunday Mass.

The baroness, who was in the country for European-South African trade negotiations, had asked Mr Trott where she could find a Sunday Mass after arriving in Cape Town. He in turn asked the Parliamentary Liaison Office, an office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The office’s director, Fr PeterJohn Pearson, suggested they attend the seminary’s Mass.

The Mass was presided over by Fr Chris Chatteris SJ, who welcomed the guests and thanked them for

sharing in the Mass.

The seminarians, who come from all over the country, ensured that the Mass was vibrant and treated their British guests to some of the country’s best sacred music.

Sotho, Zulu and Xhosa hymns were sung to the rhythm of a traditional African drum. The baroness commented afterwards that “it was absolutely amazing, there was really the presence of God.” After Mass, the guests briefly greeted each of the seminarians individually. The baroness encouraged the seminarians, saying: “Your ministry will touch the hearts of the many you will serve.”

The baroness, formerly the attorney-general of England and Wales, is known for her work in defending the rights of minority groups and is the patron of the Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence.

She is a visible and active member of the Catholic Church and the mother of two children.

Attorneys • Notaries • Conveyancers

Seminarians of St Francis Xavier’s national orientation seminary stand with Baroness of Asthal, Patricia Scotland, Fr Chris Chatteris SJ (far right) and Fr Peter-John Pearson (back row, fourth left).

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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.

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The Development Studies Department through its two academic programmes: Higher Certificate in Human and Social Development and Advanced Certificate in Human and Social Development seeks to provide a service to the Church and Society in general through the formation and training of leaders guided by a Christian ethos.

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Two Key Areas of Focus (a) Leadership in Social development: the department provides training to men and women, religious and lay capable of working in organisations and agencies that deal with issues of social development and advocacy, and (b) Formation: the Department helps train men and women capable of working in Religious and Priestly formation programmes.

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Registration Registration for the academic year 2014 is open from July to December 2013.

For more information contact: Academic Dean, e-mail: dean@sjti.ac.za or Head of Development Studies Department, e-mail: kinundapisilah@hotmail.com

4

The Southern Cross, October 2 to October 8, 2013

INTERNATIONAL

Interviewer: Pope’s position on abortion is very clear

BY ALAN HOLDREN & KEVIN J JONES

P

OPE Francis is “absolutely clear” about Catholic teaching on abortion, but his first focus is to bring God’s salvation to everyone, “most of all sinners”, said the Jesuit priest whose lengthy interview with the pope has created worldwide headlines.

“The message of the Church is a message of mercy,” said Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ, editor-in-chief of the Jesuit-run Italian journal La Civiltà Cattolica, who conducted the wideranging interview.

“When he talked about these kind of topics, he said [that] what the Church has to spread is the message of the Gospel. This is the first one, the message of salvation.

This message can reach anyone, most of all sinners. This is a different vision,” Fr Spadaro told the Catholic News Agency.

He added that “what the pope has in mind, in my opinion, was just to explain what the Gospel is.

I got so many messages from people from outside the Church who said ‘I am very deeply moved now by the Gospel. I need to read the Gospel.’ This is the big effect; this is what the pope had in mind.”

In the interview Pope Francis said that a sole insistence on issues related to abortion and other moral issues is not possible. This would not be the fullness of the Gospel, but rather a “disjointed

multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently”.

Fr Spadaro said Pope Francis was not saying “something against anyone”.

“I don’t have to interpret the pope. The words are there. It’s absolutely clear. He said: ‘I am a son of the Church’.”

At the same time, Fr Spadaro resisted applying the “pro-life label” to Pope Francis.

“These kind of categories—the pope is pro-this thing, or against this other thing—are categories that don’t work anymore. This is very important for me. Progressive/conservative, pro/against— these categories don’t work anymore.”

Fr Spadaro emphasised that Pope Francis is trying to communicate “a message of tenderness”.

“This is the attitude of the Church: to be able to stay with people who are bound in soul and body. We have to live on the frontiers. This is what the pope cares about,” Fr Spadaro said.

“It doesn’t matter if you are very far from the Church or if you are not living as the Church says. The important thing is that the Church can reach you where you are, exactly in that place. That is just a starting point. You can grow up in the faith.”

He added: “The Church is for people who need the message of salvation: this is the Gospel.”

The day after the interview was

St Benedict School

published the pope made his strongest public statement to date on the subject of abortion, Francis X Rocca of Catholic News Service reports.

Addressing a gathering of Catholic gynaecologists, Pope Francis affirmed the sacredness of unborn human life and linked its defence to the pursuit of social justice.

“In all its phases and at every age, human life is always sacred and always of quality. And not as a matter of faith, but of reason and science!” the pope said.

He characterised abortion as a product of a “widespread mentality of profit, the ‘throwaway culture’, which has today enslaved the hearts and minds of so many”.

That mentality, he said, “calls for the elimination of human beings, above all if they are physically or socially weaker. Our response to that mentality is a decisive and unhesitating ‘yes’ to life.”

The pope grouped together unborn children, the aged and the poor as among the most vulnerable people whom Christians are called especially to love.

“In the fragile human being each one of us is invited to recognise the face of the Lord, who in his human flesh experienced the indifference and solitude to which we often condemn the poorest, whether in developing countries or in wealthy societies,” he said.

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Anger over suicide bomb at church in Pakistan

C

HRISTIAN educational institutions in Pakistan closed from September 23-25 in mourning and protest against a suicide bomb attack at All Saints’ church in Peshawar that killed almost 100 people.

Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, also demanded that the Pakistani government take immediate steps to take measures to protect the worship sites of all religious minorities in Pakistan.

Police said two suicide bombers detonated themselves following a Sunday service as 600 members of the Protestant church gathered at

the church for food distribution.

Jundallah, a group linked to the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in response to US drone strikes.

Enraged Christians took to the streets in cities across the country to protest the attack, with many condemning both the government and the militants. One Lahore demonstration demanded the resignation of the provincial official responsible for providing security to its religious minorities.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government announced compensation of 500 000 rupees (R46 500) for the victims’ families and three days of mourning in the state.—CNS

Sainthood sought for GK Chesterton

BY SIMON CALDWELL

T VACANT POSITION Effective 1 January 2014 PART-TIME: GRADES R – 9

Pakistani Christians protest at a rally in Lahore to condemn the suicide attack on a church in Peshawar which killed almost 100 people. (Photo: Mohsin Raza, Reuters/CNS)

HE bishop of Northampton, England, has appointed a priest to investigate the possibility of opening the cause for sainthood of G K Chesterton, a British journalist and author of the early 20th century.

A statement released by the diocese in central England said that the decision to investigate the cause followed numerous approaches from devotees of Chesterton.

Fr John Udris, spiritual director at St Mary’s College, Oscott, a seminary in Birmingham, will lead the effort, the statement said.

The appointment represents the first step in a long process that

could result in the eventual canonisation of a man who created the famous “Father Brown” literary figure.

Chesterton was born in London in 1874 and died of heart failure in 1936 at the age of 62 in Beaconsfield, north of the city, and within the diocese of Northampton.

Baptised an Anglican, he became a Catholic in 1922 and wrote acclaimed religious works such as Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man. Chesterton wrote 80 books as well as hundreds of short stories, essays, poems and several plays.

His works continue to enjoy universal appeal and popularity.— CNS

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GK Chesterton in 1925

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, October 2 to October 8, 2013

5

Pope denounces unemployment

BY FRANCIS X ROCCA

V

ISITING an Italian region especially hard hit by the European economic crisis, Pope Francis blamed high unemployment on globalisation driven by greed and said those who give charitable aid to the poor must treat their beneficiaries with dignity.

“We want a just system, a system that lets all of us get ahead,” the pope said in his first address during a full day on the Italian island of Sardinia. “We don’t want this globalised economic system that does us so much harm. At its centre there should be man and woman, as God wants, and not money.”

Sardinia has an overall unemployment rate of nearly 20%, rising to nearly 50% among young adults.

Before speaking to a crowd of about 20 000 near the Cagliari city port, Pope Francis heard a series of speeches in greeting, including one from an unemployed father of three, who spoke of how joblessness “wears you out to the depths of your soul”.

In response, the pope discarded his prepared remarks and told his

audience what he said “comes to me in my heart seeing you in this moment”.

Pope Francis recalled the struggles of his immigrant Italian father in 1930s Argentina.

“They lost everything. There was no work,” he said. “I was not born yet, but I heard them speak about this suffering at home. I know this well. But I must tell you: courage.”

The pope said he knew that his preaching alone would mean little to those in difficulty.

“I must do everything I can so that this word ‘courage’ is not a pretty fleeting word, not only the smile of a cordial Church employee,” he said. “I want this courage to come out from inside and push me to do all I can as a pastor, as a man. We must all face this historic challenge with solidarity and intelligence.”

The pope said that the current economic crisis was the “consequence of a global choice, of an economic system that led to this tragedy, an economic system centred on an idol, which is called money”.

Traditional dancers perform as Pope Francis leads an encounter with youth in Cagliari, Sardinia. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) The pope celebrated Sunday Mass in a square outside the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bonaria, the namesake of his native city of Buenos Aires. Pope Francis origi-

nally announced his trip to Sardinia to venerate the statue of Mary there.

Calling for solidarity with the neediest in society, the pope concluded his homily by urging his lis-

teners to “see our brothers and sisters with the gaze of the Madonna, she who invites us to be true brothers”.

He prayed to Mary to “give us your gaze, may no one hide it from us”.

At an afternoon gathering with poor people and prisoners who had been taken to the Cagliari cathedral, Pope Francis had strong words for those who practise charity in the wrong spirit.

“Charity is not simply welfare, much less welfare to soothe one’s conscience. That’s not love, right?

It’s business, a transaction. Love is free,” he said.

“Sometimes one finds arrogance, too, in those who serve the poor,” the pope said. “Some make themselves pretty, they fill their mouths with the poor; some exploit the poor in their own interests or those of their group.

“This is a grave sin, because it means using the needy, those in need, who are the flesh of Jesus, for my vanity,” the pope said. “It would be better for these people to stay home.”—CNS

Papal advice on how Benedict XVI writes to atheist: to act on the Internet ‘I never hid cases of abuse’

BY CAROL GLATz

BY CAROL GLATz

H

ELPING the Church get the Gospel message out to the digital world depends more on a loving passion for reaching out to others than being tech savvy or a verbal warrior, Pope Francis told Catholic communicators.

“I believe that the goal is to understand how to enter into dialogue with the men and women of today in order to appreciate their desires, their doubts and their hopes,” he said in his talk.

Despite the temptation that exists today, dialogue and bringing people to Christ have nothing to do with hounding others into submission in a kind of “theological brainwashing”, he said.

The pope’s comments came during a special audience with participants of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications’ plenary assembly meeting at the Vatican.

In a world of rapidly changing methods of communication, “the issues are not principally technological,” the pope said.

He emphasised that meeting Christ requires a personal encounter that cannot be forced or engineered.

I Pope Francis arrives for a meeting with Catholic communicators. (Photo: L’Osservatore Romano/CNS) “We have a great temptation in the Church today” to engage in “spiritual harassment, the manipulation of conscience, a theological brainwashing”, which, in the end, he said, only leads people to an encounter with Christ in name only.

Meeting Christ involves the living Christ and the individual experiencing the encounter, “not what’s wanted by the ‘spiritual engineer,’ who wants to manipulate people,” the pope said.

Communicators need to portray “the face of a church, which is ‘home’ to all”, and convey the beauty of faith and joy of meeting Christ, he said.—CNS

N a letter to an atheist Italian mathematician, retired Pope Emeritus Benedict defended his own handling of allegations of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy and politely criticised the logician’s total reliance on scientific facts for meaning.

“I never sought to conceal these things,” the pope said of cases of clerical abuse, and lamented the scholar depicting the Church as the only place where such “deviation” and “filth” occur.

The publication of the retired pope’s comments to Piergiorgio Odifreddi came the same month a written letter by Pope Francis to an Italian journalist concerning dialogue with non-believers was published. Both letters were published, with the two popes’ permission, by the Italian daily La Repubblica.

Pope Benedict’s 11-page letter responded to Dr Odifreddi’s 2011 book, Dear Pope, I Write to You. The book, presented as a letter to Pope Benedict, proposes the superiority of a worldview in which belief should stem only from things that can be understood and empirically known

over worldviews that include belief in things that cannot be fully understood or known.

The pope emeritus, who has long engaged in dialogue with non-believers, most notably with his “Courtyard of the Gentiles” initiative and his 2011 Assisi gathering, said he appreciated Dr Odifreddi’s efforts to engage in a frank and open dialogue with the Catholic faith.

However, the pope said he met “with deep dismay” Dr Odifreddi’s unspecified comments about the clerical abuse scandals.

The pope, who was the first pontiff to meet with abuse victims, had spoken out forcefully against “the filth” in the Church, clarified Church laws to expedite cases, and mandated bishops’ conferences put in place stringent norms against abuse, among a number of other initiatives.

In his letter, the pope said he never tried to cover up allegations.

“That the power of evil seeps all the way into the inner world of the faith is a source of suffering for us.”

Not only must the Church bear the burden of this evil, but it also must “do everything possible so that such

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P

OPE Francis made several key decisions in establishing his curia.

Most notably, Pope Francis confirmed German Archbishop Gerhard Müller as prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, and Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer as the department's secretary. Both had been appointed to their positions by Pope Benedict XVI. The doctrine department, like the traditionally powerful Secretariat of State, is a key resource for the popes in governing, leading and protecting the Catholic Church not only in Rome, but throughout the world.

In the Congregation for Evangelisation, Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni continues as prefect.

Archbishop Beniamino Stella, a career diplomat, is the new prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, succeeding Cardinal Mauro Piacenza.

Cardinal Piacenza replaces the retiring Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro, former nuncio to Southern Africa, as the penitentiary major of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, formerly secretary of the Congregation for Bishops, has been appointed secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops.

Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, formerly secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, has been named apostolic nuncio to Germany.—CNA

OR FO RD

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cases never repeat themselves,” he wrote.

While there “is no reason to find solace in the fact that, according to research by sociologists, the percentage of priests guilty of these crimes is no higher than those present in other similar professional fields,” neither should people “ostensibly present this deviation as if it were filth pertaining only to Catholicism”, Pope Benedict wrote.

Just as it is wrong “to be silent about the evil in the Church,” it is wrong to remain silent about the good, holy and loving service the Church has offered, he said.

Pope Benedict said he read Dr Odifreddi’s book “with pleasure and benefit.”

However, he also offered some sharp criticisms against Odifreddi’s arguments as well as his neglect of and lack of explanation for very real and observable phenomena such as love, liberty and evil.

The pope said it was curious that someone like Odifreddi, who considers theology to be nothing but “science fiction”, would even consider the pope’s works as “worthy of such a detailed discussion”.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, October 2 to October 8, 2013

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Women in the Church

A

MONG the many cats which Pope Francis has placed among the pigeons since his election in March is the issue of how to give women greater influence in the life of the Church.

“It is necessary to broaden the opportunities for a stronger presence of women in the Church,” he said in his wide-ranging interview with Jesuit journals, which was published in September.

“We have to work harder to develop a profound theology of the woman. Only by making this step will it be possible to better reflect on their function within the Church,” he said. “The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions.”

The pope has solicited the development of a new theology of women, but time will tell what shape this discourse might take.

It is no secret that there remains in the hierarchy a strong suspicion of anything that might look like feminism; it is essential that a forum is created in which the voices of Catholic women can be freely heard.

At the same time, there is a rich body of work in the theology of women, one that goes deeper than the idealisation of femininity, which the Church can study and draw from.

Over the past decades many Catholic women—in the consecrated life and outside of it— have expressed a growing sense of marginalisation within the Church, a feeling of being excluded from the hierarchy and authority in the magisterium.

There are committed Catholic women who feel that their commitment to the Church is not fully reciprocated.

The Southern African Church, incidentally, has a better trackrecord in that respect than many other regions. Few Catholic universities, for example, are headed by a woman. St Augustine College of South Africa has just appointed a woman as its president, the second in its brief history.

The alienation many (though by no means all) Catholic women experience is sometimes expressed in calls for ordination of women to the priesthood.

Pope John Paul II in his 1994 apostolic letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis ruled out the possibility of women priests, declaring their inadmissibility to the priesthood a binding tradition.

While this has been hurtful to many women who feel a calling to the priesthood, neither Pope Francis nor his successors are likely to revisit this doctrine.

The challenge now is to discern how, in the words of Pope Francis, to “broaden the opportunities for a stronger presence of women in the Church”.

One such way, some suggest, resides in the revival of the female diaconate.

When the International Theological Commission investigated the question a decade or so ago, its conclusion was guarded, leaning towards the status quo.

The commission did not believe that the women deacons in the early Church, mentioned in Scripture (Romans 16:1-2; Timothy 3:11) and in ancients texts, exercised the same functions as their male counterparts. Not all theologians and historians share that verdict.

Crucially, however, the commission did not exclude the possibility of a female diaconate.

More recently, German Church leaders, including Cardinal Walter Kasper, this year proposed the notion of instituting a deaconess office which would, however, stop shy of ordination.

The idea was not universally acclaimed, neither by the supporters nor the opponents of the female diaconate, but it demonstrated that the issue itself is not beyond discussion, as that on women priests is.

One concern which has been raised is the theory that the female diaconate might provide a “slippery slope” towards women priests. But this warning can be true only if one accepts that the permanent male diaconate has set the scene for the abolition of obligatory priestly celibacy.

In the meantime, there is no reason why dioceses and even the Roman curia should not include women, and other laity, in positions of influence, responsibility and, where canonically possible, authority, or why woman should not have broader representation in synods.

This surely would be in line with Pope Francis’ mind: “The challenge today is this: to think about the specific place of women also in those places where the authority of the Church is exercised for various areas of the Church.”

The discussion on how to accomplish this must begin now.

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

Care for the sick and abandoned T is two and a half years since, on hospitalisation has not been reImore the basis of my experience during ported to the parish. It may be that than two months in hospital, prayers have been asked for the sick I wrote a little and discussed much about the need for a more structured approach by the Church to people who are sick and in a hospital or similar care institution.

Back in hospital and having had time to think, I would like to offer a further suggestion: It has become the policy of some organisations in the sick care industry not to supply to a third party any personal information about a patient. So a priest or extraordinary minister of the Eucharist cannot go up to the reception desk and pick up a list of Catholic patients.

The result is that the Church through its ministers does not reach some Catholics, who then feel that it has abandoned them in their time of greatest need.

This can happen because the

Thanks to St Jude

O

N the classifieds page of almost every issue of The Southern Cross there is a “thank you” from a reader to St Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. If you will allow me, I would like to tell readers about the probability that St Jude might get something in return for answering prayers.

After leaving the Royal Flying Corps at the end of World War I, my father served an apprenticeship as a pattern maker. After qualifying, he emigrated to South Africa, only to find that there were no foundries here. So he worked as a carpenter for the Public Works Department, his first job being to assist in the restoration of the Die Kat balcony in the Castle at Cape Town.

Unfortunately, he was not on the permanent staff of the PWD, so he found himself without a job at the beginning of the Great Depression.

For the whole of 1930 he did not earn a single penny. Towards the end of the year, his savings were nearly exhausted, so my mother prayed a novena to St Jude.

On the last day of the novena, my father was cycling along the road from Maitland to Pinelands bridge. Halfway along the road, a man stepped out and held his hand up for my father to stop.

“Do you know anything about carpentry?” the man asked. Then and there my father got the job of instructing the patients of the Alexandra Institute in carpentry, the idea being that some of the patients would then have the wherewithal to be able to support themselves and could leave the home for the mentally challenged.

St Jude had helped my father find his niche in life.

He had a special affection for the patients, and they responded with

person, but with no indication where he or she is.

Possibly the hospital is outside the parish and the information has not been passed on.

It is the last two cases about which we need to do some creative thinking. My suggestion is: 1. When prayers are asked for a sick person, it is a routine question by the priest or his staff to ask: “Is he/she in a hospital or similar institution, and where?” If it is within the parish, it can be listed for the Communion-givers.

2. If the sick care institution is outside the parish, the information can be telephoned, faxed, or emailed to the parish nearest to it, and put on its Communion-givers’ list.

3. Each parish get some Catholic organisation to take care of this affection to him.

One of the patients, “Little Ginger”, had Down’s Syndrome. In those days, the life expectancy of a Down’s Syndrome patient was about 24 years. The relationship between my father and Little Ginger was wonderful. It gave Ginger a zest for life. When he reached the age of 35, there was an article on him in The Lancet, the British medical journal. I last saw Ginger when my father retired. Ginger was then 60!

So, if St Jude gets anything in return from answering prayers, readers can be assured that, most likely, it will be something which will bring happiness to somebody.

Keith Gilchrist, Johannesburg

Catholic belief

O

UR inability, generally as Catholics, to give an adequate, scriptural response to fundamentalists with the question “Are you saved?”, is closely related to the fact that many of us, in addition to not being familiar with the Bible, are not sure of the basic gospel message.

Even if we attended a Catholic school, the faith was presented as a sort of philosophy—a forbidding system of do’s and dont’s.

Generally, we Catholics are sacramentalised—not evangelised. The word “evangelised” almost had a Protestant ring to it. It has come into 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

ministry and its planning, if it has not got a secretarial staff able to handle it. Where this cannot be done in a particular parish, a neighbouring one should be approached.

4. Each diocese should have a secretariat for the care of sick institutionalised Catholics with its own episcopal vicar. He can approach some organisations or volunteer workers to centralise parish sick lists, which parishes should send in weekly, and dispatch the correlated lists promptly to the parishes.

5. The bishop needs to have this on his programme when doing parish visitation, because it must be diocesan policy and not left to the goodwill of individuals.

You cannot catch all the fish, but the finer the mesh of your net, the fewer will escape and be eaten by the sharks, leaving the Church because they feel it has abandoned them.

Fr Bonaventure Hinwood OFM, Pretoria general use only since Vatican II, and in particular, since Pope Paul VI’s masterly Evangelii Nuntiandi in 1975.

Mission, for most Catholics, meant proving to non-Catholics that Christ had founded the one, Holy, Apostolic and Infallible Church—triumphalism. There is often not an awareness of the basic Gospel message: that we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ and by his grace, working in love.

We do not know how to go about evangelisation because we are unsure of the basic Gospel message. We have an “achieving” attitude, ignorant of the fact that Jesus has already achieved it all for us. All we have to do is accept it personally. We are so busy trying to save our lives that we have no time or interest in spreading it to others. The words of the Mass, “Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Saviour of the world”, pass over us without meaning.

I was educated at Catholic schools where we were taught to be “minitheologians”. The first time I became aware of the absolute necessity of having a personal relationship with Jesus, powered by his Spirit, was through Catholic Charismatic Renewal in 1973, 14 years later!

If two people have fallen in love with one another, they would be spreading the word to everyone.

There is no such thing as a “private Christian”. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus would have our faith in him hot or cold, rather than “lukewarm” which literally “makes Jesus sick” (3:16).

Some of us even seem embarrassed to mention the name of Jesus Christ. If we are evangelised, we would spread the message of Jesus’ love to everyone we meet, especially in the Year of Faith. Woe to us if we do not preach the Gospel!

John Lee, Johannesburg

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PERSPECTIVES

All work must be for God I F work is to help people fulfil themselves and live with dignity, then recourse to God in the manner of doing work is indispensable—else work becomes unrewarding and a tool of oppression.

What is the place of God in human work?

God is a first worker. He created the universe and entrusted it to human beings.

This invitation to participate in his work is a gesture of confidence and honour to human beings. That is why the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (CSDC) affirms: “Work is part of the original state of man and precedes his fall; it is therefore not a punishment or curse”.

Even as human beings are being entrusted with the stewardship of creation, they remain creatures that are fundamentally dependent, and thus naturally bound to submit themselves to God. A refusal to respect the divine order risks reducing people to the sorry victims of their own action even in times of apparent economic and scientific boom.

The book of Proverbs calls for a sober attitude vis-à-vis material goods. Work is a means for a decent life but never the master of life. The prayer goes: “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it” (15:16).

Excessive desire to produce must never distract human beings from acknowledging God as their master. The Sabbath law was intended precisely to save people from

such exploitation.

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus praises a dutiful servant (24:46) and calls the servant who never worked useless (25:14-30).

Work will have meaning and value only if it is oriented to the kingdom of God and its justice.

Through work human beings are called to be co-creators and co-redemptors. The Church Father St Ambrose of Milan said: “Every worker is the hand of Christ that continues to create and to do good.” So work must not be reduced to merely being a means for fast money. Rather, one should take pleasure in the quality of work well done.

St Irenaeus, another Church Father, said that by their work and industriousness, those who share in the divine art and wisdom make the universe already ordered by God, more beautiful.

Sadly, work is not always serving human good. John Paul II in his 1981 encyclical Laborem Exercens observed: “Man’s life is built up every day from work, from work it derives its specific dignity, but at the same time work contains the increasing measure of human toil and suffering and also of the harm and injustice which penetrate deeply into social life within individual nations and on the international level”.

T

hat is why a healthy balance between the subjective and the objective dimensions of work is vital.

The objective dimension “is the sum of

Workers in Cape Town strike for better wages. The Church has long taught the value of work in fair employment conditions, since all woirk must be oriented to God.

Evans K Chama M.Afr

Catholic Social Teachings

activities, resources, instruments and technologies used by men and women to produce things”, whereas the subjective dimension refers to the fact that “work is the activity of the human person as a dynamic being capable of performing a variety of actions that are part of the work process and that correspond to his personal vocation” (CSDC 270).

In the objective dimension, work varies in its expression according to technology, culture, social and political conditions; but in its subjective dimension, it is stable as it depends exclusively on the dignity of the human person who performs it.

A worker is not a mere instrument of production but the source and end of work, thus, the subjective dimension comes before the objective one; in other words: labour before capital.

Unfortunately, labour and capital remain an area of conflict especially because of the capitalistic greed which seeks maximum profit at lowest cost possible. Yet, the two are complementary and there should be a healthy balance between them.

Besides, work has an intrinsic social dimension: one works with others and for others; a service becomes a means of encounter.

The Catholic Church also teaches that working is a right to participate, that is, workers should participate in ownership, management and profits, for they are not mere objects for production.

As a duty conferred by God, work is “a moral obligation with respect to one’s neighbour, which in the first place is one’s own family” (CSDC 274).

Because work is so important for forming and maintaining a family, the Church considers unemployment, especially among the youth, a social disaster (CSDC 287).

Among other rights, workers have the right to just wages. As Leo XIII puts it in his groundbreaking encyclical Rerum Novarum of 1891: “The simple agreement between employee and employers with regard to the amount of pay to be received is not sufficient for the agreed upon salary to qualify as a ‘just wage’”. Out of desperation people often accept conditions offered even as these conditions exploit them for profit.

Thus, it is only when employment is offered and work is performed according to God’s plan that it becomes rewarding and thus helps human beings realise their dignity as co-creators and co-redemptors with God.

Do we miss the point of fasting?

Toni Rowland S O what’s the big deal about fasting? It might sound irreverent to put it like that, but many people nowadays think along those lines.

We certainly don’t put too much emphasis on fasting as such during Lent, nor do many have a family fast-day as is sometimes suggested during Advent in the midst of all the feasting and partying.

But understanding the concept of fasting as a way of solidarity and penitence is a very ancient practice which has continued for many centuries and been very meaningful to many.

Personally through the years I have treated the actual fasting as part of Lent rather lightly. Sacrifice yes, I have promoted that through our annual MARFAM Lenten programmes as “acts of love and sacrifice”, which might have included giving up cold drinks, sweets or chocolates, visiting granny or a lonely person, or not being cheeky to your parents for a day. But fasting?

When Pope Francis called on the Church to fast and pray for peace on September 7, it resonated with me. But then, how could all the bishops and those thousands gathered for the ordination of the new bishop of Polokwane, Jeremiah Masela, who were expecting to be fed and for whom plans were already well advanced with regard to food?

If we believe in the efficacy of such a day of prayer and fasting, could we maybe have transferred the fasting to the next day?

I shared my question with the members of my Renew group, as well as with some others. One said that in the past the money saved would be given to the poor. That’s admirable, and concern for the poor is part of the reason for fasting.

Some mention was made of sacrifices, but no one brought up the point of

Family Friendly

Workers at a bakery prepare fasting bread for Catholics who wanted to participate in Pope Francis’ call for prayer and fasting for peace in Syria in September. (Photo: Dave Vogrinc, Catholic News Herald/CNS)

penance, penance maybe for a social sin of violence, in any form. We didn’t talk about solidarity with those who are suffering.

F

asting has a spiritual component, but it should not be to manipulate God, a point that can also be applied to any form of prayer. The idea bothers me that if you pray for something and your prayer appears not to be answered then you didn’t pray hard enough.

On the Internet I found a table about fasting and religion, the hows and whys.

The Baha’i fast to focus on the love of God and on spiritual matters. Buddhists and Hindus fast as a method of purification or to focus during meditation. Jews fast as atonement for sin and in petition. Muslims fast very religiously according to the teachings of their faith. Some Christians would fast in solidarity with the poor and we Catholics,

in theory, fast as a form of penance and communion with Jesus in his suffering.

In practice, however, there may be mixed motives. Our Lenten fast may be combined with the diet we haven’t got around to following, or a ritual, a practice that we have always kept going back to our grandparents’ days. The fast before receiving Communion, reduced to an hour now, appears also to have lost much of its meaning and the purpose of respect for the Eucharist.

Discuss with the family your understanding of a fast and its efficaciousness, together with prayer, for changing the world. This might result in an action plan for the month of October and the theme of the “Mission of the Family”.

This mission includes building up society as well as sharing in the life and mission of the Church.

The months of 2013 as the Year of Faith with the family reflections have hopefully brought some food for thought and discussion into our families through the constant reference to the Catechism and Church documents.

But faith must be linked with life. If your fast does not bring you closer to God, make you repentant of personal or social sin, save money for the poor, and feel in solidarity with them, then maybe you’ve missed the point that Pope Francis was making.

Maybe there is more to fasting than meets the eye or deprives the stomach.

The Southern Cross, October 2 to October 8, 2013

7

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

The layers of cloth on a priest at Mass I have noticed when attending Holy Mass in a Catholic church, some priests wear the stole on top of the chasuble (instead of under, which I think has been the tradition). Is there a special symbolism here or can the stole now be worn either way?

David Bray

T

HE citizens of ancient Rome were accustomed to wearing a white towel-like cloth around their necks or over the shoulder.

Known as a sudarium, its purpose was to wipe away the perspiration that bothered them, especially in the extreme heat of a Roman summer.

Magistrates and important officials, as can be imagined, wore somewhat grander and decorated versions of the sudarium, and these apparently became part of their badge of office.

Although there are many explanations of how the Christian clergy appropriated the garment and turned it into the liturgical vestment now known as the stole, the fact is that the stole became the ceremonial vestment worn exclusively by ordained bishops, priests and deacons.

It signified the wearer’s authority.

The priest’s formal attire when celebrating the Eucharist has traditionally been the amice placed over the shoulders, followed by the alb, the cincture, the stole and the chasuble.

The chasuble began as an everyday protective outer garment, a kind of big poncho or cloak with a hole near the centre for the head. It was originally called a paenula. St Paul mentions it in 2 Tim 3:14.

The chasuble is the essentially priestly liturgical vestment. It symbolises the virtue of charity, which the priest must exercise as Christ’s minister. Charity or Christ-like love cloaks all, even the priest’s authority, and so the chasuble should not have any other robe on top of it.

(The exception is the pallium worn only by archbishops, indicating their union with the bishop of Rome.)

Ancient depictions of bishops and priests, such as are seen in mosaics and other works of art, do not show the stole being worn over the chasuble. Because the chasuble is an outer garment, this indicates the constant tradition, as you suggest.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal lays down that it is the norm for the chasuble to be worn over the alb and stole (337).

At one stage, a number of years ago, there was an effort to produce a chasuble with an external stole attached, but the fashion never took on. There was also the “chalb”, a type of alb combined with a chasuble, over which the stole was worn. Again, this never received general acceptance or approval.

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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The Southern Cross, October 2 to October 8, 2013

CHURCH

The shocking Bishop of Rome

Pope Francis created shockwaves with an extensive interview which he gave to Jesuit publications, the final text of which he checked himself. Fr RUSSELL POLLITT, like the pope a Jesuit priest, examines the interview which might define a papacy.

W

HEN I was a boy the family swimming pool went green and murky from time to time in the heat of the summer. In the evening my father would “shock treat” the pool and the next day it would be clear again.

Over the last few years, I have felt disillusioned in some ways with the direction the Church was taking. It seemed to be getting increasingly murky and green. The recent interview which Pope Francis gave to several Jesuit journals, conducted

by Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ, conjured the image of shock treating a pool.

Are we living in a historic moment in which God is unexpectedly broadening the narrow horizons of our minds and bringing forth a new era in the Church through the Bishop of Rome?

A colleague told me of his experience in reading the interview: “It took me the whole afternoon because I kept stopping to wipe my tears.”

Sadly, we do not have a culture of reading in the Southern African Church. If there is, however, one single thing we should read, reflect on and pray with this year, then we should choose this interview.

Pope Francis tells us about himself, the vision he has for the Church, speaks in a surprising way on moral issues, what movies and art he likes, and how he struggles in prayer. In this exclusive interview we are given, I believe, the focus

and direction of his papacy: “Vatican II—absolutely irreversible.”

A new genre of papal communication emerges as he describes himself: “I am a sinner who the Lord has looked upon.” He describes how he went to the church of St Louis of France in Rome in which the painting of “The Calling of St Matthew” by Caravaggio is located.

“The finger of Jesus, pointing at Matthew. That’s me. I feel like him.

Like Matthew,” Pope Francis said.

There is a humility and integrity that radiates in the interview, one which we don’t often encounter from those in Church leadership.

He admits that as a Jesuit superior he made “many faults”.

The pope says that the Jesuit by his very nature always thinks again and again, looking towards the horizon to which he must go, with Christ at the centre. This, he says, is what pushes the Jesuits to be creative and generous as they strive to fulfil their mission on the frontiers.

At this juncture in the Church’s history, it seems appropriate that the pope is a man who thinks again and again, creatively and generously as he navigates the deep crevices that scar the Catholic Church.

In one sense what he says is not new, in another, it’s all undeniably new in tone and focus.

The interview follows a number of things he has said and done since his election in March. He has chosen to live in a community, not the apostolic palace; he decided not to go on holiday because many people around him could not afford one; he suggested that clergy drive simple cars; he told bishops to “smell like their sheep” and not be “airport bishops”.

Pope Francis is doubtless thinking in different categories, certainly prophetically, which will leave some feeling rather uncomfortable and others consoled.

He suggests that thinking with the Church, for example, is not the concern of theologians only. Returning to the early Church he says:

Fr Russell Politt SJ examines the interview that Pope Francis gave recently in which he discussed his vision for the Church. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

“All the faithful considered as a whole, are infallible in matters of belief…”

He calls the Church “the people of God” (a Vatican II image) and says thinking with the Church is “my way of being part of this people.” We have become so accustomed to the paternal top-down approach of bishops and popes that this fraternal approach feels new.

Pope Francis encourages groups on the margins to continue asking uncomfortable yet necessary questions about the Church. “We should not even think, therefore, that ‘thinking with the Church’ means only thinking with the hierarchy of the Church.”

The pope suggests a listening ear but goes further by encouraging bishops to accompany, with pa1 Kitchener Street, Cambridge, East London – www.catholic-pe.co.za/dioretreat#piu tience, “the flock that has Tel/Fax: 043 721-3077 Cell 082 853-8869 cecilhalley@gmail.com a flair for finding new paths”.

He invites all to participate, everybody’s input is The important; we all have a role to play. He offers new hope to women who struggle with their place in the Church suggesting that “the Church still lacks a profound theology

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of women”.

The pope is not afraid to touch sensitive issues. Recent surveys suggest that high percentages of clergy in the United States, Britain and Ireland do not like the new English translation of the Mass. Many people see this translation as a shift backwards, a rejection of the reforms of Vatican II. Pope Francis affirms the liturgical reform from Vatican II and says that it has been a “service to the people”. He acknowledges Pope Benedict XVI’s prudent decision to allow the use of the Tridentine Mass to “help people” but warns against its “ideologisation” and “exploitation”. Pope Benedict approved the use of the “extraordinary form” where it was deemed pastorally prudent: it is not meant to be simply for those who yearn for a by-gone era.

In an evocative image, Francis calls the Church a “field hospital”.

He says that what the Church most needs to do now is “heal the wounds and warm the hearts of the faithful”. The most important message we must “first” proclaim is that “Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the Church must be ministers of mercy above all.”

F

or years in my pastoral work I listened to the stories of gay people and women who were victims of abortion or rape. Often they felt wounded, rejected and unwelcome

in the Church. Their inability to grasp the Church’s view, as well as encountering judgmental attitudes and unfortunate statements caused many to abandon ship.

Pope Francis wants us to be welcoming and keep the doors open.

He further suggests we become “a Church that finds new roads and steps outside itself”.

He has words of consolation— and so should we—for people who are divorced, remarried, in a samesex relationship, and those who find themselves in other difficult situations.

Pope Francis says: “The teaching of the Church, for that matter, is clear, and I am a son of the Church.” He does not propose changing Church teaching, but there is a discernable shift in view and emphasis.

He challenges us to think again and again before we speak, and then to always wear his lens of mercy. He respects where people find themselves “it is not possible to interfere in the spiritual life of a person.”

Admitting he has not tackled abortion, gay marriage and contraceptive issues, Francis says that it is unnecessary for us to be talking about these issues all the time: “The Church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently,” and that “the saving love of God comes before moral and religious imperatives”.

He bemoans the fact that the opposite order seems to prevail. In South Africa we are not immune to this one-track approach to morality.

We get it wrong by being obsessed with a few neuralgic issues. Pope Francis changes emphasis again by encouraging us to broaden our understanding and “enter into the mystery of the human being”, beyond abortion, gay marriage and contraception.

Francis shares his positive view of the world and does not see the Church as an island of righteousness located in a sea of iniquity that is the world. He challenges us to seek God in the world rather than complaining about it being “barbaric”. He warns against trying to “establish order in the sense of pure conservation, as a defence”.

The pope asks believers to courageously “open new areas to God”, saying: “If the Christian is a restorationist, a legalist, if he wants everything clear and safe, then he will find nothing. ”What an immense challenge for us,” he added, “to be daringly open to God in all areas!”

The interview reveals the heart of a true shepherd when he says that he holds a dogmatic certainty: “God is in everyone’s life. Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it has been destroyed by vices, drugs or anything else— God is in this person’s life.”

Wow! How more shockingly hopeful can one get? n Fr Russell Pollitt SJ is the former parish priest of Braamfontein, Johannesburg. He is currently based in Portland, Oregon, USA.

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GOD BLESS AFRICA Guard our people, guide our leaders and give us peace.

Luke 11:1-13

MISSION MONTH

The Southern Cross, October 2 to October 8, 2013

9

From a mission Church to a missionary Church Are we, as Catholics, doing enough to evangelise? Are we in Southern Africa a missionary Church yet? Fr MICHEL MEUNIER, a member of the Missionaries of Africa, discusses what kind of missionaries we ought to be.

A

GROUP of young Catholics were discussing the life of their parish. Their priest challenged them with the following question: “Is our parish a mission Church or a missionary Church?”

The youths were perplexed, and one asked: “What’s the difference?”

This is what we are going to ask ourselves now: is my parish community a mission Church or a missionary Church? Is the Southern African Church a mission Church or a missionary Church?

Especially in October, which the Church observes as Mission Month, it is good indeed to understand the difference and to see what is better for our parishes, our Christian communities and our national Church as a whole.

At the end of this Year of Faith, let us ask ourselves not only, “How do we live our faith?”, but also “How do we spread it?”

In his message for World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis says that faith “is a gift, not reserved for a few, but offered with generosity. Everyone should be able to experience the joy of being loved by God, the joy of salvation! It is a gift that one cannot keep to oneself, but it is to be shared. If we want to keep it only to ourselves, we will become isolated, sterile and sick Christians.”

Pope Francis often comes back to the practical point of going out to proclaim our faith to others, especially to those who have not yet heard the Good News.

When you come out of church after Mass, having heard the Good News and the words of the priest telling you “Go and proclaim the

Gospel of the Lord”, do you feel aries to our own people; we all compelled to really go and tell oth- know how much our society is in ers? Do you tell your family, friends, need of hearing and living the classmates or colleagues about the Gospel of Jesus. goodness of God, at least by the exSecond, we must be missionaries ample of your own life and, at ad extra, to the whole world. times, with your words of encourWe can be “global missionaries” agement and solidarity? through prayer and our awareness St Francis of Assisi used to tell his of what is going on around the brothers: “Always preach, and world. But do we read, watch and sometimes use words.” listen to international news? If we To be a missionary Church is to want to pray for people outside go out and express our faith with South Africa, we must first know joy, whereas to be a mission Church what is going on in their countries is simply to receive the and societies.

Good News and keep it we must have South Africa is the an Then for ourselves. open heart to help Already 50 years ago, spearhead of the missionaries who the Second Vatican are outside South in many Africa working for Council said that the Africa Church is missionary a s p e c t s — e c o - evangelisation. by its own nature. If we Do we give generdo not take the Good nomic, artistic and ously to the special News to others and so on. Are we, as a yearly collection orkeep it inside our ganised by the PontifiChurch circle, we are Church, ready to cal Mission Society not a missionary be a beacon of throughout the world Church. (this month at the SunHere, again, Pope light to the rest of day Masses on October Francis is very clear: the continent?

20)?

“Each community is All these monies are ‘mature’ when it prosent to Rome, and fesses faith, celebrates it with joy dur- from there distributed to the pooring the liturgy, lives charity, est churches around the world. proclaims the Word of God end- What a beautiful gesture of solidarlessly, leaves one’s own to take it to ity and Christian love! And still, all the ‘peripheries’, especially to those this is not enough! who have not yet had the opportuere is the most challenging asnity to know Christ.” pect of being a missionary ad This year’s World Youth Day’s theme was: “Go and make disciples extra, or ad gentes (towards other of all nations” (Mt 28:19). When it peoples), as Vatican II called it in was their turn, the South African the document of the same name: youths introduced themselves as How many South African missionbeing missionaries. This is probably aries are now working outside a very good intention, but is it a con- South Africa? It seems there are crete reality? Are we missionaries? only 28! If we compare this to the We must be missionaries if we want hundreds of foreign missionaries working here, it shows a great lack to be a real and complete Church.

There are two ways of being mis- of proportion.

How many parents are ready to sionaries.

First, we have to be missionaries encourage their children to go as at home, here in our own country, missionaries outside our beautiful in our own families and neighbour- country, leave their family and hoods. This is what we can call mis- friends and give their lives totally to sion ad intra, trying to spread the God and his people in another counGood News locally, being mission- try? South Africa is the spearhead of

H

the whole continent in many aspects—economic, artistic, and so on.

Are we, as a Church, ready to be a beacon of light to the rest of the continent? Some countries, like Uganda, Nigeria and Congo, have started their own missionary institutes and send missionaries around the world.

What about us?

Let us return to Pope Francis and his letter for this year’s Mission Sunday: “Each community is therefore challenged, and invited to make its own, the mandate entrusted by Jesus to the Apostles, to be his ‘witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8) and this, not as a secondary aspect of Christian

life, but as its essential aspect: we are all invited to walk the streets of the world with our brothers and sisters, proclaiming and witnessing to our faith in Christ and making ourselves heralds of his Gospel.

“I invite bishops, priests, presbyteral and pastoral councils, and each person and group responsible in the Church to give a prominent position to this missionary dimension in formation and pastoral programmes, in the understanding that their apostolic commitment is not complete unless it aims at bearing witness to Christ before the nations and before all peoples.”

Let us become more and more a missionary Church!

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10

The Southern Cross, October 2 to October 8, 2013

FOCUS

Keeping Church money straight Throughout October the Catholic Church is participating in the ecumenical anti-corruption campaign EXPOSED! The Southern Cross is running a month-long series of feature articles on corruption and ethics. In the first of the series, RAYMOND PERRIER discusses the ethics that should guide Catholic organisations and parishes.

T

HE New Testament often gives us the image of a divine reckoning when God will balance up the book of our lives. “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God,” St Paul says in Romans (14:12).

We might imagine St Peter as a heavenly auditor going through the credits and the debits to announce whether our lives are in profit or in loss. Even the use of words such as “account”, “reckoning” and “balance” reinforce this view. (It is perhaps not a coincidence that double-entry book-keeping was in fact invented by a Franciscan friar!)

Let us leave it to the theologians to debate whether or not this is a good way of understanding our relationship with the all-powerful and all-merciful Creator, and reflect instead on the importance of accountability while still this side of the grave—and in particular financial accountability.

We are used to the idea of the Church as a “teaching Church”—an organisation that has wisdom that should be shared with the wider world.

Increasingly, since Vatican II, and even more so under Pope Francis, we are also hearing about the Church as a “learning Church”—an organisation that does not have all the answers but instead can learn from the world around us.

This sometimes has required the Church to admit that its practices have not been the best; that it needs to look at the rules and norms of secular organisations; that it must follow the same laws that govern anyone working in a particular field.

Pope Francis has recently been bold in acknowledging this in relation to the Vatican Bank (more correctly termed the Institute for the Works of Religion).

As most Catholics know, as a result of a concordat with Italy in 1929, and in recognition of a time

when the Papal States were indeed the size of a real country, Vatican City is still an independent sovereign state. The Anglicans have Canterbury as their historic home, but the English county of Kent holds jurisdiction in the city. The Mormons have Salt Lake City as their global HQ, but they have to abide by the laws of the state of Utah.

The Vatican on the other hand, although entirely surrounded by and integrated into the city of Rome and the country of Italy— with no passport controls and no need to change currency—reserves the right to operate independently in legal matters. That is also why the Vatican, as opposed to the Church, has a seat at the United Nations and how a papal visit to another country can also be a state visit.

Benefiting from this, the Vatican has for a long time argued that its financial operations need not comply with Italian or EU regulations and need not be subject to the same scrutiny as other European banks.

This has always been a cause of alarm, but it has become more of an issue since the global financial crisis and the increasing pressure on banks to be transparent.

The issue is not whether the Vatican Bank is doing something dubious, but rather who determines that: the bank itself or an external regulator? Can a Church organisation, operating across borders and benefiting from international laws of trade and commerce, simply choose to opt out of rules that it finds burdensome or inconvenient or intrusive? How would we feel if a Jewish bank or a Sikh bank behaved in the same way?

Pope Francis has decided that the Vatican Bank (and perhaps, in time, other Vatican institutions) should be known for the highest level of transparency, not the lowest. After all, where nothing is dubious, there is nothing to hide; and if there is then surely the pope must do something about it.

T

his may seem a million miles from the life of the Church in South Africa—but it is not.

Too often here our Church organisations operate as if they are accountable only to themselves and seem genuinely put out if a state body or an overseas donor, or even an ordinary parishioner, wants to know “what happened to the money?”.

The fear for the Church here is not that there are high levels of corruption. Rather it is that there are inefficiencies and complacencies in the system which mean that we do

EXPOSED 2013 is an international campaign uniting all Christians to ‘shine a light’ on corruption. It is endorsed by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. not know whether the money collected by the Church from the people of God—whether in this country or overseas—is being used in the most effective way possible.

One might object that the Church is not about efficiency or management, but when the money is often given to help those who are poor or sick or uneducated, the Church should be even more anxious that the maximum benefit is being extracted from the money raised.

There are some exemplary cases where there is thorough reporting and accountability, but sadly there are still many situations that are far from ideal in terms of transparency.

This does not mean that things are wrong, but that we don’t always know if and when they are wrong.

Let us look at some hypothetical examples and see if there are any cases that resonate with your experience:  A parish collects money every week at Mass but never declares to the people in the pews how much was collected or how the money was spent.  The only person in a parish who knows about the financial situation is the parish priest who successfully

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the beneficiaries.

Of course the Church is not a corporation with shareholders who can summon the bishop (or anyone else in authority) to an annual general meeting and ask hard questions and demand answers.

As the family of God, perhaps the appropriate business parallel is with a cooperative or a partnership: a venture in which we all share, each contributing in our own way, each recognising that we are accountable to the wider mission.

Gandhi had an interesting test of how to decide whether your action was the right one: consider, he said, the poorest person and ask yourself how will this benefit her? That is one good test to apply with our use of Church resources.

Perhaps another might be this, given where most of the money actually comes from: consider the little old lady in Limpopo or in Liverpool who reaches into her purse to put money in the collection plate: would she feel good if she knew how her money was being spent? n For more information go to: www. exposed2013.com, or contact SACBC Justice & Peace Dept: Tel: 012 323 6458, e-mail: jandp@sacbc.org.za

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blocks both parishioners and the local bishop from knowing what is really going on.  The head of a parish or Catholic charity spends money on their own car/office/computer without balancing this against the other demands that might be made on limited funds.  A Catholic institution, using substantial money from local and overseas donors, spends a large amount on a project that ultimately fails and never admits publicly what went wrong or how much was wasted.  A Catholic charity discovers there has been corruption and fraud among its management, but the board turns a blind eye to avoid a scandal.  A parish employs someone on a salary who cannot do the job but who is kept on because they want to be nice to her or him even though the parish and the parishioners suffer as a result.  An organisation run by a religious order, though substantially funded from outside, insists on keeping a member of the order in charge even though he or she is incompetent, because the needs of the order are more important than the needs of

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“Sir, as part of our blitz against drunk driving we are stopping people we suspect may have been drinking for an instant breathalyser”, said the traffic cop.

I was coming back from a neighbour’s party and had had a “very good time”. I was not blind drunk but definitely over the limit. It is two in the morning, with neither cars nor pedestrians in sight, and home was literally round the corner.

“Officer, my house is in sight. Down there.” I point down the road.

“Still, sir, it’s my job. But...” (ah, here it comes) “…for some little gift I could not notice you heading home.”

What would you do? Why would you pay the bribe, or not pay?

What are the longer-term consequences?

How would you explain your action to a child?

Have you been in a situation like this? What did you do?

I am rushing back to Johannesburg from the wedding reception in Bloemfontein, just enough time to get home, shower, change and go the council committee meeting. Had a few drinks of course , but lots of snacks in between, so though I know I’m over the limit, I am completely in control of the car. I get to Kroonstad and I get stopped by the provincial traffic cops.

“We’re doing spot breathalyser test, sir. No exceptions.”

“Do I look drunk, officers?”

“No, sir. The test will tell us,” says the senior cop, “but of course if you are in a hurry we can waive the test…for a small fee.”

What would you do?

Is this different from your first answer above?

If so, why?

The Southern Cross, October 2 to October 8, 2013

Sr Aquinata Boos OP

O

AKFORD Dominican Sister Aquinata Boos died at the age of 92 on September 4 at Villa Siena in Pietermaritzburg.

Sr Aquinata was born Therese Boos in Germany on May 14, 1921 and entered the Oakford Congregation in 1947. She was professed on July 3, 1949 and soon left her home country to serve in South Africa, arriving on November 16 of that year.

She was a humble and cheerful person and served in many convents, mainly as a cook and working in the garden and chicken farm. She always had a smile and a good word for anyone whom she encountered and gifted them with flowers from her garden.

In 2002 she retired to Villa Assumpta/Siena, where she lived a quiet life and provided great help in the community until her health deteriorated.

Sr Carmen OP

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) Tel: 076 323 8043. October 10: 7:00pm Rosary, 7:30pm Holy Mass, October 12: 9:00-10:00am Holy Hour and Benediction, confessions available, October 24: 7:30pm Rosary Padre Pio: Holy Hour 15:30 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.

MARIANNHILL:

A pilgrimage will be held at Kaevelaar Mission, Donnybrook, on October 5-6. Call Mariannhill diocese 031 700 2704

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Liturgical Calendar Year C Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday, October 6, 27th Sunday Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4, Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9, 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14, Luke 17:5-10 Monday, October 7, Our Lady of the Rosary Acts 1:12-14, Luke 1:46-55, Luke 1:26-38 Tuesday, October 8 Jonah 3:1-10, Psalm 130:1-4, 7-8, Luke 10:3842 Wednesday, October 9 Jonah 4:1-11, Psalm 86:36, 9-10, Luke 11:1-4 Thursday, October 10 Malachi 3:13-20, Psalm 1:1-4, 6, Luke 11:5-13 Friday, October 11 Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2, Psalm 9:2-3, 6, 16, 8-9, Luke 11:15-26 Saturday, October 12, St Seraphin of Montegranaro Joel 4:12-21, Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12, Luke 11:2728 Sunday, October 13, 28th Sunday 2 Kings 5:14-17, Psalm 98:1-4, 2 Timothy 2:8-13, Luke 17:11-19

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 570. ACROSS: 1 Guru, 3 Scapular, 9 Actress, 10 Extra, 11 Discipleship, 13 Aplomb, 15 Adhere, 17 Play the organ, 20 China, 21 Italian, 22 Doggerel, 23 Ages. DOWN: 1 Guardian, 2 Rites, 4 Castle, 5 Pleased to say, 6 Lattice, 7 Real, 8 Devil-may-care, 12 Remnants, 14 Lilting, 16 Thrice, 18 Going, 19 Acid.

TOWARDS Vatican 3?

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GOD BLESS AFRICA Guard our people, guide our leaders and give us peace.

Luke 11:1-13

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given of the Annual General Meeting of Catholic Welfare and Development (CWD).

DATE: Thursday 31st October 2013 TIME: 3.30pm (the AGM will be followed by Holy Mass)

VENUE: 37A Somerset Road, Green Point, Cape Town, 8001

Refreshments will be served after Holy Mass. For catering purposes please RSVP to phathuxolo.maqavana@cwd.org.za or by calling +27 21 425 2095 before Friday 25th October, 2013.

CLASSIFIEDS

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

DEATH

Mc DONALD—Fr Matthew OFM, died aged 89 at a retirement home in his native County, Wexford, Ireland on Tuesday, 24 September 2013. He lectured at St John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria from 1953 and was Parish Priest at St Pius X Parish in Waterkloof from 19681988. For many years he was also chaplain to Cathsoc at Pretoria University. He will be fondly remembered by his seminary students, his parishioners and his beloved Franciscan brothers. RIP.

IN MEMORIAM

DOUBELL—Noreen. As each day dawns we whisper low, we love you Mom and miss you so. Your ever-loving family.

MATTHEE—Merlyn. In loving memory of Merlyn who passed away on October 5, 2010. Will always be remembered and loved by her family Desiree, Bryane and children and grandchildren. Ursula, Greg and children and grandson—Australia.

Gary, Shireen and children and granddaughter.

SATRAM—Tony. In loving memory of my husband and our dad who passed away on the 4th of October 2010. In our hearts, in our thoughts—forever part of our lives. We miss you more and more with each passing day. Rest in Peace. From your wife, Lorraine, children— Michelle and Mario, Lester and Sybil, Odette and Adrian, Brendon and Carla and your grandchildren, Daniel, Julia, Noah, Timothy, Matthew and Sarah.

VAN SCHOOR—Louis, October 6, 1998. When the family chain is broken, nothing seems the same—but as God calls us one by one he links the chain again. Miss and love you, your wife Lor-

raine, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Rest in peace.

PERSONAL

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HOUSE-SITTER/PETLOVER: 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

O MOST Holy Virgin

Mary, who chose to appear on the Sierra de Aire, in the Cova de Iria, to three young shepherds to reveal the treasures of grace held in the recitation of the Rosary, impress upon our souls a fervent love for this devotion. By meditating on the mysteries of our redemption, may we learn how to use the teachings which lie therein and obtain the graces we ask in this prayer. For the Glory of God and the redeeming of our souls. Amen. www.santuario-fatima.pt 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

RUBY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

HEUVEL: Beverly-John & Doreen Ruth Congratulations on your 40th Wedding anniversary on Sunday 29th September. You are a true example to us all!

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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. RCP.

THANKS

GRATEFUL thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Mother Mary, Ss Joseph, Anthony, Jude and Martin de Porres for prayers answered. RCP.

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

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

LANGEBAAN Country Club—Villa Ambrosia.

(This Catholic home is excellent for conferences, retreats, family break aways) 20 sleeper selfcatering, 4 kitchens,7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 3 lounges. Entertainment area, table tennis, darts, spa-bath, pool table, DSTV ID/OD, braai areas.

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Peak season R2250 per night. Email villa.am brosia@gabcom.co.za Cell 084 797 0463 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@gmail.com SEDGEFIELD: Beautiful self-catering garden holiday flat, sleeps four, two bedrooms, open-plan lounge, kitchen, fully equipped. 5 min 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 R600 p/night for 2 people—low season.

Garage. Ph Brenda 082 822 0607.

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28th Sunday: October 13 Readings: 2 Kings 5:14-17, Psalm 98:1-4, 2 Timothy 2:8-13, Luke 17:11-19

C

ENTRAL to our understanding of our life with God is the element of gratitude.

Gratitude is essential for a mature grasp of the meaning of life. The difficulty for the unbeliever is that they have to ask “gratitude to whom, precisely?” Next Sunday’s readings explore in their different ways the notion of gratitude.

In the first reading, Naaman, who is a foreigner asking for the very considerable favour of being healed of his leprosy, after some preliminary, and entirely understandable, reluctance (We have jolly good rivers in Syria, I’ll have you know) is persuaded by his servants to go down seven times into the River Jordan: “and his flesh was like the flesh of a young boy!”

So he goes back to Elijah, “the man of God, he and all his army”. That sounds a bit threatening, but look what happens: “He stood before him and said: ‘Look! I know that there is no god in all the earth except in Israel. And now please take a thank-you from your servant.”

Elijah’s aide Elisha absolutely refuses; so instead Naaman asks for a couple of mule-loads of soil, so that from now on “your servant will not make an offering or sacrifice to any god

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Express your gratitude to the Lord Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

but the Lord”. The argument may slightly elude us, but the point is clear; Naaman wants to express his profound gratitude to the God of Israel.

That is an idea with which the psalmist has no difficulty. The psalm for next Sunday is an invitation to “sing a new song to the Lord— for he has done wonders; his right hand and his holy arm have brought victory”.

God is after all what we had supposed him to be: “God has remembered his steadfast love and integrity for the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.” That is what Paul is urging in the second reading: “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead.” For it is the Resurrection above all that demands our gratitude, even though the author is currently in gaol for preaching it.

And Paul gives them “a message to be relied on: if we died with [Christ] we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall reign with him”.

For Christ, he concludes, cannot deny himself. That is something to be grateful for.

The gospel for next Sunday likewise models this appropriate gratitude. The journey to Jerusalem is nearing its end, and Jesus is passing “between Samaria and Galilee” (don’t worry about what this looks like on the map —the point is simply that we are on the move).

Then “as he was entering a certain village, ten lepers, males, approached him, who stood far away”. There is an interesting contrast here, between their approach, which is against the rules, and their distance, which provides Jesus with some protection.

They are quite certain, however, that he has something to give them: “Jesus, master, have mercy on us.”

And Jesus does absolutely nothing! He simply says: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Obediently they turn away, but then something remarkable happens: “And it happened as they went—they were made clean!”

The true meaning of humility I

T’S hard not to fake humility; yet, seemingly, we need to do just that.

Some of the sayings of Jesus on humility seem to raise more questions than they answer.

For example, in the parable of taking seats at the table, Jesus suggests that we should not move towards the highest place, lest somebody more important comes along and we will be humiliated by being asked to move lower.

Rather, he says, move towards the lowest place so that the host might come and ask us to move higher, and in this way our very humility will be showcased before the other guests. “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted, and whoever exalts himself will be humbled.” (Matthew 23:12).

On the surface, this would seem like little more than a strategy to get honoured while all the while looking humble.

The biblical invitation to not consider oneself better than others begs the question: Can someone who is living an essentially moral and generous life really believe that he or she is no better than someone who is uncaring, selfish, or even malicious in how he or she relates to God, others, and the world? Do we really believe that we are no better than others?

Did Mother Teresa really believe in her heart that she was no better than anyone else? Could she really look at herself and say: “I’m just as great a sinner as there is on this planet?” Or, did she—and must we—in the end, feign humility because we don’t really believe that we’re no bet-

Conrad

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Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

ter than what’s worst on this planet?

And so we can ask ourselves: Is our belief that we are no better than others often really only a pose, something we have to affirm about ourselves but which doesn’t stand the full test of honesty?

Further, isn’t our humility, in the end, really not just a subtle strategy to be honoured in a deeper, more respected way?

Who wants to be seen as proud and full of himself? And, can we ever be humble without then taking pride in that? Do we really believe that we are no better than anyone else?

I’m partial to an insight the theologian and storyteller John Shea once offered in trying to answer this. He looked at some diary entries by the Benedictine monk Bede Griffiths, where Griffiths, who was much admired for his goodness, openly confesses that he is no better than anyone else.

Shea asks whether, given the quality of Griffiths’ moral and spiritual life and given the depth and compassion he developed through years of prayer and discipline, Griffiths could really have believed that he was no better than anyone else? Could he really not compare himself with others? Is it really possible

“May we remind you, sister, that Pope Francis said the Church should be like a patient, merciful and understanding mother who always forgives her erring children.”

for any of us not to compare ourselves with others?

Shea suggests that the key to those questions lies in looking closely at what Griffiths means when he asserts that he is no better than anyone else. When Griffiths makes those assertions he is not focused on his, or anyone else’s, moral actions. At the level of moral actions, it is humanly impossible not to make comparisons. We all make comparisons, even when we deny that we do so.

But the roots of humility do not lie in where we stand, above or below, others in terms of our moral actions.

When Griffiths sincerely sees himself and believes himself to be no better than anyone else in this world, he is looking rather at his core, at the depth of his heart, where he sees that he, like everyone else in this world, is vulnerable, alone, fearful, naked, self-centred, inadequate, helpless, contingent, just as much in need of God and others as absolutely every other person on this earth, and, thus, no better than anyone else.

Nobody gives himself life, sustains himself in life, or gives himself salvation.

We are all equally inadequate and helpless here.

Our contingency levels us all, from Mother Teresa to Hitler, and the key to genuine humility lies in recognising that.

Indeed, the more morally and psychologically sensitive we are, the more likely we are to recognise our neediness and our solidarity in weakness with everyone else.

When a Bede Griffiths makes the claim that he is no better than anyone else and that he stands in need of God’s mercy just as much as every sinner on earth, he is not faking humility, but he is not making moral comparisons either. He is speaking out of something deeper: the fact that ultimately we are all equally helpless to give ourselves life.

The invitation to humility is a clear and constant echo inside of Christian spirituality, from Jesus through Bede Griffiths through Mother Teresa through every spiritual guide worthy of the name.

Become like a little child. Take the lowest place. Never consider yourself better than anyone else. Know that you need God’s mercy as much as the greatest sinner on earth.

However we don’t come to this by comparing ourselves to others, but by recognising how utterly naked we all stand outside of God’s mercy.

This is, of course, just like Naaman in our first reading; but their reaction is not quite the same. One of them, seeing he was cured, “turned back with a loud shout, glorifying God. And he fell on his face at his feet, thanking him.” Luke adds the telling comment: “He was a Samaritan”, just as Naaman was a Syrian.

Jesus simply comments: “Was it not ten that were made clean? Where are the other nine? Weren’t they found returning to give glory to God—but only this foreigner?”

Then he goes on: “Up you get and go— your faith has saved you.” There is no indication here of any punishment for the others for their ingratitude; it is, rather, that the Samaritan has gone deeper into the mystery, and has recognised that there is something very powerful at work here, for which the correct response is gratitude.

We shall do well this week, to look out for opportunities to express gratitude to our God for the marvels that he has worked for us; a grateful person is much closer to sanity than one who either accepts what has happened as normal, or who remains in embittered ingratitude. What is your choice, this week?

Southern Crossword #570

ACROSS 1. Hindu spiritual teacher (4) 3. Rascal up for monastic dress (8) 9. You’ll see her on the boards (7) 10. This is additional (5) 11. State of being a follower on the ocean liner (12) 13. Gap Lombard conceals with self-assurance (6) 15. Christian era in this place will stick (6) 17. One may do it accompanying the church choir (4,3,5) 20. It could be the tea or the teacup (5) 21. A Roman citizen is (7) 22. Bad verse about gored leg (8) 23. Our help in ... past (hymn) (4)

DOWN 1. Angelic overseer (8) 2. Liturgical ceremonies (5) 4. Fortified stronghold (6) 5. So seated play turns out well, happy to tell,(7,2,3) 6. An abstainer among the lice finds a criss-cross pattern (7) 7. Sacramental presence (4) 8. Reckless demon could be so concerned (5-3-4) 12. Left-overs from the rummage sale (8) 14. Till gin changes pleasant singing voice (7) 16. Three times (6) 18. Leaving (5) 19. A detective with a sour taste (4)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

T

HE Rand finally dies and all the money gathers outside the gates to heaven.

St Peter looks at the sorry lot, beckons the R1 coin and lets it through the gate. Then the R2 coin and the R5 coin.

The other units of money think they have the hang of the process and saunter up to St Peter, but suddenly he blocks the way, telling them they won’t get in.

“But that’s unfair,” the money shouts.

“R1, R2 and R5 got through with no problem, but you won’t allow us in. Why?” “I’m sorry,” says St Peter, “but I never saw any of you in church.”

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