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Why does God ‘allow suffering’?

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SA Catholics remember St John Paul II

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Year of Mercy challenge to SA Catholics BY STUART GRAHAM

OPE Francis’ declaration of 2016 as a Holy Year dedicated to mercy should challenge the way South Africa’s Catholics look at the world, a spokesman for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference said. Fr S’milo Mngadi said mercy is linked to wide spectrums of principles such as tolerance and forgiveness and should be held in the hearts of South Africans at all times. “Mercy cannot be placed only on issues of extreme morality like homosexuality and divorce,” he said. “Mercy is not only confined to that. Mercy goes across the spectrum. It challenges how we look at things.” The extraordinary Jubilee dedicated to mercy will begin on December 8 and close on November 20, 2016. A jubilee is called a holy year because it aims to encourage holiness, strengthen faith in Christ and inspire greater communion within the Church and society. Holy years feature special celebrations and pilgrimages, strong calls for conversion and repentance, and the offer of special opportunities to experience God’s grace through the sacraments, especially confession. Traditionally, popes proclaim a holy year every 25 years. The last ordinary Holy Year was called in 2000. Extraordinary holy years, like the Holy Year of Mercy, are less frequent, but offer the same opportunities for spiritual growth. The pope said the Holy Year will highlight the Catholic Church’s “mission to be a witness of mercy”, adding that “no one can be excluded from God’s mercy”, the pope said. “I am convinced that the whole Church will be able to find in this Jubilee the joy of rediscovering and making fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and every woman of our time,” Pope Francis said. The biblical passage for the Holy Year’s theme is from Luke 6:36, in which Jesus tells his disciples, “Be merciful as your Father is merciful”— an admonition that applies “especially to confessors”, the pope said.

The 2015 season of The Durban Passion Play gets underway on Wednesday of Holy Week, April 1. Denzil Deane, 26, (above) will again play Jesus. He is seen here with Eve Howard as Veronica. The members of the Durban Catholic Players’ Guild, who take an annual vow to stage the Passion Play every five years, believe in the play as a powerful means of evangelisation, each performing without financial reward “for the greater glory of God”. Tickets for this year’s 24 performances from April 1-19 at Durban’s Playhouse Drama Theatre are available from Computicket at R40, R60 and R80. Block bookings are available. (See next week’s Easter issue for a feature on the Play’s cast)

Candles broken due to overflow of Catholic men STAFF REPORTER

Pope Francis goes to confession during a Lenten penance service in St Peter’s basilica. The pope has announced an extraordinary jubilee, a Holy Year of Mercy, to be celebrated from December 8, 2015, until November 20, 2016. (Photo: Stefano Spaziani/CNS) Fr Mngadi said the Church could take many lessons from the Year of Mercy. The African Catholic Church, for example, has practices which are not merciful, he said. “An example is a practice among African Catholics that when a girl has a child before marriage out, she has to do some kind of penance. That is very rooted in African Catholicism. Mercy will challenge all of those things.” Mercy, said Fr Mngadi, should even extend Continued on page 11

HE bishop of Swaziland and his altar servers had to cut candles in half at a church service earlier in March after more than 100 men arrived to join the Swaziland Council of Catholic Men (SCCM). Bishop José Luís Ponce de León of Manzini said the newly-launched organisation aims at encouraging Catholic men in Swaziland to play a strong role in the Church. “The celebration had not yet started and I realised there were more than 100 men,” the bishop said. “I told them at the beginning of the Mass, ‘I am not used to seeing so many men in Church and to have you sitting in the first rows’. They normally sit at the back.” It took half an hour to give a candle to each one of them. The altar servers had to cut candles in half to accommodate the high turnout—and still it was not enough. The bishop said that other men who were at Mass decided they also wanted to join the council. “It was a very important moment in the

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Bishop José Luís Ponce de León hands a candle to a congregant at the launch of the Swaziland Council of Catholic Men.

life of the diocese, and they wanted to be part of it.” The council aims to encourage a maturation of the stewardship and evangelisation role of the adult male laity in the diocese of Manzini, to promote the spiritual growth and formation of the men, and to encourage members to get their own families, relatives and acquaintances to receive the sacraments. The council members should also visit lapsed or lukewarm Catholics to encourage them to return to the Church.

Rome, Assisi, Florence, Siena, Padua, Milan, Venice and more 6 - 18 September 2015

The Southern Cross, March 25 to March 31, 2015

LOCAL

Jesuit Institute screens Marikana documentary H Fr Bram Martijn, parish priest of Ss Simon & Jude in Simon’s Town, Cape Town, with artist Melissa Thomas and the Lenten pencil drawing she created as part of her art studies at Springfield Convent, which she has donated to the parish.

Researcher asks for help STAFF REPORTER

GERMAN PhD student is looking for help in researching the South African influence on the Irish independence movement for her doctoral thesis. “I want to examine how the Irish struggles and independence fights from 1916 till the mid-1920s were noticed in South Africa, and whether there was a debate on how to support the Irish or not,” said Katja Fortenbacher, who is in South Africa for her research. “Back in time, the Irish very often referred to the parallels between the white South African independence movements and their own,” she said. “Furthermore, prominent South Africans, like Jan Smuts and JBM Hertzog, were involved in the mediation between the British and the Irish, and were friends with Irish nationalists,” she said.

“I have already examined the correspondence and private papers of those statesmen, but it is more difficult to get information on how non-official South Africans perceived the Irish events,” said Ms Fortenbacher, who has also researched in newspaper archives. She therefore is appealing for help from people who might have access to letters, diaries, out-of-print books and so on which might help in her research. “If you know anything about some South Africans who commented on the Irish uprisings, that would be very helpful. It does not matter if those persons were of Irish descent or not. All hints and information are highly appreciated,” Ms Fortenbacher said. n Ms Fortenbacher can be contacted by e-mail at katja.fortenbacher@uni marburg.de

IGH-PROFILE guests attended the screening of the multiaward-winning documentary Miners Shot Down, hosted by the Jesuit Institute in Johannesburg. The documentary follows the events leading up to the Marikana massacre on August 16, 2012. It includes footage from numerous sources, including the South African Police Services, Lonmin security and Al Jazeera. It also presents interviews with key players in the events of Marikana, including Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, strike leaders, photojournalists and lawyers representing the miners’ families. Screened in blue-ray definition quality, the event was well received by the 60 or so attendees, including Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron, Archbishop Emeritus George Daniel of Pretoria, members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference as well as people from media outlets such as Talk Radio702 and the Daily Maverick. Among other guests were people from the mining and banking fraternity and the National Prosecuting Authority. Also present on the night were Anita Khana, producer and scriptwriter of the documentary; director Rehad Desai; James Nichol, the British advocate who represented some of the families of the miners who were shot in the tragedy; and Mzoxolo Magidiwana, a miner shot by the police on that day. “With an outstanding turnout of both attendees and people involved in the making of this documentary,

(From left) Br Grant Tungay SJ, Fr Grant Emmanuel, Fr David Holdcroft SJ and Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron in discussion after the screening of Miners Shot Down. the discussion which followed the screening was passionate and memorable,” said Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, director of the Jesuit Institute. “The discussion involved such broad topics as the economic situation of miners in South Africa, the accountability of the government and police, the possible outcome of the Marikana Commission, and the role of the media in the growth and development of South Africa as a democracy,” he said. “With the report from the Marikana Commission to be completed sometime in March and submitted to the president, the Jesuit Institute desired to facilitate this important screening and discussion,” Fr Pollitt said. “This documentary, and the dis-

cussion which followed, highlighted important challenges to the economic and social wellbeing of South Africa. The Jesuit Institute believes responsible Christians and citizens of South Africa need to work towards resolving our societal issues,” the priest said. “These challenges include ensuring that reasonable wage levels are paid to workers that enable families to survive, the police force and government are held accountable to citizens and that multi-national corporations are held socially responsible.” n There will be another screening of Miners Shot Down at St Martin de Porres church in Orlando West, Soweto, on April 27 at 15:00. All are welcome.

DIVINE MERCY FEAST 2015

CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH WYNBERG, CAPE TOWN

Friday 10th April 2015

Theme: God the Father of Mercy

Divine Mercy Holy Hour & Confessions Holy Eucharist with Fr Sean Cahill OFM Cap

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Saturday 11th April 2015

Theme: Mary the Mother of Mercy

Divine Mercy Holy Hour & Confessions Holy Eucharist with Fr Mari Joe OCD

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DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY 12TH APRIL 2015

Theme: We the apostle and secretary of His Mercy

DIVINE MERCY HOLY HOUR & CONFESSION

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The Southern Cross, March 25 to March 31, 2015

LOCAL

Orthodox Pope Tawadros II leads prayers in Cairo at St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox cathedral for Egyptians beheaded in Libya. (Photo: Mohamed Abd El Ghany, Reuters/CNS)

Church leaders shaken after beheading video of Copts BY STUART GRAHAM

DELEGATION from the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference was left shaken after viewing a video of 21 Egyptian Copts being beheaded by the terror group Isis (Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria). The SACBC group, which included Bishop Graham Rose of Dundee, SACBC secretary general Sr Hermenegild Makoro, and SACBC information officer Fr S’milo Mngadi, visited the Coptic cathedral of St Mark in Parkview, Johannesburg, to show solidarity with the Church. “The visit was in solidarity for the killing of the 21 Copts in Libya by Isis,” said Fr Mngadi. “The visit was very short, an hour or so. Bishop Antonius Markos, the Coptic bishop for African affairs, invited Bishop Rose to say a prayer. After the prayer, Bishop Marcos blessed us and then we went to the house, where he told us the context of the whole story of those who were beheaded,” Fr Mngadi said. The video, released by Isis, shows the victims kneeling on a beach in orange jumpsuits and mumbling prayers. Jihadists in black stand behind each of the victims. Pope Francis has called the victims

“martyrs”, saying their deaths should unite Christians. In the video, a masked Englishspeaking jihadi says: “The sea you have hidden Sheikh Osama bin Laden’s body in, we swear to Allah, we will mix it with your blood.” Fr Mngadi said the bravery and the “holiness” of the men who were killed came across in the video. “You can see that they were at peace,” he said. “They were told for a month to renounce Christ or be killed, but what was supposed to frighten them over a month only strengthened their faith. They were so calm as they walked towards the beach where they were killed.” Fr Mngadi said the men were “slaughtered like goats” with sharp daggers. “Some were mumbling prayers before they were killed. It was a very powerful visit for us,” he said. “Bishop Markos said this is what happened to Christ... 'Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing’, while suffering the pain of the nail and the pain of the lashes. “He understood that a human being with full capacity of thinking cannot do such things to another person. Their will and intellect is clouded and indoctrinated by others.”

Two new novices joined the community of the Holy Childhood Convent in Eshowe, KZN. Holding candles, Sr Yolanda Fihlani (left) and Sr Maria Machi (right) were joined by other religious and parishioners at Eshowe’s St Benedict cathedral.

Some 23 young parishioners of Holy Trinity church in Matroosfontein, Cape Town, with their facilitators and parish priest, Fr Thomas Vanderkunnel MSFS, made the Way of the Cross at Table View beach in Cape Town. Every Lent, the parish’s youth walks and prays the Way of the Cross outdoors: on a mountain, street or beach.

Oudtshoorn tackles domestic violence BY FR BRIAN WILLIAMS

‘E

NOUGH is enough, today I am breaking the silence”—these were the words of a participant at a Responding to Family Violence workshop, one of several being implemented throughout the diocese of Oudtshoorn as part of the diocesan joint Family Life and Justice & Peace ministries. The Oudtshoorn diocese and the Rural Development Support Programme (RDSP), an associate body of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), are collaborating on a diocesan initiative aimed at addressing domestic violence affecting women and children in particular.

Domestic violence touches many families. (Photo: Greg Tarczynski/CNS) The initiative is a response to Pope Francis’ call to the universal Church’s and the Southern African bishops’ focus on family life for the next three years. Three workshops have already been presented in Knysna, George and Oudtshoorn.

Participants include parishioners, parish priests, staff of the police, social workers of the Department of Social Development, hospice staff, staff of the Department of Education, and carers from local NGOs and Public Benefit Organisations in the field of childcare and working with abused women. The Responding to Family Violence workshop series is part of a broader domestic violence response programme which the RDSP implements with dioceses within the SACBC region. The Oudtshoorn diocesan programme includes further workshops on the Domestic Violence Act, working with men, parenting, and Catholic social teaching on the family.

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The Southern Cross, March 25 to March 31, 2015

INTERNATIONAL

Preserve Christian presence in Middle East M BY DOREEN ABI RAAD

ARONITE Catholic bishops urged Arab and Muslim countries to combat terrorism in order to preserve the Christian presence in the Middle East. In a statement issued following a special synod at Bkerke, the patriarchal seat for Maronites in Lebanon, the bishops from throughout the Middle East urged Christians to try to “bear the current storm” and to preserve their ties to their homeland. “At the same time”, the bishops said they demand that “Arab and Muslim countries assume their historic responsibilities by fighting

against extremism and fanaticism” and to protect “the Christian existence, which plays a key role in the history of the Arab world and its Muslim-Christian civilisation”. They also called on Arab states to “support Lebanon and help it out of the state of political, economic and security crisis caused by the wars and conflicts in the Middle East”. Noting that Lebanon is a founding member of the League of Arab States, the bishops said Lebanon “represents a stability factor, an oasis of encounter and dialogue” in the region and is a “strong advocate” for civil liberties and democracy.

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The bishops also encouraged Lebanese expats to remain “closely linked” to their homeland. The bishops deplored Lebanon’s presidential vacuum and its detrimental effect on political, security, economic and social levels. Lebanese lawmakers failed for the 20th time to elect a new president. The post, held by a Maronite Catholic, has been vacant since May 2014 when President Michel Suleiman’s term ended.

nternationally, a recent joint statement, submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, saw representatives of more than 50 countries recognising that Christians are particularly endangered in the Middle East, calling on the international community to reaffirm the human See the richness of right to freedom of reSouth Africa’s wildlife ligion. The violence carried close-up with out by terrorist groups VIVA SAFARIS. Look for “creates the risk of the Big Five in the complete disappearcompany of our trained ance for the Christians” in the region, rangers, take a guided they said. bushwalk you will never The statement, subforget, and after dinner mitted to the UN around a fire relax in Human Rights Council our chalets – or in Geneva, was sponsored by the delegain a treehouse. tions of the Holy See,

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Christians who had fled the unrest in Syria and Iraq carry placards and wave flags during a gathering in front the UN house in Beirut. (Photo: Nabil Mounzer/EPA/CNS) Lebanon and Russia. The United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, Iraq and Israel were among the 50 signatories. Ongoing conflicts in the region have been “disastrous for the entire population” and have “seriously threatened” the existence of “many religious communities”, the statement said. People continue to fall victim “to barbaric acts of violence” and “churches and ancient shrines of all religions have been destroyed”. The statement then zeroed in on the Christian situation. “Christians are now especially affected.” “These days even their survival is in question.” “There are more and more reasons to fear seriously for the future of the Christian communities that have more than 2 000 years of ex-

istence in this region, where Christianity has its full place and began its long history,” the statement said. The signatories called on the international community to support the human rights of Christians and other religious and ethnic communities in the Middle East and to work toward building “a culture of peaceful coexistence”. “A future without the different communities in the Middle East will run the risk of new forms of violence, exclusion and the absence of peace and development,” they warned. In this season of Lent, the Maronite bishops said they hope “for the resurrection of our countries and peoples on the basis of reconciliation, peace and freedom”.— CNS

Christians either follow God or they’re hypocrites BY CAROL GLATZ

HRISTIANS either love God and their neighbour or they are hypocrites; there is no middle ground, Pope Francis has said. “Jesus says, ‘Whoever is not with me is against me’. Well, can’t there be a compromise—a bit here and a bit there? No. Either you are on the path of love or you are on the road of hypocrisy,” he said at Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae. The whole history of the people of God and salvation has been marked by sin, unfaithful-

ness and hypocrisy, the pope said, according to Vatican Radio. It’s what happens when people’s faith falters or vanishes, he said. “We do our [own] will. But by doing that along life’s journey, we are following a path that hardens—the heart becomes hardened, turns to stone. And the word of God can’t get in. The people stray.” People should ask themselves: “Do I listen to the Lord’s voice or do I do what I want, what I like?” the pope said. When people’s hearts are hardened, they can no longer hear what God has to say. The

same thing has happened in the Church, the pope said, pointing to St Joan of Arc, who was burned alive after being accused of being a heretic by “doctors” of the Church who “knew solid doctrine; these Pharisees, distanced from God’s love”. In his homily, Pope Francis said God has always sent prophets and saints “to tell his people he loved them”. It has always been the saints, “not the powerful ones, not the hypocrites” that have “carried the life of the Church forward”, he said.—CNS

African Church may set up Reconcilation Committee STAFF REPORTER

EPRESENTATIVES of the national and regional Justice & Peace commissions of the Catholic Church in Africa have recommended setting up a Reconciliation Committee to address issues that may lead to conflicts or violence and to mediate where they occur. Meeting in Windhoek, the four-day congress was organised by the Justice & Peace Commission of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM)—which comprises the continent’s bishops’ conferences—in collaboration with the episcopal conference of Namibia. Participants noted that “Africa is often confronted with issues of violence and religious extremism and called for sincere and committed interreligious dialogue towards the consolidation of peace and the bringing together of peoples and cul-

tures”, a message issued by SECAM read. The congress appealed to African leaders to create better living conditions and for the provision of jobs for migrants, particularly for the youth. Responding to health crises in Africa, including ebola, HIV/Aids and other diseases such as malaria, the message called on the Church “to intensify the significant role that it has been playing for the promotion of national health policies”. It also called on governments in Africa to make access to healthcare a general right, not a privilege for the rich. During the congress, Fr Fradereck Chiromba, secretarygeneral of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said that Catholic parliamentary liaison offices—a concept spearheaded by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference— provide “an avenue for the Church…to contribute to de-

bates on issues of public policy, to exert an influence for the common good in areas of political, economic and social concern, and to help shape legislative and policy developments.” Caritas Africa outlined the effects of climate change which causes extreme weather conditions, thus resulting in low and poor agricultural production, loss in livelihoods, poor health and sometimes social upheavals. Jacques Dinan, executive secretary of Caritas Africa, called for measures such as climate change adaptation and the need for networking, lobbying and advocacy in addressing the phenomenon. As one of the steps to address the issues of climate change, Africa’s Justice & Peace commissions will create an African Church network, particularly in countries of the equatorial forest for transparent and responsible management of the forest.

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, March 25 to March 31, 2015

Dolce & Gabbana: Pope: Pakistan attack Family not a fad was anti-Christian BY ELISE HARRIS ANN SCHNEIBLE

OLCE & Gabbana, creators of the luxury Italian fashion brand, have sparked global controversy after coming out in defence of traditional marriage, saying that children have the right to a mother and a father. “The family is not a fad,” said Stefano Gabbana, co-founder of the fashion empire, in an interview with the Italian magazine Panorama. “In it there is a supernatural sense of belonging.” Sharing this view with his business and former romantic partner, Domenico Dolce told the magazine: “We didn’t invent the family ourselves.” Mr Dolce and Mr Gabbana, who are openly gay, said children have the right to be raised by a mother and a father, and condemned the use of artificial means of conception, such as in-vitro fertilisation. They also spoke out against the use of surrogate mothers by gay couples who are seeking to have a child, referring to the practice as “wombs for rent”. Mr Dolce referred to those con-

ceived through artificial means as “chemical children: synthetic children. Uterus for rent, semen chosen from a catalogue. And later you go and explain to these children who the mother is”. To procreate should be an “act of love”, Mr Dolce added. “We, a gay couple, say no to gay adoptions. Enough chemical children and wombs for rent. Children should have a mother and a father,” the pair told the magazine. The remarks prompted musician Elton John and other public figures to boycott the fashion designers. In the interview, Mr Dolce and Mr Gabbana—who, until 2005, had been romantically involved with one another—were asked if they had wanted to be parents. “Yes, I would do it immediately,” Mr Gabbana responded, with Mr Dolce adding that, because he is gay, he could not have fathered a child with his partner. “You can’t have everything in life,” he said. “It’s also beautiful to be deprived of something. Life has a natural course; there are things that cannot be modified. The family is one of them.”—CNA

Blind students join protest for elderly nun BY ANTO AKKARA

TUDENTS at a Hindu-run school for the blind in India joined a nationwide outcry over the gang rape of a 74-year-old Catholic nun. The 50 students at the Helen Keller School near the convent where the nun lived chanted “Mother we cannot see, but we can feel your pain,” after news of the incident had reached them, Bishop Joseph Gomes of Krishnagar said. The show of solidarity by the students was part of a series of demonstrations throughout India calling on authorities to hasten their investigation and charge the ten suspects being detained in connection with the incident. “This is shocking. The people are disgusted,” Bishop Gomes said of the overnight attack in which a group of masked men broke into the Jesus and Mary Congregation convent in Ranaghat, about 70km from Kolkata. Bishop Gomes said he visited the hospitalised nun for a second time and that she had forgiven her attackers. “She told me that ‘justice should be done. This should never be repeated or happen to anyone else’,” Bishop Gomes said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised a crackdown on religiousbased violence. An estimated 6 000 demonstra-

tors gathered in Kolkata to raise concerns with the Indian government. “We are not satisfied because no headway has been made,” Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Kolkata told the crowd. “We urge the government to arrest the culprits at the earliest and ascertain the motive of such a heinous crime,” he said. The archbishop noted that in addition to raping the nun, the perpetrators desecrated the convent chapel, threw consecrated hosts onto the ground and robbed the school office. Archbishop D’Souza said Church officials could know if there was a conspiracy behind the incident “only if the culprits are arrested”. In a statement, the Conference of Religious India, which represents 125 000 women and men religious and priests, described the attack as a “horror”. “What fellow human beings did to a frail, ailing, elderly woman of God makes me feel ashamed as an Indian, and heartbroken as a human being,” said Salesian Father Joe Mannath, conference national secretary. “The gang rape of an old religious woman is beyond all normal descriptions of human depravity. That others care and have protested against this despicable act shows the concern and revulsion any decent human being would feel at such an act of savagery,” the statement said. —CNS

BY CINDY WOODEN

ONDEMNING deadly terrorist attacks against a Catholic and an Anglican church in Pakistan, Pope Francis said “the world is trying to hide” a wave of anti-Christian persecution in various parts of the globe. “With sadness, with much sadness, I learned of the terrorist attacks against two churches in Lahore—provoking numerous deaths and injuries,” the pope said. Suicide bombers detonated themselves outside the churches, which are both in the same predominantly Christian neighbourhood. Officials said 15 people were killed and more than four dozen were injured by the blasts. Particularly with the persecution of Christians in Syria, Iraq and Nigeria, Pope Francis frequently has denounced the growing wave of anti-Christian violence, a violence that is not simply a matter of restricting religious freedom, but a martyrdom of Christians. At a Mass in early February, when the Gospel reading recounted the killing of St John the Baptist, Pope Francis said it made him “think of our martyrs, the martyrs of today, those men, women and children who are persecuted, hated, chased from their homes, tortured and massacred. This is not something from the past; it is happening today. Our martyrs are ending their lives under the corrupt authority of people who hate Jesus Christ”. Archbishop Joseph Coutts of

Karachi, president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, urged the government “to take strong measures for the protection of the churches and religious minorities in Pakistan”. “The government, political parties, religious leaders and every citizen of Pakistan [should] stand against extremist forces and with their Christian brothers and sisters,” the archbishop said, adding that “the whole nation should join hands and stand against terrorism”.

Via Dolorosa pilgrims walk by faith BY JUDITH SUDILOVSKY

EVERAL pilgrim groups gathered in a sunny courtyard in Jerusalem’s Old City. They were preparing to follow a tradition reaching back at least to the fifth century: walking along the Via Dolorosa, through the cobbled streets of Jerusalem’s Old City. The Via Dolorosa represents the route taken by Jesus on the way to his crucifixion, until he was laid in the tomb. Although the route followed for

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A Christian woman in Karachi, Pakistan, looks on during a protest after suicide attacks in Lahore. (Photo: Shahzaib Akber, EPA/CNS)

He pleaded with federal and provincial governments “to take effective measures in providing security to the churches throughout Pakistan to ensure freedom of religion and belief”. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault in a statement e-mailed to reporters, and warned: “There will be more of such attacks”. In a separate statement, Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore demanded “strong action [be] taken against the perpetrators and that the guilty should be brought to justice”. Archbishop Shaw said all archdiocesan institutions would remain closed and urged the provincial government of Punjab, with Lahore as its capital, “to protect the religious minorities”. The Justice & Peace Commission of the Pakistani bishops’ conference issued a statement lamenting the “minimal” protection the government offered to Christians, despite the fact that threats against Christians had been made in the days before the attack. The police “present at the moment were busy watching a cricket match on television instead of fulfilling their task of protecting the churches. Consequently, because of their negligence, many Christians lost their lives”, said the statement, as reported by Fides.—CNS n Contributing to this story was Anto Akkara in India.

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this devotion has changed over the centuries, the need and desire of the Christian faithful to walk in Jesus’ footsteps has not. The current route was probably formalised in the 18th century. “To follow the actual footsteps of Jesus is pretty amazing. It brings his message even more into our hearts,” said Marilyn McDonough, 64, a Catholic from Santa Clara, California. “I keep thinking about all the suffering he did for us and what he went through mentally and physically. It is overwhelming for me to be here.”

At the same time, she said, she is aware that no one knows for certain the exact places where Jesus walked. The restored 12th-century Chapel of the Flagellation that stands in the courtyard today was built on the location of a fifth-century church. “If you take the whole area of Jerusalem, I know Jesus walked in this area. Did he step in this very spot? Maybe not, but I know he walked in other spots, and if I walk around here I can feel it in my heart,” she said.—CNS n Read the full story www.scross. co.za/2015/03/via-dolorosa/

The Southern Cross, March 25 to March 31, 2015

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

The Holy Shroud

N Good Friday we behold the Lord on the Cross, sharing in the despair of his followers at the cruel death Jesus suffers. Unlike the disciples on that Friday, we also live with the joyful anticipation of the Risen Christ. John’s gospel tells us that when the tomb was found empty, Jesus’ burial cloth was neatly folded (20:7), indicating that the body had not been stolen, for no grave robber would take care to leave behind a tidy crime scene. Many Catholics believe that the very burial shroud which the two disciples found folded in the tomb is now kept in the cathedral of Turin. And as that shroud is going on a rare public exposition as of April 15, the debate over its provenance again moves into the limelight. The Catholic Church declines to take a firm position on whether the shroud is Christ’s actual burial cloth. In official statements, Popes Benedict XVI and Francis have cautiously called it an “icon”, though both clearly believe it to be a relic of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Pope St John Paul II in 1980 described it as a “distinguished relic linked to the mystery of our redemption”. But he also said in 1998: “Since it is not a matter of faith, the Church has no specific competence to pronounce” on the shroud’s authenticity. The Vatican’s caution is prudent. The radiocarbon test of a piece of the cloth in 1988 determined it to date to between 1260– 1390, the timeframe in which the holy shroud is first documented as being in the possession of a French crusader in the 14th century. The test results seemed to put to rest the notion of the shroud being Christ’s burial cloth—except for two problems. Firstly, the test results have been challenged in at least four credible academic articles, including one by a Jewish professor who was part of the testing, and another by a researcher who replicated the test. The reading of the 1988 tests, it is suggested, might have been false due to contamination or the quality of the samples used. These objections create not enough doubt on the test results as to conclusively refute them, but the disputed test results also are not enough to claim that the shroud is a medieval hoax. Which raises the second point: the onus to prove a hypothesis resides with those who advance it. This means that those who claim the shroud to be a forgery must demonstrate exactly how such a sophisticated and unique fraud was perpetrated. It is not enough to just say it was a hoax.

t is definitively established that the image on the shroud was not painted. Nobody knows how the image came to be imprinted on the linen cloth. Many have tried to replicate the image; none successfully. The closest anyone has come is South African art historian Nicholas Allen, who believes that the shroud was created by the process of a camera obscura—but that technology dates back to only the 16th century. There simply is no proof of forgery, nor an explanation for how such a highly sophisticated fraud could have been committed. The forger would have needed the skills and knowledge of a modern forensic blood splatter expert to recreate the blood marks as accurately as they are on the

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.

Church must speak up politically

OT much is said by the Church in these times of political turmoil in South Africa. Julius Malema is becoming the focus of opposition because he is protesting most vociferously against government corruption. We have the Democratic Alliance and other opposition parties in parliament but they are relatively unostentatious. Mr Malema is dramatic opposition.

Inkamana Abbey not under threat

I cloth. He also would have required anatomical and medical knowledge that was not available to people of his time in other aspects of his representation of a crucified man, including the insight that it was impossible to nail a man to the cross through the palms of his hands. Contrary to all artworks of the time, before and after, the man on the shroud was nailed to the cross through the wrists. In short, the purported forger would have possessed physiological, anthropological and historical knowledge that he simply could not have had to create the likeness of a crucified man with such unerring authenticity, and the technical expertise to create an image of a kind that has not been replicated since. There is much evidence, however, that the cloth has first-century origin in Palestine, such as the method of its weaving and seams, and pollen and limestone dust that have been found on it. Other pollen found on the shroud is unique to Anatolia in Turkey and Constantinople (now Istanbul), suggesting that before it appeared in 14th-century France, it must have been kept in Turkey. Perhaps it is, as the author Ian Wilson has controversially but coherently argued, the Image of Edessa, a cloth bearing the likeness of Christ’s face which was lost during the sack of Constantinople by French crusaders in 1204. This would explain the absence of records of the shroud prior to its appearance in France in the 14th century.

he crown of thorns on the shroud image doubtless identifies the man on the image as Jesus Christ. If the shroud is not a forgery—and there is no proof that it is—and if the radiocarbon testing is not conclusive, which it isn’t, then it is reasonable to believe that the shroud is the authentic burial cloth donated by Joseph of Arimathea, which covered the body of the dead Jesus and the risen Christ. Mere reference to a disputed radiocarbon test and vague speculation about how a forger might have perpetrated his fraud simply does not suffice to make the case that the shroud is a medieval hoax. But even if the shroud is not an authentic relic, it nevertheless is an icon which brings those who venerate it closer to Christ. In this way it is wholly unimportant whether or not it is the genuine burial cloth of our Saviour. For Catholics, the truth of the shroud can be found in its fruits: the deepening of faith of those who believe in it. In the words of Pope Francis, the Holy Shroud of Turin “invites us to contemplate Jesus of Nazareth. This image…speaks to our heart and moves us to climb the hill of Calvary, to look upon the wood of the Cross, and to immerse ourselves in the eloquent silence of love.”

WAS shocked by the headline “Vocations crisis: Benedictine abbey’s future uncertain” (March 11). This was certainly not the gist of my conversation with Stuart Graham. I can assure you that neither I nor my fellow monks are of the opinion that the future of our community is uncertain. That we do not get as many vocations as we would like is an experience that most other religious communities in South Africa share with Inkamana. Monastic life in particular does not have a long tradition in South Africa. It does not seem to be all that well known and understood, even among Catholics. Candidates who enter our monastery are therefore given a long time—nine years altogether— before they are invited to make a final commitment to a life according to the Rule of St Benedict by taking their final vows. Since 1990 we have been able to welcome each year newcomers to our monastery and each year we have accepted candidates into the novitiate who finished a year’s probation. Our novitiate has never been empty over the last 25 years. But not all our novices have decided to stay. Our novice master does not only introduce candidates to the Benedictine way of life, he also helps them to discern whether they have a true vocation to the monastic life and the missionary apostolate. Although we strongly disagree with the above-mentioned headline, we can only be grateful if it makes one or the other young reader of The Southern Cross think of joining our monastic community. We firmly believe that Inkamana Abbey has a future in South Africa and will continue to serve the Catholic Church in this country as it has done in the last 90 years. . You can contact us by e-mail (Fr Prior John Paul: abbot@inkamana. org; Novice master Fr Boniface: bonifaceosb@gmail.com) or phone the novice master at 078 0079114. Godfrey Sieber OSB, Inkamana Abbey

In the days of the Nationalist government, we had challenging pastorals condemning apartheid in no uncertain terms, led by Archbishop Denis Hurley. Has the local Church lost its vibrant leadership, even compromising itself with a biblical financial handshake from President Jacob Zuma? Does it bother the bishops what the laity is thinking? Ask Pope Francis, who insists on

Cardinal Burke: No fair reading

N no fair reading were Cardinal Raymond Burke’s comments a “rant”, nor was its message “sexist” if by that is meant that he depreciated the intrinsic worth of women or denied their inherent dignity. On no fair reading was my recent letter of February 25 misogynistic if by that is meant that it evinced hatred for or contempt of women. I deplore the use of your letters page as a vehicle for insulting slogans in place of rational discussion. A more discerning choice of letters for publication is indicated if the level of discourse is to rise to that worthy of a truly Catholic publication. Martin Keenan, Paarl

Expanding role of women in Church

OPE Francis has offered new hope to the Church, including women, when he speaks of expanding our roles in the Church. But some of his statements are really not helpful. For example, last year when five women were named to the International Theological Commission he called them “strawberries on the cake”, thus simply decorations. In The Southern Cross of February 18 he is quoted as saying he is “convinced of the urgency of offering space to women in the life of the Church...” I hope that this was an incorrect translation of his remarks. “Offering space” reminds me of squeezing oneself into an already crowded pew. But women are already in the Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately. Letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

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having laity attend the synod of bishops. We are Catholics, not Gnostics, where only the elite know and decide what is happening. As we demand the truth from the government, a fortiori, so must the Church leadership be open, loud and clear, more so when bishops seem to contradict one another. In apostolic times Peter and Paul had differences but ended up giving clear direction to the Church. Fr Allan Moss OMI, Durban

space of the Church—we are 6080% of those at weekend liturgies. Women are largely responsible for the catechetical ministry of the Church. Some women do pastoral ministry in parishes. The vast majority of persons involved in HIV and Aids caregiving are women. Occasionally a woman is the chair of the parish pastoral council. Sometimes women have diocesan administrative positions, but a priest is always in charge. A few of us are theologians. Is the pope possibly referring to “making space” for us in the leadership pew? Here in South Africa, Sr Hermenegild Makoro CPS is the secretary-general of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. I believe that there is just one other women in the world who holds a similar position. Last year the pope missed an opportunity to appoint women to the new Council on the Economy and seven laymen were appointed. Until the hierarchy is brave enough to listen to the vocation stories of women, there is only one way to break this impasse. The link between jurisdiction (authority) and ordination must be broken. At this time a woman religious cannot lead the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life because she cannot be ordained. However, the majority of religious in the world are women. If this link were broken, women could lead this and other Vatican and diocesan offices. Pope Francis says that making sure that women are no longer “guests” in the Church, but full participants “can no longer be postponed”. We await real change. Sue Rakozcy IHM, Cedara, KZN FOR THE RECORD: The letter of March 11 by Damian McLeish on the Pill’s abortions contained an incorrect website address and phone number. The website address is w w w. e p m . o r g / s t a t i c / u p l o a d s / downloads/bcpill.pdf and Mr McLeish’s phone number, to obtain cards based on the website article, is 011 782 3088.

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The Southern Cross, March 25 to March 31, 2015

Bishop Giuseppe Sandri MCCJ

Jukub Urbaniak

Fr S’milo Mngadi

ST JOHN PAUL II

Sr Alison Munro OP

Deacon Desmond Eyden

Lebo WA Majahe

Fr Russell Pollitt SJ

Aleksandra Serwa

Fr Donaat Bohé OMI

Phiwokuhle Xulu

SA Catholics: What St John Paul II means to us today

On April 2 the Church will mark the tenth anniversary of the death at 84 of Pope St John Paul II. DYLAN APPOLIS asked South African Catholics what the late pope means to them.

Bishop Giuseppe Sandri MCCJ of Witbank: I had the luck to meet Pope St John Paul II a couple of times at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo and to participate in his morning Mass in the Vatican a couple of times. He was a great pope who loved contacting people. He was rooted in God and in dialogue with God; you felt this during his celebration of Mass. Remembering his last days as a

very sick pope, he is teaching me that patient endurance and perseverance in the mission God has assigned to a person is possible if guided by God’s strength, in spite of a person’s physical weaknesses and limitations. Dr Jukub Urbaniak, senior lecturer at St Augustine College of South Africa, Johannesburg: Today many stress the discontinuity between the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI on the one hand and that of Pope Francis on the other. However, when we look at Francis’ recent announcing of a new global jubilee, the Holy Year of Mercy, we realise that like John Paul II, so too the present pope is particularly sensitive to what is perhaps one of the most striking signs of our times, both within the Church and without it, namely people’s thirst for God’s healing

SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA

and forgiving love. St John Paul II who passed away on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday—the feast he established in 2000—considered divine mercy to be the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity. Today Francis invites us to rediscover and render fruitful the mercy of God by becoming the joyful witnesses of God’s healing and forgiving love to every man and woman of our time. Fr S’milo Mngadi, information officer of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference: He was amazing. He had this gesture when landing in any country: kissing the soil. It was a powerful symbol saying: “I am the son of your soil (country), too. Your joys and hopes, your griefs and anxieties are my joys and hopes, my griefs and anxieties.”

Association incorporated not for gain

VACANCY FOR NATIONAL COORDINATOR

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I also remember when he came to Johannesburg in 1995; my mother came back thrilled because the Holy Father “could speak Zulu”. He had greeted them using the way of the great missionaries who brought the Catholic faith to us: “Makadunyiswe uJesu Khristo”, meaning “Praise be to Jesus Christ”. Sr Alison Munro OP, director of the SACBC Aids Office: St John Paul II is remembered for many things: his worldwide travel, his role in Poland, his devotion to Mary, his extensive teachings and writings, to name but some of them. I remember too his eventual visit to South Africa in 1995, long delayed because of the political situation prevailing here prior to 1994. He celebrated the Eucharist at Gosforth Park near Johannesburg. Prior to that, in 1988, he had visited Swaziland, and my Dominican Sisters of Oakford were involved in the arrangements for the papal Mass at the cathedral, and his accommodation at the bishop’s house in Manzini. One of them, Sr Anna Maria Khumalo, won praise from one of the pope’s bodyguards when she tried to deny him access to the cathedral. He didn’t have the required ticket to go into the cathedral. Deacon Desmond Eyden, Durbanville parish, Cape Town: For me personally Pope John Paul ll is very special: I became a Catholic in 1999 during his era as pope, so he was my “first” pope. Lebo WA Majahe, Archdiocesan News, Johannesburg: Pope John Paul II was a voice of conscience for the world and a modern-day apostle for his Church. His supreme achievement might have been to show the world that power need not come from the barrel of the gun or from the ballot box, but that it can come from sheer faith and moral commitment. And by his influence on world events, John Paul II demonstrated

The Southern Cross marked the death of St John Paul II on April 2, 2005 with a special memorial edition. that the Church is a church of history and can still change the world. He challenged his audience to moral heroism, and showed the world that religion was not a spent force. For him, love was the key and he advocated uncompromisingly the need to give human beings the deepest value. And from this flowed everything. For example, his determination to restore respect for life: it was a matter of human rights, and a matter of obeying God’s commandment not to kill. So he stood firm against contraception, abortion and euthanasia, and opposed the death penalty. Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, director of the Jesuit Institute South Africa: St John Paul II’s greatest witness to the world was his choice to publicly forgive Mehmet Ali Agca, who had tried to shoot him on May 13, 1981. St John Paul, after the attempted assassination, asked the world to “pray for my brother whom I have sincerely forgiven”. He also met

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The Southern Cross, March 25 to March 31, 2015

ST JOHN PAUL II

Paddy Kearney

Mphuthumi Ntabeni

Agca’s mother and brother a decade later. In a world where revenge always seems to be our first reaction, St John Paul II showed us a different way is possible—the Gospel way. Aleksandra Serwa, journalist, Pretoria: Whenever I think of St John Paul II, one image always comes to mind: of him leaning against his pastoral staff, against Jesus on the Cross. To me, that summarises who he was, and the kind of person he inspires me to be: always leaning on Christ, trusting him wholeheartedly. It’s as if he could hear him. I can still hear his voice: “Do not be afraid!” To me and to a tired, cynical world, St John Paul II showed that, with and through Jesus and Jesus alone, the impossible was not only possible but beautiful and enticing, even fun, a thrilling dare. He made Christ and Our Lady very real, very close, and very attractive—to the point of making one restless, hungry for more. Fr Donaat Bohé OMI, diocese of Klerksdorp: I have been privileged to have met him quite closely on several occasions. One was during the beatification ceremony of Bl Joseph Gerard OMI in Lesotho on September 15, 1988. What impressed me the most was his ease in the way he reached out to people informally after the Mass in the stadium in Maseru. Phiwokuhle Xulu, catechist at Inchanga parish, Durban: St John Paul II came across as a humble man who celebrated life to its fullest. He was a true inspiration of the lesson that when one lives to the fullest, goodness and suffering go well together. Suffering, much of which St John Paul did in the public spotlight, cannot and must not impede us in going on with life. Like St John Paul, we ought to be of service to one another and the whole so that God may be glorified. Paddy Kearney, chairman: Denis Hurley Centre, Durban: I am most grateful to Pope John Paul II because of his outstanding attitude towards people of other faiths. I had the great privilege to be at the World Day of Prayer for Peace in 1992 which he called for and which was held in Assisi, with his full participation in all the activities. It was clear that he saw God’s Holy Spirit working in each of the world’s great religions. There were many in the Vatican who didn’t approve of his generous respect for other religions, but he pressed on courageously. I also treasure the photo of him with Archbishop Denis Hurley, taken late in their lives—two great warriors for justice and against oppression, the one in Poland and the other in South Africa. Mphuthumi Ntabeni, Southern Cross columnist: John Paul II was the first known pope in my life, and the longest I have known as a Catholic. His visit to South Africa in 1995 coincided with what appeared to be my existential and spiritual crises, and tipped the scales towards conversion to Catholicism. At this stage I was reading into a lot of philosophy and political ideology, from Nietzsche to Marx in particular. Pope John Paul II’s encyclicals drew me into the wealth of Catholic Social Teachings, which became the corrective of the socialist principles which I was growing suspicious of. From his writings I saw someone

Sr Ann-Margaret PSN

Matteo Iaculli

who had lived with the errors of communism and understood that system from personal experience. I was captivated by his charisma and charm, the interesting balance of conservative Catholic thought with modern challenges. Sister Anne Margaret PSN, superior: Nazareth House, Johannesburg: Pope John Paul II was the first pope in my lifetime that really made a deep impression on me for the following reasons: Being the first non-Italian Pope for over 450 years, and having taken himself out of the Vatican to visit at least 129 countries throughout the world during the long term of his papacy, I began to see him as a real human being and not just a distant holy figurehead, far removed and quite out of reach for the vast majority of Catholics, like myself, who had never been to Rome or seen a pope in “real life”. In 2006, a year after his death, I was fortunate to visit Krakow and I stayed not far from where he had lived as a student during his university days just before the outbreak of World War II. Again, he became very real for me, as I learned about his own personal struggles growing up in occupied Poland, facing many threats and dangers, and yet still living life to the full, helping and encouraging others to have strength and faith. Matteo Iaculli, Green Point parish, Cape Town: Pope John Paul II was the most outstanding pope of modern times, a pope who left a tremendous mark on the world as on his Church. Günther Simmermacher, editor of The Southern Cross: Extensive books are written about the historical impact of Pope John Paul II’s papacy on the Church, theology, politics, society and so on. But one small gesture, caught in a photo in the 1980s, sticks in my mind as symbolising St John Paul as both pope and man. In the photo, which I think might have been taken at some kind of formal function, the pope is goofing around with a child. He is shaping his fingers around his eyes as though they were glasses. It’s a funny gesture that strips the papacy of all the ostentation and the insistence of always maintaining an artificially dignified pose, the bella figura. Here was a pope who was willing to clown about on the level of a child in order to communicate, wordlessly, with it. And that’s true communication: to be humble enough to do so at the level of the recipient. Pope Francis might have learnt a lot of his communication style from St John Paul. Fr Stan Muyebe OP, coordinator: SACBC Justice & Peace Commission: Pope John Paul II reminded us of the depth and immensity of God’s mercy and compassion. I think this is an important aspect of his spiritual legacy. His ardent call to the Church to embrace the devotion to Divine Mercy has mobilised us to connect with God’s offer of forgiveness to humanity. There is an element of Divine Mercy that we sometimes forget. It is the fact that God’s offer of forgiveness extends to our collective sins as a society, including our collective sins as a country. Pope John Paul II called them social sins or structural sins. In his encyclical on social justice, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, Pope John Paul II says “social sin” or “structural sin” proceeds from the accumulation of personal sins. It is,

Günther Simmermacher

Fr Stan Muyebe OP

as Pope Francis says, “a question of a moral evil, the fruit of many sins which lead to ‘structures of sin’”. Anna Cox, editor of Archdiocesan News, Johannesburg: Pope St John Paul II’s call for unity among the different Christian religions was revolutionary at the time. Had this happened in today’s times of wide-reaching social media, it would have made a huge impact on inter-Christian church relations. It’s a pity his great teachings did not get as big an exposure as they would have with today’s multi-media communications. Fr Sanil Michael SCJ of Middleburg, De Aar diocese: The thing I loved about Pope John Paul II is that he knew what to say or do to get the youth listening to him. Young people loved him very much, because he loved working with them. He inspired me a lot to work with the youth. Theresa Laubscher, parishioner of Kuils River, Cape Town: In these tumultuous times we need to reflect on the words of reconciliation and forgiveness of Pope St John Paul II. This is something he taught me and something I could never forget.

Anna Cox

Fr Sanil Michael SCJ

Theresa Laubscher

Dylan Appolis, the compiler

Saint John Paul II 18 May 1920- 2 April 2005

The Southern Cross, March 25 to March 31, 2015

Chris Chatteris SJ

Pray with the Pope

Respect God’s gift

HE pope’s prayer intention for April lacks the urgency that the climate scientists say is needed. Scientists who study climate change are now convinced that a mean increase in the surface temperature of our planet of over 2°C is likely to be extremely dangerous for the human race as well as for other species on the planet. No doubt the Holy Father’s upcoming encyclical on climate change will contain more than a note of urgency because we are rapidly heading towards an over 2°C overshoot. The good news is that a concerted effort by a minority of the earth’s population can lay the foundation of a solution. Crucially, 80% of the climate problem is caused by 20% of the people because it is that 20% that generates 80% of the greenhouse gasses. These people are mostly aware, informed and affluent enough to change their lifestyles. The readers (and writer) of this article are in that group. According to top British climate scientist Professor Kevin Anderson we, the 20%, need to reduce our demand for energy because the suppliers (Eskom, Sasol and so on) won’t stop supplying while there is a demand and a profit to be made from it (see www.bit.ly/1DemiUu). He also reminds us that because carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for 100 years, it is terribly important to begin reducing our output of the gas immediately. He shows that if drivers (aided by good government policies—politicians take note!) got their car emissions down to the latest German emissions standards, either by driving smaller and/or more efficient cars or by using our existing vehicles less and more efficiently, this would be a big start, and not particularly onerous. The other things we should do are to cut down on our flying (frequent-flyer clerics and religious take note!), on meat and animal products, and make our water-heating systems more efficient. Recycling too, but presumably most of us are already doing that, and it hasn’t been too painful has it?

PERSPECTIVES

Why does God ‘allow suffering’? A FEW weeks ago someone asked me: Why does God allow such suffering? Especially the suffering of the inno-

cent? I tried to articulate all the responses I’ve collected from years of teaching catechism to teenagers. Things like: God suffers every time one of his children suffers. Suffering is unfair but it’s also an opportunity to allow God’s grace to work in our lives. God’s not the one who causes the evil in the world, but it is the result of human choice. We can either choose to do good and lift those around us upward to God’s love or we can choose to commit evil deeds that bring suffering to others. There’s truth in each of these answers but they seemed hollow when the person who asked me the question retorted: “Yes, but what about a young child who is raped? Or the thousands of people who are trying to live good lives and one day suddenly find themselves at the mercy of violent madmen who abuse the name of God? How can God allow that?” And so the question haunted me for weeks. If God is all powerful and almighty, can’t he just prevent the innocent from becoming the victims of such violence? Why won’t he stop the suffering of someone whose entire lifetime has been one tragedy after another? Sometimes, there are just no answers. But perhaps, instead of answers, we can find peace through our faith. It gave me some comfort to find the words below by Pope Francis during one of his Lenten audiences last year. We are not alone in asking these difficult questions. He expresses the same sadness and outrage at senseless suffering, particularly the suffering of the innocent: “So often we perceive the horror of the evil and pain that surrounds us and we ask: ‘Why does God allow it?’ It is a profound wound for us to see suffering and death, especially that of the innocent! When we see children suffering, it is a wound to the heart: it is the mystery of evil.

Sarah-Leah Pimentel

“And Jesus takes upon himself all this evil, all this suffering. It will do us all good this week to look at the crucifix, to kiss Jesus’ wounds, to kiss him on the cross. He took upon himself all human suffering, he clothed himself in this suffering. “We expect God, in his omnipotence, to defeat injustice, evil, sin and suffering with a triumphant divine victory. Instead, God shows us a humble victory which humanly seems a failure. We can say that God conquers in failure! In fact, the Son of God appears on the cross as a defeated man.”

The Mustard Seeds

t’s a “disconcerting mystery”, says Pope Francis, but perhaps that is just it. The only way that we can sometimes be moved to action is by being disturbed by something. Perhaps we have become so numbed to human suffering—caused by poverty, abandonment, illness—that we barely even bat an eyelid. It takes something really shocking to spur us into action. Part of this mystery is Jesus’ own words in the weeks leading up to his Passion. Instead of the comforting language the disciples had become accustomed to hearing, Jesus talks about the signs of the end of the ages. It’s terrifying stuff. Take this: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom

Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem. Jesus on the cross took on all sins and suffering to redeem the world. (Photo:Ammar Awad, Reuters/CNS)

Tony Magliano

We too must bear the Cross

Point of Social Justice

W A Coptic woman holds a crucifix during a demonstration In Rome to condemn an attack on a church in Egypt. (Photo: Remo Casilli, Reuters/CNS)

Je suis Christian Missionary Intention: That persecuted Christians may feel the consoling presence of the Risen Lord and the solidarity of all the Church. T is interesting where outrage is directed. After the Charlie Hebdo killings and the “Je suis Charlie” demonstrations, the “commentariat” wrote a lot about how the reactions to these killings were so huge compared to the muted international reactions to the vastly more horrible massacres that take place all the time, for example, in north-eastern Nigeria. Not very much outrage gets directed at the persecution of Christians, it seems. According to recent figures, more Christians get targeted for their faith now than in any period in history. Perhaps that is the reason for the apathy—the sheer numbers. The Charlie Hebdo journalists were avowed atheists and secularists, a group which perhaps thinks it should be immune from religious persecution. Perhaps it was the shock of realising that they weren’t that brought the crowds onto the streets of Paris. That Christians get less attention when they are persecuted than other groups is certainly the opinion of Raad Salam Naaman, a Chaldean Catholic and professor of Islamic studies, who thinks that the UN and the international community have a “totally deplorable and very strange”(neglectful) attitude when it comes to persecuted Christians. There are other factors which may explain why Christian persecution tends to go unnoticed in the media. There is geographical and cultural distance. Pakistan, where life is very tough for our fellow-believers, is not a place many Christians would normally visit or be particularly interested in. We may also regard the Middle East as fated to be blighted by conflict and therefore we hold out little hope for our fellow members of the Body of Christ there who get caught in the crossfire except emigration. We pray for a revival of our sense of compassion and solidarity.

RITING a column on social justice and peace offers me plenty of timely issues to choose from. And I always truly sense from God the exact issue he desires that I write on. I’m not claiming here any special revelation. God’s active, guiding presence is available to everyone. All we need to do is deeply trust, quietly listen and patiently wait. Now in my case, God knows I’m on a deadline. And almost always his Spirit graciously gives me plenty of lead time. But regarding this particular column, the Spirit seemed to be silent—that is, until I visited a parishioner at the Little Sisters of the Poor’s home for the elderly in Baltimore. On their grounds, amidst a lovely wooded area, stand 14 Stations of the Cross depicting Jesus’ gruelling walk to Calvary. At each station stands a rough, life-size wooden cross with a stone carving revealing a different scene along the Lord’s painful route to his crucifixion. On that day several inches of snow covered the path along the stations. But I decided that a little snow down my shoes was a small price to pay for the deep spiritual reward that awaited me. And so I made my way to the first station of the cross: “Jesus is condemned to death.” There I meditated on the stone carving depicting our innocent Lord standing humbly before Pontius Pilate. Washing his hands as though that empty gesture could clean him of guilt, PiOMI STAMPS

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Kenyan Christians re-enact the Way of the Cross along a street in Nairobi. (Photo: Noor Khamis, Reuters/CNS) late cowardly turned Jesus over to those who would kill him. How often do we in our lack of courage, in our comfortableness, in our self-centredness, in our silence, wash our hands of our responsibility to do the right thing—for peace, for the war-torn, for the unborn, for the poor and hungry, for the sick, for the homeless, for the undocumented, for the prisoner, for the earth?

ext stop, the second station: “Jesus takes up his cross.” He who was without sin took on all the ugly sins of the world, non-violently purified them, and gave them back to us as unconditional love. Here we are starkly reminded of Jesus’ words: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” When all else has failed, our suffering,

Feast of Divine Mercy Celebrations

Blessed are the merciful - they shall have mercy shown to them.’ (Mt 5:7) The Parish of Fish Hoek, Cape Town, invites you to come and celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy with us on Sunday 12th April 2015. • 2:00pm Exposition and Holy Hour with Chaplet of Mercy - Benediction at 3pm • Mass at 3:15pm. • Refreshments served after Mass in the parish hall - please bring a plate and share. Contact Fr Craig Holmes: (021) 782 2671.

against kingdom…you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me” (Lk 21:10, 16-17). Jesus makes it clear that he did not come to take away all suffering. But through this same mystery of the Cross, he redeems it through humility and failure in man’s eyes. It seems contradictory, but it’s exactly what was foretold by the prophet Simeon. Looking at the Christ Child, he said that he would be a “sign of contradiction” (Lk 2:34). Through death, Jesus raises us all to eternal life. On the Cross of hatred, upon which is pinned all of the sins and suffering of the world—past, present and future—hangs the one who is Love. In other words, suffering is transformed on the Cross. Death is transformed into life. Fear and anguish are transformed into mercy; regret into forgiveness. And somehow, through the mystery of the Cross, countless millions—the anonymous martyrs—who have been victims of injustice and cruelty through the ages, are also given the eternal peace that they were unable to find in life. Maybe this is what Christ is calling us to in this Holy Week. To look at Jesus on the Cross, but instead of dwelling on his pain, to find peace in his broken body— the same peace we find in the living bread broken for us in the Eucharist. Make our peace with the fact that we will always have the poor and suffering among us (cf Jn 12:8) and have the courage to look into the eyes of each person who suffers and see Jesus. See Jesus in others. See Jesus in ourselves.

our cross, can lead us out of selfishness to selfless love—the essential virtue needed to experience the salvation won by Christ. Therefore, carry our cross we must! There’s no way around it. The late, highly esteemed theologian Fr Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote: “It is to the Cross that the Christian is challenged to follow his Master: no path of redemption can make a detour around it.” Authentic discipleship also demands that we earnestly help carry the cross of our suffering brothers and sisters near and far; knowing that in the process we are also mystically helping to carry our Lord’s cross. Next, I prayed at the third station, the fourth station, and onward until I reached the 12th station: “Jesus dies on the cross.” Looking back I saw the path my steps in the snow had made, and deeply felt that to a certain degree I had made the way of the cross with Christ. And, more fully, I realised that his journey did not end in death, but of course in the awesome joy of the resurrection! But also, I understood more deeply that in our Christian journey towards the resurrection, the cross must always come first. n Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist. His columns appear on The Southern Cross website. Go to www.scross.co.za/author/ tonymagliano

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Holy Year challenge faces SA Church Continued from page 1 to the way South Africans treat their leaders. “For example, when a leader has messed up, the first thing we say as society today is that he must leave office. That is not mercy that is far-reaching,” he said. “Mercy says you have failed to live up to a standard, but I still welcome you. It is not saying that everything you do is right. But it says we accept you with your shortcomings.” Mercy has the potential to break a cycle of violence and vengeance, said Fr Mngadi. “If I killed your brother, you kill my brother. It never ends.

With mercy and forgiveness you break that cycle of violence. If you hurt us we must show mercy to you.” Some priests, said Fr Mngadi, are not very merciful when they hear confessions and there might be a need for “refresher courses for priests to deal with confession”, he said. The sacrament of anointing the sick is another aspect that has implications for forgiveness and healing when medical professionals make patients feel guilty for having contributed to their illness, Fr Mngadi said, citing as an example smoking. “We need mercy at a time of sickness, not condemnation.”

Liturgical Calendar Year B Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday, March 29, Palm Sunday Isaiah 50:4-7, Psalms 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24, Philippians 2:6-11, Mark 14:1--15:47 Monday, March 30 Isaiah 42:1-7, Psalms 27:1-3, 13-14, John 12:111 Tuesday, March 31 Isaiah 49:1-6, Psalms 71:1-6, 15, 17, John 13:21-33, 36-38 Wednesday, April 1 Isaiah 50:4-9, Psalms 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 3334, Matthew 26:14-25 Thursday, April 2, Holy Thursday Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14, Psalms 116:12-13, 1518, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-15 Friday, April 3, Good Friday Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Psalms 31:2, 6, 12-13, 1517, 25, Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9, John 18:1-19:42 Saturday, April 4, Holy Saturday Night: The Easter Vigil Genesis 1:1--2:2, Psalms 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 1214, 24, 35, Genesis 22:1-18, Psalms 16:5, 8-11, Exodus 14:15--15:1, Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18, Isaiah 54:5-14, Psalms 30:2, 4-6, 11-13, Isaiah 55:1-11, Isaiah 12:2-6, Baruch 3:9-15, 32--4:4, Psalms 19:8-11, Ezekiel 36:16-28, Isaiah 12:26, Romans 6:3-11, Psalms 118:1-2, 16-17, 2223, Mark 16:1-7 Sunday, April 5, Easter Sunday Acts 10:34, 37-43, Psalms 118:1-2, 16-17, 2223, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-9

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South Africa’s Correctional Services has encouraged mercy by arranging meetings between perpetrators and victims, he said, to allow perpetrators to apologise to victims and seek forgiveness and mercy. Bishops are likely to discuss the year when they meet for their August plenary in Mariannhill. Fr Mngadi said the Church would have to look at its sacraments as it prepares for the year. “The pope has said that the use of the sacraments has gone down in the Church. The Church will have to look at that.” • With additional reporting by Cindy Wooden in Rome.

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 647. ACROSS: : 1 Vows, 3 Scissors, 9 Rampage, 10 Niece, 11 Unnoticeable, 13 Unborn, 15 Adhere, 17 Moral conduct, 20 Judea, 21 Upender, 22 Respects, 23 Lead. DOWN: 1 Virtuous, 2 Women, 4 Clench, 5 Sunday dinner, 6 Overlie, 7 Seek, 8 Easter Parade 12 Lectured, 14 Blondes, 16 Occult, 18 Undue, 19 Ajar.

Community Calendar To place your event, call Mary Leveson at 021 465 5007 or e-mail m.leveson@scross.co.za (publication subject to space)

CAPE TOWN: Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. Mass on last Saturday of every month at 9:30 at Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Followed by vigil at Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street. Contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel SCP on 078 739 2988. DURBAN: Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St Anthony’s parish every Tuesday at 9am. Holy Mass and Divine Mercy

Devotion at 17:30pm on first Friday of every month. Sunday Mass at 9am. 031 309 3496 Overport rosary group. At Emakhosini Hotel, 73 East Street every Wednesday at 6.30 pm. Contact Keith at 083 372 9018 or 031 209 2536. NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St Peter’s parish every Tuesday from 8:00 to 16:45, followed by Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 17:30pm.

Word of the Week

Aspergillum: A vessel or device used for sprinkling holy water. The ordinary type is a metallic rod with a bulbous tip which absorbs the water and discharges it at the motion of the user’s hand.

The Southern Cross, March 25 to March 31, 2015

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Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • Deaths • In memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,37 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

IN MEMORIAM

CIOLLI—Mary Anne (Dickie) née Dixon. In loving memory, the mother of my children, born June 15, 1941, passed away on January 18, 2015 after a long illness, loyal and faithful. Will be forever missed and remembered in our prayers by Remo, Catherine, Michael, David, Stephen and grandchildren. Rest in peace. DEEB—Alexander Joseph “Joe”. In loving memory of my dearest, wonderful husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and father-in-law. We cherish and honour the memories that keep you near to us. You are in our hearts and prayers and are forever loved and remembered. You are missed terribly and inconsolably by your wife Thelma (56 years together) your children, Emily, Carol, Glenn and Anthony, your daughtersin-law, son-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. PILLAy—Johanna. Of Springbok, Namaqualand. In loving memory of a dear mother, passed away March 31, 2001. A loving mother gone to rest, for all of us she did her best. Always remembered by your children, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, all other families and friends. Rest in peace dearest mother. SMITH—Ted. Died March 28, 2006. To my beloved husband, you are so alive in our memories. I miss you with all my heart and pray to be with you, but if our Lord wishes me to wait a while longer, then his precious will be done. Sorely missed by Carmen and all the family. SMITH—Michael. Died March 23, 2007. We all miss our dear son and brother and have happy and proud memories of your wholehearted support for the marginalised. Love and sadly miss you. Love from your mother Carmen and all the family.

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REMEMBERING OUR DEAD

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

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THOLE—In loving memory of Sr M Ann Rosanne Thole, Franciscan Nardini Sister, born 11/12/1971, who made the extreme

sacrifice and gave her life on April 1, 2007 attempting to save the life of patients caught in a fire at the hospice at Maria Ratschitz Mission Wasbank. Too special to be forgotten. Lovingly remembered by Clive and Daphne-Ann.

PRAyERS

PRAyER fOR CONSECRATED LIfE. “Loving Creator, we thank you for the gift that religious life has been within our Church and society. Help us to nurture this gift so that the Congregations may continue to be a healing presence in our world. May we all respond to the realities of our present times, in ways that promote your reign now and in the future. May your kingdom come, may your will be done. Amen” LORD, teach me to be generous; to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek to rest; to labour and not to ask for no reward save that of knowing I do your will. Amen. St Ignatius.

O MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein that you are my Mother, O Holy Mary Mother of God, Queen of heaven and earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity. There are none who can withstand your power, O show me that you are my mother. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Thank you for your mercy towards me and mine. Amen. ST MICHAEL the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection

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

PERSONAL

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Easter Sunday: April 5 Readings: Genesis 1:1-2:2, Genesis 22: 1-18, Exodus 14:15-15:1, Isaiah 54:5-14, Isaiah 55:1-11, Baruch 3:9-14, 32, 4:4, Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28, Romans 6:3-11, Mark 16:1-7, John 20:1-9

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The Lord is triumphantly risen Fr Nicholas King SJ

EXT Sunday, Lent comes to its triumphant ending with Easter Sunday, the greatest feast of the Church’s year, with its eight days of celebration, its 40 days of preparation, those days of intense prayer in Holy Week, and particularly the triduum leading up to it. There are many rich readings in all this season, and in particular at the Easter Vigil service, a splendid gallop through the history of salvation. I suggest that during the coming week you take time to sit down with them, and ask the Lord to speak to you by means of them. In this column, however, what I should like to do is look with you at the two gospels, for the Easter Vigil, and for Easter Sunday morning. They are both splendid stories, and they will repay your prayerful attention, and help you find the way into the Easter mystery. The first of these is the original ending to Mark’s gospel. Mark is a very strange gospel, and its ending is not the least strange part of it.

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Sunday Reflections

The story starts with the women impatiently waiting for the end of the Sabbath, so that they can get on with the business of buying spices, to anoint Jesus’ body. Notice what this means: they do not really believe in the Resurrection (because if they did, they should know that there will be nothing to anoint). Very bravely, risking hostile attention and Roman scrutiny, not to mention the demons that in that culture were thought to lurk in tombs, they come “very early on the first day of the week” to the tomb; then Mark inserts a little joke at their expense “when the sun had already risen”, possibly gently hinting that they are a bit late.

Then we are permitted to eavesdrop as they converse with each other: “Who is going to roll the stone away from door of the tomb for us?” Of course it is no earthly good the men saying, “Well, you should have thought of that”, because the brave men are nowhere to be seen just now. Anyway, the women “look up” (and it may be helpful for you to know that the word can also mean “recover their sight”) and see that “it has been rolled away—the stone”, meaning that God has been at work; and Mark emphasises how striking this is by adding, “for it was very big”. Then, courageously once more, they venture in. What are they going to find? It might be a decomposing corpse, or, since the tomb is now open, one that has been torn by dogs and vultures. Instead, they encounter “a young man”, who is “sitting on the right, clad in a white garment—and they were amazed”. It feels very like an angel, and that is evidently what Matthew and Luke decided when they came to edit Mark’s text. This young man knows exactly what they

Our own daily Gethsemane S

EVERAL years ago, Mel Gibson produced and directed a movie which enjoyed a spectacular popularity. Entitled The Passion of the Christ, the movie depicts Jesus’ paschal journey from the Garden of Gethsemane to his death on Golgotha, but with a very heavy emphasis on his physical suffering. The movie shows in graphic detail what someone who was being crucified might have had to endure in terms of being physically beaten, tortured, and humiliated. While most Church groups applauded the film and suggested that, finally, someone made a movie that truly depicted Jesus’ suffering, many scripture scholars and spiritual writers were critical of the movie. Why? What’s wrong with showing, at length and in graphic detail, the blood and gore of the crucifixion—which, indeed, must have been horrific? What’s wrong (or better, perhaps, amiss) is that this is precisely what the gospel accounts of Jesus’ death don’t do. All four gospels take pains to not focus on the physical sufferings of Jesus. Their descriptions of his physical sufferings are stunningly brief: “They crucified him with the two criminals”, “Pilate had Jesus scourged and handed him over to be crucified.” Why the brevity here? Why no detailed description? The reason that the evangelists don’t focus us on what Jesus was enduring phys-

Conrad

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

ically is that they want us to focus on something else, namely, on what Jesus was enduring emotionally and morally. The passion of Jesus is, in its real depth, a moral drama, not a physical one, the suffering of a lover, not that of an athlete.

HUS we see that, when Jesus is anticipating his passion, the anxiety he expresses is not about the whips that will beat him or the nails that will pierce his hands. He is pained and anxious rather about the aloneness he is facing, how he will be betrayed and abandoned by those who profess to love him, and how he will, in the wonderful phraseology of the poet Gil Bailie, be “unanimity-minus-one”. That the passion of Jesus is a love-drama is also evident in its setting. It begins with him sweating blood in a garden—and ends with him being buried in a garden. What’s significant about a garden? In archetypal symbolism, gardens are not for growing vegetables or even for

growing flowers. Gardens are for lovers, the place to experience delight, the place to drink wine, the place where Adam and Eve were naked and didn’t know it, the place where one makes love. And so the evangelists place the beginning and the end of Jesus’ passion in a garden to emphasise that it is Jesus, as lover (not Jesus as King, or Magus, or Prophet) who is undergoing this drama. And what precisely was the drama? When Jesus is sweating blood in the garden and begging his Father to spare him having to “drink the cup”, the real choice he is facing is not: Will I let myself die or will I invoke divine power and save my life? Rather the choice was: “How will I die? Will I die angry, bitter, and unforgiving, or will I die with a warm, forgiving heart?” Of course, we know how Jesus resolved this drama, how he chose forgiveness and died forgiving his executioners, and how, inside all that darkness, he remained solidly inside the message that he had preached his whole ministry, namely, that ultimately love, community, and forgiveness triumph. Moreover, what Jesus did in that great moral drama is something we’re supposed to imitate rather than simply admire because that drama is also ultimately the drama of love within our own lives, presenting itself to us in countless ways. At the end of our lives, how will we die? Will our hearts be angry, clinging, unforgiving, and bitter at the unfairness of life? Or, will our hearts be forgiving, grateful, empathic, warm, as was the heart of Jesus when he said to his Father, not my will but yours be done? Moreover, this is not just one, major choice we face at the hour of death; it is also a choice we face daily, many times daily. Countless times in our daily interactions with others, our families, our colleagues, our friends, and with society at large, we suffer moments of coldness, misunderstanding, unfairness, and positive violation. From the indifference of a family member to our enthusiasm, to a sarcastic comment that is intended to hurt us, to a gross unfairness in our workplace, to being the victim of a prejudice or abuse; our kitchen tables, our workplaces, our meeting rooms, and the streets we share with others, are all places where we daily experience, in small and big ways, what Jesus felt in the garden of Gethsemane, unanimity-minus-one. In that darkness, will we let go of our light? In the face of hatred, will we let go of love? That’s the real drama of the Passion of the Christ—and the ropes, whips, and nails are not the central drama.

are looking for: “Jesus, the Nazarene, the Crucified One”, and gives them the Easter message that we are looking for: “He was raised—he is not here”. Then they are given a job to do, as always in the Resurrection stories: “Go and tell his disciples (and Peter, thereby healing Peter’s treachery) that he is going before you into the Galilee—you will see him there, as he told you.” Oddly the compilers of our lectionary have missed out the last verse, where the women “said nothing to nobody”, perhaps so as not to discourage you from doing your Easter job. But of course they must have said something to somebody, or you would not be reading these words. And what of John’s version of the story? It is a slightly different story, but equally good for praying over. Here are some thoughts: Mary Magdalene is alone; she goes to Simon and the Beloved Disciple; there is a huge amount of running; the disciples sort of believe, but then they go home. And Mary stays outside, weeping. What do you think is going on here?

Southern Crossword #647

ACROSS 1. Swears you may take them (4) 3. Tailors employ sharp ones (8) 9. A member of parliament may do it in anger (7) 10. She’s related to the family (5) 11. Not capable of being observed (12) 13. Status of the foetus (6) 15. Stick short notice in this place (6) 17. Correct behaviour (5,7) 20. Herod was king here (Lk 1) (5) 21. One who stands on his head (7) 22. Pay them with courtesy (8) 23. Newman’s kindly light will do it (4)

DOWN 1. Blameless (8) 2. Mary is blessed in their midst (5) 4. Grasp tightly with the teeth? (6) 5. Good meal for the priest (6,6) 6. Above all, tell too many untruths (7) 7. ..., and you shall find (4) 8. Resurrection march? (6,6) 12. Given a roasting in the classroom? (8) 14. Fair ladies (7) 16. Cabbalistic kind of arts (6) 18. Not warranted (5) 19. Half-open container? (4)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

S a nun prepares to make her final vows at Mass, two rabbis enter the church and sit themselves down in the front row. After a while the priest can’t hold back his curiosity and approaches the two rabbis: “Welcome to our church,” he says, “but may I ask what made you come to Mass?” The rabbis simply reply: “Family of the groom.” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.