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July 16 to July 22, 2014

Director of new exorcism film interviewed

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Home’s future in danger after nun’s murder BY STUART GRAHAM

HOME for orphaned children started by murdered nun Sister Mary Paul Tacke in Mthatha is fighting for its survival amidst doubts over whether foreign donors will pull their funding. Rose Kasumbi, the acting director of the Bethany Children's Home, said Sr Tacke, 82, had secured “credit” for the work that was done at the project. “We only have 50% of the funds we need. The rest we have to find,” Mrs Kasumbi said. “Sr Mary Paul played a role in getting those funds for us. Without those funds we are as good as dead.” Mrs Kasumbi said many of the aid agencies that gave money to Bethany, which cares for 71 small children, are based “far away”. “If Sr Mary Paul had died a normal death it would have affected us anyway. But the manner in which she died affects the credibility of the whole region. Emotions are high and we are worried that our donors will pull funding,” she said. “NGOs will suffer the most. The future is not really looking good for us. We are trying to create awareness and there is money in South Africa, but people seem not to be aware of what we do and what we need.” The home does not need luxury, Mrs Kasumbi said. “Even a piece of bread can go a long way. But it takes time to build a substantial circle of friends.” Mrs Kasumbi said donors had phoned regularly to ask how Sr Tacke’s death had affected the home.

“We tell them our concern and that we need help. We have 71 children here who need home care. They are aged from 0 to sixyears old. It is a high-risk age group. These children can die so easily.” Asiphe Ndikinda, 26, and Masixoli Mdlebe, 21, allegedly hijacked and murdered Sr Tacke outside the Thembelihle orphanage in Mthatha, which she founded to help children aged 8-16, on June 15. The nun’s body was found in Nangeni, in a small stream in the veld, the following day. Police spokesman Mzukisi Fatyela said the court heard that the two men had previous convictions, one for housebreaking and one for possessing an unlicensed firearm. The men have not yet been asked to plead to murder and hijacking charges. The case was postponed to July 21. Mrs Kasumbi said NGOs in the area had united after Sr Tacke’s death and had been gathering outside the court during the court case so that they could “make their voices heard”. “We have signed a petition asking for a speedy process,” she said. “These two criminals are little boys; they are children.” Messages of support had been pouring into the home since Sr Tacke’s death, but agencies that provided volunteers to the home had also expressed concern over security. “This is a serious concern in terms of security. Maybe when people calm down things will return to normal.” Mthatha, she said, is as safe as anywhere else in South Africa.

Footballer wants to adopt abandoned baby BY STAFF REPORTER

PROFESSIONAL Italian footballer, Antonio Floro Flores, has decided to adopt a baby named after Pope Francis after finding out the newly born was found abandoned on a train. The conductor of the train found the baby in the last carriage of the train under the seat, wrapped in a shawl and pyjama top in a shopping bag. He was placed in a plastic bag with his umbilical cord still attached to him. Staff at Moscati hospital in Avellino named the baby Francesco after the Holy Father. Doc-

tors found Francesco to be in good health. They believed that Francesco had been breastfed. After hearing about Francesco sad story, US Sassuolo forward Flores and his wife Michela Flores announced on Twitter that they will adopt the baby, already being parents to three children. “After seeing little Francesco, we followed what our heart dictated. I am a father before being a football player, but certainly not a hero.” Flores and his wife are working together with authorities to adopt Francesco according to Italy’s governing procedures.

Fr Justin Wylie of Johannesburg during his time at the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission at the United Nations. An alumnus of St Benedict’s College in Bedfordview, Fr Wylie was the first South African admitted to Rome’s prestigious Almo Capranica College, graduated summa cum laude with degrees in philosophy, theology and canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University. This follows three earlier degrees in law and a promising career as an advocate of the High Court and the War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague. After his ordination in 2009, Fr Wylie was seconded for three years to the Holy See Mission at the United Nations in New York City, where he served as chief negotiator and also assisted in several parishes of the archdiocese of New York.

Ex-UN mission priest responds STAFF REPORTER

N response to last week’s report “SA priest recalled after row with US archdiocese”, Fr Justin Wylie of Johannesburg has sent a letter to The Southern Cross clarifying and refuting claims in the article, which was largely based on a report in the New York Times. Fr Wylie wrote: “You reported last week that I was dismissed from the service of the Holy See after the archdiocese of New York took punitive measures against me for preaching contrary to its consolidation of parishes. [It is] a most curious story. “Only, Sir, I have never preached thus, nor has any such measure ever been taken against me. On the contrary, I received, for the very homily to which you refer, a letter of commendation from Bishop-elect John O’Hara, the archdiocesan official responsible for pastoral planning in New York,” Fr Wylie wrote. “I make my way home now to Johannesburg in the quite ordinary course of events, having faithfully concluded my three-year contract with the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations (from July 2011 to June 2014). No protest. No dismissal. No recall. Just a smear—even a decoy—into which you appear foolishly to have fallen. You are not the first,” he wrote.

“What an embarrassment—so easily avoided!—that our national Catholic newspaper should peddle such falsehoods about one of its own priests without first consulting him to verify simple facts,” he wrote. Günther Simmermacher, editor of The Southern Cross, responded: “Our editorial office tried repeatedly to reach the archdiocese of Johannesburg to seek clarity on the story, which had also been covered by a multitude of blogs, which claimed to be sympathetic to Fr Wylie. The urgency of our need to get in touch with archdiocesan officials was ignored, and our request for cell numbers to obtain comment was rejected.” The Southern Cross has since received supporting documentation which suggest that the New York Times report was incomplete and coverage on certain blogs was misleading. Mr Simmermacher said he and news editor Stuart Graham had been in contact with Fr Wylie following the publication of the article. “Discussions have been very amicable. It is understood that we published our report in good faith. We are obviously distressed that its content was incomplete, and therefore might have compromised Fr Wylie’s reputation, which certainly was not our intention,” Mr Simmermacher said.

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The Southern Cross, July 16 to July 22, 2014

LOCAL

Robberies halt Holy Cross child project BY STUART GRAHAM

CHILD care project run by Holy Cross sisters in Botshabelo, east of Bloemfontein, has come to a standstill after being robbed for the sixth time. Holy Cross Sister Anna Bondeka said the thieves had sawed through a metal container that held food, blankets and other supplies for the destitute children of Botshabelo. “It started in March. They broke into one of the containers which contained goods that had been donated to the children,” she said. “They cut around the metal and took everything. It happened four times. They took a lot of things that were meant for the children.” In the last attack, the thieves broke into an alarmed, well-secured building that was used by disabled children, Sr Bondeka said. The thieves took food, computers, a radio and other things that were used to teach the children. “The building was secure and alarmed but they still managed to break in and take the lot. This was the sixth break-in we have had since March,” the nun said. The children are mostly “vulnerable”, with unemployed parents from Lesotho. Sr Bondeka, who is one of two sisters working at the daycare centre, said the members of the com-

munity had given tip-offs, but so far only one person has been arrested. “We are not functioning as normal. We are still giving out blanket donations, but all other activities have come to a standstill,” she said. Fr Emmanuel Rakaki of Bloemfontein said the thieves had even stolen baby nappies. “Botshabelo is in a very poor area, and the sisters are doing wonderful work for the people. What is happening is tragic,” he said. Fr Rakaki said the archdiocese would use a local radio station to reach out to the people in the area. “We will issue a plea for people to be aware and help us combat crime,” he said. “Without the community behind us, we would get stuck.” Police spokesman Captain Tseko Mokgahle said a man had been arrested with creche property. “We will put informers out there to see if we can come up with more arrests,” he said. “We have informed the people concerned that they must employ security guards, otherwise they will have continual break-ins.” Capt Mokgahle said the police sometimes patrolled the area, but had to “put measures in place to ensure we are not caught napping”. n To help the Holy Cross Sisters of Botshabelo, please phone Sr Anna Bondeka on 073 392 1417.

Fr Rogers meets Queen

Fr Ted Rogers SJ in conversation with Queen Elizabeth II.

ESUIT Father Ted Rogers met Queen Elizabeth II at a garden party in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Fr Rogers spent more than 50 years of his life in Zimbabwe and is well known throughout South and Southern Africa, in particular for his role as principal of the school of social work at the University of Zimbabwe, founder and headmaster of several Jesuit schools, general secretary of Imbisa for a number of years, and as an Aids pioneer. The garden party was organised by the Not Forgotten Asso-

ciation for 300 war veterans from the Second World War, as well as the Korean and Falklands wars. Fr Ted said that the queen enquired about his life and he gave her a brief account of his experience as a merchant marine and told her that he had given her assistant a copy of his memoirs, Ted Rogers: Jesuit, Social Pioneer and AIDS Activist in Zimbabwe. The book is available in South Africa from Cluster Publications cluster@clusterpubli cations.co.za

Radio Veritas camp turns light on family BY DYLAN APPOLIS

HE annual Radio Veritas Youth Camp focused on the family this year, with a special reference to youth in families. At the opening Mass of the camp, at Parnusses farm in Magalisburg, Fr Emil Blaser OP told the youth that they are important in the Church, but also have a responsibility towards the Church. Facilitators Kani Butelezi and Nhlanhla Mdlalose led the young people in mental, physical and spiritual ways, with different activities based on scriptural passages. On the final day of the camp, the participants performed in groups a play titled Parents of Today vs Parents of 1976, facilitated by Kele Zibi. Fr Blaser and Fr Thabo Motsekgwa closed the camp with a Mass.

Participants at the annual Radio Veritas youth camp get talking.

Manzini to work for vocations STAFF REPORTER

ISHOP José Ponce de León of Manzini, Swaziland, and his parishes will spend 2015 working to promote vocations to the diocesan priesthood and religious life. Bishop de León said he was overwhelmed with responses from his parishes after sending a letter inviting delegates from the religious communities “to come together and share practical ideas” as he wanted to launch a vocational year in 2015. “In my mind I was thinking of no more than eight or nine people,” the bishop said. “What was supposed to be eight or nine people became nearly 30— diocesan priests, religious and laity,” he said. The good thing, the bishop said, was that everyone had read the letter carefully and “came with their homework done”. “In this spirit I would like the year

2015 to be a special vocational year in the diocese,” he said. The year, he said, would be one of prayer for vocations and for identifying and practising means that would help all “grow and be faithful” to the vocation they had received. It would also be a year when the Church looked for others to join it. “We will work together to promote vocations to the diocesan priesthood and religious life,” Bishop de León said. To launch this initiative in January 2015, the diocese will in the next few months identify what it would like to do and who would do it. Different ideas were shared at the meeting, the bishop said, and a committee was appointed. “This time, yes, there will be one representing each religious community, the diocesan priests, and a lay person appointed by the diocesan pastoral committee,” he said.

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The Southern Cross, July 16 to July 22, 2014

LOCAL

New PE bishop to focus on the family STAFF REPORTER

EWLY ordained Bishop of Port Elizabeth, Vincent Zungu, will focus on promoting family values in his diocese. “Family is the most important foundation of any society, therefore it is critical to invest our energy and resources to it so that it can fulfil its religious, natural and social obligations,” Bishop Zungu said after his ordination. “In this Year of the Family, I would like to work with the pastoral structures of the diocese to

promote Catholic family values so that families can continue to be sanctuaries of life, always caring, always open to children and always committed to their education and spiritual and moral formation.” Bishop Zungu said much remained to be done before a “pastoral vision of the diocese” was finalised. This would require the engagement of all structures of the diocese. He recalled his ordination with joy. “When I look back to

my ordination, I am convinced that everything was meticulously organised by God to its finest detail,” Bishop Zungu said. The diocese of Port Elizabeth was without a bishop for two and a half years between the resignation of the late Bishop Michael Coleman and Bishop Zungu’s appointment. The new bishop said his appointment as bishop and subsequent consecration “was God’s initiative and response to prayers of the Catholic faithful of this diocese”.

Members of the Association of Catholic Tertiary Students at the annual general meeting of the organisation.

Catholic tertiary student body celebrates 21st birthday at AGM BY DYLAN APPOLIS

HE Association of Catholic Tertiary Students (ACTS) marked its 21st anniversary at the annual national conference. The conference theme focused on building the nation in the spirit of Christ. Catholic tertiary students gathered from all over the country in Glen Cowie Secondary School in Limpopo. The students used the week for a community outreach programme, inspired by the adage, “Do not give a man a fish, teach a man how to fish.” The students separated into groups, went to more than seven homes and, among other things, started a vegetable garden for each family. The conference elected its top four new members of ACTS’ national exec-

Archbishop Brislin of Cape Town (centre) and priests from all over the peninsula gathered for a special Mass, followed by lunch, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ordination of the parish priest at Ss Simon and Jude parish in Simon’s Town, Fr Bram Martijn (on Archbishop Brislin’s left). Before coming to South Africa, Fr Martijn served as chaplain to the Netherlands military during the Cold War in Berlin and during the first Gulf War in the Middle East.

Tangney

Special Interest Tours The Three Wise Men Pilgrimage

PUBLIC LECTURE

“WHO CAN BE SAVED?” WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT WHO CAN BE SAVED? AND HOW?”

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WEDNESDAY 23 JULY AT 7.30 PM VENUE: CK STOREY HALL, METHODIST CHURCH, Main Road, Rosebank, Cape Town Parking and Entrance via Chapel Road. Entrance is Free. Donations Welcome

WE ARE ALL CHURCH SOUTH AFRICA

Jordan: Petra. Authentic Baptismal site. Madaba Map. Mt Nebo. Holy Land: Chagall Windows. Ein Karem: Visitation. Bethlehem. Galilee. 1st Century Synagogue. Nazareth. Jerusalem: Calvary. Holy Sepulchre. Led by Fr Michael van Heerden 22 Nov – 5 Dec, 2015 ================

Regina Mundi Pilgrimage

Rome. Assisi. San Giovanni (Padre Pio) LY Rotondo D LMonte E Lanciano. Cassino. U K Led by Fr F Sebastian OO Rossouw OMI 7 – 15 B September 2014 ================

La Madonna della Speranza Pilgrimage

Rome. Assisi. San Giovanni Rotondo (Padre Pio) Lanciano. Monte Cassino Led by Fr Bernard Madiba 29 June – 7 July 2015 ================

NAM-ZIM Pilgrimage

Holy Land: Jacob’s Well. synagogue. Y1st Century D Rome: Audience LLGalilee. Bethlehem. Jerusalem. E U K Cathedrals. F (TBC). Holy Father OO Vumbanyama Led by FrBEliot 3 – 15 August 2014. ================

St Anthony’s Pilgrimage

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utive committee for the term 2014/15: Julias Khanya (president), Masiteng Paul Matlanyane (general secretary), Angelica Van Dou (treasurer general) and Boniswa Moto (media and publicity officer). The newly elected national executive members were then signed into office and blessed during the induction Mass celebrated by Bishop Jose Sandri of Witbank. After elections, students dressed up and attended their gala dinner. Fr S’milo Mngandi, communications officer of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, in his keynote address reminded the students of two holy vocations in the Church: the sacrament of holy orders and the sacrament of matrimony.

Loreto School Queenswood, an Independent Catholic Christian School, wishes to make the following appointments with eﬀect from 1 January 2014.

Foundation Phase Grade 3 (class teaching)

Intermediate Phase Grade 5 (class teaching) The successful applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Applicants should have a 4 year Bachelor of Education degree or a 4 year Teaching Diploma • Be registered with SACE • Be proﬁcient in English and Afrikaans • Be computer literate • Applicants must be prepared to do extramural activities as required by the school. • Understand and identify with the Catholic Ethos of the school

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The Principal: Mr M Pallozzi Loreto School Queenswood P.O. Box 11101, Queenswood, 0121 or Fax: (012) 333 2529 or e-mail: tanias@sagateway.com The school reserves the right not to proceed with ﬁlling this post. An application will not in itself entitle the applicant to an interview or appointment and failure to meet the minimum requirements of the advertised post will result in applicants automatically disqualifying themselves from consideration

Only those candidates who are short-listed for the position will be notiﬁed

The Southern Cross, July 16 to July 22, 2014

INTERNATIONAL

Holy Land bishops condemn ‘collective punishment’ C An exorcism took place in this house in St Louis, Missouri, in 2013. The Vatican has formally recognised an international association of exorcists founded by Fr Gabriele Amorth, an Italian priest renowned for his work in dispelling demons. (Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo, EPA/CNS)

Exorcists form world body BY CAROL GLATz

HE Vatican has formally recognised an international association of exorcists founded by Pauline Father Gabriele Amorth, an Italian priest renowned for his work in dispelling demons. The Congregation for Clergy has approve the group’s statutes and granted it “private juridical personality”, which recognises the group’s autonomy as an organisation of Catholics not operating in the name of the Catholic Church, but as having some accountability to the Vatican. The International Association of Exorcists is headquartered in Rome and was co-founded by Fr Amorth and French exorcist Fr René Chenessau. Fr Amorth, who works as an exorcist in the diocese of Rome, started bringing Italian exorcists together in the 1980s in response to an upsurge in interest in Satanism and occult practices. The aim was to have exorcists gather regularly to exchange their experiences and best practices, the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano said. The first international conference was held in 1994, and since then, an international gathering has been

held every other year. The association claims 250 exorcist-members from 30 different countries, the newspaper said. The association’s president, Fr Francesco Bamonte, a member of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, said receiving Vatican approval is a “reason for joy, not just for us members, but for the whole Church”. He said he hoped other priests would take “this dramatic reality” into account as it is “often ignored or underestimated”. “Exorcism is a form of charity, helping the people who suffer; it is part of, without a doubt, the works of corporal and spiritual mercy.” The Catholic Church has explicit rules and rituals for exorcism, and any attempt at exorcism must follow those rules precisely. The exorcist— always a priest—also must be explicitly assigned by the local bishop to perform the rite and he must be certain the person is experiencing real demonic possession, and not some kind of emotional or psychiatric disturbance. Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis frequently warned the devil is a concrete reality who still exerts his influence in modern times.—CNS

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ATHOLIC leaders in the Holy Land have called for an end to the cycle of violence and criticised Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its collective punishment of Palestinians. “Using the death of the three Israelis to exact collective punishment on the Palestinian people as a whole and on its legitimate desire to be free is a tragic exploitation of tragedy and promotes more violence and hatred,” said a statement from the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land. “We need to recognise that the kidnapping and cold-blooded murder of the three Israeli youth and the brutal vengeance killing of the Palestinian youth are products of the injustice and of the hatred that the occupation fosters in the hearts of those prone to such deeds,” the Church leaders said, adding that the deaths “are in no way justifiable.” This month Israel launched airstrikes into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, killing more than 40 Palestinians—including children, elderly and militants—in a cycle of escalating violence that began with the discovery of the bodies of three kidnapped Israeli teens and the brutal apparent revenge killing of a

Palestinian teen. The ordinaries, who include Catholic bishops and the Franciscan custos of the Holy Land, called the situation in Gaza “an illustration of the never-ending cycle of violence in the absence of a vision for an alternative future”. They criticised Israeli “leadership that continues to foster a discriminatory discourse promoting exclusive rights of one group and the occupation with all of its disastrous consequences”. “Settlements are built, lands are confiscated, families are separated, loved ones are arrested and even assassinated. The occupation leadership seems to believe that the occupation can be victorious by crushing the will of the people for freedom and dignity. They seem to believe that their determination will ultimately silence opposition and transform wrong into right,” the Church lreaders said. “Resistance to occupation cannot be equated with terrorism,” they said. “Resistance to occupation is a legitimate right, terrorism is part of the problem.” The Church leaders said they mourned all those, Israeli and Palestinians, who had died.

“Some of their faces are well known because the media have covered in detail their lives, interviewing their parents, bringing them alive in our imaginations, whereas others—by far more numerous—are mere statistics, nameless and faceless. The selective coverage, mourning and memory are themselves part of the cycle of violence,” they said. The Church leaders also said the “violent language of the Palestinian street that calls for vengeance is fed by the attitudes and expressions of those who have despaired of any hope to reach a just solution to the conflict through negotiations. “Those who seek to build a totalitarian, monolithic society, in which there is no room for any difference or diversity, gain popular support, exploiting this situation of hopelessness. To these we also say: Violence as a response to violence breeds only more violence.” “We must find leaders who are clear-sighted and courageous enough to face the urgency of the present situation and to take the difficult decisions that are needed, leaders who, if necessary, are ready to sacrifice their political careers for the sake of a just and lasting peace.—CNS

WYD logo, prayer focus on Divine Mercy BY CAROL GLATz

HE official logo and prayer for World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow, Poland focuses on the theme chosen by Pope Francis from the gospel of Matthew: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” The logo, created by Monika Rybczynska, 28, with help from Emilia Pyza, 26, features a red and blue flame of Divine Mercy flowing from a gold cross that is surrounded by a red outline of the map of Poland. A gold dot represents the city of Krakow on the map and symbolises the youth. The red, blue and yellow represent the official colours of Krakow and the city’s coat of arms. The prayer begins with a line from St John Paul II’s homily at the dedication of the shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow in 2002: “God merciful father, in your Son,

The offical logo for World Youth Day 2016, to be held in Krakow, Poland. Jesus Christ, you have revealed your love and poured it out upon us in the Holy Spirit, the comforter, we entrust to you today the destiny of the world and of every man and woman.” The first part of the prayer entrusts to the Lord’s mercy all of humanity, especially the world’s young people. The second part asks God to grant to the faithful the grace of being merciful towards others, especially those who have doubts about faith or who are dis-

couraged. The last part asks for the intercession of Mary and St John Paul, the patron saint of WYD. The archdiocese of Krakow is the former see of St John Paul and is home to the Divine Mercy shrine. St John Paul had a great devotion to Divine Mercy, the recognition of God’s mercy as demonstrated in his sending his Son to die for the sins of humanity. Pope Francis has asked young people to read the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12, not just as a way to prepare for the 2015 diocesan celebration for World Youth Day and the international gathering with the pope in 2016, but also in order to make them a blueprint for their whole lives. The international gathering is scheduled for July 26-31, 2016, with Pope Francis and youth from all over the world. The last international celebration of WYD, which Pope Francis celebrated last year in Rio de Janeiro, concluded with a Mass attended by about 3 million people.—CNS

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INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, July 16 to July 22, 2014

Pope to abuse survivors: Forgive us for cover-ups BY CAROL GLATz & MICHAEL KELLY

SKING for forgiveness, Pope Francis told abuse survivors that “despicable actions” caused by clergy have been hidden for too long and had been “camouflaged with a complicity that cannot be explained”. “There is no place in the Church’s ministry for those who commit these abuses, and I commit myself not to tolerate harm done to a minor by any individual, whether a cleric or not”, and to hold all bishops accountable for protecting young people. The pope said this during a Mass for six survivors of abuse by clergy. The Mass and private meetings held later with each individual took place in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the pope’s residence and a Vatican guesthouse where the survivors also stayed. In a lengthy homily, delivered in Spanish, the pope thanked the three men and three women—two each from Ireland, Britain and Germany—for coming to the Vatican to meet with him. The pope praised their courage for speaking out about their abuse, saying that telling the truth “was a service of love, since for us it shed light on a terrible darkness in the life of the Church”. He described abuse by clerics as “a sacrilegious cult, because these boys and girls had been entrusted to the priestly charism in order to be brought to God. And those people sacrificed them to the idol of concupiscence”. He begged for forgiveness “for the sins of omission on the part of the Church leaders who did not re-

spond adequately to reports of abuse”, adding that the neglect not only caused the victims more suffering, “it endangered other minors who were at risk”.

t was the first time Pope Francis met directly with a group of victims of clerical abuse. Pope Benedict XVI met with victims during pastoral visits to the United States, Australia, Malta, Britain and Germany. One of the Irish survivors of clerical sexual abuse who met Pope Francis described the encounter as a “huge vindication” for her. Marie Kane, 43, also asked the pope to remove Cardinal Sean Brady as archbishop of Armagh, Northern Ireland, due to his handling of a clerical child abuse inquiry in 1975. “It’s a big thing with me that there are still members of the hierarchy there who were involved in the cover-up. I feel personally they [the Church] cannot contemplate any change happening, there will be no success,” as long as such people remained in place, she told the Irish TV station RTE. Ms Kane said she told the pontiff that “cover-up is still happening, and you have the power to make these changes”. She said that Pope Francis responded that “it was difficult to make these changes”. The rest of Ms Kane’s discussion with Pope Francis was “more personal” she said. She discussed the effect of her abuse and its subsequent handling by the Church on her two children, ages 18 and 14. “They have no belief in the Church in any shape or form,” she told RTE. She said she found Pope Francis “very, very humble. There was no

standing on ceremony. No pomp. I felt very comfortable, relaxed. He seemed genuinely frustrated at what he was hearing. He listened and seemed genuine. There was a lot of empathy. There was no looking at watches. I was the one who ended it as I had said all I wanted to say.”

eanwhile, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has said that the crisis of child abuse by clergy is not a thing of the past—it will linger until the Church humbly and courageously reaches out to all people still suffering in silence. “To some it might seem less than prudent to think that the Church would go out of its way to seek out even more victims and survivors,” opening up further possibilities for lawsuits, anguish and “trouble”, he told representatives from bishops’ conferences from around the world. However, when Jesus tells pastors to leave behind their flock to seek out the one who is lost, that mandate “is itself unreasonable and imprudent but, like it or not, that is precisely what Jesus asks us to do”. In his address, Archbishop Martin said: “The greatest harm that we could do to the progress that has been made right across the Church is to slip back into a false assurance that the crisis is a thing of the past. “What has happened has wounded the entire Church [and] “the entire Church is called to put right what has happened.” Those in the Church who downplay the crisis or try to ignore or avoid mandates for prevention and enforcement “damage the Church’s witness to the healing power of Jesus Christ,” he said.—CNS

Pope calls for ban on landmines BY CINDY WOODEN

ANDMINES wound innocent civilians, “prolong war and nurture fear” long after conflicts have ended, Pope Francis told delegates working on the full implementation of an international treaty banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines. “Reduce the stockpile of weapons! Ban weapons that have no reason for existing in human society and instead invest in education, healthcare, saving our planet

and building societies marked by more solidarity and brotherhood,” the pope said in a written message to representatives at the treaty review conference. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, sent the message in the pope’s name to the conference in Maputo, Mozambique, a nation that in the early 1990s became a symbol of the tragedy of landmines and their effects. The victims of landmines, the message said, “carry, on their bodies and in their lives, signs of an inhu-

MICASA TOURS

Pilgrimage of Healing to Fatima, Santiago Compostela and Lourdes led by Fr Emil Blaser 10-23 October 2014

Pilgrimage to Ephesus-Turkey and Medjugorje led by Father Andrew Knott of the Shrine of Ngome 25 September-10 October 2014

Camino de Santiago, Classic French Itinerary -Sarrina to Santiago Led by Fr. David Rowles 10-20 September 2015

Kokstad Pilgrimage to Medjugorje

led by Father Lizo Nontshe 16-30 September 2014

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mane weapon, an irresponsible weapon, a weapon of cowards.” For civilians in former war zones, “the environment around them is a constant threat when it should be a source of fruitfulness, development and the joy of living”. Cardinal Parolin said Pope Francis offered his encouragement to all those working for a total, global ban on landmines and he urged the international community to put the treaty into effect immediately.—CNS

LA SALLE COLLEGE DISCOVERY

Wishes to appoint A mature, healthy, caring Catholic couple to carry out the duties of

COLLEGE CARETAKER ANd HOUSEKEEPER to the La Salle Brothers from JANUARY 2015

n The Caretaker should have excellent handyman skills and the ability to deal with children and support staff in a firm and kind manner. n The Housekeeper will be required to liaise with the Director of the Community, cook meals and run the La Salle Brothers residence efficiently. This is a live-in appointment.

Email CV to: The Principal, Mrs. J Milne at principal@lasalle.co.za

Contactable references and a Testimonial from your Parish Priest are required.

Please note that an application will not in itself entitle the applicant to an interview. The School reserves the right not to ﬁll the post.

Pope Francis greets people as he visits Cassano allo Ionio, in Italy’s Calabria region last month. The pope has said mafiosi are excommunicated. Calabria is home of the ‘Ndrangheta crime organisation. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

Bow to mafia boss at procession ‘blasphemy’ BY CINDY WOODEN

HEN the 30 men carrying a large statue of Mary and the hundreds of people accompanying the statue in southern Italy paused and bowed in front of the house of a presumed mafia boss, the local bishop denounced them as blasphemous. Bishop Francesco Milito of Oppido Mamertina-Palmi, Italy, said those who bowed during the procession in Tresilico “are clearly far from even a minimum spirit of pure, correct and authentic faith”. The bow, he said, was a “gesture of blasphemous devotion that is the opposite of what is due to the mother of God”. In protest the local commander of the Carabinieri, the Italian military police, and members of his squad who had been accompanying the procession with the statue of Our Lady of Grace, left the procession. The ritual bow was made in front of the home of Peppe Mazzagatti, 82, sentenced to life in prison, but serving his sentence under house arrest because of ill health. Bishop Milito told SIR, the Italian bishops’ news agency, that “the lack of a correct reaction on the part of participants in the procession, including clergy and people active in the life of the Church” shows just how “hardened and dulled” people’s consciences are to the evil that is organised crime.

Because of the cultural ties to the mafia that some religious processions have had, Archbishop Salvatore Nunnari of Cosenza-Bisignano, president of the Calabrian bishops’ conference, said he would stop all religious processions in the region for at least two years. Also this month, Italian newspapers were filled with headlines about prisoners, presumably with mafia ties, going on “strike” from attending Mass in the high-security wing of a prison in Larino. The stories said the inmates were protesting Pope Francis’ remarks in Sibari in late June that “those who follow the path of evil, like the mafiosi do, are not in communion with God; they are excommunicated”. Bishop Gianfranco De Luca of Termoli-Larino, who celebrated Mass with the inmates, told Vatican Radio they had not gone on strike, but the pope’s words had left them with serious questions. “They were asking, ‘Does that mean we can’t go to Mass anymore? Can we receive Communion if we’re excommunicated?’” the bishop said. “They were shaken up by what the pope said.” Before Mass there was a lively discussion about how people excommunicate themselves and what repentance means. “But there was not a mutiny nor a decision not to go to Mass,” Bishop De Luca said. “Their consciences were moved by what the pope said.”—CNS

The Southern Cross, July 16 to July 22, 2014

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Boycott StarSat to stop porn

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Peacemakers of God

ECEIVED wisdom in secular circles tends to hold religion responsible for most wars in history, with some ascribing religious motives to many conflicts even today. Such notions are sweeping generalisations. It is irrefutable, of course, that in history much blood has been shed in the name of God—the Catholic Church’s record in that regard is less than magnificent. Even today, terror networks such as al-Qaeda and their surrogates conduct their campaigns of terror under the banner of Islam— in Syria and in Iraq, in Somalia and Tanzania—in the interests of a religious hegemony. In most armed conflicts, however, religion serves as a pretext or proxy, much as ethnicity does in others. The conflict in Northern Ireland, for example, is not about religious freedom or supremacy; the struggle between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq is not so much about denominational differences as it is about ethnic identification and political dominion; the conflict in Palestine is primarily about land and has to do with religion only in as far as the competing factions can be broadly identified by their religious background (though it is true that some Zionists invoke scriptural texts to justify their occupation of the West Bank). Historically, leaders of faiths were quite prepared to support wars, for reasons of religious hegemony or to foster strategic political alliances. Within the mainstream of Christianity, and also among other faiths, this school of thought rarely applies today. So when the Vatican vigorously opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003, it placed itself in opposition to a nation in which Catholics constitute the largest single religious grouping. The Church’s grave warnings to President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who led the invasion, were ignored. The fruits of that recklessness are being harvested with terrifying consequences today. Where religions once caused wars, or justified them, many are now looking to become the makers of peace. Increasingly, faiths are coming together to heal their differences and to work with a common purpose towards peace everywhere.

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion. Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

In doing so, they can deprive those who seek conflict of one emotive pretext for justifying hostilities. And this peacebuilding finds expression not only in the statements by religious leaders, but also in the gestures of ordinary people who themselves provide leadership. This was demonstrated by the phone call between the families of Naftali Fraenkel, one of the three Jewish youths who were found murdered recently, allegedly by Palestinian militants, and of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, a Muslim teenager burnt alive in a revenge attack. Amid the barrage of the noise of escalating violence, their support of peace sounded a clarion call. Less publicised but also significant was the visit of a group of Palestinians, accompanied by a rabbi, to the Fraenkel home, an act of solidarity with a grieving mother. One of the visitors said: “Things will get better only when we learn to cope with each other’s pain and stop getting angry at each other. Our task is to give strength to the family and also to take a step towards my nation’s liberation. We believe that the way to our liberation is through the hearts of Jews.” Religion can be a conduit for peace, especially when its various adherents can find ways to work together. Just as religion can serve as a proxy for war, so can religion serve as an agency for peace. For this, the adherents of the various religions must first get to know and understand one another, establish trust and friendship, and find a common purpose. That process has already begun, of course, with St John Paul II’s interreligious meeting to pray for peace in Assisi in 1986 providing a pivotal moment. In South Africa we can see it too, for example in the close relationship between Durban’s Emmanuel cathedral and the local mosque. This is important and sometimes difficult work, even and especially when it is so fraught with preconceived notions and the potential for misunderstandings. Those who engage in interreligious dialogue and cooperation at all levels must be resolutely supported—in prayer and, where possible, in action.

OUR article “Bid to stop TV porn continues” (July 2) begins with a report of Church leaders calling on Catholics to support a court battle to stop pornography from being broadcast on South African televisions. A concrete way for Catholics to support this battle is to exercise their economic power: boycott StarSat, firstly by cancelling sub-

Escape porn trap

WAS overjoyed to hear that there are people trying to stop the airing of pornography. I myself was an addict. It took 17 years of confession, talks by Jason Evert, seven years of daily Masses, prayer, surrender and more, until I was finally set free. I was wrapped in chains during my addiction, I suffered lots of depression, and more. It also caused me from time to time to see women for only their private parts. I would also do it late at night and thus be tired the next day. It rotted my mind. I am so happy that Jesus has set me free from it, but the war is on for many other men who are going through what I went through. I have been free for three years now, and when Jesus sets you free then you find true happiness and peace. Unfortunately the men who could testify (and even allow themselves to be test cases) probably have families and could not let their wives or children know about their addiction to porn. They probably also have good positions in companies or are businessmen who could never testify that porn is ruining them. They could even be priests. We need to stop StarSat, but we also need to stop children from accessing porn on the Internet. Smartphones are the easiest way to look at porn. Parents who give their children smartphones should lock the phone from access to porn. But then their friends can still send them naked photos of one another on WhatsApp. So parents need to educate their children about sex— and start early when children begin going through puberty. The parents need support groups to protect and support them. Our institutions need to fight the TV channels and Internet. We need to stand up and fight. We can begin by not subscribing to StarSat. Name withheld

Moved by nuns

AM deeply touched by Winnie Graham's article on “Our big debt to nuns” (July 2), and could not agree with her more fully. While reading her article, I got a

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scriptions; secondly, throttle their income source by boycotting the products and services of advertisers, and letting them know about it by sending letters or e-mails or leaving comments on their Facebook or Twitter pages which explain why they are being boycotted. Another lever would be to boycott the products or services of any investors in StarSat. sense of the immeasurable positive influence the nuns have had on her life and in building her into the person she is today. We should appreciate the work of the nuns more deeply because they are God’s hands and feet right there with the least, the last and the lost. They never ask for recognition and recognition is seldom given. It saddens me at times to hear that unpleasant comments and inappropriate jokes are still being made about nuns. I was fortunate to grow up with the influence of the Holy Cross sisters in primary school and I was privileged to live for one full year with the Pallottine sisters in Knysna while I was completing Grade 11. My sense of commitment, my sense of diligence, and my habits of stillness and reflection have been formed to a great extent through the influence of these great women. God bless all our nuns and the good work they do. Judith Turner, Cape Town

Not ours to punish

S I read Malcolm Bagley’s letter (June 25), I pondered on what response, if any, was the right one. As I composed a reply in my head, the words of a hymn kept repeating themselves—“Full of kindness and compassion, slow to anger, vast in love”, and I felt on good ground. Now as I decide on this reply, I find myself composing it on the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 27, and am gratified to read of the compassion, the love, the words “I am gentle and humble of heart” and much else to support my “compassion”. I support the right of the Church to condemn evil acts, to preach and teach this condemnation, but to recognise the frailty of all and to apply the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-30). Yes, I am aware that punishment is meted out—but it is God that punishes not me. The Holy Spirit can transform even the most wayward֫ — note the conversion of St Paul. I do not know how to respond to the North Korean “supreme leader” except in prayer for him and very urgently for his “subjects”. I was not able to respond to Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Idi Amin and many others, except in prayer, as the Church used to pray to St Michael for the conversion of Russia. I am delighted to note that that prayer is again being prayed. I am confident that John Lee is completely competent to respond to the problems of Martin Luther, but cannot resist the temptation to add a comment: What was the state of the Catholic Church in Luther’s time and what caused him to take such drastic action? Francis Boulle, Cape Town

Raising Catholics

OUR editorial, “Are Catholic schools truly Catholic?” (June 18), reminded me of the experience of some relatives in Britain. Devout, active, churchgoing Catholics across the generations (the family patriarch had been honoured by the Church for his service), applying to enrol their child in the local Catholic school was a nat-

If the Catholic minority united around such a mission, we could surely attract many other interested groups. The question is, of course, how to mobilise people. I believe we should start by issuing a challenge to the men’s fellowships around the country: let Catholic men stand up and be counted in protecting their families against this evil! Deacon Godfrey Solomon, Cape Town ural choice. But when interviewed by the school, they discovered that its nominal Catholicism was at most a cultural residue. Only “religion education” to promote interfaith tolerance was offered. The family’s faith—presumably of importance for a “faith school” in a secularised society—would have little bearing on admission. What counted was whether the family suffered “structural disadvantage” in British society. Race, not religion, would be considered. The lad was ultimately admitted, but can expect little of anything meaningfully Catholic in his education. This is not unique. Prestigious Catholic universities, such as Georgetown in the US, demonstrate scant regard to Catholic teachings. This is not yet the case in South Africa. But Catholic schools face real challenges: as your editorial notes, there are ever fewer religious brothers and sisters to work as teachers, and the imperatives of educational quality mean that religious faith is one factor among several guiding appointments. The key question is whether we want our schools to remain distinctively Catholic. Today, this demands that Catholic parents be intimately involved in their children’s education. They need to support their children’s religious development, and, when necessary, challenge the messages that their children might receive. This is possible only if we retain clarity about what it means to be Catholic. This is to stress the nonnegotiability of fidelity to Christ and the Church as the centre of our worldview. Catholic schools, meanwhile, must recognise their responsibility in educating their charges in the faith. Good ethics and social concern, laudable though they are, are insufficient. Often this is uncomfortable and pushes against contemporary wisdom. There are times when the injunction of Corinthians 6:17 resonates: “Come out from them and be separate.” Otherwise, Catholic education won’t survive. It’s happening elsewhere—but needn’t happen here. Terence Corrigan, Johannesburg

Seeking a friend

AM a 39-year-old black man and loyal Catholic, currently incarcerated in Leeuwkop correctional centre. I am writing to you with the hope that you will help me in finding a 25- to 35-year-old loyal Catholic woman, anywhere in Johannesburg. Replies can be sent in English. I hope and pray for your help. Contact me at: Jabu Malinga Reg #99266485 Leeuwkop Med (C) B5 Private Bag X02 Bryanston 2021 Jabu Malinga, Johannesburg 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

The Southern Cross, July 16 to July 22, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

A Christian movement that fizzled out Emmanuel Ngara W HEN I got to Durban in the mid1990s, I became passionately convinced about the need to promote true and authentic Christian practice. I also saw a close and strong link between Christian practice and the ecumenical movement. I earnestly believed that most Christians, regardless of denomination, had become very poor witnesses of Christ, especially when compared to the early Christians. In our modern world, one could no longer make a distinction between the followers of Christ and everybody else. Instead of being “the light of the world”, Christians were busy following “the ways of the world”. Denominational divisions were one of the ways in which Christians departed from the teachings of Christ, especially if one took into account Jesus’ prayer to his Father that they may be one (Jn 17:20-24). I developed a concept of Christian practice in the family, in the workplace, in the community of believers (the Church) and in the broader community. I also published booklets on the subject. However, to promote Christian practice it was not enough to write books about it. With the support of my wife and the backing of the late Archbishop Denis Hurley, I got together a multiracial and interdenominational group consisting of Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists and one Baptist (who eventually became a Methodist). The group initially met in our house in the suburb of Westville and interrogated and debated the idea of forming an association called the Christian Practice Movement. This was a group of lay people who believed that Christians had to put their faith into practice, and that if the spirit

of ecumenism was to take root, lay Christians should be actively involved in promoting Christian unity. I felt we were making headway when the Methodist church in Westville gave us a room where we could hold our meetings and plan our activities.

mong the achievements of the Christian Practice Movement were the following: l We staged a fundraising “Walk for Christ” which seemed to mobilise much of the Westville suburb, with the old and the young, the fit and disabled attempting the 5km walk for Christ. l We organised a very successful retreat for the members conducted by an Anglican priest in the chapel of the Catholic monastery of Mariannhill. l We organised a successful and inspiring conference-cum-retreat which was supported by Archbishop Hurley (he did not attend in person), addressed by at least two Anglican bishops, and addressed by the priest/minister who headed each of the following churches in

A sculpture at the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi commemorates Pope John Paul II’s inter-denominational day of prayer in peace in 1988. An ecumenical movement in Durban in the 1990s started off brightly but later fizzled out.

Christian Leadership

Westville: Anglican, Baptist, Catholic and Methodist. l Jointly with the Diakonia Council of Churches, we organised one of the annual Christian Unity Prayer activities for the Durban area. For a while I really believed that God had called me to play a role in the reformation and renewal of the Church. It was truly amazing to see how members of different churches happily followed the leadership of a Catholic; how I had become an honorary member of the Methodist church in Westville; and how denominational prejudices seemed to melt away as we treated each other as Christian brothers and sisters, poking fun at each other’s religious practices in a spirit of Christian love. The movement inspired me and my wife Teboho to go on a pilgrimage to the headquarters of each of the three main churches represented in the movement: Rome, Canterbury cathedral and Wesley chapel in London. To this day I still wear a cross I received from the Methodist church after going through the Emmaus Walk experience. But, alas! The Christian Practice Movement, like some others of what I like to think of as Emmanuel Ngara’s “brilliant initiatives”, is now a thing of the past. The movement did not spread beyond Durban, and after a few years we had to dissolve the organisation. So, has God called me to be an example of a failed reformer?

Leading by Facebook? Yes, we can Sarah-Leah Pimentel

I, my name is Sarah-Leah and I am addicted to Facebook. If there was a support group for chronic social media users, I would probably sign up. Social media forms a large portion of what my employer pays me to do and when I get home, I begin to suffer from FOMO (social media jargon meaning the “fear of missing out”) if I’m not online within the hour! As I was looking for ideas for this column, I scrolled through the Facebook wall of one of my favourite priests, then read Cardinal Wilfrid Napier’s latest tweet and searched for #prayforpeace, the hashtag (keyword that links multiple users who are talking about the same thing on Twitter) that was trending on the day Pope Francis prayed with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents at the Vatican. I probably need to overcome my FOMO but can’t deny that I’m the quintessential product of my generation. This is why I read the June 11 Southern Cross column by Toni Rowland, “Can we lead by Facebook?” with great interest. In her article, Toni asks whether the online generation, used to “instant gratification” and “immediately getting an answer to a question or a problem”, is being “empowered with beliefs and attitudes for the common good”. If I were to look at my Facebook wall, the place where I can see what my friends and family have posted during the day, my kneejerk reaction to this question might be no. There appears to be another value system that speaks far louder on social media platforms. The body and how it looks seems to be the greatest concern for my generation. We no longer have the flawless bodies of 18 year olds, but are still young enough to care about how we look. My friends, therefore, frequently post content about the need to dominate our bodies, pushing them beyond the pain barrier to achieve that washboard tummy or those ripped muscles. Those who are fortunate to still have the “perfect body” may even post photographs of themselves, often wearing far more skin than clothes, further evidence that our culture encourages us to value the body. Another prevalent theme is the desire for fancy cars and holiday destinations that are beyond the reach of most of us. On the one hand, it represents our dreams to strive

The Mustard Seeds

We can be missionaries even from behind our computer keyboards, Sarah-Leah Pimentel argues. (Photo: Morguefile) beyond the mundaneness of everyday, but it also points to the materialism of our age by suggesting that these are the things that will bring us true happiness. In the midst of this desire for the perfect life, there is also a great deal of cynicism. Every day, I see at least one Acid Aunty post, sarcastic comments that point to the less attractive qualities of human nature and can sometimes be quite derisive. And yet…

n the midst of all these posts that represent a culture of transitory values that often contrast sharply with our Christian beliefs and our daily striving for higher things, I find some real gems, the mustard seeds that feed my faith. Like the fellow pilgrim I met years ago who regularly shares a picture of the saint of the day or the friend who posts a simple prayer almost every night. Or those many friends who share the most important moments of their lives by posting pictures of engagements, weddings, the birth of a child or the milestone anniversary of a parent or child. The photographs are a testimony that life, lived to the fullest, is far more meaningful than the unattainable figure or dream house. Let me return to Toni Rowland’s question: Can we lead by Facebook? This is exactly what my friends who draw me and others to that higher place are doing. They are saying: “Hold on, guys, my life here is more than a hedonistic quest for pleasure.” They are openly testifying to their faith on a public forum. They are using the means at their disposal to make God’s message of love available and accessible to all their online friends, many of whom may otherwise have no

other contact with the Gospel, the saints, an awareness of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist or the Church’s social teachings. Already in 1975, Pope Paul VI emphasised that it is our responsibility as the faithful to employ all means of communication to evangelise: “When they are put at the service of the Gospel, they are capable of increasing almost indefinitely the area in which the Word of God is heard; they enable the Good News to reach millions of people. The Church would feel guilty before the Lord if she did not utilise these powerful means that human skill is daily rendering more perfect. “It is through them that she proclaims ‘from the housetops’” (Mt 10:27; Lk 12:3) the message of which she is the depositary. In them she finds a modern and effective version of the pulpit. Thanks to them she succeeds in speaking to the multitudes” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 45). So, how can I lead by Facebook? By sharing messages that affirm what is good and positive in our culture. By choosing to use my online voice to raise up the human person instead of tearing them down. By being courageous enough to share articles on the teachings of the Church, even those that are unpopular in wider social circles. By starting courageous conversations about the role of faith—without forcing others to share my views—in societal issues ranging from abortion, LGBT conversations, to human rights abuses and the global economic system, perhaps allowing some of my friends the opportunity to think about these questions from a different perspective. It has been an hour since I last checked my Twitter feed, and so I leave you with a recent tweet by Pope Francis (which was retweeted 5 800 times in less than 24 hours) calling us to reach out in love to others—via Twitter if necessary: “To live as true children of God means to love our neighbour and to be close to those who are lonely and in difficulty.” (July 1 on @Pontifex with 4,2 million followers).

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Was Jesus’ death a type of ‘suicide’? Was Jesus Christ killed? Can God be killed? Did Jesus Christ die? Can God die? Jesus chose the moment of his “death”. Would that be a type of “suicide”? Or did he detach his Spirit from his body when he breathed his last on the cross? Patrick Wood

T is the nature of God to be immortal, therefore God cannot die or be killed. It is the nature of man to be mortal, therefore man can die or be killed. Jesus presents us with a unique case. We know him in faith and in history as a human individual, a man having soul and body like us, but not as a human person. He is the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, born into this world in human flesh, an ordinary man with this extraordinary difference: in taking on human nature he retained his divine nature. This unique mode of existence, one divine person possessing both divine and human natures, is known in theology as the hypostatic union. The Creed expresses it like this: “For our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” The hypostatic union is permanent. From the moment of his conception in the Virgin’s womb God the Son lives for ever in both his divine nature and in his human nature. Not even his human death could detach Christ’s divinity from his humanity. When he breathed his last, his human soul separated from his body, just like in any death, but they each remained wholly united with the person and the nature of God the Son. God the Son underwent human death “for our salvation”. “He had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people” (Heb 2:17). He ascended to the Father in heaven in his glorified and risen body to be seated at the Father’s right hand, and he is there now, God and man, having prepared a place for us to join him in our resurrected humanity. Jesus did not choose the moment of his death. Rather, as man he accepted the will of his Father to be sacrificed for our salvation, even though he baulked at it, saying:”Let this cup pass from me, not as I will but as you will” (Mt 26:39). He knew the hour of his death but this was not a type of suicide.

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.

JOURNEyS OF A LIFETIME!

HOLY LAND & JORDAN with Fr Sean Wales CSsR

31 August to 11 September 2014 See all the great sites of the Holy Land and Jordan, plus Cairo, with Fr Sean Wales CSsR Contact Gail at Video: bit.ly/1rjcvS7

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The Southern Cross, July 16 to July 22, 2014

COMMUNITY

Members of The Southern Cross pilgrimage, which visited the Holy Land and Italy with Archbishop Stephen Brislin in May, had a reunion over brunch after Sunday Mass at St Mary’s cathedral. With them is Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher (third from left), who also accompanied the group on the pilgrimage. The reunion, which was organised by pilgrim Gail Francke, was a time to remember and reflect on a life-changing experience. Everybody agreed that a pilgrimage to the Holy Land enriches how one understands the Scriptures.

The Catholic Women’s League of St Michael’s parish in Red Hill, Durban, held a lunch at the Blue Waters hotel.

Twenty-four children of Holy Trinity parish in Matroosfontein, Cape Town, received their first Holy Communion. They are pictured with parish priest Fr Thomas Joseph Vanderkunnel MSFS, Deacon Chris Canterbury and their catechism teachers.

Youth from parishes of Lansdowne, Hanover Park, Westridge and Khayalitsha in Cape Town gathered at Savio Hall for the annual media day organised by the Salesian Youth Movement. This year’s focus was on advertising and music which the youth were challenged to look at from a critical point of view.

The Greater Knysna parish in the diocese of Oudtshoorn held a workshop for its extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.

Send your pictures to pics@scross.co.za. We put our community pictures on our website www.scross.co.za/community-pictures

The guild of Our Lady of Mercy held its centenary celebration. Current and retired members of the guild are pictured with Cardinal Wilfrid Napier and Bishop Barry Wood of Durban.

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MINISTRY

The Southern Cross, July 16 to July 22, 2014

The rocking life of a cruise liner chaplain Serving as chaplain on a cruise sounds like the plushest job in the priesthood, but providing pastoral care to crew and passengers is hard work, as STUART GRAHAM reports.

RUISING the oceans from one memorable port to the next may sound like the dream job, but for a ship’s chaplain it can be draining work. Apart from celebrating Mass, officiating at golden wedding jubilees and holding confessions, there’s the separating of passengers squabbling over chairs in the dining hall, making double-sure tour groups return to the ship after an onshore excursion, and of course, there’s the endless conversations. But for Fr Stefan Hippler, a German priest who works among the poor through the HOPE Cape Town Aids project, the annual jaunts as a chaplain on the world’s most luxurious cruise ships are a way of bridging the gap between the wealthy and the underprivileged. “It’s an artificial world and people like me have to make sure that passengers have the holiday of a lifetime,” Fr Hippler told The Southern Cross, shortly after returning from a cruise of the Baltic Sea on the German-owned ocean liner MS Artania. “I do use the chance to speak to passengers about HOPE and the work we are doing in South Africa. It’s fascinating. Africa always triggers a lot of talks. After giving a lecture people will approach me and ask about my work. They want to know more.” He’s often touched when HIVpositive people approach him and open up about having the disease. The rich, said Hippler, need spiritual help as much as the poor do. “When you hear stories from parents about drug-addicted sons and various other dramas, you realise that money can buy you a lot, but it cannot buy you happiness or a life that is meaningful.”

he hedonism of 24-hour buffets and constant entertainment on offer is a factor Fr Hippler grapples with, especially in the context of his work among the poor in townships around Cape Town. “I have learned to live in two worlds. In a world of poverty and a world of indulgence,” he said. “I consider myself a bridge between the two.” It’s the petulance of passengers after several days at sea that is most difficult to deal with, he said. People, Fr Hippler explained, will fight over a seat in a bus or a row will erupt when one blocks another’s view when they are taking a photograph during an evening show. “We do have fights on board and I have had to step in to resolve them. When you are at sea for five or six days, people get worked up. Depending on the mood, it can become quite aggressive.” Fr Hippler recalled an incident in which a male passenger grew agitated while on a glass-bottomed boat tour over the Great Barrier Reef in

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Australia. “He had paid to see a shark, and no shark was coming,” Fr Hippler recalled. “The situation grew more and more tense, and eventually I had to calm him down.” Fr Hippler said he told the passenger: “Sir, you may come to my church service for free this Sunday. You don’t have to put any money in the collection plate.” “Everyone laughed and he calmed down.” Another drama occurred when a man collapsed next to where Fr Hippler was sitting. Luckily the priest had done a first aid course and could stabilise the man. “It came out that he was cruising with his girlfriend, and that his wife didn’t know about it. His girlfriend wanted to split from him. She didn’t want to be associated with a sick man.” The cruise chaplaincy becomes especially taxing at Christmas time, said Fr Hippler. “You will have 100 single people just fleeing Christmas. They demand to talk. They stand around waiting for you, and when you’re free they move in,” he said. “It may sound like the dream job, but you have your work cut out for you. It’s 24/7 of endless conversation. When I come out of my cabin, people are waiting for me,” he said, adding that both passengers and crew make use of his pastoral services. “I really don’t have a free minute. When you go back to your cabin you feel as though the life has been sucked out of you.” When Fr Hippler returns to Cape Town after a cruise, it’s normally with rings under his eyes. “When I come home people ask me: ‘How was your holiday?’ All I can do is to sigh.” Still, he’s willing to go back for more. In January he’ll take a cruise from Marseilles to Santiago. And he will reprise his chaplaincy on a German reality television show, Verrückt nach Meer (Crazy for the Sea), which has already run for four seasons. “The first season on which I appeared was so successful, the broadcaster called me back to do another 50 episodes to be filmed over seven weeks,” Fr Hippler said. But despite the long hours, the work on board ship is rewarding. “I go back again because you encounter all walks of life on board ships. That’s a challenge that I like.” Only once has he experienced a death at sea and it was a friend of his, a captain, found dead in his room after a heart attack. “I knew him well. He was a friend of mine. We held a service for him and then life went back to normal. The ‘dream world’ goes on,” the priest reflected. Fr Hippler says as a European—he is a German—he knows that people are no longer heading to churches in the numbers they did in the past. “Most people are not bound to a parish anymore,” he said. “They are more mobile than they were in earlier times.” His ship’s chaplaincy is a response to the priest’s call to mission and evangelisation. “We have to go where the people are,” he said. And some are to be found on the high seas.

Cruise liner chaplains ministry

Fr Stefan Hippler aboard the MS Artania. Fr Hippler says being a cruise ship’s chaplain is a tough round-the-clock job. (Below left) Fr Hippler’s onboard identity card. (Below right) The cruise ship’s staff with their chaplain.

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RADITIONALLY Catholics would not take cruise trips because of the Sunday Mass obligation, but that has changed now that cruise ship chaplains are commonly on-board ships. Catholic priests and/or Protestant ministers perform church services on Sundays and religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter and if the need arises Rabbis are employed for Jewish holidays. This is not normally a paid position, but clergy are richly rewarded because in addition to travel they also share in the joy of ministry. “Meeting and ministering to people aboard ship is priceless,” says Robert Bradford, a retired American Baptist minister. Catholic priests are the most common cleric on board cruise ships for a number of reasons. They are required for Mass, but can also conduct interfaith services. In addition, many crew members are Catholics. Apostleship of the Sea has a Cruise Ship Priests Programme where they screen and approve priests for on-board ministry. Cruise Ship priests are trained to serve passengers and crew of all Christian and non-Christian faiths.

The Southern Cross, July 16 to July 22, 2014

MOVIES

Exorcism movie not just for chills A new film about exorcism is opening this week, but Deliver Us From Evil is not sensationalistic horror but a story of conversion, as director Scott Derrickson tells MARK PATTISON.

LERGY are too often stereotyped in movies “because writers and directors don’t know any pastors or priests”, according to director Scott Derrickson, who helmed the new crime-horror film Deliver Us From Evil. “I’ve known quite a few in my life. They’re some of the most interesting people I’ve met and some of the smartest people,” he said in an interview with Catholic News Service (CNS). Deliver Us From Evil is taken from the memoir of New York police detective Ralph Sarchie, played by Australian actor Eric Bana, perhaps best known for the title role in 2003’s Hulk and who was featured in the 2009 Star Trek reboot. According to the film’s production notes, Sarchie turns to an unconventional priest (Edgar Ramirez) for help when it becomes clear the evil he is fighting in one case is more spiritual than earthly. As he discovers that the power of God is the only force that can defeat the enemy he is up against, Sarchie must decide whether he can put his faith in something greater than himself. When you see the word “unconventional”, think “exorcist”. It’s the second time Derrickson has plumbed that territory for his films, his first being 2005, The Exorcism of Emily Rose. He said he can see how some would perceive Emily Rose serving as a precursor of sorts to Deliver Us From Evil, although nearly a decade spans the two. “These scenes that are at work in Deliver Us From Evil are not from a faith-versus-reason movie. There’s certainly some scepticism versus belief in it. But a lot of the

movie is about personal demons, metaphorically,” Derrickson said. “I think there’s some interesting ideas about vengeance in the [new] movie. There’s a lot about the will to confront evil in the world, and the people who do that. I think of the nobility of that ambition. I think there’s a lot of different, sprawling themes in Deliver Us From Evil and that’s what I like about that,” the director said. “It’s not intended to be a date movie, to go to on a Friday or Saturday night and have a blast,” Derrickson continued. “I’ve gone to a lot of audience screenings, and it’s the highest-testing movie I’ve made.” Deliver Us From Evil actually precedes Emily Rose in one regard, he said. “I wrote a draft of this movie for [leading Hollywood producer] Jerry Bruckheimer in 2003,” he said. During this assignment, Derrickson was given a photocopied copy of a book on the real-life Emily Rose exorcism. “That turned me on to this case. I optioned the book for the movie. The two books are interwoven in my mind. At the time of Emily Rose, nobody had made a successful exorcism movie in 25 years, not since The Exorcist [which was released in 1973] And then there were lots of them, a lot of demoniacs and possession films,” he added, including the Paranormal Activity franchise.

errickson, a Presbyterian, said he doesn’t sense that people are turned off to the notion of Christians working in the horror genre. “I felt a wariness from people that I don’t really feel anymore,” he noted. “Anybody under 30 certainly doesn’t find it bizarre that the Christian works directly not in horror but in R-rated graphic horror. It’s a long-standing tradition that great artists of faith are working in gothic storytelling. It’s something that Dante did. Jesus told some scary stories.” He added: “I’m interested in people and stories that break open for people the mysteries of life. I

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Eric Bana and Joel McHale star in a scene from Deliver Us From Evil—to be released in South Africa on July 18. (Right) Director Scott Derrickson on the set of his second movie in the possession/horror genre. don’t think I would make scary movies just to be scary. There’s always something else going on—a more noble thing going on.” John Mulderig, CNS assistant director for media reviews, said in his review that Deliver Us From Evil is “not just out to evoke chills. It’s also, in the strictest sense, a conversion story as well as an exploration of the reality of superhuman malevolence. In the face of such iniquity, the movie suggests, only an active and trusting faith will suffice.” Nine years ago, when promoting Emily Rose, Derrickson said he was “one GK Chesterton book away from becoming Catholic”. Asked how many Chesterton books he’s read since 2005, he replied: “At least four or five since then, and if you count some of his shorter volumes, then even more.” The father of children ages 11 and 8, he said: “If I didn’t have

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

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children, I think I would become Catholic. I would have crossed the Tiber [the river that flows through Rome]. The older I get, the more Catholic writers I read,” naming Flannery O’Connor as his personal literary touchstone. And, he added: “I wear a St Francis rosary now.” “The reason I do not become a Catholic is that I have no idea how to raise my kids Catholic. Raising them as Presbyterians is probably a lot less interesting, but biting off a conversion to Catholicism is something I’ve got to put off for a few more years,” Derrickson said. “There’s nothing certainly theologically keeping me from doing it. I still hold some political positions that might be at odds with Catholicism, but that’s something I’d have to learn about to see how that works.” n Deliver Us From Evil opens in South Africa on July 18.

20 Christian movies you may want to see 1.The Passion of the Christ (2004) 2. The Hiding Place (1975) 3. Billy: The Early Years (2008) 4. Luther (2003) 5. Jerusalem Countdown (2011) 6. The Nativity Story (2006) 7. One Night With the King (2006) 8. Left Behind: World at War (2005) 9. In the Blink of an Eye (2009) 10. The Frontier Boys (2012) 11. End of the Spear (2005) 12. Noah (2014) 13. Monumental: In Search of America’s National Treasure (2012) 14. Hell and Mr. Fudge (2012) 15. Seven Days in Utopia (2011) 16. The Grace Card (2010) 17. What If...(2010) 18. To Save a Life (2009) 19. The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry (2008) 20. Midnight Clear (2006) Source: IMDB

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Fr Michael Fitzpatrick

ATHER Michael Fitzpatrick of Johannesburg died after a short illness on June 22, the day before his 75th birthday and two days after the 49th anniversary of his ordination as a priest. He was born on June 23, 1939 in Dublin, Ireland, the secondyoungest of eight children. He studied for the priesthood at All Hallows, Dublin, and was ordained a priest, for the diocese of Johannesburg, on June 23, 1965 by Bishop O’Herlihy. He arrived in Johannesburg in October 1965 to take up his priestly ministry. He served as assistant priest between 1965 and 1975 at Regina Mundi, St John the Apostle, Florida, and the cathedral of Christ the King. His first appointment as parish priest was to St Francis Xavier, Martindale, in September 1975, and thereafter as parish priest to St John the Apostle, Florida, St Martin de Porres, Craighall Park, and then as administrator to the cathedral of Christ the King from 1988 to 1993. He was appointed parish priest to the church of the Resurrection, Bryanston, in October 1993

Fr Michael Fitzpatrick where he remained parish priest for 21 years until his untimely death. He served also on the archdiocesan marriage tribunal, the council of priests, and as vicar for priests. Fr Michael will be remembered for many things, but above all for his outstanding qualities as a pastor of people. The parish of

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 611. ACROSS: 1 Left, 3 Crowning, 9 Bacchus, 10 Realm, 11 Enthusiastic, 13 Treads, 15 Effect, 17 Church member, 20 Taboo, 21 Incense, 22 Bath-time, 23 Shun. DOWN: 1 Libretto, 2 Facet, 4 Russia, 5 Works of mercy, 6 Imagine, 7 Gums, 8 The undermost, 12 Sturgeon, 14 Exhibit, 16 Chrism 18 Bench, 19 Stab.

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: July 17: Bishop Francisco de Gouveia of Oudtshoorn on the fourth anniversary of his episcopal ordination. July 19: Bishop Michael Wüstenberg of Aliwal on his 60th birthday.

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Bryanston grew, in his time, to more than 3 800 families, many of whom he knew by name. A loyal supporter of The Southern Cross, he turned Bryanston into the country’s leading parish in terms of sales. Fr Fitzpatrick characterised, in his relationship with people, what it means to be a priest: he was a man of deep compassion and concern for and love of people. Once, when asked what he considered the most essential quality of priesthood,he said: “To care about people”. His love of his parishioners was returned and the church of the Resurrection was filled to overflowing for his Requiem Mass which was celebrated by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale and more than 70 priests. Fr Michael’s body was returned to Ireland where he was buried in Dublin’s Glasnevin cemetery (St Paul’s) after a Requiem Mass at Christ the King church, Cabra, on June 25. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Fr Vic Kotze

Liturgical Calendar Year A Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday, July 20 Wisdom 12:13, 16-19, Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16, Romans 8:26-27, Matthew 13:24-43 or 13:24-30 Monday, July 21, St Lawrence of Brindisi Wisdom 8:9-16 or 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Psalm 67:2-5, 7-8, Luke 9:1-6 Tuesday, July 22, St Mary Magdalen Micah 7:14-15, 18-20, Psalm 85:2-8, John 20:1-2, 11-18 Wednesday, July 23 Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10, Psalm 71:1-6, 15, 17, Matthew 13:1-9 Thursday, July 24, St Charbel Makhluf Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13, Psalm 36:6-11, Matthew 13:10-17 Friday, July 25, St James 2 Corinthians 4:7-15, Psalm 126:1-6, Matthew 20:20-28 Saturday, July 26, Ss Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sirach 44:1, 10-15, Psalm 132:11, 13-14, 17-18, Matthew 13:16-17 Sunday, July 27 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12, Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127130, Romans 8:28-30, Matthew 13:44-52 or Matthew 13:44-46

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DEATH

BARRETT—Basil Henry. 1923/12/03–11/06/2014. Our beloved husband, father and grandfather passed away peacefully to be with Jesus. You are sorely missed and will be loved always. Rest in Peace. SARDINHA—Alice Rodrigues passed away July 3, 2014. Deeply mourned by her husband Elmano and children Ivonne, Louis and Terry, brother Adelino Vasco Feandeiro, wife Celsa Maria and children Valeria, Andres and families in Europe.

IN MEMORIAM

LETORD—In loving memory of Deacon Roger of Durbanville, who passed away five years ago on July 19, 2009, aged 96. Will always be remembered by his family Helen, Stephen, Matthew, Thérèse and Kieran, Janet, Dean, Michael and Kyle, Anne, Basil, Sarah, Warren and Jessica and Joan Swanson. May his soul rest in peace. LINDSELL—Richard died July 21, 2004. My dear son and our brother. Will always be remembered in our prayers. Rest in peace. John and family. SHIELD—Agnes (Arnot) Passed away July 10, 2013. Mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Still very sadly missed by her ever-loving husband Cyril and sons Gavin, Trevor and Brian and their families. Thy will be done. Gracious Lord, so many times you have come to me through the kindness, the understanding, the caring heart of my faithful friend. Time after time you have revealed your love for me, through her quick smile, her endless patience, her eagerness to share, to encourage and to comfort. Thank you for her life Lord, and her willingness to be a part of mine. Touch her life through me, as you have blessed my life through her.

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WILLIAMS–Owen. In loving memory of our former colleague of The Southern Cross, who died July 20, 2007. Fondly remembered by the staff of The Southern Cross who worked with him back then.

PERSONAL

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PRAYER

HOLY ST JUDE, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to

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The Southern Cross, July 16 to July 22, 2014

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

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Website: www.scross.co.za 17th Sunday: July 27 Readings: 1 Kings 3: 5, 7-12, Psalm 119: 57, 72, 76-77, 127-130, Romans 8:28-30, Matthew 13:44-52

OST of us human beings spend far too long thinking of all sorts of desirable things that would simply transform our lives if only we had them; and generally we are quite wrong. The readings for next Sunday suggest to us that the only thing that matters is that we should find the presence of God in our lives. The first reading shows us the young King Solomon. God has appeared to him in a dream, and offered anything that he wants “And I shall give it to you.” You might consider how you would answer the question, before going on to notice, admiringly, no doubt, that Solomon very carefully refuses to ask for what one might expect him to want, but asks instead that God should “give to your servant a listening heart, to judge your people, and to know the difference between good and evil—for who can judge your people?” And God is delighted that Solomon has not asked for “long life…or riches, or the life of your enemies” (or, presumably, a new wife

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Sunday Reflections

or a new Porsche or whatever you were thinking of asking for this week). So in fact God gives Solomon not only a “wise and understanding heart” but also “riches and glory”, so that no one would ever be like Solomon. There is a lesson for us here. The composer of our psalm for next Sunday imitates Solomon in his profound awareness that God, and God’s gift, is the only thing that matters: “The Lord is my portion… the Law of your mouth is better for me than piles of silver and gold.” What the psalmist wants is “your love”, and “your Law is my delight”… “your decrees are marvellous”... “the opening of your words

brings light, gives wisdom to the simple”. That is all that matters. In the second reading, Paul is likewise aware that God is the only thing that matters: “We know that for those who love God, everything works together for good, for those who are called by God’s purpose.” What happens is that God “knew us in advance, and marked us out in advance shaped to the likeness of his Son”. God does it all; none of it is our doing: “Those whom he marked out in advance he also called…and justified…and glorified.” God’s action in our lives is really the only thing that matters. In the gospel for next Sunday, we are at the end of Jesus’ “parable-discourse”, which we have been following for a while now, which point to the things that really matter in life. So we have three concluding parables. First, there is the “treasure hidden in the field”, for the sake of which a man sells all that he has, in order to buy the field.

Don’t judge your fellows N a new book entitled Jesus of Nazareth, famed German scripture-scholar Gerhard Lohfink describes how people in the gospels relate to Jesus in different ways. Not everyone was an apostle, not everyone was a disciple, and not everyone who contributed to Jesus’ cause even followed him. Different individuals had their own way of connecting to Jesus. Here’s how he puts it: “We may say that the gospels, especially Mark, are aware of a great variety of forms of participation in Jesus’ cause. There were the Twelve. There was a broader circle of disciples. There were those who participated in Jesus’ life. “There were localised, resident adherents who made their houses available. There were people who helped in particular situations, if only by offering a cup of water. “Finally, there were the beneficiaries who profited from Jesus’ cause and for that reason did not speak against it.” Lohfink then makes this observation: “These structural lines that run through the gospels are not accidental. “In today’s Church, because it is a shapeless mass, we can find all these forms expressed. It is a complex pattern, as complex as the human body. “The openness of the gospels, the openness of Jesus must warn us against regarding people as lacking in faith if they are unable to adopt a disciple’s way of life or if it is something completely alien to them. In any event, Jesus never did.”

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Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

If what Lohfink says is true, this has implications as to how we should understand the Church, both as it is conceived in the abstract and how it is understood practically within our parish structures. Simply put, the similarity to Jesus’ time is obvious. When we look at Church life today, especially as we see it lived out concretely within parishes, it is obvious that it is made up of much more than only the core, committed congregation, namely, those who participate regularly in church life and accept (at least for the main part) the dogmatic and moral teachings their churches.

he Church also contains a wide variety of the less-engaged: people who practise occasionally, people who accept some of its teachings, guests who visit our churches, people who don’t explicitly commit but are sympathetic to the Church and offer it various kinds of support, and, not least, people who link themselves to God in more-privatised ways, those who are spiritual but not religious. As Lohfink points out, these people were already around Jesus and “they were

not unimportant” to his mission. But we must be careful in how we understand this. This does not mean that there are tiers within discipleship, where some are called to a higher holiness and others to a lower one, as if the full Gospel applies only to some. There were some centuries in Church history where Christian spirituality suffered from exactly this misunderstanding, where it was common to think that monks, nuns, contemplatives, priests, and other such people were called to live the full Gospel while others were exempt from the more demanding of Jesus’ invitations. No such exemptions. The Church may never be divided into the perfect and less perfect, the better and the half-baked, fullparticipation and partial-participation. The full Gospel applies to everyone, as does Jesus’ invitation to intimacy with him. Jesus doesn’t call people according to more or less. Christian discipleship doesn’t ideally admit of levels, notches, layers, and different tiers of participation—but something akin to this does forever happen, analogous to what happens in a love relationship. Each individual chooses how deep he or she will go and some go deeper than others, though ideally everyone is meant to go its full depth. And, given human history and human freedom, this is not surprising. There will always be a great variation in both depth and participation. Each of us has his or her own history of being graced and wounded, formed and deformed, and so we all come to adulthood with very different capacities to see, understand, love, accept love, and give ourselves over to someone or something beyond us. None of us is whole and none of us is fully mature. All of us are limited in what we can do. Hence, religiously, nobody can be expected to respond to something that is completely outside of his or her sphere of possibility, and so we will inevitably gather around Jesus in very different ways, depending upon our capacity to see and to give ourselves over. Jesus, it seemed, was okay with that. In his view, there was no such a category as a “cafeteria-disciple” or a “disciplelite”. There shouldn’t be such categories either in our understanding. We are all around Jesus in our different ways and we must be careful not to judge each other, given that Donatism and her adopted children are forever on the prowl.

Secondly, we get the story of a pearl-seller, who stumbles across the one he has been looking for, the “very valuable pearl”, for the sake of which he sells everything he has. Finally, Jesus observes the fishermen who made up such a distinctive group of his disciples, and talks about their practice, of choosing only the good fish and not the rotten ones, so that only the “just” will be chosen at the end of the day. And, in the end, the things that really matter are those which come along with the old story of God and the people of God. That is the story which Matthew is telling, and there may be a hint of autobiography as he concludes: “Every scribe discipled in the kingdom of the heavens is like a person, a householder, who brings out of his store, new things and old.” Matthew’s Jesus is telling the old story, but in a new way; and the focus is on the central question, the only one that really matters: What is God doing in our lives?

Southern Crossword #611

ACROSS 1. Abandoned on the port side (4) 3. Coronation (8) 9. Roman wine god (7) 10. Domain in some real monarchy (5) 11. Very keen, i e such antics turn out to be (12) 13. What the wine presser does (6) 15. Something has to cause it (6) 17. One who belongs to the parish (6,6) 20. A boot that is untouchable (5) 21. Does it anger the priest at the altar? (7) 22. The moment to be washed at Lourdes? (4-4) 23. Avoid (4)

DOWN 1. Text for the opera (8) 2. Deface the diamond, hiding its aspect (5) 4. St Basil’s is in its capital (6) 5. Christian’s compassionate duties (5,2,5) 6. Picture in your mind (7) 7. Trees familiar to the dentist (4) 8. One at the very bottom (3,9) 12. He’s an operator to a T, but it’s fishy (8) 14. Put on show (7) 16. Holy oil (6) 18. Place for the magistrate in church (5) 19. Wound covered in unstable condition (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

MOTHER went to her pastor and explained that her son seemed very interested in becoming a priest. She asked what this would require. The priest began to explain. “If he wants to become a diocesan priest, he’ll have to study for eight years. “If he wants to become a Franciscan, he’ll have to study for ten years. If he wants to become a Jesuit, he’ll have to study for 14 years.” The mother listened carefully, and as the priest concluded, her eyes brightened. “Sign him up for that last one, Father. He is a little slow!”