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Priest: All must fight crime

By MANdLA ZIBI

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N the wake of the latest crime statistics released by the police this month, the head of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) called on both clergy and laity to “actively participate” in the fight against crime in South Africa.

Although the April 2015 to March 2016 crime statistics released by police minister Nathi Nhleko showed decreases in three of the four broad crime categories—property; other serious crimes; crimes heavily dependent on police action for detection—increases in contact crimes caused deep concern.

Contact crimes include murder, attempted murder, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, sexual crimes, and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

“A central pillar of the Church’s teaching on social justice is our commitment to protecting the vulnerable in society,” said CPLO director Fr Peter-John Pearson.

“The latest crime stats paint a worrying upward trend with regard to violent crime, and therefore as Catholics we need to translate our commitment into active participation to diminish violence in our communities,” the priest said.

“Playing our part in the fight against criminal violence can range from joining a local anti-crime forum—such as a neighbourhood watch, or a street committee—to being part of a national campaign like Crime Stop and others,” he suggested.

Fr Pearson also spoke out against those who buy stolen goods, thereby encouraging crime.

“Don’t play into the hands of criminals by creating a market for their illegal products and services. In many cases someone was injured or even lost their life in the process leading up to those products appearing at your doorstep.”

In a briefing paper, Fr Pearson identified the crucial role that syndicates play in crimes such as armed robbery, hijacking and the sale of illegal and stolen goods.

“These violent crimes can be reduced. They result from planning, are usually carried out by syndicates or networks, and very often involve repeat offenders. These crimes are organised and a greater will to tackle

Pope: New saint will always be ‘Mother Teresa’

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The Southern Cross/Radio Veritas pilgrimage group that travelled to Italy of the canonisation of Mother Teresa is seen here in front of the basilica of St John Lateran. The group was led by Radio Veritas’ Fr Brian Mhlanga OP (front third from right), who substituted for Fr Emil Blaser OP, who could not travel for health reasons. The group saw Pope Francis twice, had Mass in St Peter’s Square with Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Parolin, crossed the holy dors of the four major basilicas, venerated the relics of St Teresa of Kolkata and the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, travelled to Assisi to see the places of the lives of St Francis and St Clare, and to Greccio, where St Francis invented the Nativity Scene, and experienced much more. A photospread of the pilgrimage will appear in the issue of September 28. them would be a positive first step,” he said.

“A more diligent use of crime intelligence, with proper forensic support, could go a long way to bucking the present trend. Greater cooperation between branches of the police and allied organisations would enhance the fight against crime considerably.”

Fr Pearson quoted the Institute for Security Studies, which “noted that crime intelligence is in shambles, and that it is important for a crime intelligence unit to be able to identify, infiltrate and neutralise the syndicates behind organised crimes such as robberies, business robberies

and hijackings”.

He also welcomed remarks by acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane, that the internal tensions and “political” fallout around the situation of Commissioner Riah Phiyega, and presumably the deflection of energy and focus that it occasioned, had been resolved.

“It is worth remembering also that Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe announced in June that crime statistics will now be released quarterly in order better to track crime trends in the country,” said Fr Pearson, hailing this as “a good move”.

On sexual violence, Fr Pearson noted that non-governmental organisations “working in the area, especially rape counselling, have again called for rape to be treated as a separate category in future reports”.

Although “reporting of sexual offences decreased by 3,2% over the period, with seven provinces showing a decrease,” the Institute for Security Studies has cautioned against too positive a reading of these statistics, since its own research showed that only one in 13 rapes was recorded and that more generally only 46% of victims reported sexual assaults to the police.

ER formal title may be St Teresa of Kolkata, and descriptively as “Saint of the Gutters”, but “her sanctity is so close to us, so tender and fruitful, that spontaneously we will continue to call her ‘Mother Teresa’”, Pope Francis has said.

“Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defence of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded,” the pope said in his homily during the canonisation Mass in St Peter’s Square.

An estimated 120 000 people— including 42 from the Southern Cross/Radio Veritas canonisation pilgrimage—packed the square, many holding umbrellas or waving fans to keep cool under the sweltering heat of the Roman sun.

In his homily, Pope Francis said God’s will is explained in the words of the prophets: “I want mercy, not sacrifice.”

Like Mother Teresa, he said, Christians are called not simply to perform acts of charity, but to live charity as a vocation and “to grow each day in love”.

“Wherever someone is reaching out, asking for a helping hand in order to get up, this is where our presence—and the presence of the Church which sustains and offers hope—must be,” the pope said.

After the Mass, 250 Missionaries of Charity Sisters and 50 Missionaries of Charity Brothers served pizza to about 1 500 poor people who had come to the Mass from shelters, dormitories and soup kitchens the order runs throughout Italy.

Pope Francis, through the office of the papal almoner, funded the lunch, which was prepared by a team of 20 pizza makers, who brought three ovens with them Continued on page 4

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The Southern Cross, September 14 to September 20, 2016

LOCAL

Hearts set on fire as people Poet-Franciscan learnt to pray like the pope Hinwood dies STAFF REPORTER

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EARTS were set on fire during a course on the spiritual exercises that motivate Pope Francis and millions of other Christians throughout the world.

A course on the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, developed by Jesuit founder St Ignatius of Loyola, was presented at the St Lucia Retreat and Training Centre in KwaZuluNatal by Frances Correia of the Jesuit Institute Over four days, 13 young men and women from the vicariate of Ingwavuma discovered their spirituality in the course, titled “Hearts on Fire”.

“Time was given to experience a variety of ways of prayers and to share about the experience, to taste God’s love and presence through the beauty of his Creation, the scriptures and through our lifestory,” said Sr Elisabeth Marie Ansart OSU, director of the centre.

“These different ways to develop a personal relationship with Jesus were new for those young adults attending the course,” she said.

“This course has given to these young people a large range of experiences to be more aware of God and to live their life with more freedom. They are better equipped to go back to their parishes as a resource for others,” Sr Ansart said.

The response from participants

A retreatant during a “Hearts on Fire” course on the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. was positive.

“Even if these spiritual exercises are not easy initially, and even if they take energy and total commitment to actually achieve being able to quieten your mind, they have taught me to notice that God’s presence is not only in the chapel but in everything and in the people around me. You can even see God’s face in your imagination,” said 27-year-old Nonto.

“This experience has taught me to appreciate my surroundings and

the people in my life. It has taught me to be aware that even though we are unique, we are still from one Body, which is the Body of Christ. I would really encourage other people to get this experience because it helps to stop and think if what we are doing is what God wants of us and for us; it helps in giving meaning to one’s life,” Nonto said.

Siyabonga, 24, said: “During this training I have been invited to seek that personal connection with God and to understand that God speaks to me in many ways.

“I must admit that it was my first time to experiment with these different ways of prayer and it is completely different from the style of praying that I was brought up with. Prayer is more than presenting your needs to God! I have now a broader understanding of prayer.”

Veronika, 21, said: “My belief in God has been renewed and my soul is full of joy. I have found my way to connect with God. I realise that God doesn’t want me to hold on to the past but rather he wants me to move forward to my future.

Free from my shame and regrets “I can walk empowered by his good spirit. I feel so very blessed,” she said. n For more information about the S Lucia Retreat and Training Centre visit www.stluciaretreat.org, and about the Jesuit Institute: www.jesuitinstitute. org.za

STAFF REPORTER

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ATHER Bonaventure Hinwood died in the morning of September 8—the 61st anniversary of his profession as a Franciscan friar— in Lady Selbourne Retirement Home, Pretoria, at the age of 86.

His health had been frail for a while.

Fr Hinwood was a respected lecturer at St John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria where he instructed scores of present South African priests in dogmatic theology.

Like the Franciscan saint whose name he received upon entering the Order of Friars Minor, Fr Hinwood was known for his rigorous examination of theology.

For many years he was also a Southern Cross columnist, answering readers’ questions about the faith.

These were later published in several book.

He periodically wrote articles and submitted letters to The Southern Cross until shortly before his death.

He was also a regular radio and television personality.

“Fr Bonaventure never missed an opportunity to argue the work and life of the Church,” said journalist Sydney Duval, who for many years served with Fr Hinwood on what was then the bishops Social Communications Commission.

Fr Hinwood was an admired poet, having published several vol-

umes of his poetry in that language.

Born on February 12, 1930 in Johannesburg as Edward Hinwood, he converted from Anglicanism while studying librarianship at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he came in contact with chaplain Fr Didicus Connefrey.

After completing his studies, he decided to join the Franciscans, making his final profession on September 8, 1955.

Having studied in Pretoria, Ireland and Rome, he was ordained a priest on July 3, 1960. Two years later he completed his doctorate in theology, on the subject of race.

On his return to South Africa, Fr Hinwood joined the staff of St John Vianney seminary in Pretoria. He also served as chaplain to the University of Pretoria, where he became involved in ecumenical dialogue with the Dutch Reformed Church.

After his retirement from academia, Fr Hinwood became the parish priest of St Pius X church in Waterkloof, Pretoria, from 1999 to 2005.

Arthur Jephthah (left) and Aubrey Wasseval sell The Southern Cross every week at St John the Baptist church in Atlantis, on the outskirts of Cape Town.

Parish promo boosts Southern Cross sales STAFF REPORTER

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FTER a parish campaign to promote The Southern Cross, the parish of St John the Baptist church in Atlantis, on the outskirts of Cape Town. increased their weekly order to 65 copies weekly.

Part of the promotion is to actively sell the newspaper at Masses.

Parishioners Arthur Jephthah and Aubrey Wasseval sell The Southern Cross every week at the church.

Mr Jephthah collects the parish's allocation from The Southern Cross' office near St Mary’s cathedral every week. Mr Wasseval organises the copies and ensures that they are being sold at the church.

Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher was delighted at the news of the successful promotion.

“It means so much to us here at The Southern Cross that so many people in the parishes are involved in getting the newspaper into readers’ hands,” Mr Simmermacher said.

“We are very grateful to these many people—known and unknown—who fetch the parish’s

bundles from the post office or other central collection points, unpack them, set them out, actively sell them, and so on. And to the priests who mention the newspaper from the pulpit,” he said.

“It’s important to know that The Southern Cross is not just the people who work in our offices and those who write for us. The Southern Cross is also the people who organise, promote and sell the newspaper in the parishes. They are as important to the social communications apostolate as those of us who produce our Catholic weekly,” he said.

Mr Simmermacher said he and his staff are delighted to receive the photos of people who sell The Southern Cross in parishes, such as Mr Jephthah and Mr Wasseval in Atlantis, or Zanele Dlodlo in Pimville, Soweto, whose photo ran two weeks ago.

“Please keep them coming,” Mr Simmermacher said. n Send your photos of parishioners selling The Southern Cross to editor@scross.co.za

The Southern Cross, September 14 to September 20, 2016

LOCAL

Catholic uni expands

By MANdLA ZIBI

O

Celebrating Mass in St Augustine College’s chapel were (from left) Fr Lawrence Ndlovu, Archbishop Peter Wells, Mgr Kevin Randall and Fr James Ralston. South Africa’s only Catholic university, which is based in northern Johannesburg’s Victory Park, has announced an expansion of its undergraduate courses, the introduction of an education fund, and an iconography programme. (Photo: Raphael de Kadt) register at tertiary institutions is unable to do so without financial assistance.

“As a Catholic institution, St Augustine is committed to the principle that those with ability should not, because of financial constraints, be denied opportunity to study at the tertiary level,” Prof Abraham said.

In conjunction with a partner organisation in North America, St Augustine has therefore launched a major campaign to raise 180 bursaries for deserving students to study at St Augustine, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, in 2017.

Prof Abraham encouraged deserving students to apply at www.staugustine.ac.za.

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t Augustine has also finalised the establishment of a BBBEE Trust.

The trust is aimed at contributing financially to the education of black South Africans through St Augustine.

Prof Abraham urged small and medium enterprises wanting to honour their BEE obligations to consider making a BEE scorecardcompliant donation to the trust for socio-economic development or skills development points, or mak-

ing the trust a broad-based BEE partner.

Prof Abraham also announced the inauguration of the St Augustine Centre for Christian Iconography.

“The first of its kind on the African continent, the centre aims to foster knowledge and appreciation of the Christian iconography of a variety of traditions,” he said.

Apart from offering a series of short courses dealing with aspects of iconography, the centre will also offer a five-year, part-time professional training course in iconography.

The centre is to be directed by Fr Justin Venn, an ordained deacon in the Greek Orthodox Church and a “master of Byzantine iconography”, Prof Abraham said.

Fr Venn received his tutelage at the Atelier St Jean Damascene in France, and thereafter moved to the Orthodox monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God at La Faurie where he furthered his studies in the traditional technique, theory and spirituality of Christian iconography.

Lois Doherty and Curtis Love of the Alumni Association also expanded on future plans and their association’s commitment to the mission and vision of St Augustine.

Churches honour Thuli

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HE Diakonia Council of Churches, a KwaZulu-Natal body co-founded by the late Archbishop Denis Hurley, has honoured outgoing Public Protector Thuli Madonsela with its 2016 Human Rights Award.

Diakonia chair Rev Ian Booth said Ms Madonsela was being honoured for her extraordinary courage, patriotism, and “unwa-

Parish brings faiths, community together

By AMANdA EMMANuEL

S

OUTH Africa’s Catholic university, St Augustine College in Johannesburg, has announced a slew of future projects, among them changes to the academic programme; making available more bursaries; and the finalisation of a Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Trust.

A day of celebration began with Holy Mass in the College chapel, concelebrated by papal nuncio Archbishop Peter Wells, nuniciature councillor Mgr Kevin Randall, Fr James Ralston—parish priest of Victory Park where St Augustine College is located—and Fr Lawrence Ndlovu, a trustee of the St Augustine BBBEE Trust.

At a cocktail party hosted by the college and its Alumni Association, Prof Garth Abraham, president of St Augustine, outlined a number of future initiatives.

St Augustine is offering new subjects in the BA degree in 2017.

Apart from the five subjects currently on offer—History, Literature, Philosophy, Politics and Psychology —students can now also read for Communications and Cultural Studies, Economics, Geography, Law, Mathematics, Religious Studies, Sociology, and Zulu.

The degree also includes compulsory modules on “Dignity of the Human Person”, “Introduction to Ethics”, and “Catholic Social Teaching”.

“The new degree is obviously suited to future careers in education, politics and government, media and communications, law and business,” Prof Abraham said.

“Indeed, the interdisciplinary nature of the qualification—with its emphasis on developing the ability to think independently and critically—prepares graduates more generally for the ‘world of work’.”.

At the post-graduate level, St Augustine has reintroduced the specialisation in Canon Law into the MPhil in Theology.

Prof Abraham noted that at a time when South Africa is facing a major crisis in tertiary education, something more is required. He noted that the vast majority of young South Africans who want to

vering commitment to seeing public officials manage state power and public resources in a manner that is accountable and responsive to the rights and needs of all”.

Rev Booth added that “hers is the best exemplification of progressive humanism.”

The award was presented during the annual Diakonia Lecture on September 8.

ROMAN UNION OF THE ORDER OF ST URSULA

St Angela Merici founded the Ursulines in the 16th century, naming them after St Ursula, leader of a company of 4th century virgin martyrs.

UR Mother of Perpetual Help parish in Malabar, Port Elizabeth, hosted its first interfaith prayer service.

This cultural event was in response to a call by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference for people of different races and religious affiliations to unite in the fight against racism, drug addiction and other social ills in the Year of Mercy.

Capuchin Father Joslan Goji initiated the inter-religious dialogue which brought ten religious leaders and an entire community together in prayer.

The landmark event was well received by the community and sets the stage for greater collaboration and community building.

Fr Joslan Goji OFM Cap opens the interfaith prayer service by lighting the lamp—instead of the candle.

Civil society ‘must help govt in rebuilding burnt schools’

By MANdLA ZIBI

A

N ecumenical Christian nongovernmental organisation has called on churches, civil society and big business to help rebuild the 24 schools destroyed in community protests in Vuwani, Limpopo, earlier this year.

“Government, faith-based organisations, civil society and corporates all have an important role to play in providing over 30 000 children from Limpopo with a stable education following the destruction of schools in Vuwani,” said a statement from World Vision South Africa.

“The reality is, no governmental department can budget for and then repair facilities destroyed by communities. It creates a vicious cycle with no permanent solutions.

However, as an organisation we believe the schools must be rebuilt in order to give these children a fair chance at succeeding in the real world,” national director Paula Barnard said.

The Department of Education in Limpopo has reported that it had

allocated most of its budget towards repairing 147 schools severely damaged by storms earlier this year.

“It is therefore up to us to rebuild the schools in Vuwani and provide access to safe education for its children,” said Ms Barnard.

“Without access to proper schooling, we will be dealing with a lost generation of uneducated individuals, which is unacceptable in a time when we all have the right to education.”

World Vision also urged Vuwani community members to pool their skills and resources to provide access to schooling by assisting “in the repair of salvageable classrooms and other facilities”.

“These facilities can be used in the interim while these schools are rebuilt,” said Ernest Fraser, advocacy team leader at World Vision.

“The community needs to engage government in a positive manner, constructively finding solutions to the disputes plaguing Vuwani. It is also up to them to ensure that children go to school free of intimidation,” he said.

PRIESTS OF THE SACRED HEART “Here I am Lord” Cell: +27 72 769 7396, +27 83 471 6081 E-mail: vocation.office@ dehonafrica.net

Founder: Fr. Leo John Dehon (1843-1925)

Daughters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Charism ‘Loving in Suffering and Mission’ We evangelise, nurse the sick and aged, catechise youth, children and old, outcast and neglected.

WISH TO SHINE YOUR LIGHT FOR GOD’S CHILDREN! Then as a Daughter of the Immacualte Heart of Mary this is your chance to rekindle the light of LOVE and of the GOOD NEWS to the:

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For more information: The Vocations Promoter P O Box 138 KRUGERSDORP 1740

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website: ursulines.org. za Tel: 011 953 1924 Fax: 011 953 3406 e-mail: ursulinekdp@vodamail.co.za

For more information contact The Vocation Directoress

P.O. Box 17204 Witbank, 1035; Tel: 013 656 3708; Cell: 082 838 5428 lekgala.m@gmail.com

P.O. Box 864, Glen Cowie, 1061 Cell: 076 923 8319

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The Southern Cross, September 14 to September 20, 2016

CANONISATION

India’s religions celebrate ‘the Mother’ The reaction of the mostlyHindu nation of India has been one of great joy as ‘one of their own’ has been declared a saint. ANTO AKKARA was in Kolkata and witnessed people of many faiths come together to honour her

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CSTATIC headlines in the Indian media on the canonisation of Mother Teresa summed up the public mood in the country where the latest saint is a national figure.

“Mother Teresa Gets A Halo, The World A Saint”, declared The Times of India. “Mother Forever”, read the banner headline of The Telegraph, the largest circulated English daily in eastern India.

The joy over the declaration of sainthood by Pope Francis in the distant Vatican was evident in the

Novices and sisters watch a live telecast of the canonisation at Mother House in KolKata. (Photo: Anto Akkara) loud applause that rent the air at the Mother House two hours into the live telecast of the canonisation proceedings which hundreds of Missionaries of Charity nuns and others had been watching with rapt attention.

The joy was not limited to India’s tiny Christian minority.

“Our Mother is being officially declared a saint,” Iqbal Ahmed, a

legislator of the West Bengal state of which Kolkata is the capital, told a civic meeting outside the Mother House before the canonisation.

“I had to be here,” said Abu Neyaz, a Muslim business executive who sat through the three-and half hour telecast with his wife and son. “Mother is not a saint of the Catholic Church—she is the saint of Calcutta.”

He added: “What the Mother did for the poor in Calcutta and the world is beyond words.”

India’s President Pranab Mukherjee, a Hindu, declared: “Every citizen of India will take pride in the recognition being accorded to Mother Teresa through this canonisation. Let her example inspire all of us to dedicate ourselves to the welfare of mankind.”

Pointing out that St Teresa of Kolkata, an ethnic Albanian, had been awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India) in 1980, the president noted: “She glorified her life with the dignity of humble service.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who heads the federal government led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party—a party not always friendly to Christians— also hailed St Mother Teresa’s services to the poorest of the poor.

“When Mother Teresa, who served the poor in India all through her life, is accorded sainthood, it is quite natural for us Indians to feel proud,” he told the

nation.

The new saint’s feast day was celebrated within hours of the canonisation by apostolic nuncio Archbishop Salvatore Pennachhio at her tomb in Kolkata with early morning Mass.

“St Teresa of Kolkata is God’s gift to the world,” Archbishop Pennachhio said in his homily.

After the solemn Mass, he lit a candle—coloured in the recognisable blue stripes of Mother Teresa’s habit—at the tomb and stood in prayer along with dozens of priests who concelebrated the Mass with him.

Then the entire congregation witnessed dozens of Missionaries of Charity, perched on the balconies of all the three floors of the Mother House, singing “Happy Feast to the Mother” with their eyes turned to a giant portrait of their order’s founder, St Teresa of Kolkata. n See an special interview that Anto Akkara had with Mother Teresa in 1995 on the Southern Cross website (http://bit.ly/2c7qAlm)

Mercy and relic Continued from page 1 from Naples and cooked behind the Vatican audience hall.

At every canonisation ceremony, people connected to the new saint carry to the altar a relic—often a bone shard from the new saint’s body. The relic presented at the Mass for St Teresa of Kolkata was a few drops of her blood.

But Missionaries of Charity Father Brian Kolodiejchuk said the reliquary chosen for Mother Teresa’s relic is simpler, reflecting her life and values.

The front of the large cross is made of wood taken from places associated with Mother Teresa’s works of mercy, as well as wood from the kneeler of a confessional, said Fr Kolodiejchuk, official promoter of Mother Teresa’s sainthood cause.

In the centre of the cross, Mother Teresa’s blood is sealed in a glass orb in the shape of a water drop as a symbol of her vow to quench the thirst of those literally without water and those dying in the aridness of being unloved.

The glass orb is supported by a roughly sculpted, wrinkled hand, ‘which carries this drop full of love to respond to the cry” of Jesus on the cross— ”I thirst”—a cry echoed by millions of people around the world, Fr Kolodiejchuk explained.

Pilgrims had the opportunity to venerate the relics at expositions at St John Lateran basilica and then at the church of St Gregorio, where visitors could also see the room where the new saint stayed when in Rome.—CNS

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Fr Brian Mhlanga OP, who led The Southern Cross/Radio Veritas canonisation pilgrimage in place of Fr Emil Blaser, with a Missionaries of Charity Sister in Rome after the canonisation of St Mother Teresa.

Pilgrims from China wear shawls featuring the colours of the Missionaries of Charity before a Mass of thanksgiving for the canonisation of St Teresa of Kolkata in St Peter’s Square. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

Pope Francis greets pizza makers from Naples during a pizza lunch for the poor after the canonisation at the Vatican. Three thousand pizzas were served by Missionaries of Charity nuns and brothers to about 1 500 poor people who had come to the canonisation Mass from shelters, dormitories and soup kitchens that the order runs throughout Italy. (Photo: L’Osservatore Romano/CNS) Pope Francis accepts offertory gifts from Marcilio Haddad Andrino, whose cure from a severe brain infection was accepted as the second miracle for the sainthood cause of St Teresa of Kolkata, during the canonisation Mass in St Peter's Square at the Vatican.

(Photo: L’Osservatore Romano/CNS)

A relic of St Teresa of Kolkata is seen at a Mass of thanksgiving for her canonisation in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. The Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) Tourists gather in front of a Mother Teresa monument in her birthplace Skopje, Macedonia, on canonisation day.

(Photo: Georgi Licovski, EPA/CNS)

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, September 14 to September 20, 2016

Cardinal: Prisoners are part of the Church too

By SIMON CALdWELL

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RIMINALS should not have to declare if they have spent time in prison when they first apply for a job, said an English cardinal.

Questions about serious convictions should be dropped from early check-box phases of any job application, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster told a conference for prison chaplains.

He said a “ban on the box” would give ex-prisoners a chance to explain their behaviour at a later stage of the job-selection process. This would be fairer to them and might also increase their chances of obtaining employment needed to help them to avoid relapsing into crime, he argued.

“We know that for people leaving prison, one of the most important aspects of rebuilding their life is finding stable employment,” Cardinal Nichols told the meeting at St Mary’s University in London.

“But, in Britain, for at least two years after their release they must disclose their sentence on initial application forms for employment,” he said. “Every day people are instantly written off just because they have ticked that box.”

He said he knew of one man who, during his time in jail for a serious crime, worked so hard that he achieved a post-graduate degree.

“Upon release he was deter-

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, England, is seen at the Vatican. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) mined to use his skills for the benefit of others,” Cardinal Nichols said in his speech. “Yet three years on and despite many applications, he has not had even a single interview. He has not even been able to tell his story.”

The cardinal added: “It is hard to envisage the crushing disappointment of someone who has worked hard to move away from crime and learn new skills, only to

be rejected for job after job and never even given the opportunity to explain how he or she has changed since being convicted years before. That is not just devastating for the individual—it deprives employers of potentially excellent and able workers and denies society working taxpayers.”

Cardinal Nichols, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said he accepted that convictions had to be disclosed at some point, but said it was wrong for ex-offenders to be “simply written off without a hearing for actions in the past which may no longer have a bearing on their future”.

He said that, in the next year, the Catholic Church in England and Wales would explore ways to “ban the box in our own employment practices, while taking all the necessary steps to ensure that safeguarding is never compromised”.

“I personally appeal to all employers to take this step and give people a fair opportunity that will benefit our society,” he said.

Catholic lawyer Neil Addison, a former senior state prosecutor, told Catholic News Service that he believed Cardinal Nichols “has a point”.

“He is obviously trying to get ex-offenders into work, and that is a good thing,” said Addison. “I think that anyone who deals with criminals would understand that.”—CNS

Catholic uni denounces its slave-selling past A

By RHINA GuIdOS

JESUIT University in the US last year stripped from a building the name of one of its past presidents, a priest who authorised the sale of 272 women, children and men—slaves sold to save the university from financial ruin in 1838.

In a historic change of fortune, current president of Georgetown university in Washington DC, John DeGioia, announced that the building will be renamed after one of the men the university sold as a result of the priest’s decision.

It was one of several steps Mr DeGioia detailed as part of a plan to begin to deal with what he called “Georgetown’s participation in that disgrace,” meaning slavery.

With descendants of the slaves sold watching nearby, Mr DeGioia formally apologised for the university’s past actions.

“There were two evils that

took place,” he said. “The sale of slaves and the breakup of families.”

In 1838, Jesuit Father Thomas Mulledy, who was then the head of the Maryland province of the Society of Jesus as well as Georgetown’s president, authorised the sale of the southern Maryland slaves, which the university said was “controversial even by the standards of the day”. It violated conditions set by the Vatican, including that no families be separated.

Mr DeGioia said the university will offer descendants of the slaves sold the same preference in the admissions process as it offers members of the “Georgetown community”, who are given an “extra look” and whose relationship to the university is considered as a factor. There was no mention of scholarships or other financial arrangements.

Mulledy Hall, first named after Fr Mulledy, will be re-

named Isaac Hall, taking the first name of the slave first listed in the sale documents.

Another building, originally named after Jesuit Father William McSherry, who was also involved in the 1838 sale and in others slave sales, will be renamed Anne Marie Becraft Hall.

It will honour a free woman of colour who founded a school for black girls in Georgetown in 1827 and later joined the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore.

Georgetown also will create a memorial describing the sale and the significance of the event. The university, along with other representatives of the Catholic Church, will celebrate a Mass of reconciliation to seek forgiveness for the university’s involvement in slavery, which Mr DeGioia called the country's “original evil that framed the founding of our nation.”—CNS

Bishops slam human-animal hybrid research proposal

A

FTER the National Health Institute in the US proposed federal funding of projects to possibly create a human-animal hybrid, Catholic ethicists voiced serious moral and legal concerns.

“For if one cannot tell to what extent, if any, the resulting organism may have human status or characteristics, it will be impossible to determine what one’s moral obligations may be regarding that organism,” Anthony Picarello and Michael Moses, general counsels for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote in comments to the Na-

tional Institutes of Health Office of Science Policy.

A month ago, the NIH proposed publically-funded projects to research human/animal chimeras. The projects would involve injecting embryonic stem cells into animal embryos, with “tremendous potential for disease modelling, drug testing, and perhaps eventual organ transplant”, the NIH proposal stated.

However, it recognised “ethical and animal welfare concerns” and put a temporary funding ban on such research.

In comments submitted to NIH, the National Catholic

Bioethics Centre stated that using stem cells of human embryos for research is wrong because “human beings at these vulnerable stages must be safeguarded, not exploited, in both clinical and research settings”.

Research to create chimeras causes ethical problems, the USCCB stated, because these will be creatures “whose very existence blurs the line between humanity and animals such as mice and rats.” Thus, the moral obligations towards such a creature— like whether or not it is morally licit to destroy it—could be unclear.—CNS

5

Prisoners look out from a prison cell in Kiev, ukraine. The last three months of the year of Mercy include jubilee celebrations for the imprisoned and for homeless people. (Photo: Roman Pilipey, EPA/CNS)

Pope’s plans for last 3 months of Mercy Year

By JuNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

T

HE last three months of the Year of Mercy include jubilee celebrations for the imprisoned and for homeless people.

Releasing a schedule of liturgical celebrations over which Pope Francis will preside, the Vatican included Holy Year Masses for prisoners on November 6 and for the homeless on November 13.

The schedule also mentions his planned trips to Georgia and Azerbaijan from September 30 to October 2, and to Sweden from October 31 to November 1 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

The pope also will preside over Mass with canonisations in St Peter’s Square on October 16, World Mission Sunday. The pope will declare

six men and one woman saints, including the Argentine “gaucho priest”, Bl José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, and Bl José Sanchez del Rio, a 14-year-old Mexican boy martyred for refusing to renounce his faith during the Cristero War of the 1920s.

Also on the calendar: September 25: Jubilee Mass in St Peter’s Square for catechists.

October 8: Jubilee Prayer Vigil in St Peter’s Square with delegations from Marian shrines around the world.

October 9: Jubilee Mass in St Peter’s Square in honour of Mary.

November 4: Memorial Mass in St Peter’s basilica for bishops and cardinals who have died in the past year.

November 20: Mass in St Peter’s basilica for the closing of the Holy Year of Mercy.—CNS

6

The Southern Cross, September 14 to September 20, 2016

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Behind empty eyes

F

OR most people, one of the great fears is to suffer an accident or health crisis that would leave them in a so-called vegetative state.

When confronted with such an eventuality, the response often is to tell relatives or friends to “pull the plug” should one ever be in such a situation.

Legally, there are ”living wills” (or “advanced directives”) one can sign to leave instructions about the discontinuation of medical treatment in the event that one falls into a vegetative state, in the hope of assuring a peaceful death, or to avoid being an emotional and financial burden to the family.

The Catholic Church urges caution in signing such living wills, however, because pro forma documents can be imprecise and even be used to commit what amounts to euthanasia, which the Church prohibits.

For example, a living will may provide an option to cease lifesustaining treatment in a case where doctors have determined that the patient has permanent and severe brain damage (either in a sleeping coma, or the patient can open his or her eyes, but cannot communicate or react to stimuli), is not expected to get better, and life-support treatment only delays the moment of death.

But as we read in this week’s feature article, there are recorded cases of patients emerging from a vegetative state.

The case of South African Martin Pistorius in particular should lead us to caution. Doctors had told the family to take Martin home since there was no hope for recovery. There he was cared for lovingly by his family.

What the family didn’t know was that for eight years he was aware of his surroundings, but was entirely unable to communicate—he was trapped in his head. It was only through the alertness of a caregiver that it was discovered that he was in fact fully conscious.

Mr Pistorius is now a married businessman and author.

His case and the extent of recovery is, of course, unusual. It does counsel us, however, that our presumptions of the patient’s state of awareness cannot be taken for granted.

This is why the case of Terri Schiavo in the United States in 2005 was so controversial, in-

volving court cases and protests.

Mrs Schiavo was 41 when she died. For the last 15 years of her life she was diagnosed as severely brain-damaged.

She could breathe on her own and required no extraordinary medical intervention, but received nutrition and hydration through a feeding tube.

The feeding tube was removed by a court order, favouring an application of Mrs Schiavo’s husband. The application had been contested by her parents, partly on the basis of their daughter’s apparently deep Catholic faith as an indication of her will.

Neither Mr Schiavo, nor her parents nor the judge knew the state of Mrs Schiavo’s mind. In her inability to communicate, discerning her preference was pure guesswork.

The court should have erred on the side of caution. If Terri Schiavo had even a partial awareness that she was being starved and dehydrated to death, then the judge and those who sought the removal of her feeding tube were culpable in inflicting an exceptionally cruel death on a helpless human being.

In any event, the act of withholding nutrition and hydration from a living human being, regardless of the quality of their life, rescinds society’s obligation to treat human life with dignity.

This cannot be tolerable.

Human life is not disposable, yet when a life ceases to be useful, some people seek justification for its termination.

Pope John Paul II once said that the “quality of life cannot be interpreted as economic efficiency, beauty or the enjoyment of physical life, but it consists in the supreme dignity of the creature made in the image and likeness of God”.

When society usurps the will of God (or, if one doubts God, the way of nature), human dignity is injured.

The Church teaches that prolonging the life of a patient in a persistent vegetative state is beneficial as long as this is not a burden to the patient. Extraordinary artificial means of treatment which keeps a patient alive may be withdrawn.

The provision of ordinary care—keeping the patient warm, safe, clean, fed and hydrated—is a human right and moral imperative. It must be non-negotiable.

ST ANTHONYS CHILD and YOUTH CARE CENTRE Keeping Children safe within families

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.

Fatima: There’s nothing to doubt

I

N support of the encouraging article by Prof Michael Ogunu on the six apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima to the three children (August 17), I personally will never question the absolute authenticity of this miraculous event which began on May 13, 1917.

The apparitions concluded on October 13 that year with the “miracle of the dancing sun”, which was witnessed by 70 000 people, among whom were hundreds of unbelievers.

Even the anti-Catholic secular press flashed all the incredible details, as viewed by eye-witnesses, over their newspapers.

Mary appeared as the “Lady of the Rosary” with an urgent motherly request for conversions, penance and sacrifices in reparation for the overwhelming offences

A pubic spectacle

O

NCE again in the issue of August 31 your “Letters to the Editor” page continues to reflect the obsession that you have for publishing letters on matters sexual—gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender issues seem to feature every week!

I do think that this week you might have gone too far—and I particularly refer to the last paragraph of your editorial: “As Catholics we are always called to pray for our pubic representatives”. Since I can find no reference to this requirement in the Catechism or Canon Law, presumably you had matters pubic on your mind when penning your editorial.

To facilitate clearing your mind and focusing on other issues, I suggest you impose a moratorium on publishing letters on all matters gender and sexual. Readers views are really of little consequence—doctrine remains unchanged.

Michael Bouchier, Stanford, Western Cape n We have asked the IT department to investigate the erratic performance of the L button on the editor’s keyboard, and have ordered new sets of specs for our proof-readers. In the meantime, we ask our readers to pray for our public representatives.—Editor

A different Lord?

I

SO enjoy reading your publication especially when there are articles that motivate me to “put pen to paper”, such as Michael Shackleton’s response to a question about Catholics receiving communion at an Anglican church (August 31).

Mr Shackleton ends his explanation by saying that ”even though you know that doing so lacks the true meaning of being united in one Lord, one faith and one baptism”.

I cannot understand what he is intending to convey when he says

against Almighty God. She urged the daily recitation of the Holy Rosary and promised a “period of peace” to the world if—and only if—the wish of her Divine Son was heeded by the Vatican.

What, then, is Our Lady’s urgent request to the popes? She mentioned that Russia was ruthless in spreading her errors throughout the world. It was the wish of her Divine Son that all the bishops of the world on one day, together with the pope, should consecrate Russia and all the world to her Immaculate Heart.

She promised that Russia would be converted to the faith, and peace would follow. Her Immaculate Heart will finally triumph. Failing to heed her warning would be followed by terrible devastation and the “annihilation of many nations”.

that about Catholics receiving the Eucharist in an Anglican Church. Is he implying that these people then are supposedly communicating with a different Lord and faith and that the Jesus we pray to accordingly does not hear us if we are taking communion in an Anglican Church?

Owen Gush, Cape Town n Michael Shackleton responds: We are certainly united in sharing one Lord—but we are not united in recognising one authority and accepting certain articles of faith. This is the weakness in our unity, which celebrating the Eucharist together is meant to signify.

Clash of views

I

N her letter (August 17) June Boyer castigates Catholics and other religions for their treatment of homosexuals over the centuries, and rightly so. But then she goes on to expound on her solution to the disorder by asking the Church to bless these unions.

What we have here is a clash of views: the world view versus the Catholic view. Recent popes have described this as the culture of death versus the culture of life; in his letter to the Galatians, St Paul describes it as life according to the flesh versus life according to the Spirit.

It all revolves around the word freedom. The worldview sees it as doing as you please with no constraints—no one must judge my actions; I am free to live out my life in any way I feel like.

The Catholic view of freedom is to be able to live life to the full in the liberating teachings of Jesus and his Church, what a Dominican theologian called “the freedom of excellence as opposed to the freedom of indifference”. If we interiorise these teachings they liberate us and enable us to live according to the Spirit.

We need to face the question: Has this consecration—mentioning Russia by name—been executed by a pope and all his bishops? Has Russia been converted, as Our Lady promised? The answer is no.

Yes, all our recent popes have consecrated the world to Mary, many bishops have consecrated their own diocese or country to the Immaculate Heart, but no mention of Russia! Where is the blockage?

Why this fear? Is it possible that we are touching on a rather sensitive political issue here?

The mother of God has spoken, and very clearly has made a wonderful promise; she has displayed her maternal love and concern for all her children.

The Catholic Church has an enormous challenge to face; of that there is no doubt whatsoever.

Fr Ralph de Hahn, Cape Town We live in a fallen world. According to St Paul, Christ has redeemed us, and that enables us to live out the Catholic view with the help of the Holy Spirit.

God does not create same-sex attraction any more than he creates alcoholism or paedophilia. There is no “gay gene”. Rather it is a psychological disorder influenced by social and environmental factors.

With reparative therapy, spiritual guidance and a sacramental life it can be addressed to liberate the person concerned. Yet the worldview proponents will not accept this, resulting in their incessant push of gender ideology.

But this is the good news of the Gospel: Jesus said, “take up your cross, whatever it may be, and follow me”. The journey is hard, the road narrow, but the goal everlasting freedom. In light of eternity the struggle is worth it and Christ is with you every step of the way.

Jan Kalinowski, Hillcrest, KZN

Mother T issue

I

AM most grateful for your magnificent edition of August 31 in which you gave so much space to St Mother Teresa. It was our companion during the hours we watched the transmission of the canonisation on the Italian channel RAI on DStv. Through your various articles I got to know and love St Teresa of Calcutta more.

The beautiful poster with her signature I cut out and had it laminated, and the prayer on page 11 I also cut out. I only regret that my special edition of The Southern Cross is now mutilated.

Anne de Kock, Johannesburg n Thank you. Back issues of the August 31 issue can be ordered from Michelle at subscriptions@scross.co.za or 021 465-5007.—Editor

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PERSPECTIVES

The Southern Cross, September 14 to September 20, 2016

What mom taught me about fatherhood

E

VERY father, sooner or later, is required to give up his child to the wilderness and trust in the providence of God. That was my mother's response to the concerns I have about my own children.

My mother has always shown deep interest in the stories of Abraham and Ruth.

The topic of conversation arose after she had read a piece in a Catholic journal about the lack of historical evidence for the actual existence of Abraham, and we got to talk about Abraham’s parenting style.

I answered her concerns about the patriarch’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac in a roundabout way, saying something about the severity of divine mercy.

Personally, I have always found it unreasonable that God should ask Abraham to sacrifice his “only son” to prove his faith.

It just didn't tally with the loving kindness of God which I was raised to believe in.

Many have pointed out that God didn't ask something that God himself was not prepared to do. Still I was never convinced.

Sitting on the warm veranda of my mother's house, sipping tea and wishing to buy the thinning sun (as the Xhosas would say) was an agreeable setting in which to deliberate over such things.

She, in her motherly wisdom, detected that I was feeling bruised in this unannounced visit.

It always irritates her, my mother said, that people refer to Isaac as Abraham’s “only son”. He had at least one other son with Hagar, the Egyptian slave woman, whom in the end he sent to the wilderness.

Ishmael, she said, might have been illegitimate in the eyes of Jewish law and tradition, but surely he was not so in the eyes of God. Mother has always been conscientious and smart as a whip. Our conversation also linked to Woman’s Month and the burden

of motherhood that is never eased by the patriarchy of traditional and religious ways.

She raised five children as a single parent and thus feels very strongly about these things. Her sword also cut close to my bone, since my wife too is raising our kids practically as single parent while they are living in Scotland.

I was worried that mother’s talk about the lack of historical evidence for Abraham would discourage her light of faith. Not my mother though. Instead she educated me.

A man leaving his father’s house and hometown, Ur in Abraham’s case, was nothing new, neither then nor now. It is a universal narrative in all generations. It happened to me when I left Queenstown.

T

hat a man of Abraham’s calibre (whether he existed in that particularity is not important) would not feel comfortable with the ancient tradition of sacrificing children to the gods is understandable. That his psychological mindset would accuse him of

“The Sacrifice of Isaac” by Caravaggio (1603) in the uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son was the subject of conversation when Mphuthumi Ntabeni discussed parenthood with his mother.

Mphuthumi Ntabeni

Pushing the Boundaries

failing traditional duty is to be expected— tradition and custom take deep roots in people that require depth in cleansing.

And in the manner of Christ when he admonished Peter in a dream for daring to call unclean something that he had blessed, God corrected Abraham.

“That is how I choose to believe the story of Abraham,” mother declared.

“It would still seem cruel for one generation to beget another when parents are not able to secure a safe foundation for their offspring,” I said in reply.

I added: “I know the Son of Man had no place to hide his head when foxes had their holes and all, but…”

“But what?” mother interjected. “Great faith is required to give your children up, trusting God to honour your parental love for them by making sure that there’ll indeed be angels in the wilderness as that which met Hagar when she and the child were dying of thirst.” Mother became stern.

In the end I had to confess to lacking such faith, and pray to the Lord above to take away my unbelief.

It is only by the grace of God that we are made instruments of his providence and participants in a fatherhood that is always ultimately his. We are taught by Scripture to overlook the human mishaps of the likes of Abraham, because faith justifies them.

This is hard to hear.

Street lights started flickering between the trees after the sunken sun crimsoned the skies with crops of darted fire. Abide with us, for the day is far gone!

How shared cups of tea can build us up Fr Anthony Ndang Ndichia MHM

I

N many churches the custom of drinking tea or coffee after Mass has grown significantly. Why do people drink tea after Mass, instead of dashing to their cars and going home? Is there something more than just drinking tea?

Somet ime ago in one of my parishes, I sat with some parishioners for a pleasant cup of tea after Mass. In the course of our sharing I learned a lot about them and they also discovered certain things about me. At the end, I realised that whenever people gather together something happens as we hear in the scriptures: “For where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst” (Mt 18:20).

Over that cup of tea we discussed many things: family backgrounds, culture, faith, traditions, politics, poverty, achievement and successes of people, current events, health, life problems, the sick and elderly in the parish.

I realised the presence of Jesus in our shared woundedness, in our brokenness, in our stressed life, in our past, in our futures, in our families, in our friends, in our church, in our society, in our country.

Even today, our sitting down has drawn each of us together to bonds of love, closeness, mutual concern, support, communion, friendship and family spirit.

This reminds me of what happened in the early Church. The first Christians met in their homes for the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42-47), the first Christians were united in heart and soul (Acts 4:32-37), the Church grew as a community (Rom 12:2-13), Jesus and the first Christians teach us: “Love your neighbour as you love yourself” (Mt 22:39). “Live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Eph 4:1). Peo-

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Parish Life

In his guest column, Fr Ndichia argues the case for the post-Mass cup of tea ple brought their gifts “time” to the community (Eph 4:1-6). “Faith without deeds is useless (Jm 2:20)

W

hen people sit around the table for a cup of tea they are brought together.

We live in a world where technology is widening the personal and physical contact between people. It is now easier to relate to people who live far away from us through mobile phones and the Internet.

But some people feel anonymous or unknown in the community. They would like a warm, supportive human community.

There is a need for the Church to bring together personal bonds of love and communion. Catholics in South Africa and elsewhere are finding support and strength in gathering around the cup of tea. People are getting to know each other better, strengthening friendship ties.

In parish communities, people are fed by the Word of God and the Eucharist as they try to live the Christian life in the best way possible. However, parishioners often

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do this as individuals. They do not see the need for relationships with other people.

In fact, some of them are quite alone.

People today are longing for a sense of community, for a sense of belonging— after all, “no one is an island”. This is where sitting round a table with a cup of tea can breathe new life, new energy, and reawakening.

In community with others, what was weak in us becomes strong, what was doubtful becomes hopeful, what was poor in us let us become rich, and what was ugly in us turns to beauty.

Our family is a community and we would feel lifeless without our family bonds. The same is true for the Church.

God wants us to be a community of Christians, not of individual disciples. That cup of tea after Mass provides a way of being a community—all are one family in faith.

During this Year of Mercy, may the grace of baptism which unites us as brothers and sisters in South Africa be reawakened in us to so we can begin to relate faith to work, family, daily life struggles, health, society and other life situations.

Through the ritual of drinking tea together, may we come realise that face-toface contact is possible in our parishes and that everyone can come to know each other better. n Fr Anthony Ndang Ndichia is a Mill Hill Missionary working in the diocese of Kroonstad.

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Michael Shackleton

Open door

Salvation for nonChristian victims?

Christ told us: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:10). Countless Christians are being severely victimised in so many places today. We can be sure that they will enter the kingdom. But what of those thousands of refugees and displaced people who are not Christian? They are also persecuted. Will they enter the kingdom because they have suffered “for righteousness’ sake”?

W Maddock

F

OR righteousness’ sake means for the sake of Christ who brought the divine truth to earth.

The next line of the text you quote explains this where Jesus says persecution will be suffered “on my account”. Luke expresses it as “on account of the Son of Man” (Lk 6:22).

The conclusion is that Christians who are persecuted or martyred because they are Christians are the object of Christ’s promise, and “blessed” because of that. So, on the face of it non-Christians who are equally persecuted are not promised entry into Christ’s kingdom.

The Eight Beatitudes in Matthew 5 provide us with eight instances of how we are blessed when we are poor in spirit, pure in heart, suffer persecution and so on. Each of these qualities is possessed by Jesus Christ himself. We must imitate him in our dealings with our neighbour, Christian or not. This holds out the hope of our being truly blessed.

The French writer Jacques Maritain after World War II drew attention to the monstrous persecution of the Jews by the Nazis. European Jews were scientifically assassinated, he wrote, because they were sons and daughters of Abraham, the Chosen People from whom and through whom Christ our saviour came to us. And Christians were also hated because of their Jewish origins.

He broached the same kind of question as you do. Although these Jews were humiliated and slaughtered on religious and ethnic grounds, and not for the Christian concept of the kingdom of heaven, he believed they would enter the kingdom because even unwittingly they were suffering for the sake of their Messiah Jesus Christ.

He argued further. He said many people die completely forsaken, not giving their lives but having their lives taken from them unjustly. He compared their agony to that of Christ crucified who felt utterly abandoned by God. These people, he wrote, belong to the crucified Saviour who surely would not deny them his mercy. They are like the repentant thief whom Christ promised to be with him in paradise.

These speculations may make us pause and reflect on the world beyond ours where the kingdom of God is given to those who are unjustly victimised in this world, such as today’s many refugees and displaced peoples.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

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8

The Southern Cross, September 14 to September 20, 2016

COMMUNITY

St dominic’s Priory School in Port Elizabeth announced their leaders for 2017. (Back) Leonardo de Freitas, dale Scholtz, Tomas Lűck, Cole Foong and Sinebongo Willem, (middle) Jonél Roos, Bumnandi Jali, Rachel Welsh, Raechel Thompson, and Payton Horton, (front) Linathi Jojo, EwuFr Tom Segami OMI baptised 16 inraama Asmah-Andoh, Tiffany Rogers and Jordan Knott fants at St Peter Claver parish in Pimville, Soweto. (Photo: Sello Mokoka)

The Confirmation candidates from St Peter Claver and St Albert the Great parishes in Johanesburg archdiocese, attended a camp at don Bosco youth Centre. They are seen here with catechism teacher Br Thabo Karedi (seated front), other catechists and the don Bosco facilitators (in blue sweaters).

The diocese of Kimberley celebrated the World union of Catholic Women's Organisations. Fr Olebogeng Sakhia and coordinator dikeledi Kgwadi in front of the WuCWO flag at St Henry's parish in Kimberley.

Holy Rosary High School in Johannesburg announced its leaders for 2017. (From left) Gabriella Martin (head of Rosary House), Jenna Smith (head of Fatima House), deborah Obeng (deputy headgirl, Sports), Helena da Costa (deputy headgirl, Outreach), Patricia Zongololo (headgirl), Matilda de Freitas (deputy headgirl, Religion), Lauren Buchanan (deputy headgirl, Culturals), Samantha Whelan (head of Lourdes House), Hannah Braithwaite (head of Shanahan House).

Children of Mary and the probationers of the Immaculate Conception Sodality with their parish priest Fr dikotsi Mofokeng after Mass in Lindley, Bethlehem diocese.

Parshioners of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus parish in East London went on a year Of Mercy pilgrimage to the Holy doors of Immaculate Conception church. daniella,34, resident of Little Eden, home for the intellectually challenged, who was admitted to the home as a baby of a few months, knitted a jersey to sell and raise funds for the golden jubilee year. The jersey will be on auction through little Eden’s facebook page www.facebook.com/LittleEdenSociety.

Send your photos to pics@scross.co.za Follow us on Instagram! @southern crossmedia

Fr Anthony Padua CSSR, parish priest of St James in Schauderville, Port Elizabeth, with his team of catechists and RCIA members at a presentation on the Assumption of Mary.

St Charles parish in Victory Park, Johannesburg, held a Women’s retreat at the Good Shepherd Centre in Hartebeespoort dam led

by Ann, Julia, Veronica and Rosemary.

The Southern Cross, September 14 to September 20, 2016

LIFE

9

In a vegetative state, you can be awake Experience shows that not all who are in a vegetative state lack consciousness— and this has serious ethical implications, as MARy REZAC found out.

M

ARTIN PISTORIUS was a healthy 12-year-old boy living in Johannesburg with his family in the late 1980s when he was overcome with a mysterious illness.

The doctors weren’t sure what had come over Martin, but their best guess was cryptococcal meningitis. Over time, Martin lost his ability to move by himself, his ability to make eye contact, and eventually his ability to speak.

The hospital told Martin’s parents, Rodney and Joan, that their son was in a vegetative state, and to take him home and make him comfortable.

But four years into this vegetative state, Martin woke up. He was aware of everything going on around him “like a normal person,” he later said.

He was able to sense the people around him but did not immediately recall previous events, a sensation he described like a newborn baby.

Around the age of 19, Martin regained full consciousness and awareness, but was still unable to communicate. He could make small movements but these were not detected by his primary caregivers.

One day, Virna van der Walt, one of his day carers, began noticing that Martin would react to specific statements and questions.

Now aged 25 he was sent to the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication at the University of Pretoria which confirmed that he was conscious and could respond to statements.

For 12 years most people thought Martin was a “vegetable”, until he was able to prove that he was conscious.

Martin now owns his own web design business and has written a book about his experience, titled Ghost Boy (www.martinpistorius.com).

He lives in England with his wife Joanna.

He has regained some mobility but needs a speech computer to communicate with others.

Maggie Worthen found herself in a similarly bleak situation in 2006. A week away from graduating from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, she suffered a massive stroke, leaving her unconscious and unable to speak or move.

Doctors, assuming Maggie would not recover or regain consciousness, pressured her mother Nancy to remove the ventilator or withhold food and water to let her daughter die. They asked if they could harvest Maggie’s organs.

But Nancy refused, believing

that Maggie was more conscious and capable of recovery than the doctors thought.

Maggie soon was able to breathe on her own, and was able to communicate through eye movements during the last few years of her life before succumbing to pneumonia in August 2015 at the age of 31.

T

he stories of Martin, Maggie and many others like them show a troubling misunderstanding of, or a tendency to misdiagnose, what is called Permanent Vegetative State (PVS) in the medical community.

Edward Furton is an ethicist and director of publications with the US National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The centre offers a 24-hour hotline that Catholics can call with questions related to medical ethics, and they often receive calls from family members whose loved ones have been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state. “[They] are being told that their loved ones can’t feel anything, they’re completely unaware, that we can take away food and water it won’t bother them, they won’t even notice,” Mr Furton said in an interview.

“These things are very dangerous views, because we should always presume that the patient has some level of consciousness.”

Typically, medical doctors will assume that a patient is unconscious if there are no outward signs of consciousness, Mr Furton said.

But in some cases, such as in the cases of Martin Pistorius or Maggie Worthen, that may not necessarily be true.

Deacon Alan Rastrelli is a licensed physician with expertise in anaesthesiology and palliative medicine with the Denver-based Divine Mercy Supportive Care centre, where he also serves as a spiritual advisor to the staff. He said another common problem in the diagnosis of a patient who has suffered brain trauma is a confusion of terms and a tendency to jump to the worst assumption.

“What I’ve been concerned about for some time, as I’ve been dealing with palliative care and bioethics and hospice care as a physician, is that sometimes the jump in the ICU is to go right to, ‘Oh this is a vegetative state, they’ll never come out of it.’ Or to say they’re brain dead or are in a comatose state when they haven’t done the right studies,” he said.

“The terminology has been so confused over the last 10-15 years, that sometimes families are not sure what kind of decisions to make when they’re faced with a neurological insult,” Dr Rastrelli added.

The term brain-dead, for example, came into common use only when organ donation became possible. It means a patient has minimal brain stem function, if any, and their heartbeat and breathing are sustained only through machines. Over the years, it has become a clearer diagnosis, allowing

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Martin Pistorius from Johannesburg, was considered to be in a vegetative state for 12 years, though he was conscious for most of these. Today he is married (he is seen here in 2008 with his wife Joanna), has his own web design business and wrote a book about his life, titled Ghost Boy. for safer organ donation, Dr Rastrelli said, although sometimes there are still misdiagnoses.

New technologies, including brain scans that can detect brain activity in persons who may be outwardly unresponsive, may help doctors better understand and diagnose the level of consciousness of their patients.

“It is making people pause a little bit more to say, well, we think there’s nothing there, but wow, some areas of the brain light up when we talk about mom or dad or children, or something that they might remember,” he said.

“With these new studies, maybe we won’t have to guess whether they feel or not, or hear or not, or suffer or not, we might be able to see if there’s still some activity there, and to show the opposite too, if there really isn’t.”

A

nother issue with over-diagnosis of the permanent vegetative state is a tendency to underestimate a patient’s ability to recover and become aware, which can occur years after the initial incident causing unconsciousness.

Research suggests that 68% of severely brain-injured patients who receive rehabilitation eventually regain consciousness, and that 21% of those are able to eventually live on their own. Yet unconscious patients are often too quickly dismissed as vegetative, disqualifying them from insurance on further rehabilitation efforts.

“Patients like Maggie are routinely misdiagnosed and placed in what we euphemistically call ‘custodial care’ where they have no access to any treatments that might help them recover or give them a chance of engaging with others,” Dr Joseph Fins, chief of the division of medical ethics at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, told Newsweek.

There are times when additional

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measures, such as a ventilator or a feeding tube, would be considered extraordinary means of prolonging life and would not be ethically required by the Catholic Church, but each case is complex and unique, Dr Rastrelli said.

Typically, families are not required to keep their loved ones on ventilators if the person will never again breathe on their own. In the case of a feeding tube, a dying person’s body may reject the nutrients, putting the person at risk for infection or aspiration, but feeding tubes should typically not be withheld or removed unless there are proven adverse effects, Dr Rastrelli added.

“That person is still a person and we need to see if we can comfortably provide them with at least nutrition and hydration—not to the extreme of breathing machines and dialysis machines, if it’s not going to help, but as a comfort measure almost to allow them to have the nutrition that their body would normally be asking for,” he said.

Dr Rastrelli said he is also concerned about the over-diagnosis of the vegetative state in an age of increased pushes for legalised assisted suicide in that it could lead to cases of euthanasia, which differs from assisted suicide in that other people make end-of-life decisions for the dying person, including withholding food and water.

S

ome pro-euthanasia organisations “would say that we don’t need any more disabled, society-dependent people to use up our resources if we’re not going to get them into a more functional, independent state”, he said.

“They would say, ‘Well they’re just going to be suffering and you’re just wanting to keep them alive, just because of your religious beliefs. So why not just let them die or why not just help them die?

They’re going to die anyway so

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why not just do it now and end their suffering?’ It sounds very good in sound bites, but it’s very dangerous because other people are making those decisions and presumptions,” Dr Rastrelli said.

Catholics also have a different understanding of the human person, said Mr Furton, the bioethicist, in that they believe people are a union of body and soul, which is different from the prevailing beliefs in the medical community, and could contribute to the tendency to over-diagnose patients as vegetative.

“One of the main issues here is that the scientific community, which strongly influences the medical community, tends towards materialism,” Mr Furton said. “So they see the human person as an assemblage of matter, and the matter has somehow come together to produce life and then the matter has also produced consciousness. So if there are no material indications of consciousness, they say the person can’t be conscious.”

But, Mr Furton said, “we have to recognise that each of us has a soul, and that soul has its own inherent awareness, and it may indeed be completely functioning despite the fact that there are no outward signs of it”.

Dr Rastrelli noted that Pope John Paul II didn’t like the term “vegetative” because of its dehumanising effect.

The late pontiff, and now saint, was himself an example of understanding when to let the dying process take its natural course, he added. When Parkinson’s ravaged his body, and he was overwhelmed with complications from pneumonia and various ailments, St John Paul chose to forgo the emergency room and intensive care. Instead, he spent the last of his days in his room, where Mass was said, and he could receive the Eucharist and the anointing of the sick.

“And there’s a chance that he could have been able to fight through that particular episode, but his body would have been another major notch lower in health, then he’d be facing the same thing not much longer from then,” Dr Rastrelli said, adding that instead, the pope passed away peacefully.

“So the Catholic perspective throws the most appropriate light on [end of life issues], in that on the one hand, we dignify life and we take care of people like we’re asked to do, human to human. But we also recognise that the whole reason we’re here in this world is that so we can be with God in eternity,” Dr Rastrelli said.

“We’re not going to fight tooth and nail to try and eke out every ounce of life, because we have the trust and the faith and the hope of our eternal life,” the deacon-doctor said.

“So our Church brings us prayer and sacraments and care…so that we can be born into the arms of Christ and have that hope and that comfort and peace.”—CNA

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The Southern Cross, September 14 to September 20, 2016

FILM

Fire up the chariots: Ben-Hur is back Movie-goers may watch the new version of the epic Ben-Hur for its action scenes—especially the chariot race—but the film is also about Christian values, as co-producer Roma Downey told Angelus News, multimedia platform of the archdiocese of Los Angeles in an interview.

F

OR the first time in nearly 55 years, one of the greatest stories ever told will be retold on the big screen, opening in South Africa on September 16.

Ben-Hur—a remake of the 1959 Academy Award-winning classic with Charlton Heston—will introduce a whole new generation to the epic tale of fictional noblemanturned-slave Judah Ben-Hur and his life-changing interaction with Jesus Christ.

And one of the key people behind making this introduction a reality is actress/producer Roma Downey, a Catholic from Northern Ireland, who knows perhaps as well as anyone the power of introducing people to the right message at the right time.

After falling in love with the craft of acting while performing in a high school production of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It as a teenager, Downey’s passion for inspiring audiences through great stories led her to Broadway—and later to Hollywood, where her fruitful career peaked with her starring role on the TV hit series Touched By An Angel.

Fans of the show—which ran for nine seasons, from 1994 to 2003, and is still repeated on DStv—will recall how Downey’s Monica, an angel who would go “undercover” as a human being in each episode, would reveal her true identity to people and share a message of God’s love at the exact moment the person needed to hear it.

According to Downey, Monica’s penchant for instilling hope in others extended far beyond the fictional world of the show by reaching viewers at home.

“A woman came up to me once, and she had fresh scars on her

wrist; she had very clearly tried to take her own life recently,” recalled Downey of a particularly memorable interaction with a fan.

“She was feeling very alone and angry with God. She slid down the wall of her bathroom, ready to die, and she had left the television on in her bedroom. And she called out in her anger, ‘Even now, I’m all alone!’

“And in that exact moment, during a revelation scene [when Monica would show her true identity to the person she was tasked with guiding in that episode], she heard the reply, ‘You are not alone.

You have never been alone. Don’t you know that God loves you?’ She grabbed a towel and called an ambulance,” Downey told Angelus News, the multimedia platform of the archdiocese of Los Angeles.

“That’s an extreme example, of course, but there were so many other people who just needed to be reminded that they were special and loved. They were touched and healed by seeing an episode of the show and hearing a message at the exact time they needed to hear it. It was such a privilege to be able to deliver a message of God’s love to millions of people every week,” she said.

H

er desire to continue delivering that message ultimately led Downey to launch the Lightworkers Media production company along with her husband, Mark Burnett, executive producer of the US versions of Survivor and The Voice.

“When [Touched By An Angel] ended, I missed being a part of something that was bigger than all of us,” Downey explained. “There’s a hunger for stories of inspiration; an underserved audience that wants to see that kind of programming. The whisper came into my heart to start Lightworkers. The name stems from our motto that ‘it’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.’”

Since its inception in 2009, Lightworkers has been responsible for major television projects such as the Emmy-nominated The Bible on The History Channel, A.D.: The Bible Continues, and feature films such as Son of God, Little Boy, and now the remake of Ben-Hur. With every remake of a Hollywood classic comes the inevitable naysayers clamouring “Why?” But Downey is convinced that right now is the perfect time for it.

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Catholic actress and producer Roma downey at the Hollywood premiere for the new Ben-Hur film, which she co-produced.

“My husband and I were approached by Gary Barber from MGM about joining the project, and when we went home, so excited to be a part of Ben-Hur, our kids responded ‘Ben who?’” recalled Downey.

“There’s a whole new generation ready to be introduced to this story, and it’s one of the greatest stories ever told. It’s a big action-adventure movie, but holds deep in its heart a deeper message about faith, hope, forgiveness and reconciliation. If there was ever a time...when those things were relevant, surely the time is now.”

The story revolves around Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy nobleman in Jerusalem in 26 AD who is wrongly accused of a crime and, after years of being forced into slavery, seeks revenge by way of an epic chariot race.

the Rings).

Though the new rendition of “Ben-Hur” has been billed as a “reimagining of the novel” as opposed to a remake of the 1959 film, shades of the past were very present in the production process.

A majority of the filming took place at the famed Cinecitta studios in Rome, the very same studio where the 1959 version was filmed (the silent 1925 version was also filmed in Italy). And in a further twist of coincidence, the crew attached to the remake featured a wig maker and horse trainer whose fathers worked on the original in the same capacities.

Downey firmly believes that British actor Jack Huston’s turn in the lead role will make him a star.

“Jack Huston isn’t a household name yet, but after Ben-Hur he will be,” she said. “He’s sensational in this part. Same goes for Toby Kebbell, who plays Ben-Hur’s childhood friend and adoptive brother who betrays him].”

T

he cast is further elevated by Morgan Freeman, whose voice—one of the most recognisable in Hollywood history—is the first and last voice audiences seeing the film will hear.

“He was amazing in the film, as he always is,” said Downey of the veteran Freeman, who portrays the wealthy Nubian sheik that trains Ben-Hur to become a charioteer.

“He brought such dignity and charisma to the role.”

While the film takes full advantage of CGI and special effects available today, the highly-anticipated chariot sequences—which took 12 weeks to shoot—are as authentic as can be. Both Huston and Kebbell had to learn how to ride the chariot for their roles, and much of the footage audiences will see during the races actually features the actors in the chariots, as it was in the 1959 version. The authenticity, according to Downey, results in an unforgettable sequence.

“You’ll inhale when it begins and won’t exhale until it ends. It’s just 12 minutes of pure adrenaline.”

Downey is aware that moviegoers will come for action scenes such as the chariot races, but she hopes they’ll leave having absorbed the film’s beautiful message of letting go of hate and forgiving others.

“For this new generation, it holds that message without being preachy. You’re not being hit over the head; it’s just great storytelling,” she said.

“Our hope is that people come in to be entertained by an epic movie experience,” she continued, “but that they will go away feeling that, in the same way Ben-Hur’s heart is opened to the love of God, there might be people watching who are holding onto anger or disappointment and maybe, just maybe, they’ll see this film and want to lay down the stone they’ve been carrying.”—CNA

W

hile the task of doing justice to the grand 1959 version was a daunting one, Downey couldn’t be happier with the results.

“It takes a village to put a movie of this scale on the screen, and we really had the best of the best people in our village,” said Downey of the production team, which included Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years A Slave) and Oscar-winning special effects supervisor John Riddell (The Lord of

British actor Jack Huston stars in the lead role of the new version of the movie epic Ben-Hur. The film opens in South Africa on September 16.

New Ben-Hur film reviewed: Good on action, poor on message F Review by John Mulderig EW films come to the screen with the kind of storied pedigree that lies behind Ben-Hur. Subtitled “A Tale of the Christ”, Lew Wallace's best-selling 1880 novel first reached audiences of the newfangled cinema way back in 1907.

Flash-forward nearly two decades and an epic-scale 1925 production becomes reputedly the most expensive silent film ever made. This version struck critical gold and won popular favour.

The popularity of biblical themes and swords-and-sandals derring-do in the Hollywood of the 1950s made an update of Ben-Hur almost inevitable. And so the last year of that decade saw the release of director William Wyler’s 212-minute extravaganza in which Charlton Heston, in the title role, stepped into a chariot and made movie history at breakneck speed.

All that represents quite a historical and cultural burden for director Timur Bekmambetov and his collaborators—including Catholic executive producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey—to bear in bringing his “re-imagining” to the screen. Which is a shame, since, considered strictly on its own terms, his iteration of Wallace’s classic story makes for a reasonably satisfying action picture.

The bad news for believers—whose hopes may have been raised by the participation of Burnett and Downey, fixtures in the world of Christian-oriented media projects—is that, primarily because of a poorly written script, this BenHur fails to convince when Wallace’s religious theme comes to the fore.

It arrives by way of what must still be a familiar plot to many, at least in its initial setup: first-century Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) lives a prosperous life in Jerusalem, where he carries on a friendly rivalry with his Roman adopted brother, Messala (Toby Kebbell), and finds happiness through marriage to his true love, Esther (Nazanin Boniadi).

After Judah gives shelter to Dismas (Moises Arias), a young Zealot who was wounded fighting against foreign rule, disaster strikes the House of Hur. So, too, does betrayal since Messala, now an influential army officer on the staff of Pontius Pilate, refuses to risk his career by helping the family that took him in as a child.

Consigned to the miserable existence of a galley slave, and certain that the other members of his clan have all been executed, Judah thirsts for revenge against his foster sibling. Until, that is, multiple encounters with Jesus (Rodrigo Santoro) open his eyes to the value of

forgiveness and reconciliation.

Although the role of Dismas, whose subversive activities substitute for those loose roof tiles that got Heston in trouble, is an innovation, the epic sea battle and that trademark chariot race remain.

Aficionados of the 1959 version may find these lacking, but they're serviceable enough when weighed in isolation.

The real trouble arises when screenwriters Keith Clarke and John Ridley turn from mere diversion to something deeper. By skimping on the careful and time-consuming character development that would have been needed to make Judah's ultimate conversion believable, they doom the religious dimension of Ben-Hur as surely as Dismas does its protagonist and his household.

What viewers are left with is the cinematic equivalent of Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s description of cheap grace, a redemption unjustified and unpersuasive precisely because it’s unearned.

Though the causalities that litter the arena as the movie's most famous sequence progresses would normally suggest recommendation for mature viewers only, other elements are discreet enough that attendance by older teens would probably not be out of place. n John Mulderig is the chief reviewer for Catholic News Service.

The Southern Cross, September 14 to September 20, 2016

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Hope for Vatican-Chinese relations

By C Ndy WOOdEN

P

RAYER and “hea thy rea sm” are needed to en sure progress n Vat can Ch nese re at ons and part cu ar y n promot ng a s tuat on n wh ch a Ch nese Catho cs can ee both u y Catho c and u y Ch nese sa d Card na P etro Paro n The card na who serves as Vat can secretary o state and Pope Franc s top a de sa d there are “many hopes and expectat ons or new deve opments and a new stage” n re at ons between the Vat can and Ch na Card na Paro n gave a sem nar n Pordenone ta y on Card na Ce so Costant n s e orts n the ear y 1900s to conso date d p omat c t es between the Vat can and Ch na The e orts ach eved rea progress because they re ed on “know edge respect encounter and d a ogue between wor ds that at east n appearance were ar rom each other” Card na Paro n sa d Current Vat can e orts to norma se re at ons w th the country s commun st government are mot vated by a des re to he p not on y the nat on s Catho cs but a so “the ent re country wh ch boasts one o the p anet s greatest c v sat ons” the secretary o state sa d Pope Franc s ke St ohn Pau and ret red Pope Bened ct XV s pursu ng mproved re at ons w th Ch na wh e u y recogn s ng and pay ng tr bute to “the su er ngs m sunderstand ngs and requent y s ent martyrdom that the Catho c commun ty n Ch na carr es on ts back” Card na Paro n sa d The pope he sa d a so knows how deep y Ch nese Catho cs “yearn or u commun on w th the

Liturgical Calendar Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday September 18 Amos 8 4 7 Psa ms 113 1 2 4 8 1 T mothy 2 1 8 Luke 16 1 13 Monday September 19 Proverbs 3 27 34 Psa ms 15 1 5 Luke 8 16 18 11 16 Luke 16 19 31 Tuesday September 20 Proverbs 21 1 6 10 13 Psa ms 119 1 27 30 34 35 44 Luke 8 19 21 Wednesday September 21 St Matthew Ephes ans 4 1 7 11 13 Psa ms 19 2 5 Matthew 9 9 13 Thursday September 22 Ecc es 1 2 11 Psa ms 90 3 6 12 14 17 Luke 9 7 9 Fr day September 23 Ecc es 3 1 11 Psa ms 144 1 4 Luke 9 18 22 11 16 Luke 16 19 31 Saturday September 24 Ecc es 11 9 12 8 Psa ms 90 3 6 12 14 17 Luke 9 43 45 Sunday September 25 Amos 6 1 4 7 Psa ms 146 7 10 1 T mothy 6 11 16 Luke 16 19 31

Ch nese Ca ho cs p ay du ng a Mass a a chu ch n Be ng Pho o Wu Hong EPA CNS successor o Peter” a re at onsh p that s d cu t be cause the commun st government ob ects to what t sees as Vat can “ nter erence” n the a a rs o the Catho c commun ty n the country Desp te the r strugg es Card na Paro n sa d Catho cs n Ch na are mak ng great str des n “w t ness ng to the ove o God and ove or the r ne gh bours espec a y the weakest and need est wh ch s the synthes s o Chr st an ty” Wh e d erences pers st among Ch nese Catho cs about how much cooperat on w th the government s acceptab e the card na sa d the pope hopes the Year o Mercy wou d be a t me o “mutua org veness reconc at on between brothers and s s ters exper enc ng d v s on and e orts to grow n un derstand ng co aborat on and ove” “W th trust n d v ne prov dence and a hea thy re a sm ” he sa d Catho cs shou d pray or mproved Vat can Ch nese re at ons The goa he sa d s to demonstrate the power o d a ogue and mutua respect ensur ng that “Ch nese Catho cs can ee u y Catho c—and more v s b y anchored on the so d rock that by the w o esus s Peter—and u y Ch nese w thout deny ng or d m n sh ng a that s true nob e ust pure a ab e and honoured that the r h story and cu ture has and cont nues to produce ”—CNS

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CAPE TOWN He pe s o God s P e c ous n an s Mass on as Sa u day o eve y mon h a 9 30 a Sac ed Hea chu ch n Some se Road Cape Town Fo owed by v g a Ma e S opes abo on c n c n B ee S ee Con ac Co e e Thomas on 083 412 4836 o 021 593 9875 o B dan e SCP on 078 739 2988 DURBAN Ho y Mass and Novena o S An hony a S An hony s pa sh eve y Tuesday a 9am Ho y Mass and D v ne Mercy

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Pages Pages 7 & 9

Daswa: Pray for his intercession

BY MANDLA ZIBI

A

S the first anniversar y of Bl Benedict Daswa’s beatification approaches, the promoter of his cause for canonisation has called for a “groundswell of prayer” to provide the one irrefutable miracle needed for the Vatican to declare him a saint.

“I have been urging people to pray with great confidence to God for the favours they need through the intercession of Bl Benedict Daswa. The first anniversary of his historic beatification is an opportune time to highlight his stor y and encourage prayer through his intercession,” said Sr Claudette Hiosan.

Bl Daswa was beatified by Cardinal Angelo Amato as a martyr before 30 000 people at Tshitanini village near Tzaneen on September 13, 2015, five years after the cause for his beatification began. He is the only person born in the Southern African region to be beatified.

Born in 1946, the school principal was bludgeoned to death by fellow villagers on February 2, 1990 for resisting witchcraft. His feast day is on September 1.

The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) at its plenary meeting in Botswana last month approved a special Prayer for Canonisation which will be coming out in print soon through Mariannhill Media.

Sr Hiosan’s previous meeting with the bishops in Pretoria had been “ver y fruitful, enthusiastic and encouraging”.

“It was suggested that we make an effort to refresh people’s memories of last year’s wonderful celebration of the beatification and recapture some of the enthusiasm and joy which was so evident in the country at that time,” she told The Southern Cross.

The bishops also gave the green light for a Blessed Daswa Novena for the nine days preceding the anniversary, beginning on Septem-

The martyr Bl Benedict Daswa was beatified a year ago on September 13. around South Africa, and mostly involved areas of peoples’ lives which Bl Daswa would have been quite interested in, Sr Hiosan said.

This ranged from people who had found jobs after having been retrenched, to small businesses which had revived after closing due to hard economic times.

“People need to know that Bl Daswa is receiving our prayers of intercession. We therefore have to take the huge energy and passion of last year and fan it into a flame for healing and an avenue for the obtaining of our favours from God,” Sr Hiosan urged.

The next step will be canonisation, for which a miracle is required—none was needed for the beatification because Daswa was declared a martyr for the faith.

After a report of a miracle is forwarded to the Vatican, it is investigated by independent experts who must declare it inexplicable, spontaneous and permanent. Once the pope is satisfied that the miracle can be approved and that there are no impediments to sainthood, he may issue a decree of canonisation.

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P ope Benedict Benedict Pope o n resigning, resigning, on favourite favourite saints saints

Bishop Edward Risi of Keimoes-Upington presides over Mass to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Kamieskroon parish near Springbok in the Northern Cape. See report on page 3.

Hair row an ‘opportunity for overdue dialogue’

BY MANDLA ZIBI

T

HE head of one of South Africa’s oldest racially integrated Catholic schools welcomed last week‘s “hair protests” by black girls at former white schools as a “fantastic, wonderful opportunity for dialogue and change”.

Colin Northmore, head of Johannesburg’s Sacred Heart College, spoke after protests broke out at Pretoria Girls High School and spread to at least three more schools in Gauteng, Free State and the Western Cape, where black girl learners demonstrated against polii h i l i i th t th i ll

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PILLAY—Josephine (Staff Nurse Pillay). died so suddenly in her home town of Springbok on August 30, 2016. An outstanding nurse and carer, she devoted herself utterly to the welfare of those committed to her care both in her work over many years at Christiaan Barnard Hospital and as a private carer, in her retirement years, to our beloved mother. Josephine had a wonderful sense of humour and a loving, compassionate nature. She will always be remembered with love, gratitude and respect by the Norton family. We shall miss her dearly. MHdSRIP. Mourned especially by Lucy and Marianne

IN MEMORIAM

LETORD—In loving memory of Edna Madeline, who passed away fourteen years ago on September 19, 2002.

Will always be remembered and loved by her family Helen, Stephen, Matthew, Thérèse and Kieran, Janet, dean, Michael and Kyle, Anne, Basil, Sarah, Warren and Jessica and her sister Joan Swanson. May her soul rest in peace.

PRAYERS

O ST MARTHA, I resort to thee and to thy petition and faith, I offer up to thee this light which I shall burn every Tuesday for nine Tuesdays.

Comfort me in all my difficulties through the great favour thou did’st enjoy thy Saviour lodge in thy house. I beseech thee to have definite pity in regard to the favour I

ask (mention favour). Intercede for my family that we may always be provided for in all our necessities. I ask thee St Martha to overcome the dragon which thou did cast at thy feet.

HOLY ST JUDE, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faiEPthful 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.

HOLY ST JUDE, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ and faithful intercessor for all who invoke your special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Please help me now in my urgent need and grant my petition. In return I promise to make your name known in distribution of this prayer that never fails….May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be forever blessed and glorified. Holy Mary Mother of God, Pray for us and grant my request (name your request). Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be. Say this for 9 consecutive days and your request will be answered. Powerful Novena – Saint Jude never fails us…

PERSONAL

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: September 24: ArchBishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town on his 60th birthday.

September 24: Bishop Adam Musialek of De Aar on his 7th anniversary of ordination.

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26th Sunday - September 25 Readings: Amos 6:1, 4-7, Psalm 146:7-10, 1 Timothy 6:11-16, Luke 16:19-31

S outher n C ross

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E really do have to make a choice between being of God’s people and being of those who rely on being in the “upper classes”.

In Sunday’s first reading, Amos is berating precisely the latter, “the complacent in Zion and those who put their trust in Mount Samaria”. They are living a life of luxury, “lying on beds of ivory” which is clearly pretty extravagant, even if it sounds mildly uncomfortable. Worse than that, apparently, they “improvise to the tunes of the harp… drinking wine by the vat, anointing themselves with the very best perfumes”. There is some very sharp social satire here.

Instead of the idle rich, the psalm for next Sunday focuses on God, “who makes justice for the oppressed and gives bread to the hungry, sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, raises up those who are bowed down, the Lord who loves the just”.

More than that, “the Lord loves immigrants, holds up the orphan and the widow”.

That is to say that the Lord favours the very people whom we are most inclined to ex-

clude. That is quite a challenge to us.

The second reading likewise warns us against the pursuit of money, and instead encourages us to look for “justice, piety, faith, endurance, gentleness”. Our task is to “keep the commandment unspotted”, and to concentrate on God, “the only powerful one, the king of kings and lord of lords, the one who alone has immortality, living in unapproachable light”. Which leads us to next Sunday’s very challenging gospel. It starts with a reference to “a rich man”, and we already know that this is on the whole a bad thing to be in Luke’s gospel, especially when we read that “he was wearing purple and linen and partying conspicuously every day”.

Then, by contrast, we meet his opposite number, “a certain destitute person”. Unlike the rich man, this one has a name, Lazarus, which means “God has helped”. We discover that “he was flung against the doorpost with ulcers”. Not only that, but he was starving: “He was longing to be filled with what fell

‘S

ergies but the result of the misuse of sacred energy. Whether you consider the devil a person or a metaphor, either way, he has no other origin than from God. God created the devil, and created him good. His wickedness results from the misuse of that goodness.

All energy comes from God and all energy is good, but it can be wickedly misused. Moreover, it’s ironic that the ones who seem to drink most deeply from the wellsprings of divine energy are, invariably, the best and the worst, the wise and the wicked, saints and sinners.

T

Conrad

he rest of us, living in the gap between saints and sinners, tend to struggle more to actually catch fire, to truly drink deeply from the wellsprings of divine energy. Our struggle isn’t so much in misusing divine energy, but rather in not succumbing to chronic numbness, depression, fatigue, flatness, bitterness, envy and the kind of discouragement which has us going through life lacking fire and forever protesting that we have a right to be uncreative and unhappy.

Great saints and great sinners don’t live lives of “quiet desperation”; they drink deeply sacred energy, become inflamed by that fire, and make that the source for either their extraordinary wisdom or their wild wickedness.

This insight—that saints and sinners feed off the same source—isn’t just an interesting irony. It is an important truth that can help us better understand our re-

‘You must be new here, Sister...’

OR FOR D

CONSTRUCTION

Sunday Reflections

from the table of the rich man.” Nothing of the sort happens, however. Instead, “the dogs came and licked his ulcers”. So we know he is going to be vindicated.

Then the two of them die; not surprisingly, it is the destitute one who dies first, but, unexpectedly, instead of being buried “he was carried by the angels to the bosom of Abraham”. The rich man is buried, the narrator continues “and being in Hades”, as though it were absolutely a matter of course that such a person should end up in such a place. And not only that, but he “is in torment and sees Abraham from a long way off, and Lazarus in his bosom”.

He has not, however, quite lost the plutocrat’s habit of command: “Father Abraham— have pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am in agony in this fire.”

Abraham, kindly addressing him as “child”, explains the facts of life: “You received your good things in your lifetime, and likewise Lazarus received his bad things:

Good and evil have one source EE the wise and wicked ones, who feed upon life’s sacred fire.” These are lines from Gordon Lightfoot’s song “Don Quixote”, and they highlight an important truth.

Both the wise and the wicked feed off the same energy. And it’s good energy, sacred energy, divine energy—irrespective of its use.

The greedy and the violent feed off the same energy as do the wise and the saints.

There’s one source of energy and, even though it can be irresponsibly, selfishly and horrifically misused, it remains always God’s energy.

Unfortunately, we don’t often think of things that way. Recently I was listening to a very discouraged man who, looking at the selfishness, greed and violence in our world, blamed it all on the devil. “It must be the Anti-Christ,” he said. “How else do you explain all this, so many people breaking basically every commandment.“ He’s right in his assessment that the selfishness, greed and violence we see in our world today are anti-Christ—though perhaps not the Anti-Christ spoken of in scripture. However he’s wrong about where selfishness, greed and violence are drawing their energy from. The energy they are drawing upon comes from God, not from the devil.

What we see in all the negative things that make up so much of the news each day is not evil energy but rather the misuse of sacred energy.

Evil deeds are not the result of evil en-

Nicholas King SJ

Live in the Lord’s Light

now he is being comforted here, while you are in agony.” And in any event, he adds, there is no way to get across.

Now the rich man changes his tune a bit, and instead of giving orders makes a request: “Send him to my father’s house,” and he explains the request by reference to his family tree: “I have five brothers,” and he wants to prevent them coming “into this place of torture”.

Abraham is unmoved, and refers him to “Moses and the prophets”, reflecting, no doubt, on Amos in our first reading. Then the rich man evokes the resurrection from the dead, and gets a very definitive answer: “If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they are not going to be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.”

And that, of course, lies ahead of us, at the end of the gospel. Are you going to be “persuaded” by these readings?

Southern Crossword #724

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

lationship to God, to the things of this world, and to ourselves.

We must be clear on what’s good and what’s bad, otherwise we end up both misunderstanding ourselves and misunderstanding the energies of our world.

A

healthy spirituality needs to be predicated on a proper understanding of God, of ourselves, of the world, and of the energies that drive our world.

And these are the non-negotiable Christian principles within which we need to understand ourselves, the world, and the use of our energies: First, God is good, God is the source of all energy everywhere, and that energy is good.

Second, we are made by God, we are good, and our nature is not evil.

Finally, everything in our world has been made by God and it too is good.

So where do sin and evil enter? They enter when we misuse the good energy that God has given us and they enter when we relate in bad ways to the good things of creation.

Simply put: We are good and creation around us is good, but we can relate to it in the wrong way, precisely through selfishness, greed or violence.

Likewise, our energies are good, including all those energies that underlie our propensity towards pride, greed, lust, envy, anger and sloth; but we can misuse those energies and draw upon life’s sacred fire in very self-serving, lustful, greedy and wicked ways.

Sin and evil, therefore, arise out of the misuse of our energies, not out of the energies themselves. So, too, sin and evil arise out of how we relate to certain things in the world, not out of some inherent evil inside of our own persons or inside of the things themselves.

The wicked aren’t evil persons drawing energy from the devil. They’re good people who irresponsibly and selfishly misuse sacred energy. The energy itself is still good, despite its misuse.

We don’t tap into evil energies when we give in to greed, lust, envy, sloth or anger. No, rather we misuse the good and sacred energy within which we live and move and have our being.

The wise and wicked both feed off the same sacred fire.

ACROSS 1. Cardinal who was not an Old Boy? (6) 4. Gag oil out in the gallery (6) 9. Fleeing counts turn to acts of veneration (13) 10. Lattice-work in the garden perhaps (7) 11. Pub around the corner (5) 12. Jonathan was not a slow author (5) 14. Studies very hard (5) 18. Fortune-telling card (5) 19. Extra violinists holding the pasta (7) 21. Declare not responsible for the sin (4,4,5) 22. How to solve a simple puzzle (6) 23. Thoroughly acquainted with poetry?

(6) Solutions on page 11

DOWn 1. Things altering after sunset (6) 2. They can perform miracles (13) 3. Learner abandons what’s lawful. It’s bad (5) 5. Stream from Christ’s side (7) 6. Are they the ones never missing Sunday Mass? (4,9) 7. Mansel turns to a saint (6) 8. The dresser from Cardiff (5) 13. Critical, like what’s destined (7) 15. Beast if let inside will stop breathing (6) 16. Swindler is held by the bishop (5) 17. Used a sieve (6) 20. Clue that lacks precision (5)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

A

N elderly woman died. Having never married, she requested that no male pallbearers should be appointed to carry her coffin out of the church at the end of her funeral Mass In her handwritten instructions for her funeral Mass, she wrote: “They wouldn’t take me out while I was alive; I don’t want them to take me out when I’m dead.”

ESTABLISHEd 1982

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