150930

The

S outhern C ross

September 30 to October 6, 2015

Reg No. 1920/002058/06 No 4944

www.scross.co.za

When the pope met Fidel Castro

Page 10

Let’s also remember Mrs Daswa

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New family challenges to the Church

Page 9

Page 7

Church and families: Mercy and love are key

By STuART GRAHAM

T

HE Church, communities and older couples must help prepare young people for marriage, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has said ahead of the Synod of Bishops on the Family in Rome this October.

Family and marriage is an essential agent in the work of evangelisation, but the world is experiencing a deep inner crisis in family life, according to SACBC spokesman Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria.

“The Church needs to encourage young couples to prepare better for marriage,” the archbishop said. “This should be done especially using the experience of older couples in the Church and by the community.”

The Church has to ask people about their commitment in their preparation. Couples have to try and root out individualism.

“We are living in the ‘me generation’.

People today want the world to revolve around ‘me’,” Archbishop Slattery said.

But once we are married, he said, “we are not alone; we are two. We are a family. We have to prepare for that. Once we get married we cannot live as individuals with lonely lives”.

At the same time, the archbishop said, the Church must acknowledge the realities of modern family life.

The Church had to be less judgmental and more merciful towards families with problems, especially single mothers, Archbishop Slattery said.

“We must show the face of the Church as not judgmental. We must show ourselves as a Church of mercy as God is a God of mercy,” he said.

“We need to respond more generously to unmarried mothers, to welcome them to help them in the task they face of rearing children alone.”

A lot must be done for the divorced and civilly remarried to make them know that they are welcome and have a role in the Church, Archbishop Slattery said.

The Church has also had to counsel people who have had abortions.

“We must show the mercy of God to those who have had abortions, even

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though we condemn it. Abortion is very serious and we are against it, but many women who have procured an abortion might have felt pressured to do so and felt that they had nowhere to turn to,” the archbishop said.

“There must be counselling and mercy in the Church [on this question]. We must work with healthcare professionals.”

Archbishop Slattery said that many priests need to be better prepared spiritually to help families.

“Priests must be more merciful, better understanding and better prepared along the lines of human counselling,” he said.

“We must let people know that even when things have gone wrong, they still are children of God loved by the Church. They still have a part to play.”

The Church has to place its resources at the disposal of people, he said, referring to ministries such as Marriage Encounter and Retrouvaille.

Archbishop Slattery hoped that the synod in Rome will also emphasise the role of grandparents and the aged in families, as the older generations carry experience and moral values.

The Synod of Bishops on the Family will be held in Rome from October 4-25.

The hot-button topics on the agenda are expected to include Communion for remarried divorcees and pastoral care for homosexuals.

Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town, president of the SACBC, and Bishop Zolile Mpambani of Kokstad will represent the bishops’ conference at the synod.

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban has been appointed one of four delegate presidents.

Earlier this year parishes around the country were sent questionnaires inviting input on all “important questions” regarding marriage and the family.

Feedback from the questionnaires, which were distributed in parishes around the world, is expected to be discussed at the synod.

The SACBC has not made the results of the questionnaire public.

Catholic publications are displayed in the centre aisle of the basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, italy, one of the great churches in Christendom. Where does your church keep The Southern Cross? Experience shows that The Southern Cross sells better when it is displayed in a prominent place, and more so if it is being sold by parishioners who support the Catholic media in the social communications apostolate. Parishes in which the newspaper is kept in the corner of a crowded church lobby record fewer readers, unless the parish priest makes reference to articles of interest every week. The basilica of Santa Croce, with all its tourists and a lively parish life, is giving a good example of how to place Catholic media, a primary form of evangelisation, where nobody can miss it. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

Beer festival’s ‘peaceful resistance’

By JuDiTH SuDilOvSky

A

S Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem once again became embroiled in conflict, locals and guests in Taybeh were enjoying ice-cold beers, grilled meats, frosted doughnuts and throbbing music as the all-Christian Palestinian village celebrated its 11th Oktoberfest.

“This gathering is good,” said a beaming Nadim Khoury, who together with his brother David opened the village’s now-famous Taybeh microbrewery, which hosts the festival. That was in 1995, two years after Nadim Khoury returned from an extended sojourn in the United States.

“It brings unity to all the people here; they share, sell local products, drink beer, eat,” Nadim Khoury said. “We show the world we can have a normal life, we celebrate life. The Middle East always has problems; this is our peaceful resistance.”

Over the pulsating rap of a local Palestinian band, David Khoury, a former village mayor, remarked: “We brought democracy to Palestine

St John Paul II Pilgrimage to Poland Southern Cross

Palestinian men toast at the Taybeh Oktoberfest in the West Bank village of Taybeh.

(Photo: Debbie Hill/CNS) by selling beer,” he said. “And someday we will toast peace over beer.”

Earlier, the family held a reception for the grand opening of their newest venture, the Taybeh Golden Hotel, located next door to the winery they opened last year.

Continued on Page 11

A journey to the places of St John Paul II’s life and devotions, led by a Bishop who knows Poland intimately.

Led by Bishop Stan Dziuba 13 - 21 May 2016

Kraków | Wadowice (on St John Paul II’s birthday) | Black Madonna of Częstochowa | Niepokalanów (St Maximilan Kolbe) | Divine Mercy Sanctuary | Warsaw | Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (with miraculous icon) | Zakopane | Wieliczka Salt Mine (with Mass!)

2

The Southern Cross, September 30 to October 6, 2015

Men’s weekend: growing in faith as fathers and sons

By DylAN APPOliS

T

HE archdiocese of Cape Town will be hosting a men’s weekend away retreat through chaplain Fr Paul Taylor at Bergkroon in Bain’s Kloof, just outside Wellington, from November 13-15.

The weekend is open to all men.

It will begin on Friday evening and extend to Sunday mid-morning. The closing Mass will be presided over by Archbishop of Stephen Brislin of Cape Town.

A number of guest speakers will address and challenge the delegates over the weekend on topics evolving from the theme “Growing in faith as Fathers, Brothers, Servants and Sons”.

This year the specific focus will be on the beauty of the Catholic faith and the importance of the sacraments in our daily journey of faith.

The cost of the retreat is R450 and includes accommodation and all meals throughout the weekend. There is an option for those interested in camping.

Catholic Men’s Initiative representative Nigel Copley said the weekend retreat “is an initiative that has the full backing of the archbishop and the priests and presents a variety of priest and lay speakers covering a number of relevant topics”.

“Participants will be challenged and encouraged to continue to grow on their faith journey as husbands, fathers, brothers, servants and sons,” he said.

“As fathers we need to learn to lead

through service the way Christ did.

When family life is eroded, it leaves too wide a place for sin to flourish.

There is a dire need for men to be strong and faithful role models in this world, real men of faith,” he said.

“The weekend presents an ideal opportunity to strengthen faith and friendship amongst brothers,” Mr Copley said.

“To deal with the challenges of a changing world, we will be encouraged to read God’s word continually as an anchor and source of growth in our faith, to understand the values of living a sacramental life, and the richness of the Catholic faith.

“It presents a safe environment to engage with other men facing similar difficult issues, to know you are not alone, and to help pave the way to being able to share those burdens,” he said.

“It is the perfect opportunity to meet with brothers in faith to share programmes, ideas and initiatives that are underway in their other parishes.”

Numbers are limited to 250 and Mr Copley encourages fathers and their sons to make the trip together. “We do, however, advise that attendees should be at least 14 and older. We suggest that those parishes interested in sending a group to the weekend appoint a representative to coordinate their involvement. n For more information on the weekend retreat, contact Wayne de Villiers on 079 940 1853 or Vic Barra on 083 308 4014, or e-mail info@catholicmen.com

Assumption Convent Primary School

Assumption Convent Primary School, an Independent Catholic Christian School, wishes to make the following appointments with effect from 1 January 2016.

Head of Department: Religious Education and Pastoral Care

The post involves managing a staff complement of 10 educators, who teach Religious Education.

We seek to appoint a dynamic and energetic educationalist who will: • Be responsible for the school’s outreach and pastoral care programme.

• Be expected to teach Religious Education and other subjects offered in the Intersen phase.

• Engage with the school’s chaplain and the Pretoria North parish.

The incumbent should: • Be a practising Catholic.

• Have the requisite academic and professional qualifications.

• Have at least 5 years experience in teaching Religious education in a Catholic school.

• Be registered with SACE. • Be proficient in English.

• Have an understanding of the planning of liturgies.

• Be committed to ensure that gospel values are at the core of the school’s identity.

• Be committed to fostering relationships within the Catholic network.

• Be prepared to do extramural activities as required by the school.

LOCAL

Giving all for hundred days of social action C

By DylAN APPOliS

ATHOLIC Welfare and Development (CWD) has launched an ambitious social action campaign, to run until December 25.

The campaign—100 Days of Social Action: Put the Spirit Back into Giving—aims to tackle poverty through a variety of initiatives.

“At CWD we believe that welfare and development go handin-hand,” said CWD marketing officer Julia Oduol. “Welfare in order to make short-term interventions, and deeper long-term interventions to aid the development of individuals and communities.”

She said the 100 days of social action campaign calls for individuals, communities, organisations and society to “look up, look around” and take action to change the lives of those less fortunate.

People could start with the smallest of actions, Ms Oduol said.

“We have seen that a simple act of caring, love and kindness has the ability to change the lives of not just a single individual but also to change the lives of their family, the community and society as a whole.”

She said society had been torn apart and we all needed to build a better South Africa together.

“We find that a poor class of people—denied their opportunity, denied their dignity, denied access to education, denied access

Catholic Welfare and Development has kicked off its 100 Days of Social Action campaign, aiming to tackle poverty and hunger. to health care and denied their very identity and personhood— has resulted in the tearing apart of our social fabric,” she said.

“Fuelling frustration, such inhumane treatment has produced anger, anxiety, conflict and the eruption of violence. Recognising this, we must reach deep and assist in making interventions to rebuild our society,” Ms Oduol said.

Among the CWD’s initiatives during the campaign is Buckets of Love, where the organisation will feed 11 250 households for a period of seven days over the festive period.

“We will be supporting community kitchens and community development centres as they are

Nominate your priest to win pilgrimage

By DylAN APPOliS

O

NE lucky priest stands the chance of winning a pilgrimage trip to Rome for the Jubilee Pilgrimage of Mercy for Priests, worth R25 950.

The pilgrimage will include visits to places such as Rome, Monte San Angelo, Assisi and San Giovanni Rotondo (home of Padre Pio).

“The pilgrimage includes visiting places like St Peter’s basilica, a free visit to St Michael’s grotto, a walk to the ancient church of Santa Maria delle Grazie,” Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) communications officer Fr S’milo Mngadi

told The Southern Cross.

“There will also be a guided visit of St Francis’ basilica in Assisi, with the church of Santa Chiara and the tomb of St Clare, Santo Stefano, the duomo of San Rufino, and a guided visit to ancient Rome.”

Fr Mngadi said he had decided to start this competition to give one priest the opportunity to join him and his brother priests on the pilgrimage, from May 27 to June 6 next year.

“Someone offered to pay for my trip, but I declined because I have already paid for my trip,” said Fr Mngadi.

“I thought it would be a good

HOD Foundation Phase

Assumption Convent Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and safety of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check and a full background check.

All applications must be accompanied by a CV and certified copies of all qualifications and SACE Certificate. They should reach the school by no later than 16 October 2015 and be addressed to:

The Principal: Mr M Enos Assumption Convent Primary School P.O. Box 18349, Pretoria North, 0116 or Fax: (012) 546 9843 or e-mail: info@acpschool.co.za The school reserves the right not to proceed with filling this post. An application will not in itself entitle the applicant to an interview or appointment and failure to meet the minimum requirements of the advertised post will result in applicants automatically disqualifying themselves from consideration.

Successful candidates who are short-listed for the positions will be notified by no later than 19 October 2015.

idea to give a priest a chance to go on a pilgrimage, someone who has never been on a pilgrimage before or someone who cannot afford to go on his own.”

The department of formation, life and ministry of the clergy of the SACBC is inviting priests and deacons to join the Jubilee Pilgrimage of Mercy for Priests and Deacons in Rome, organised by Micasa Tours.

The pilgrimage will be flying from Johannesburg to Rome. n To nominate a priest for the competition, e-mail Fr S’milo Mngadi on smngadi@sacbc.org.za or contact him on 012 323 6458 or 072 110 8613.

CONSOLATA MISSIONARIES SOUTH AFRICA “Console, console my people” Is 40:1

The post involves managing the Foundation Phase of the school (Gr RR to 3) which consists of 9 educators. We seek to appoint an energetic educationalist, with excellent leadership and people skills; who has at least 5 years experience in the Foundation Phase.

The incumbent should: • Have the requisite academic and professional qualifications and skills.

• Be familiar with the CAPS curriculum.

• Understand and identify with the Catholic Ethos of the school.

• Be proficient in English.

• Be prepared to do extramural activities as required by the school.

• Be registered with SACE.

a gateway to accessing services for poor people,” CWD fundraising manager Karen Pillay said.

The campaign also plans to provide a platform for diverse informal traders, starting with a Heritage Market Day and quarterly market days.

It is also calling for action to end racism, to speak out against racism, and to protect the rights of people affected by racism.

“As a structure of the archdiocese of the Western Cape and in the hands of Archbishop Stephen Brislin in serving the poor, CWD is confronted on a daily basis through its work by the effects of escalating violence, anger, racism and poverty,” Ms Pillay noted.

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, September 30 to October 6, 2015

3

School tests postponement ‘problematic’

By STuART GRAHAM

T

HE education department’s postponement of the annual national assessments (ANAs) for around eight million pupils in Grades 1 to 9 is “potentially problematic”, according to an education researcher for the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office.

The postponement may cause problems for subsidised independent schools, including most

Catholic schools, whose subsidy depends on their ANA results, said Kenny Pasensie.

“Writing tests in February is not desirable,” he said.

“It is known that children forget after the lengthy holiday, making early testing a disadvantage.

“Writing this test may mean that the first weeks of the school year are spent on intense revision, once again preventing learners from engaging

with the curriculum as needed.”

The Department of Basic Education announced this month that the tests, which were to be written between September 15 and 18, would be postponed to next year.

The last-minute postponement of the tests was the result of a meeting between the department and three major teacher unions: the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa, the SA Teachers’

Union and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU).

The unions argued in a joint statement that the postponement of the ANAs to next year would allow for the remodelling of the test so that it could achieve its stated goals—improving the literacy and numeracy of learners.

Administering the test annually does not allow for proper diagnostic assessment and subsequent reme-

dial interventions, the unions said.

SADTU has threatened to boycott the ANAs because, it argues, the department is not consulting with it on policy matters.

“While there may be legitimacy in the general dissatisfaction of the major unions with the ANAs, there is a feeling that SADTU was using the ANAs as a coat-hanger on which to hang its own issues with the department,” Mr Pasensie said.

Dangers of children’s online habits

By DylAN APPOliS

T

HE Jesuit Institute has developed a social media workshop for parents and teachers, looking at the challenges of helping young people live with integrity in the digital world.

Institute director Father Russell Pollitt said at a workshop: “A number of concerning issues normally surface: cyber bullying, porn, online privacy, sexting, inappropriate sharing, loneliness and defamation.”

The recent case of a young Capetonian girl who was almost recruited by ISIS online is often a talking point, he said.

“Seldom, however, are health issues, like the effect of blue light from LED screens, mentioned. The Jesuit Institute has been monitoring studies that are being done on so called “blue light’,” he said.

Fr Pollitt mentioned research at the University of Glasgow released recently which found that increasing numbers of teenagers are waking up in the night purely to check for new tweets and messages.

This is having a serious impact on their ability to learn. According to the study, many are averaging just five hours of disjointed sleep a night.

The pressure to be online is leading to an anxiety epidemic, the study claims.

Parents are often to blame for children’s online habits, Fr Pollitt said.

The Jesuit Institute, in conversation with teachers, has discovered

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that this is often a big struggle in schools. “Parents just will not cooperate with schools when it comes to regulating the use of smartphones.”

Blue light from screens is a problem, Fr Pollitt said. Too much of it can affect sleep.

“The disruption of sleep has damaging side effects. It can leave you distracted and impair memory; it can also make learning harder. It can have an impact on thermoregulation, blood pressure and glucose homeostasis,” he said.

“Over a long period insufficient sleep can lead to the buildup of a neurotoxin that makes it even harder to get a good night’s sleep,” Fr Pollitt said.

He told the workshop that studies show that people whose melatonin levels are suppressed and whose body clocks are thrown off are more prone to depression.

“The higher incidence of depression globally could have, as a contributing factor, lack of sleep.

Disrupted melatonin and sleep can also interfere with hormones that control hunger that, in turn, have the potential to increase obesity risk.”

Also, studies show that blue light is a ‘carcinogenic pollution’ and that, in mice, it correlates to higher cancer rates, Fr Pollitt said.

A lack of melatonin is linked to higher rates of breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. Blocking blue light with amber glasses is linked to lower cancer rates.

As the use of electronic devices becomes more and more wide-

spread, Fr Pollitt said, the Jesuit Institute calls on parents to make a concerted effort to become more aware of potentially damaging effects electronic devices, especially smartphones, can have on their children.

“Parents need to pay more attention to what their children are doing and also become more aware of how they are using devices.

“If parents are not disciplined, children will not learn how to use the digital world with integrity.

“It’s no use telling children they cannot use smartphones at the dinner table but they see parents doing this with regularity,” added Fr Pollitt.

“We need to think through this new parenting challenge more carefully. It also begs the question: is the shift in education to more and more technology really going to help future generations?” he asked.

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Men who completed an Adoration, Community, Theology and Service (ACTS) retreat at St Michael’s in Redhill, Durban, walk to Mass. ACTS has become one of the most important movements for the New Evangelisation of the Catholic faith worldwide, from its simple and humble beginnings in 1997.

4

The Southern Cross, September 30 to October 6, 2015

Advertisement

The Southern Cross, September 30 to October 6, 2015

INTERNATIONAL

5

Refugees: No one can pretend not to know

By CiNDy WOODEN

M Religious, mainly women, from around the world attend an audience with Pope Francis in Paul vi Hall at the vatican. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

Pope: 'I’m a bit feminist’

By CAROl GlATz

C

ALLING himself “a bit feminist”, Pope Francis praised women religious for always heading to the “front lines” to bring the Church’s tenderness and motherly love to those most in need.

“The Church thanks you for this, it is a beautiful witness. This is being close. Be close! Close to people’s problems, real problems,” he said during an audience with young consecrated women and men from around the world, including Iraq and Syria.

He began the audience by directing attention to “our martyrs in Iraq and Syria, our martyrs of today”, revealing that he now keeps on him a small cross that a priest held in his hand while he was being murdered for his faith.

“A few days ago in St Peter’s Square, an Iraqi priest came up to me and gave me a small cross. It was the cross being held by the priest who was beheaded for not renouncing Jesus Christ,” he said.

About 5 000 people gathered in the Vatican's Paul VI hall for the World Meeting for Young Consecrated Men and Women.

When talking about how successful evangelisers have a heart filled with fire and are driven to warm other people’s lives with Christ, the pope said he wanted to add something to that.

“Here I would like to—forgive me if I’m a bit feminist—give thanks to the witness of consecrated women.

Not all of them though, some are a

bit frantic!” he said to laughter and applause.

Women religious “have this desire to always go to the front lines. Why? Because you’re mothers, you have the maternal instinct of the Church, which makes you be near” people in need, he said.

He told a story of three South Korean sisters who went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to help staff a Catholic hospital in the archdiocese he once led, but “they knew as much Spanish as I know Chinese—nothing!”

Nevertheless, the three sisters immediately went to the wards, helping patients, holding them, giving them a smile, and the patients kept praising how wonderful the sisters were even though they never said a word.

“It was the witness of a heart on fire. It is the motherhood of nuns," he said.

“You truly have this function in the Church, to be the icon of the Church, the icon of Mary, icon of the Church’s tenderness, the Church’s love, the motherhood of Church and the motherhood of Our Lady. Do not forget this. Always on the front lines, but like this.”

Evangelising, in fact, is all about showing “with your flesh, with your life” that Jesus Christ is alive, Pope Francis said.

Religious men and women can take courses on evangelisation and deepen their studies, which “is good, but the ability to warm hearts doesn’t come from books, it comes from your heart!”—CNS

ILLIONS of Iraqis and Syrians are facing poverty and even death, neighbouring countries are bearing more than their fair share of the burden of helping refugees, arms dealers are getting richer and the international community seems helpless, Pope Francis said.

The “atrocities and unspeakable human rights violations, which characterise these conflicts, are transmitted live by the media”, the pope said. “No one can pretend not to know!”

Pope Francis spoke about the ongoing crises during a meeting with Catholic charity and humanitarian organisations working in Iraq, Syria, the neighbouring countries and elsewhere to assist victims of the fighting and those who have fled.

The meeting was sponsored by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Vatican office that coordinates Catholic charitable giving.

Cor Unum reported that since 2011, fighting in Syria and Iraq has claimed more than 250 000 lives and injured more than 1 million people. More than 12 million people in Syria and more than 8 million people in Iraq are in need of humanitarian aid. More than 7,6 million people are displaced within Syria and more than 3 million are displaced in Iraq.

Some 4 million Syrians have managed to find refuge in the Middle East, with 1,9 million being hosted in Turkey, 1,1 million in Lebanon and about 600 000 in Jordan, Cor Unum said.

Migrant children look through a fence as they wait for permission to cross the border between Greece and Macedonia. (Photo: Georgi licovski, EPA/CNS) Pope Francis described the consequences of the fighting in Syria and Iraq as “one of the most overwhelming human tragedies of recent decades”.

“The international community seems unable to find adequate solutions while the arms dealers continue to achieve their interests,” he said. “We need to find a solution, which is never the one of violence, because violence only creates new wounds and new wounds create more violence.”

The pope urged the Catholic aid agencies to continue their commitment to helping in “this ocean of pain”, and asked that they pay particular attention to the needs of families, the elderly and children.

It would be good, he said, to make sure that children are able to get some kind of schooling, which is

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Priests without mercy should get a desk job

By CAROl GlATz

T

O be a true Christian means being forgiving, kind, humble, gentle, generous, merciful and very patient with one another, Pope Francis said in a morning homily.

Priests must be especially merciful, he added, saying if that they weren’t, then they should ask their bishop for a desk job and “never walk into a confessional, I beg you”.

“A priest who isn’t merciful does much damage in the confessional. He berates people,” the pope said.

However, if snapping at people is caused not by a lack of compassion, but by being high-strung, then “go to a doctor who will give you a pill for your nerves. Just be merciful”, he said.

The pope focused his homily on the day’s reading from St Paul’s Letter to the Colossians (3:12-17), which says God’s chosen ones must be holy, compassionate, kind, gentle and very forgiving because “as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do”.

The pope said: “If you do not know how to forgive, you are not a Christian. You may be a good man, a good woman,” but a Christian has to go further than that

and do what Christ did, which included forgiving those who wronged him.

When people pray the Our Father and ask the Lord to “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,” it should not be a string of empty words trying to convince God how good we are to gain his favour.

Rather, it goes the other way around, the pope said: “The Lord has forgiven you, so you must also do.”

God is always merciful, he said, “he always forgives us, he always wants peace with us”. If people are not merciful, too, “you run the risk that the Lord will not be merciful with you because we will be judged with the same measure with which we judge others”.

It is important to “understand others, not condemn them”, he said.

The pope praised those “heroic" men and women who display much-needed Christian patience and courage” women who endure “so much brutality, so many injustices” in order to help their children and family, and men who endure difficult, even unjust, working conditions in order to support their family. “These are the just”, the pope said.—CNS

key to them having a decent future.

In both Syria and Iraq, he said, Christians and Muslims have lived together for centuries with mutual respect. Now, he said, “the very legitimacy of the presence of Christians and other religious minorities is denied in the name of a ‘violent fundamentalism claiming to be based on religion’,” which is the position of the Islamic State forces.

“The Church responds to the many attacks and persecution that she suffers in those countries,” he said, “by bearing witness to Christ with courage, through her humble and fervent presence, sincere dialogue and the generous service in favour of whoever that are suffering or in need without any distinction.”—CNS

Tel: +27 11 782 3135, Fax: 086 263 7303

catholicliturgicalarts@gmail.com

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The Southern Cross, September 30 to October 6, 2015

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Pray for desperate refugee families

Editor: Günther Simmermacher Guest editorial: Michael Shackleton

D

Pope Francis, the prophet

I

T is only since Vatican II that the popes have become travellers. Pope Paul VI led the way in 1964 when he visited the Holy Land. After that, he kept on the move to the extent that he became known as the “Pilgrim Pope”.

In 1965 he addressed the United Nations general assembly, exhorting governments to stop wars and cooperate towards peace.

He concluded with an appeal to man’s moral conscience. Man is in danger, he said, not from progress or science but from man himself.

Pope Paul’s successors have maintained this principle, urging governments, commercial forces and industrial powers to have a conscience and treat all citizens and workers with the respect and dignity that belongs to the human person.

Now we have had Pope Francis celebrating Mass in Revolution Square in Havana, Cuba, and appearing on the lawns of the White House in Washington, effectively repeating the call to conscience.

By mixing among homeless and disadvantaged people in Washington and elsewhere, he demonstrates, more forcibly than in words, his insistent lesson that there are countless opportunities to serve the underprivileged.

He has worked personally and diplomatically to thaw the longstanding icy stance between the United States and Cuba—and has succeeded.

President Barack Obama paid special tribute to the pope’s mediation in this. Pope Francis and Cuba’s communist President Raul Castro, both Spanish-speaking Latin Americans, have established a cordial relationship.

In the US there has been criticism, even from Catholics in Congress, that issues such as climate change and economic systems have nothing to do with the Church, and the pope should stay out of the heated debate about these.

Right-wingers have branded Francis an ultra-radical whose views on the world economy are “unrealistic”.

Pope Francis has not been fazed by any of this and is determined to get his message across to the secular and religious spheres of life.

He wants Christ’s voice to be heard, a voice that assured the disciples that his peace is not 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.

same kind as the world gives.

It is founded on the love of God and the love and caring we must have for one another and our planet that nurtures our lives.

From this flows Francis’ emphasis on divine mercy and human mercy and compassion towards one another.

When Paul VI spoke to the United Nations in 1965 he envisioned a world at peace with no wars. Pope Francis has the same hope and prayer, but right now it appears that there are more victims of wars and social upheavals than before.

There is a lamentable lack of moral leadership on earth at this time. With Pope Francis’ sudden rise to the prominence of a charismatic Christian leader in his brief term of office so far, he has assumed a prophetic role.

When he speaks, he is accepted as sincere and honest in his desire to better the lot of the poor and marginalised. He wants the rich and strong to examine their consciences and see that they have a moral obligation to their less fortunately placed fellows.

He is poised to be the modern prophet of morality universally.

He highlights the harm done to life, families, economies and Mother Earth by the selfish and the unconscionable.

A glance at the pope’s heavy schedule during his Cuban and American trip is startling.

While in his heavy schedule of travelling in Cuba and the US— packed with liturgies, ceremonies and meetings—the pope had hardly a few minutes to relax, his Vatican desk meanwhile piled up with matters for his exclusive attention.

It is no wonder that he hinted a while back that he might imitate his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, and resign before exhaustion overtakes him.

Yet the papal input in today’s complicated international confusion may now be the way for the papacy to go. As St Peter’s successor, the pope must feed the lambs and sheep of Christ’s flock.

Catholic journalist John Allen Jr has been quoted as saying that Pope Francis has become “the new Nelson Mandela”, the new source of moral authority in the world.

We must pray for Pope Francis, and that future popes will take it on themselves to follow his example.

UE to scanty local media coverage, many of us are unaware of the horrifying numbers, and even worse, scenes depicted on international news channels of refugees from the Middle East and parts of Africa.

These are of bombardments, starving populations, ruined buildings, people fleeing in droves by the thousands, walking with children and babies, shoulder to shoulder, in the rain, climbing through, over and under fences and coils of barbed wire, resisting police with batons, walking mile after mile, boarding boats, sinking, drowning (even babies).

Daswa miracle

S

OME weeks ago The Southern Cross published an article on the life of Bl Benedict Daswa.

At the end of Holy Mass that Sunday, our parish priest, Fr Peter Whitehead, asked the congregation to pray for Bl Benedict’s beatification taking place on September 13.

On leaving Mass I took a pamphlet which had been handed out. I was thinking to myself: How could I get a feeling for this man who was removed from me in every aspect and was unknown to me, and also most Catholics?

That Sunday night I left his pamphlet on the coffee table and started to watch TV. During my programme I was stricken with a pain that was so incredible that I fell to my knees and could not move.

I turned out of desperation to Bl Benedict for help. I was so crippled with pain that I had to crawl to my bedroom. The following morning I phoned my neighbour and asked for a lift to hospital.

I was seen by the specialist, who had an ultrasound performed on me. I returned home and started a novena to Bl Benedict.

My fear was kidney failure and dialysis treatment, and being a burden to those concerned about me.

In my novena prayer, I said to Bl Benedict: “Don’t give me your special favour, give it to someone more worthy, but just give me the strength of faith.”

When I returned to the hospital to receive the results of the ultrasound, the specialist informed me that I had stones in both kidneys.

He said he wanted to have a scan done to make sure of the diagnosis.

So in the tunnel I went and again I had to wait for the results.

In the meantime, my 85-year-old sister phoned to see how I was doing. She told me that she had to have an operation on her shoulder.

This terrified her as our mother at 85 had died on the operating table.

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Refugees are fleeing from the fighting, economic migrants from desperate poverty—with nothing to lose but their lives.

The world doesn’t know how to find solutions to end the conflicts or the poverty.

Perhaps if we all took Jesus’ teachings to heart, we would find answers: “love one another” (Jn 13:34), “love your neighbour” (Mk 10:21), “love your enemy” (Lk 6:27).

Before people act, their hearts must be touched—and we can do that only by praying for God’s almighty help, as it is a difficult task.

Join others who are saying the St Francis prayer (adapted for Africa

She asked me if I would pray for her and also for her daughter in America, who needed a job.

I told her I was finishing my nine-day novena to Blessed Benedict and would start one for her.

I returned to the hospital to get the results from the scan, only to be informed by the specialist, who sounded rather bewildered, that my kidneys were entirely clear of any stones .

I left with great joy and gratitude to my intercessor. When I returned home I was contacted by my sister to say that my prayers had been answered: She was not having the operation, and also her daughter had found a job.

When I told her my results, she praised Our Lord for favours received and uttered the word “miracle”.

I am grateful to the overwhelming power of prayer.

Michael Corbett, East London

Questions on traditional healing

I

SINCERELY believe that it is unfortunate that the article “Church must build a bridge to traditional healing” (September 9) by Tshiamo Takongwa went to print especially in the same edition as the commemorative supplement of the beatification of the servant of God Benedict Daswa.

The author says in his opinion “...the ngaka offers healing because it is a gift from God”. Can this be verified? Can the Holy Catholic 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

OR FOR D

COnSTruCTiOn

from the 1984 SACBC card) with its plea to help us to “forget ourselves and find unending peace with others”. For a free leaflet, SMS your name and postal address to 083 544 8449.

And you can add: “Lord, news reports reflect our troubled world, with conflicts and violence, corruption and poverty, and thousands of refugees and migrants fleeing across borders, homeless, desperate. Sensitise me to the sufferings of all my brothers and sisters, whoever they are, and let me never become indifferent to their plight, or that of those who cannot leave, or are deported again to their stricken lands.

O Lord, grant justice and peace the world over. Amen.”

Athaly Jenkinson, East London Church attest to this? If not, then it might very well be that many Catholics will be misled into the very thing that Bl Benedict Daswa died for.

Louis Maziya, Manzini, Swaziland

God was with us

W

E are opening our church, St Anne’s in Mpophomeni, outside Howick in KwaZulu-Natal, on October 4. I believe this is a miraculous church.

I dreamt of having a proper church when I was appointed to minister there, but it was very difficult to persuade people because of the poverty in the area.

Then we brought our powerful God into our theme. With the power of God anything is possible.

It was like bringing soil from the moon. Some years ago I was able to visit NASA in Houston, Texas. I touched the sand from the moon, brought to earth by astronaut Neil Armstrong. Touching that moon sand made me believe we could do the church-building project.

We built the church on five points: God’s intervention through prayer, hope in God, dreaming, hard work, and procedural thinking.

Because of God’s generosity and our prayers many good people, like architect Protus Thombela and engineer Bill Middleton, came forward and helped us.

This new church has made us know that the Lord is alive and living among us.

I was very happy God used a person like me, from another country, for his glory.

Fr Jude Fernando TOR, Verulam

CORRECTION: In Fr Finbarr Flanagan’s letter (September 16), the reference to the legislature that overwhelming vote against samesex marriage should have read Austrian, not Australian. We regret the copy-editing error.

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PERSPECTIVES

Let’s remember Mrs Daswa’s story Toni Rowland W HILE children, especially young ones, observe their parents’ relationships—this is what the Church describes as “remote marriage preparation”—it is probably not clear to them how a married couple can experience their relationship as their call to holiness and fulfilment of their baptismal vocation.

The section on marriage in the Vatican II constitution Gaudium et Spes is one of the foundation texts on marital spirituality: “Spouses are a permanent reminder to the Church of what happened on the cross” (50).

On the day of Benedict Daswa’s beatification, the gospel reading spoke of the need to carry one’s cross in order to follow Jesus Christ. The Marfam marriage reflection for that day invited couples to reflect and share on the crosses they carry in order to build and strengthen their communication and so their relationship.

On September 13, an estimated 30 000 people gathered at the site of a village outside Thohoyandou to witness the beatification. Many of them were married, some in the Church, and many not. The vast majority there were women, but not many were younger ones whose ongoing task will be to carry the torch forward.

Bl Benedict himself and his martyrdom were the obvious focus. His mother was present, his children and some of the extended family. But his wife Eveline (Shadi) had already passed on in 2008, to be reunited with her beloved husband. Her life, which was so essentially a part of his, was hardly mentioned.

What struck me was how after the traditional and then civil nuptials, the Daswas’ Church marriage some years later “marked the beginning of his understanding of a special call to holiness”, as the text by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart put it.

Referring to the exhumation of Bene-

dict’s body, his close friend Chris Mphapuli told me how, at the children’s request, the coffin was placed on his widow’s tombstone for some moments to symbolise their closeness and reunification.

He also explained that it had been suggested that the two would again be buried together in the proposed Daswa shrine.

There would be Bl Benedict, the martyr who was murdered for his beliefs, and Eveline, who had carried the heavy cross of losing her supportive husband and friend, bringing up their eight children and keeping the memory of their father alive.

B

ecause of her own painful memories and the hostility of the local community, Eveline had relocated from their home to live in Thohoyandou. She was described as a lovely, humble person, a highly competent teacher, and a member of the SA Teachers’ Union. Were her 18 years of widowhood maybe a form of martyrdom too?

Although the spirituality of marriage will feature at the Synod of Bishops on the Family beginning on October 4, it is my be-

The late Eveline Daswa with her husband Benedict. After her husband’s death she raised their eight children alone.

Family Friendly

lief that the Church still has much to learn about this aspect.

Yes, we know and discuss the theology and the teachings in seminaries, theology courses and catechetics, but the beauty of the sacrament of marriage—the theme of the 2015 SACBC Marriage Campaign—can be most deeply lived and experienced by couples who have known the joys and sorrows, the fears and anxieties of their sexual sacrament together.

On October 4, which parishes are invited to celebrate as Marriage Day, the reading of the creation story invites a reflection on the essential sexual nature of marriage.

Pope John Paul II referred to this as the nuptial meaning of the body. The words of consecration, “This is my Body given up for you, and for many”, have applied to countless couples and should be understood by all, married or not.

Even to those who recognise widowhood as the last stage of marriage, as I do, these words speak about our calling and vision of a life of faith—a life with God and our spouse.

The favour I request through the intercession of Bl Tshimangadzo Samuel Benedict Daswa is for a deeper understanding of the sacrament of marriage which can and should result in a greater commitment. At the same time may it be accompanied with compassion and mercy towards those who suffer. Viva marriage! n For Marfam’s resources for the SACBC Marriage Campaign, visit www.marfam.org.za.

For more information and materials, visit www.sacbc.org.za

This concert would make Hurley hum A Raymond Perrier T the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban we are gearing up to celebrate 100 years since the birth of the late archbishop.

Four days of events will culminate in “World Religions in Concert” on Archbishop Hurley’s birthday, November 9: the call to prayer will be chanted from the roof of the mosque next door, church bells will then ring out in response, and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra and choirs and soloists from Durban and beyond will present music from different religious traditions.

It all sounds wonderful, but, to be honest, helping to devise the concert has challenged me to learn about the very different roles that music plays in different religions.

I should have anticipated this, given the way that art is used by different religions.

As Catholics, we expect to see our churches rich with paintings, stained glass, mosaics and sculptures. We share this with our Anglican and Orthodox brothers and sisters—in fact, if anything, the latter surpass Catholics in the quality and the quantity of their church art.

But we are also probably aware that this is in contrast to many reformed churches— especially Lutheran, Baptist and Congregational—where the interiors are very stark and simple.

The argument over the use of art in churches has frequently become violent, whether the iconoclasm of the 7th century or the destruction wrought by the Calvinistic followers of Cromwell in England in the 17th century.

When we look at other faiths we see a similar range of expression. Hindu temples make the art in Catholic churches seem restrained, whereas Sikh temples (though coming from a similar background) avoid any physical representations, while still using elaborate goldwork.

While there are some Jewish places of worship that use ornate decoration, synagogues are generally quite plain except around the place where the Torah is kept— the tradition on which our Catholic tabernacles are based. However, all Jews, like some Christians, would insist on avoiding any physical representation basing their argument on the 2nd Commandment’s injunction against “graven images”.

Mosques, from a similar theology, would never show any human representation—of Allah or even of the Prophet—but their tradition of calligraphy (elaborate decorative writing) has given them a way of decorating, and adding in some flowers and leaves, that

Faith and Society

Archbishop Denis Hurley in conversation with a Jew. An interfaith concert will celebrate the late archbishop’s 100th birthday. is still seen as theologically acceptable.

When we decided to create an orchestral concert that drew on the music of different traditions, I assumed naively that this would be an easy exercise. After all, there is no shortage of Christian music: beginning with the earliest forms of written music (the beautifully designed books that enabled psalm settings to be passed from monastery to monastery), to the orchestrated versions of the Mass (a form that even a Protestant composer like Bach could not resist), to the hymns of the founder of Methodism Charles Wesley and his sons.

A

lmost every Christian tradition uses music in some way in their worship services, and much of this works well for an orchestra.

But the same is not true of other religions. Hindus and Sikhs have a strong music tradition, but it is specifically with chanting, drums and accordion, and definitely not congregational singing of the sort that Christians are used to.

In their services, Jews really use only unaccompanied chanting, but outside of synagogue they do have a very rich tradition of folk music, orchestral composers (Mendelssohn and Mahler, for example) and musicians.

Muslims are similar to Jews, as they are in so many other matters, in terms of music in services being limited to chanting, but they do not necessarily share the Jewish commitment to non-religious music.

There are great Muslim folk music traditions—think of Egyptian singers—but then other Muslims will argue fiercely that music

is haram since it detracts from worship of God. Inevitably, there are examples from the life of the Prophet that can be invoked by each side in the debate.

Not surprisingly there are also religious traditions, like the Shembe or the Sufi whirling dervishes, who do use music extensively but would be offended if that same music was used outside a religious context.

So after months of negotiating this theological maze we have finally come up with a programme which we hope will satisfy all parties and inspire those who hear it: the hymn setting of St Francis’ “Make me a Channel of your Peace”, the Bach version of “Ave Maria”, the Jewish prayer of forgiveness “Kol Nidrei” (by Bruch; especially apt since November 9 is also the anniversary of Kristallnacht), Muslim chants and Buddhist prayer bells, an orchestral setting of Ragupati Raghva (which was one of Gandhi’s favourite pieces of music), a modern setting of the Zulu ceremony of ijadu or family reconciliation, Ennio Morricone’s “Gabriel’s Lament” from the film The Mission, and an orchestral piece celebrating the earth written by a modern Muslim composer from Qatar.

To add to the complexity, the bells that will open the concert, though seeming to come from the cathedral, will actually (in an act of ecumenism that Archbishop Hurley would have appreciated) be the Anglican bells of St Mary’s Greyville since they provide a much wider range of sounds.

Meanwhile, the closing of the concert will be a hymn that uses Archbishop Hurley’s own words. But it will be set to the tune that Beethoven composed for Schiller’s “Ode to Joy”—both of them men with little commitment to organised religion—which has ironically been adopted as a secular hymn by the European Union.

So we have a concert programme that will provide a wonderful range of music— and also reflect the very many ways in which religion and spirituality has been expressed in music across different traditions.

We hope that Archbishop Hurley will be looking down, smiling and perhaps humming along!

The Southern Cross, September 30 to October 6, 2015

7

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Was the other thief saved?

In Luke 23:39-43 there is the story of the two thieves crucified with Jesus. One asked Jesus to remember him when he got to his kingdom, and Jesus replied that he would be with him in paradise that day. What about the other thief?

Was he condemned to hell because he did not ask Jesus to remember him? We seem to presume that he was not saved at all. MM Olivier

W

E are not given a clue about who these two crucified criminals were. We can make some assumptions about them.

They must have been aware of Jesus and his ministry, particularly in Jerusalem. Each recognises that the man on the cross in the middle has a reputation for doing wonderful things for people and is known as the Christ.

We can also assume that these men knew Jesus as a good man who was being put to death unjustly. They hoped that he would deliver them and himself from crucifixion because of his renowned powers.

As the hours passed, they began to appreciate that no such deliverance would come. The first to speak showed his anger, despairingly demanding to know why this Christ could not help them.

The other thief, equally conscious of the fate that awaited him, seems to have had time to reflect on what was happening. He tells the other that the pair of them have been justly sentenced to death, while Jesus had done nothing to deserve such a punishment.

“Jesus,” he says, “remember me when you come in your kingly power.” The response is quick and generous: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Christ had not yet come into his kingly power at that moment. He had not yet risen from the tomb in triumph. So he promises to take the man to paradise, a state of happiness foreshadowing the kingdom.

The two thieves are traditionally referred to respectively as repentant and unrepentant. Certainly, Jesus assured the former that he was saved, not from death but from sin.

This does not imply that the latter thief was not repentant and not saved. He did blurt out to Jesus: “Are you not the Christ?” This remark could indicate that he really believed in Jesus, but could not comprehend why he was now so inactive. After what the repentant thief said to him he could have been repentant while simultaneously being terrified of death.

St Luke’s description of this dramatic moment highlights the importance of confessing that Jesus is the Messiah who had been predicted by the ancient prophets and who had now come into this world to lead us to his everlasting kingdom.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town,

8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

Do you feel called to the Franciscan way of life?

Contact: Brother Evenie Turner O.F.M. 082 599 7718, 012 345 3732, PO Box 914-1192, Wingate Park, 0153,

Email: evenieturner63@gmail.com

8

The Southern Cross, September 30 to October 6, 2015

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The Southern Cross, September 30 to October 6, 2015

FAMILY

9

How new visions of family challenge the Church As Western culture adopts new understandings of family, the Catholic Church is challenged to respond to these. As the Synod of Bishops on the Family is about to begin in the Vatican, Fr JOSEPH FAlkiNER OP explains some of the issues facing the Church.

N

EW ideas on marriage and family life have developed in the Western world over the last 50 years. These new ideas have been highly disturbing to the Catholic Church.

In the Christian tradition, a nuclear family consisted of one man and one woman, united in marriage, together with their own children. This is what is being challenged today by a new liberalism in the Western world which allows for other models of family life, to allow for same-sex marriages and surrogate children.

Same-sex marriages Catholic doctrine on marriage and family life is based traditionally on natural law, namely that it is natural for a male and a female of the same species to unite together and as a result children are born, making up the nuclear family.

This was authenticated by Vatican II, for example in Gaudium et Spes (50). It added further to this, by bringing in love, the couple building a loving relationship (49).

The council said that when two persons have this love for one another, it is “perfected through the marital act” (49).

The bishops at the council were obviously thinking of husband and wife, that is, a man and a woman in love with each other. But the Western world is asking now: What about the occasions when a man falls in love with another man, or a woman falls in love with another woman?

Popular opinion in the United States, in Ireland and in several other countries is that they should definitely be allowed to marry.

Ireland, a so-called Catholic country, held a referendum on this earlier in the year, and the overwhelming majority (62%) voted that same-sex marriage should be allowed.

In the US, the Supreme Court has ruled to allow same-sex marriages as a right throughout the country. Polls show that the majority of Catholics support this decision.

These surveys have stunned the Catholic hierarchy, who are now planning extensive education pro-

grammes for Catholics to get them to return to the traditional Catholic position.

One aspect of the Church’s doctrine that is being rejected in the Western world is the teaching that marriage and creation of children is linked with the theology of creation. This goes back to the passage in Genesis that human beings are made in the image and likeness of God. God works and by so doing creates the world and everything in it.

Like God, all mankind is also creative in innumerable ways, creating art and literature, creating new technology and tools, creating buildings and gardens, new fashions and new ideas, in fact continually creating a new world.

But the greatest act of creation is to create new generations of people who will carry this evolutionary process further. God began this process and mankind carries it on.

Marriage and family life fits into this overall scheme of reality.

This is being rejected by the new ideas that have become well accepted through the Western world.

The process is criticised as being mechanistic, as being too related to natural law, and is not allowing for the beauty of deep interpersonal relationships. People are asking: “Where does love come in? Is it just an addition? Or is it the primary purpose of marriage, overriding everything else?”

But, says the Church, such a loving relationship must always be fully open at all times for the conception of children. The Church links creation together with love.

In Genesis God creates and loves what he has created. Human beings in the image of God do the same.

The Church rejects same-sex marriages as these couples are not capable of creating children; children that will be loved by those who created them.

Children in same-sex marriages So now we turn to the situation of children in same-sex marriages.

Quite a number of same-sex couples are demanding their right to have children in their family, and they have been doing this in two ways, either by adopting children, or by producing surrogate children.

The Church has always believed that unwanted babies and children who have been orphaned would benefit by being adopted into a family, rather than having to spend their childhood in an orphanage.

To assist in this, the Church has been running its own adoption agencies, and these agencies first have to investigate the family which applies to adopt a child in order to see their suitability.

Same-sex families which apply are being turned down by these

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the child as soon as it is born. The child is brought up as if it is the biological child of husband and wife.

The Church rejects, on moral grounds, the conception of children by these artificial means, but the reality is that it is happening.

Surrogate children are also being organised by couples in same-sex marriages. Only one of the marriage partners is biologically the parent of a child achieved by means of a third party.

Questions and challenges for the Church

As the pervasive Western culture has accepted new definitions of family, the Church is facing questions and challenges to which it must find convincing answers, as Fr Joseph Falkiner explains. agencies as being unsuitable for the upbringing of a child. This decision

by Catholic adoption agencies has caused uproar in the Western world.

So far, the answer of some Catholic adoption agencies has been that they would rather close down than having to facilitate such adoptions. As a result of this, the Church is being accused both of practising discrimination against gays and lesbians, saying that they are unfit to be parents, and also of being accused of preferring children to stay in an institutional orphanage where they might never experience the love of a parent, rather than allowing them to be adopted by a same-sex couple where they will be loved and cared for.

So there are two issues here facing the Church, that of discrimination—which is illegal in some countries—and that of not really caring about the children.

Another argument is that in some cases the Church agencies have allowed adoption into singleparent families, headed by a widow with children, or even by a religious brother or sister. So, critics ask, what

is the difference if both parents are of the same sex. There seems to be no resolution to these problems.

Surrogates Couples who cannot have children on their own have also in some cases organise the conception of surrogate children.

A surrogate person is defined as someone who deputises for someone else in a specific role. It is now being applied to the conception of children, and the Western world has come to accept this idea, not only for same-sex couples, but also for heterosexual couples that are unable to conceive.

It involves a third party to be biologically involved in the conception of such children. Some heterosexual couples organise this because either the husband or wife is infertile. If the man is infertile, the semen of some other man (the third party) is medically inserted into his wife so that she can bear a child. If it is the woman who is infertile, the semen of the husband is inserted into a third party woman, who then conceives and hands over

One of the arguments used against the Church’s rejection of surrogate children is the fact that the Church happily accepts the adoption of children. So the questions are being asked: “What is different between adopting a born child and adopting some semen from a third person?” and “What is different between adopting a child born to another mother, and giving your own semen to another woman to bear a child on your behalf?”

Such questions need to be answered persuasively.

Some priests have gone as far as to deny baptism to any children of same-sex couples, but such priests are not following the official Church position, which rules only that the child be brought up in the faith. These priests may respond that children of same-sex couples cannot possibly be brought up in the faith because the situation of such families is against doctrine.

I

n the world today there is a strong popular opinion that these new ideas of marriage, of procreation and of family life should be accepted by the Church. So far the Church has resisted these demands, but it is faced with the difficulty of finding acceptable justifications for keeping to its traditional position.

This resistance by the Church has caused many people to give up practising their faith. Those who are gay or lesbian are feeling rejected and alienated, and are angry about this. But as almost all people have a relative or friend who is gay or lesbian, the anger extends to the whole population, including almost all Catholics in the West.

Some of these issues will come up at the Synod of Bishops on the Family that begins on October 4 in the Vatican. I doubt whether the synod will solve much.

As the bishops attending the synod will come from all over the world, not just from the Western world, I don’t see them taking a majority stand other then to preserve the current doctrine. If my expectation proves right, then we will be faced with these issues for a long time. n Fr Joseph Falkiner is a Dominican priest based in Durban.

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10

The Southern Cross, September 30 to October 6, 2015

INTERNATIONAL

Pope to Cubans: Don’t serve ideology

By CiNDy WOODEN

Pope Francis and former Cuban President Fidel Castro clasp hands at Castro’s residence in Havana. (Photo: Alex Castro, AiN handout via Reuters/CNS)

Pope visits Fidel Castro

By CiNDy WOODEN

A

LTHOUGH it was not part of his formal program, Pope Francis took time to visit Cuba’s ailing former leader, Fidel Castro, while visiting Cuba.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said that after Mass in Havana’s Revolution Square, Pope Francis was driven to the 89year-old’s residence for the meeting, which lasted 30-40 minutes.

Pope Francis, he said, picked up on the conversation Pope Benedict XVI had with Mr Castro in 2012. At that time, Fr Lombardi had said Mr Castro had asked about how the Church is handling the ethical challenges posed by scientific and technological developments and the relationship between faith and reason, as well as the pope’s concerns about a growing number of people who don’t believe in God or act as if God does not exist.

Pope Francis arrived at the meeting ready to continue the discussion and fulfil Mr Castro’s desire to read

more. Fr Lombardi said the pope gave Castro two books by the Italian catechist Fr Alessandro Pronzato.

In addition, he said, the pope brought a book and two CDs of homilies by Jesuit Father Armando Llorente, who had been one of Mr Castro’s teachers in high school in Belen, Cuba.

To round off the gifts, Pope Francis also brought the former Cuban leader copies of his apostolic exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, and Laudato Si’, his encyclical on the environment.

Pope Francis then made a formal visit to President Raul Castro in Havana’s Palace of the Revolution.

Pope Francis gave the president a mosaic of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre made in the Vatican mosaic studio.

President Castro’s gift to the pope was an enormous crucifix, which had been covered with a huge white cloth. The president ceremoniously unveiled it, revealing the cross made of bundled boat oars.—CNS

A

S Cubans finally face the prospect of calmer relationships and greater ease of communication and commerce with the United States, Pope Francis told the Cuban people that love and service, not anyone’s ideology, are the keys to their happiness.

“We do not serve ideas, we serve people”, the pope told hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Havana’s Revolution Square for Mass.

For decades the square has been the site of major communist government rallies and is dominated by a huge image of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine Marxist who became a leader in the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s.

The image of Che was prominent at the pope’s Mass, but so was a banner proclaiming Pope Francis a “missionary of mercy” and an even bigger image of the merciful Jesus.

After decades, of communism, Mass attendance in Cuba is low; even the Vatican reports that only 60% of the population is baptised Catholic. But as a sign of the pope’s hopes for the growth of the Church in Cuba, he granted an exception to his normal practice of personally giving Communion only to the altar servers and other ministers at his public Masses. Five Cuban children received their first Communion from the pope at the Mass.

A statue of Christ and the memorial to Che Guevara are seen in Revolution Square in Havana, where thousands gathered for Mass. (Photo: Tony Gentile, Reuters/CNS) In his homily, Pope Francis said: “Jesus is not afraid of people’s questions; he is not afraid of our humanity or the different things we are looking for.”

“He knows the ‘twists and turns’ of the human heart, and, as a good teacher, he is always ready to encourage and support us.”

Jesus takes “our searching, our aspirations, and he gives them a new horizon” and challenges people, he said. Jesus sets aside the “right answers” and replaces them with the standard of love as the measure of all.

Love, the pope said, is lived in a concrete commitment to caring for others—especially the most vulnerable. “Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it,” he said.

Pope Francis said he knows the Cuban people and the Catholic Church in Cuba have suffered. Yet, he said, they still know how to celebrate, to praise God and to serve others.

The greatness of a people and a nation, he said, is how it serves the vulnerable.—CNS

Cardinals to discuss how bishops are chosen

By CiNDy WOODEN

P

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OPE Francis has asked his international Council of Cardinals to study the way the Church vets, identifies and appoints bishops around the world, looking particularly at the qualities needed in a bishop today.

Near the end of the council’s meetings with the pope, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, briefed the public on its work.

While one of the main tasks of the nine-member council is to assist Pope Francis with the ongoing reorganisation of the Roman curia, Fr Lombardi said that from the beginning Pope Francis said he wanted the group to advise him

on matters of Church governance in general. With more than 150 new bishops being named each year in the Latinrite Church, identifying suitable candidates is a normal part of the governance of the universal Church, he said.

“There is a long process” for naming bishops, Fr Lombardi said. It includes “questionnaires that are sent out to people who may know the candidates and then the information is gathered, usually by the nunciature”, and recommendations are forwarded either to the Congregation for Bishops or, in the case of the Church’s mission lands, to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. The congregations make recommendations to the pope.

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Obviously, Fr Lombardi said, the key part of the process is formulating the questions and collecting information based on the characteristics essential for a bishop “in the world today, what might be the requirements and, therefore, what questions should one be attentive to in [developing] the questionnaires”.

The need to review the questions and the process as a whole is constant, he said.

A statement issued after the meeting said, “naturally the theme will need to be explored further and developed in collaboration” with the Roman curia offices assisting the pope in identifying candidates.—CNS

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CLASSIFIEDS Fr Wilhelmi Ockenfels SAC

P

ALLOTINE Father Willie Ockenfels died on August 19 at the age of 81. He was born in Remagen, Germany, on May 25, 1934. He joined the Pallottine novitiates in Olpe in 1957, and made his first profession in 1959.

In 1963 he was ordained in Rheinbach.

Fr Ockenfels was asked to start his missionary work in South Africa, and arrived in 1966. He went first to Pallotti Farm in Queenstown, then in 1967 to Beaufort West, where he served for 18 years.

His passion for people came through strongly when he started St John’s mission. He worked closely with the Pallottine Sisters at Holy Cross Rustdene, where he had buildings erected.

He was involved with many ministeries, and always encouraged the youth to further their studies, helping them to obtain bursaries for tertiary education.

From 1985 until 2001 he

served the community of St Mary’s Rosemoor in George.

He had great passion for the education of children and took a keen interest in St Mary’s School where he was responsible for the extensions of classrooms. He also extended the sacristy and built a church hall.

Fr Ockenfels was never a man to sit back and let other people do things, but one who was always hands-on in everything which was happening in the parish he was serving.

Notwithstanding all his work, he was also able to assist Fr Novak when he became ill, to serve the parish of St Vincent Pallotti in Pacaltsdorp. At the same time, he served St Anne’s in Blanco and St Peter and Paul.

He showed total devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This was clearly seen when he had a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus brought from Germany and placed in the church of St Mary’s

Liturgical Calendar Year B – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday October 4, St Francis of Assisi Sirach 50:1, 3-4, 6-7, Psalms 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11, Galatians 6:14-18, Matthew 11:25-30 Monday October 5, St Faustina Jonah 1:1--2:2, 11, Jonah 2:3-5, 8, Luke 10:25-37 Tuesday October 6 Jonah 3:1-10, Psalms 130:1-4, 7-8, Luke 10:38-42 Wednesday October 7, Our Lady of the Rosary Acts 1:12-14, Luke 1:46-55, Luke 1:26-38 Thursday October 8 Malachi 3:13-20, Psalms 1:1-4, 6, Luke 11:5-13 Friday October 9 Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2, Psalms 9:2-3, 6, 16, 8-9, Luke 11:15-26 Saturday October 10, Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joel 4:12-21, Psalms 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12, Luke 11:27-28 Sunday October 11 Wisdom 7:7-11, Psalms 90:12-17, Hebrews 4:1213, Mark 10:17-30

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The Southern Cross, September 30 to October 6, 2015

CLASSiFiEDS

11

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 (R1,50 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

DEATH

in 1990.

Before retiring and returning to Germany in 2008, he asked to be transferred to the smaller parish of St Anthony’s, Sedgefield, where he wrote a book, The Love of the Father. The love of God came out strongly in all his preaching and actions in the evening of his life.

When health conditions compelled more care, he moved to Limburg in Germany where he died on August 19.

Fr Cosmas Chidi Onwukwe SAC

Beer festival offers peaceful resistance Continued from Page 1 Religious leaders representing various Christian traditions were among the invited guests.

Nadim Khoury noted that while, in their advertising, they do not specifically mention the sale of alcohol, which is forbidden for Muslims

by Islamic law, anyone who knows what an Oktoberfest is knows it’s all about the beer. Still, relations with their neighbours in the 17 surrounding Muslim villages are cordial.

Today the villagers share in one another’s celebrations and ceremonies, and Taybeh brewery even sells a non-alcoholic beer to Muslims.

Last year, following the war in Gaza, the Khoury brothers, who are Greek Orthodox, cancelled the Oktoberfest for the first time in 10 years in deference to those who were killed and injured in the seven-week war.

This warm afternoon a traditional dance troupe of young girls performs on the stage set up inside the brewery compound, and a local athlete scheduled to go on to an international competition was praised and presented with a check. Children also waited in line for clowns in colourful customs to paint their faces.

But for shwarma vendor Nael Akram Jaber, 37, the bottom line of the festival was the number of hungry customers who made their way to his stall. Over the weekend the festivities were expected to bring in 16 000 to 17 000 visitors, including foreigners, Palestinians and Arab Israelis.

“Everybody is buying drinks, Taybeh beer is world famous now. We have lots of guests coming, and we are their hosts. I hope they want a delicious sandwich,” Mr Jaber said.

Scurrying after his 3-year-old son and nephew who were up to mischief inside the brewery, Taybeh resident George Salem noted the importance of the normalcy the festival brought, not only to the village but for all Palestinians.

“We always want to have a normal life, for us, for our kids,” he said. “It’s a moment where we can get together, forget everything that is going on for a little bit. It’s a chance for people from all over to come and support Palestinians. It’s a peaceful festival. Instead of throwing stones we are drinking beer.”—CNS n The Southern Cross’ Pilgrimage of the Peacemakers in February 2016, led by Archbishop Stephen Brislin, will include a visit to Taybeh.

See w w w. f o w l e r t o u r s . co.za/peacemakers

CArLiSLE—Philipps.

Passed away peacefully, Friday, September 4, 2015.

Eternal rest and perpetual light shine upon you, rest in peace. you had so much compassion and cared for all who crossed your way, especially the poor and needy. Much loved and missed by Avrille, children and grandchildren.

in MEMOriAM

SATrAM—Tony. in loving memory of my husband and our dad who passed away 5 years ago, on October 4, 2010. in our hearts, in our thoughts, forever part of our lives. We miss you more and more with each passing day.

From your wife, lorraine, children Michelle and Mario, lester and Sybil, Odette and Adrian, Brendon and Carla, and your grandchildren Daniel, Julia, Noah, Timothy, Matthew and Sarah. Rest in Peace.

STOTT—Olive (Ollie). October 3, 2012. Remembering you on this day while you live in our hearts forever. Deeply loved and sadly missed each passing day. The Stott and Roberts families.

VAn SCHOOr—louis.

October 6, 1998. When the family chain is broken, nothing seems the same; but as God calls us one by one, he links the chain again. Miss and love you, your wife lorraine, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

PrAYErS

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

HOLY SPiriT you make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideals. you give me the divine gift to forgive and forget. in all instances of my life you are with me, protecting me and opening

for me a way where there is no way. i thank you for everything, and confirm once more that i never want to be separated from you, no matter how great the material desires. i want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Amen. in thanksgiving for favours granted.

Chris H. O grEAT St Joseph of Cupertino, who by your prayers obtained from God the grace of being asked at your examinations the only questions which you knew, obtain for me a like success in the examinations for which i am now preparing and in return i promise to make your name known and caused to be invoked in prayers. Amen. MER.

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 THAnkS be to thee, my lord Jesus Christ, For all the benefits thou hast won for me, For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, May i know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, And follow thee more nearly, For ever and ever. .

THAnkS

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

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the

28th Sunday: October 11 Readings: Wisdom 7:7-11, Psalm 90:12-17, Hebrews 4:12-13, Mark 10:17-30

W

HAT are the things that really matter in life? Next Sunday’s readings suggest that what counts is “wisdom”, that great virtue that comes with advancing years (so I am reliably informed), and is connected with the ability to see beyond the superficial.

In the first reading, we find ourselves eavesdropping on Solomon’s recollection of his prayer to God as a young man: “I prayed, and prudence was given me.”

In the next sentence “prudence” is translated as “a spirit of wisdom”, which the young king thought to be better than “sceptres and thrones” (the power that you and I find so beguiling) and “wealth” and “good health” and “shapeliness” and “light”; for with wisdom “came all good things together and uncountable wealth in her hands”.

The psalm makes the same point in a different way.

Instead of a “spirit of wisdom”, the poet wants “a heart of wisdom”, and goes perhaps a bit deeper than the young king Solomon: “Fill us in the morning with your love, and

S outher n C ross

The getting of wisdom we shall exult and rejoice all our days.”

Then, in case it is work that dominates your thinking this week, we are reminded that God is in charge: “Establish the works of our hands upon us; and the works of our hands please establish.”

The second reading continues our journey through that remarkable piece of theology that is the Letter to the Hebrews.

Here the focus, once more, is on the things that really matter, namely God’s Word, which the author describes as “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, reaching to the joint between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, able to judge thoughts, and the reflections of [our] heart”.

Not only that, but “all creation is open to it”; let us therefore remember the things that really matter.

The Gospel for next Sunday is Mark’s account of what I call the “bumptious pietist”.

When Luke tells the story, he makes this person into a ruler; in Matthew’s account, it is a young man, and that may be right, because

he comes across as someone who has not yet grown up into wisdom.

Here in Mark’s gospel, he manages to make a genuflection to Jesus, and that is quite proper, except that he asks him the wrong question, “What am I to do in order that I might inherit eternal life?” That is looking for gain and not for God (which is what wisdom does).

But then Jesus does two rather odd things.

First he asks “why do you call me good?” That may be advising the person to put God at the heart of his life.

Secondly, he recites to him the second part of the Ten Commandments, the ones that deal with relations with our neighbour rather than God (perhaps the wisdom here is that loving the neighbour is the same as loving God); then the bumptious pietist astonishes us by claiming to have kept all the commandments since his childhood.

And so the time has come to take him deeper into the real wisdom: for if there is anything in our lives that takes the place that

Beyond our imagination R

Conrad

ECENTLY, at an academic dinner, I was sitting across the table from a nuclear scientist. At one point, I asked him this question: “Do you believe that there’s human life on other planets?”

His answer surprised me: “As a scientist, no, I don’t believe there’s human life on another planet. Scientifically, the odds are strongly against it. But, as a Christian, I believe there’s human life on other planets.

Why? My logic is this: Why would God chose to have only one child?”

Why would God choose to have only one child?

Good logic. Why indeed would an infinite God, capable of creating and loving beyond all imagination, want to do this only once?

Why would an infinite God, at a certain point, say: “That’s enough. That’s my limit.

These are all the people I can handle and love! Anything beyond this is too much for me! Now is the time to stop creating and enjoy what I’ve done.”

Put this way, my scientist friend’s hunch makes a lot of sense. Given that God is infinite, why would God ever stop doing what God is doing?

Why would God favour just us, who have been already been given life, and not give that same gift endlessly to others?

By what logic, other than the limits of our own mind, might we posit an end to creation?

We struggle with this because what God has already created, both in terms of the immensity of the universe and the number

of people who have been born in history, is already too much for our imagination to grasp.

There are billions and billions of planets, with trillions of processes happening on each of these every second.

Just on our planet, earth, there are now more than seven billion people living, millions more have lived before us, and many more are being born every second.

And inside of each of these persons there is a unique heart and mind caught up in an infinite and complex array of joys, heartaches, and moral choices.

Moreover, all these trillions of human and cosmic processes have been going on for millions and billions of years.

How can we imagine a heart and a mind somewhere that knows and loves and cares intimately about every individual person, every individual joy, every individual heartache, every individual moral choice, and every individual planet, star, and grain of sand, as if it were an only child?

T

he answer is clear: It cannot be imagined! To try to imagine this is to end up either in atheism or nursing a false concept of God. Any God worth believing in has to be able to know and love beyond human imagination, otherwise the immensity of our universe and the uniqueness of our lives are not being held inside the loving care of anyone’s hand and heart.

But how can God know, love and care for all of this immensity and complexity?

Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

God should take, then that has to go.

In his case it is his “great wealth” that must be surrendered. Notice how the evangelist tells the story: “Jesus looked intently at him and loved him”; and it is therefore love that offers the challenge to find wisdom: “Off you go—whatever you have, go and sell it, and give it to the poor. Then come and follow me.”

There is no greater wisdom than this, of course, as Jesus reminds his astonished disciples: “Children, how difficult it is for those who have possessions to enter into the Kingdom of God; it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” The disciples do not handle this very well at all, and Peter asks the question they all wanted to put: “What about us, then?”

Read for yourself Jesus’ response, and ask yourself if he speaks with a “spirit of wisdom”.

Southern Crossword #674

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

Moreover, how will all these billions and billions of people go to heaven, so that all of us end up in one body of love within which we will be in intimate community with each other?

That’s beyond all imagination, at least in terms of human capacity.

But my hunch is that heaven can’t be imagined not because it is too complex but because it is too simple—simple in the way Scholastic philosophy affirms that God is simple.

God so embodies and encompasses all complexity so as to constitute a reality too simple to be imagined.

It seems too that the origins of our universe are also too simple to be imagined: our universe, in so far as we know it, had a beginning and scientists believe (the Big Bang Theory) that everything originated from a single cell of energy too tiny to measure or imagine.

This single cell exploded with a force and an energy that is still going on today, still expanding outward and creating billions and billions of planets in its wake.

And scientists believe that all of this will come back together again, involute, sometime in a future which will take billions of more years to unfold.

So here’s my hunch: maybe the billions and billions of people, living and dead and still to be born, in both their origins and in their eventual destiny, parallel what has happened and is happening in the origin, expansion.

This is the eventual involution of our universe—that is, just as God is creating billions and billions of planets, God is creating billions and billions of people.

And, just as our physical universe will one day come back together again into a single unity, so too will all people come together again in a single community.

We will be within God’s intimate love for each of us which will bring us together and hold us together in a unity too simple to be imagined, except that now that union with God and each other will not be unconscious but will be known and felt in a very heightened, self-conscious gratitude and ecstasy.

ACROSS

1. Indistinct utterance (6) 4. Pulverise item where the preacher is (6) 9. Style of dance to suit Pope Francis? (5,8) 10. See the bishop here (7) 11. Be excessively generous (5) 12. Salesian Don (5) 14. Holy water freely available (2,3) 18. She shows her regional plants (5) 19. Amusing (7) 21. Descriptive of First Letter of John (7,2,4) 22. Trains the disturbed trouts (6) 23. Suites providing wrapping paper (6)

DOWN

1. In a month boy has an illness (6) 2. Remotest logo I find will predict weather (13) 3. Thrust at nothing from the lounge (5) 5. Like dead bread? (7) 6. Bishop takes it to his breast (8,5) 7. A little altar bell sound (6) 8. Pigment from lumberjack (5) 13. Division of biblical book (7) 15. The result (6) 16. Chase away the pains (5) 17. Sheep’s coat (6) 20. Muslim cleric who can be grand (5) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

O

NE Sunday morning the congregation is waiting for Mass to start when suddenly Satan appears on the altar. Everybody runs screaming out of the church, except for one man who just remains calmly seated.

“What,” the devil roars, “you are not scared of me, the Prince of Darkness?”

“Scared of you, Satan?” the man replies. “Why would I be scared? Haven’t I been married to your sister for 25 years?”

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