The
S outhern C ross
September 24 to September 30, 2014
Reg No. 1920/002058/06
Marriage advice from Pope Francis
Page 5
No 4892
www.scross.co.za
R7,00 (incl VAT RSA)
Benedict Daswa’s son, brother speak to us
How to be channels of God’s peace
Page 9
Page 7
Legal threat to Catholic schools By STUART GRAHAM
A
N application for a high court interdict to prevent public schools from practising any form of religion could open the door to a range of legal challenges against Catholic schools, the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE) has warned. Paul Faller, the national coordinator for religious education at the CIE, said Catholic schools in South Africa would be wise to take seriously the court action by the Organisasie vir Godsdienste-onderrig en Demokrasie (Organisation of Religious Education and Democracy, or Ogod). “This interdict is a wake-up call to Catholic schools to make sure their policies and practices are in line,” he said. “If it is successful, I expect a challenge against Catholic schools,” he said, voicing particular concern for those that are privately owned but publicly funded. “There are some [religious] practices in Catholic schools that could be challenged by it,” Mr Faller warned. “In many instances education departments would love to see the demise of Catholic public schools [on private property]”, which constitute 70% of South Africa’s Catholic schools. Ogod indicated that it would ask the high court to impose an interdict forbidding the Christian practices and activities at six state schools and have them declared unconstitutional. Among the schools affected are the Oudtshoorn High School, Langenhoven Gimnasium and Linden High School. Mr Faller said that Catholic public schools on private property walk “a delicate tightrope” when it comes to remaining true to their Catholic character. “If this [court action] is successful, I think the education departments might challenge Catholic schools in that category. It could be a landmark case.”
H
e said schools have to differentiate between proselytising, which is “a conscious effort on the part of teachers to influence children in their religious beliefs and identity”, and catechesis, “a process where you encourage and nurture faith”. “Proselytising occurs when schools try to influence a child, when they make it their mission to turn these children into Catholics,” he said. “We are talking about direct actions or
words trying to influence children in terms of their religious choice,” Mr Faller explained. “The purpose of Catholic schools, however, is to make a Muslim a better Muslim, a Hindu a better Hindu and a Presbyterian a better Presbyterian,” he said. To “push one faith against another...would be in direct conflict with the vision of Catholic schooling”. While Catholic schools are protected by the law, he said, “they are protected only so far as their policies and practices are in line”. Mr Faller said he was working on a response to the interdict. But he warned that it is important that Catholic schools get their house in order rather than challenging a court case or interdict, he said.
A
nne Baker, the CIE’s deputy-director of operations, said South Africa has chosen the cooperative model of religion and the state, which provides “constitutional separation”. “In other words, the Constitution holds that everyone’s belief or non-belief is acknowledged and may not be damaged or imposed upon,” she explained. Section 61 of the Religion and Education Policy tasks the governing body of a school with determining “the nature and content of religious observances”. “In other words if there are Hindus or Muslims in a school they must also be given the opportunity to practise [their] religious observances. In any school no-one can be forced to take part in religious observances,” Ms Baker said. Catholics should be wary of aligning themselves against the interdict, she warned. “Catholic public schools on private property are legally protected under an agreement with provinces to be Catholic schools,” she said. Rev Andre Orffer, a Dutch Reformed Church minister in Oudtshoorn West, told Die Burger newspaper that the interdict to have various Christian practices at schools declared unconstitutional is an opportunity for Christians to bear witness to their faith. Since the nature of the case had become known, Rev Orffer said he had had contact with people from both sides who are trying to find sensible responses. Rev Orffer said that in the past parents often relied on schools to provide their children with religious education. But, he pointed out, the family is the primary source of spiritual education for children.
Holy Rosary High School in Edenvale, Johannesburg, held its annual Debutantes Ball to celebrate its Grade 10 girls’ fundraising efforts. This year R970 560 was raised. A portion of the funds raised will go towards various charities including the Holy Rosary Sisters, CHOC, Love of Christ, St Anne’s Old Age Home, Holy Rosary’s outreach programme Phumulela, and Little Eden. The debutantes are seen modelling their dresses in the school’s yard.
Feasts of Ss John Paul II, John XXIII put on universal calendar By CAROL GLATz
I
N light of “countless requests from every part of the world”, Pope Francis has approved putting Ss John XXIII and John Paul II on the Church’s universal calendar of feast days. Called the General Roman Calendar, it is the universal schedule of holy days and feast days for the Latin rite of the Catholic Church. The two saints’ feast days, both of which have the ranking of an optional memorial, are on October 11 for St John XXIII—the anniversary of the opening of the first session of the Second Vatican Council, which he had called—and October 22 for St John Paul II, the date of his papal inauguration in 1978. The pope determines who makes the universal calendar based on recommendations from the congregation for worship. In 2007, Pope Benedict approved stricter guidelines for determining which saints will be remembered with mandatory feast days. The new norms were necessary, the congregation had said, because the year does not have enough days to include all the saints in the universal calendar, particularly when Sundays and holy days are subtracted. Pope Francis, who canonised the two saints in April, approved the optional memorials “given the extraordinary nature of these
Dominican Fathers Emil Blaser and Brian Mhlanga of Johannesburg celebrate Mass this month at the tomb of St John XXIII in St Peter’s basilica. The feast days of Ss John XXIII and John Paul II have been put on the Church’s universal calendar. (Photo: Gail Fowler) pontiffs in offering the clergy and the faithful a unique model of virtue and in promoting the life of Christ”, his decree said. “Taking into consideration the countless requests from every part of the world,” the pope took “as his own the unanimous wishes of the people of God,” it said.—CNS
Southern Cross & Radio Veritas Pilgrimage
THE SAINTS OF ITALY Led by Fr EMIL BLASER OP
Rome, Assisi, Florence, Padua, Milan, Venice and more
6 - 18 September 2015
For info phone Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923 info@fowlertours.co.za fowlertours.co.za
Rome WITH PAPAL AUDIENCE | Assisi | Venice | Padua | Florence | Milan | Cascia (St Rita) | Siena (St Catherine) | Norcia (St Benedict) | Birthlace of St John XXIII