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Bishops back gay-basher ban

By Mandla ZiBi

T

HE spokesman for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has came out in support of a travelling ban slapped on American “Kill the gays” pastor Steven Anderson, by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba.

The controversial pastor, leader of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, was scheduled for a visit to Johannesburg with 20 members of his flock this month, but Mr Gigaba said he was not welcome in South Africa as his homophobic statements, which included advocating violence against homosexuals, are in violation of the Constitution.

“The refusal by Minister Gigaba of a visa to the gay-bashing pastor is justified,” said SACBC spokesman Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria.

“After an investigation Mr Gigaba found that the pastor’s presence in the country would promote hate speech and social violence.”

The archbishop also noted Mr Gigaba’s findings that Mr Anderson is also a Holocaustdenier and advocate of violence against women.

“The Catholic Church is totally against the victimisation of those with a homosexual orientation. Both in speech and action we condemn violent malice against homosexuals.

The Church recognises the dignity of all people and does not define or label them in terms of their sexual orientation. People are persons—children of God—and deserving of absolute respect,” Archbishop Slattery said.

However, the Church makes a distinction between “deep friendship and same-sex actions”, he said.

“We do not regard same-sex unions as marriage. There is a crusade in the modern media to make homosexual actions and live-ins an absolute norm of behaviour. This campaign is set to create the impression in the youth that homosexual activity is an ideal to seek after.

This will be destructive for young people still seeking to define their sexual orientation,” the archbishop said.

Initially the Department of Home Affairs had allowed Mr Anderson into the country, saying he would be closely watched. But after Mr Anderson called Mr Gigaba a “liar” and “vile politician” on YouTube, the minister changed his mind.

In an interview with a CapeTalk radio station, Mr Anderson also attacked South African clergy, including Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

“The religious leaders are a bunch of perverts themselves like that Desmond Tutu who goes around in a pink dress,” Mr Anderson told the radio station.

Referring to the deadly shooting of 49 people in a gay nightclub in Florida earlier this year, Mr Anderson said: “There are now 50 less paedophiles in this world.”

In 2014, he called for the murder of every LGBT person as a solution to end Aids.

In banning the pastor, Mr Gigaba cited the Immigration Act of 2002 which “prohibits admission of foreigners likely to promote hate speech”. He also banned associates and other members of the Faithful Word Baptist Church from coming to South Africa.

The Christian Citizenship Network of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa also welcomed the visa denial, noting that Mr Anderson’s group is not a member of the Baptist Union.

archbishop Peter Wells, the apostolic nuncio to Southern africa, came to Cape Town especially to visit The Southern Cross. He is seen here with (from left) administration staff members Michelle Perry (subscription and circulation), business manager Pamela davids, desirée Chanquin (accounts) and yolanda Timm (advertising). See page 9 for our interview with the nuncio. The full interview is also available as a podcast at www.scross/co.za/podcast

School’s innovation pays off

By Mandla ZiBi

A

CATHOLIC primary school in a Gauteng township has a winning combination; an innovative spirit wedded to a serious commitment to education, judging by a recent R15 000 cash injection into its coffers, courtesy of a local arts prize win.

This is just the latest milestone for St Gemma Primary, an independent Catholic school in the sprawling East Rand township of Tembisa. Last July the school printed 5 000 workbooks on its own, saving an estimated R300 000 on annual costs.

“We won the R15 000 after our learners entered an arts competition run by the local Cashbuild store branch. We are now using it to renovate the school’s administration block,” principal Serota Ledwaba told The Southern Cross.

Before deciding to print the workbooks themselves using a professional colour printer and binding machine at the school, Mr Ledwaba and his deputy, Lenka Ramahali, had been spending around R500 000 annually on English, maths and science workbooks for all the school’s classes.

“We are very proud of this initiative. We can now really focus on providing our children with quality education, even if it means

we will have to sacrifice most of our mid-year holidays to do the printing,” Mr Ledwaba said.

“As an independent school we do not receive subsidies from the education department for these books, which puts a heavy burden on our finances. Although we are a fee-paying institution, we provide quality education to mostly poor people, so we have to try by all means to save money,” he said.

St Gemma has 847 learners, from Grades R to 7, with a staff of 31 educators.

Calling on school parents and other potential donors for assistance in ongoing fundraising efforts, Mr Ledwaba said the next initiative is to make sure all remaining 15 classrooms acquire interactive boards. Another goal is to install solar panels and Jojo water tanks to save on electricity and water.

“We have the potential to compete with the best schools in Gauteng. We have the solid support of the parents, who send their kids to us even though there are several nofee paying schools around Tembisa. We want to make a big difference in the lives of these disadvantaged pupils, and help them to make the best of their lives by showing them how to think out of the ‘box’,” Mr Ledwaba said. n To get in touch with the school, e-mail info@stgemmas.co.za

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The Southern Cross, September 21 to September 27, 2016

LOCAL

Catholic women find conference voices STaFF REPORTER

S

OME 120 women gathered from different parishes, denominations, ages and vocations in Johannesburg for the inaugural Totus Tuus Women’s Conference.

Held at Our Lady of Cedars Church Hall in Woodmead, the conference took its title from the papal motto of St John Paul II, which is dedicated to Our Lady and means “Completely yours”, and was inspired by the late pope’s teachings, especially the Theology of the Body.

Speakers included Marie Anne Te Brake (on “Embracing your feminine genius”), Diana Chigumba (“Singlehood”) and Phindile Ugwu (“How to integrate prayer life with your professional life and motherhood”).

“The talks were well received and engaging Q & A sessions followed each talk,” said Andrina Moodley, who had conceived the conference which was organised by the Foundation for the Person and Family.

dancers from the Christian dance Fellowship of Sa performed for attendees at the women’s Totus Tuus conference in Johannesburg.

There was also inspiring entertainment, by Catholic musician Carmen Abrahams and a dance performance from the Christian Dance Fellowship of SA, reflecting the

Body of Christ.

The sacrament of reconciliation was offered, and participants had opportunities to share their thoughts. The conference day

ended with private reflection during Adoration.

“What stood out was the level of openness from the participants and the ability for women to nurture and encourage each other on their individual paths,” Ms Moodley said, noting that “one could not deny the presence of God in the space we were occupying”.

One of the participants wrote on her evaluation sheet: “Thank you for arranging this conference, which reminded me once again that I am a loved daughter of God; that I can and have to know more people surrounding me for who they are—so that I can share God’s gifts”.

Another participant said: “Thank you for giving me this opportunity to think of the poor and to be merciful towards them.”

This spoke to a request made to participants to donate either nonperishable items, baby products or feminine hygiene items which were given to the Missionary Sisters of Charity as St Teresa of Kolkata was

one of the patrons of the conference.

“Some of the religious sisters in attendance were so impressed that it was an event arranged by lay people heeding the call from God to bring women together to be in common dialogue with the Lord and each other,” Ms Moodley said.

Speaking about developing the idea for the conference, she said: “I had no idea what the Lord had in mind for me in totality and what this would entail, but I knew that I needed to be obedient and trust in him to make the road ahead and path clear. All I had to do was to be a willing vessel and the rest would follow.

“At the end of the day and after months of preparation, our planning committee may have had tired hands and feet, but our hearts were gladdened by the success of the day and the request for another conference by practically all the attendees.

So with God guiding the way, we hope to plan an annual event,” Ms Moodley said.

Heart attack fells Oblate director

T Holy Rosary High School in Edenvale, Johannesburg, recently held its annual debutantes Ball, at the Birchwood Hotel, to celebrate its Grade 10 debutantes’ fundraising efforts. This year R1 155 852 was raised and over 1 400 community hours were worked by the 48 girls. a portion of the funds raised will go towards various charities including the Holy Rosary Sisters, CHOC, love of Christ, St anne’s Old age Home, Holy Rosary’s Outreach Programme—Phumelela, and little Eden. Seen here are the 2016 debutantes after they modelled their dresses for the school—a special annual tradition. leo and Sharon van der Sandt retired as educators at little Flower Primary School in Eshowe. Mr van der Sandt was the principal for 25 and a half years and retired on his birthday this year.

Sharon van der Sandt, also a former teacher at little Flower, retired after 34 years of service.

HE director of the Oblate Justice and Peace Service, who made his first vows as an Oblate of Mary Immaculate in South Africa, died suddenly on September 14.

Zambian Father Kennedy Katongo died of a heart attack at the General House of his order in Rome.

He was 36 years old.

Born in Lusaka, he joined the Oblates in 2002. After his novitiate, he took his first vows in Johannesburg on February 1, 2003.

He made his final profession in Lusaka in 2008 and was ordained a priest there in 2010.

After serving in parish ministry, he was named director of the Oblate Justice and Peace Service in Rome in 2014.

Veritas to cover Southern Cross’ issue 5 000

R

ADIO Veritas will celebrate The Southern Cross’ 5 000th issue next week with special programming throughout Wednesday, September 28.

The 5 000th edition of The Southern Cross will be published on that day, with a special 12-page supplement celebrating the newspaper’s past and looking into the future.

Radio Veritas will feature a series of interviews with people from The Southern Cross and others talking about the newspaper in its programmes throughout the day.

The first issue of The Southern

Cross was published on October 16, 1920. It has not missed a single week’s publication since then, and even published a daily edition to mark the establishment of the Southern African hierarchy in 1952.

It is the only nationally published Christian weekly in South Africa.

Radio Veritas station director Fr Emil Blaser OP, who interviews editor Günther Simmermacher every Friday morning at 8:30, said he is delighted that South Africa’s only Catholic radio station will highlight the country’s only national

Catholic weekly.

“The Southern Cross has a long and proud history, and we hope for a bright future,” Fr Blaser said.

He noted that the radio station and the newspaper have had a close relationship for many years.

The priest said he always promotes The Southern Cross when he visits parishes to speak about Radio Veritas. “I always have a Southern Cross in my hand and tell the congregation about it.” n Tune into Radio Veritas on 576AM in Gauteng, DStv audio channel 870 or stream on www.radioveritas.co.za

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LOCAL

3

Napier: Why we need a special ministry for men

By Mandla ZiBi

C

ARDINAL Wilfrid Napier of Durban has proposed that the restoration of men’s “sense of self-worth, self-esteem and self-respect” be part of the annual 16 Days of Activism of No Violence Against Women and Children, in order to give them back their leadership position in the family and community bestowed upon men centuries ago.

“I believe that to make Women’s Month and 16 Days of Activism [held in December] more effective, we will have to run a continuous campaign for men, all year round,” the cardinal said in the newsletter of the archdiocese of Durban.

“Man must be given back his position as leader in the relationship that his family community have lived and passed on from generation to generation for centuries,” Cardinal Napier wrote.

The prelate lambasted a government and a constitutional dispensation which had “simply gone ahead passing laws and implementing policies that strip man of his self-image, dignity and self-worth…in order to affirm women’s rights”.

“To me it is clear that we will never arrest, let alone eliminate man-woman violence as long as we do not confront the historical problems caused by colonialism and apartheid, which for generations stripped men of their manhood. Today it is the exaggerated and enforced equality that continues to do the damage.”

Cardinal Napier wrote: “I have to say honestly that what makes me uncomfortable is that somehow, whether I am guilty or not, responsible or not for the violence that is being highlighted during these days, I am made to feel that by the mere fact of being a man, I am not only under scrutiny, but deemed guilty by association!”

Then what, he asked, of the man who, unlike him, had not been trained for a people-oriented vocation like the priesthood? A man who, unlike him, “is insecure in himself, or who is filled with resentment at being deposed from his traditional position in the family and in society, so much so he does not dare talk anymore about being the head of his family or the community”, the cardinal wrote.

“Powerless to resist, let alone redress the situation by persua-

sion, man will inevitably resort to using what nature has given him in abundance—brute physical strength!” the cardinal said.

He illustrated what he called “the most basic human relationship between man and woman from God’s point of view, and then from man’s”, by contending that the early chapters of Genesis had set the pattern, including where it says “here at last is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, man must not put asunder.”

Cardinal Napier pointed out that God’s will therefore excluded competition for superiority or control between the sexes, “in the sense that everything a man has done or does by custom or convention, a woman must be able to do”, but rather that they should complement each other.

“They are different. They are male and female. It is precisely as male and female that each is God’s image and likeness. Isn’t trying to make them the same going against the will of God?” South africa’s most recently ordained bishops made their first official visit to Rome to attend a week-long orientation conference on the life and work of a bishop. These workshops are organised yearly for what insiders call “baby bishops” (after the conference they are no longer considered “baby bishops”). From left: Bishops Siegfried Jwara CMM of ingwavuma, duncan Tsoke, auxiliary of Johannesburg, and Victor Phalana of Klerksdorp.

Music stars for Jo’burg school festival

M

USIC icons Lira and Sipho Hotstix Mabuse and other big names will perform at the third annual Sacred Heart Music Festival in Johannesburg on Heritage Day. Sacred Heart College is again collaborating with Kaya FM to celebrate Heritage Day on September 24.

The bill also includes awardwinning DJ Black Coffee.

The festival will begin with the Hearts into the Future family

cycle ride at 9:30. It will include a kids’ entertainment area, food vendors and music to entertain the whole family.

Families are invited to bring a picnic to the festival.

DJs Bob Mabena and Mo-G from Kaya FM will compère the festival.

RISE Academy DJs will also be on the decks in support. The evening will wrap up on a high note with Kaya FM’s The Rhythm Session DJs on the decks.

A portion of proceeds will go towards the Three2Six Education Programme, which is supported

by Sacred Heart College and provides a bridging educational programme for Grade R to Grade 6 refugee children who have been denied access to public education. n Tickets can be bought from Sacred Heart College at 15 Eckstein Street, Observatory or through www.sa credheartfestival.co.za, or contact Lynn Walker at lynn.walker@sa credheart.co.za or 011 487 9008.

Women’s group inducts members

T

inductees into the Catholic Women’s Organisation at yeoville, Johannesburg, with Fr Ernest Kabungo CMM.

HE Catholic Women’s Organisation (CWO) celebrated its first anniversary in St Francis of Assisi parish in Yeoville, Johannesburg, with its first induction of new members.

The CWO is an umbrella body uniting adult women of all statuses in the universal Church.

“The idea of forming this organisation in this parish was born out of passion and concern for the holistic good of women, the good of the family, the proper upbringing of our God-given children in ‘a home’ and not in ‘a house’ and the development of the Church,” said Sr Cecilia Anawanti EHJ. In preparation for the induction (reception and making of promises by new members), a one-day retreat was preached by Fr Ernest Kabungo CMM. It was open to all women in the parish.

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The Southern Cross, September 21 to September 27, 2016

INTERNATIONAL

Pope praises bishops for divorced, remarried guides I

By Cindy WOOdEn

Georgians light candles as they attend a service marking St George’s day at the Orthodox Kashveti cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Georgia and azerbaijan from September 30 to October 2. (Photo: Zurab Kurtsikidze, EPa/CnS)

Church leaders asked to protect Polish migrants

P

OLISH President Andrzej Duda has asked Church leaders in England to help to protect Polish migrants from the mounting threat of xenophobic violence and abuse.

He wrote to Catholic and Anglican leaders to say that reports of serious attacks on migrants “have caused deep concern to the Polish nation in general, and to myself in person”.

Mr Duda urged Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and Archbishop Justin Welby, leader of the Worldwide Anglican Communion, to do whatever they could at the parish level to prevent such violence against Poles.

In his letters, the president pleaded for a “constructive effort” for local parishes “to alleviate the ad-

verse consequences of intolerance and xenophobia, including what appears to be a clear instance of aversion and animosity toward Poles”.

“I am sure Your Eminence will agree that it is of utmost importance that these incidents do not occur again, as they have a potential of creating a formidable ridge between the Polish and English people,” he said in his letter to Cardinal Nichols.

“This could, in turn, lead to the erosion of the local community, characterised by a genuinely positive presence of Poles in England,” he said, adding that Poles had striven to make a huge contribution to the socio-economic condition of the UK. “Only through mutual understanding and consideration for one another can a thriving community be achieved,” he added.—CNS

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N his clearest indication yet as to how he wants his teaching on Communion for divorced and civilly remarried couples interpreted, Pope Francis thanked a group of bishops in Argentina for providing their priests with concrete guidelines.

Bishops in Argentina issued a document for implementing the section of the pope’s apostolic exhortation on the family about circumstances in which divorced and civilly remarried couples might eventually be allowed to receive Communion.

The Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, published an article confirming that Pope Francis wrote to the bishops of the Buenos Aires pastoral region thanking them for their document on criteria for applying what the pope wrote in Chapter VIII of Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”).

The chapter, titled “Accompanying, discerning and integrating weakness”, is focused on the pastoral care of couples who are living together without being married or who have divorced and remarried without getting an annulment.

In offering their priests guidance for applying the teaching in the pope’s document to the situation of couples in their care, the bishops insisted it is not proper to speak of “permission to receive the sacraments” when it is, in fact, an invitation to “a process of discernment accompanied by a priest”.

The process of discernment—of looking at actions and failures that contributed to the breakup of their sacramental marriage, their current family responsibilities and their re-

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Pope Francis passes a sign in Spanish referencing his name, mercy and argentina in St Peter’s Square. The pope has praised the argentinian bishops’ implementation of apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (Photo: Paul Haring/CnS) solve to live the Christian life more fully—may not necessarily end with the reception of the sacraments, the bishops said. It may be more appropriate to help them become more involved in parish activities, participate in prayer groups and engage in Christian acts of charity.

“When the couple’s concrete circumstances make it possible, especially when both are Christians with a journey of faith, one can propose a commitment to living in continence,” the bishops said. Abstaining from sexual relations will not be easy, but it would allow the couple to receive Communion, they said.

In other cases, the bishops said, when abstaining from relations could harm the new union and the children who are part of the new family, further discernment

is necessary.

It could be that there are factors that limit the responsibility or culpability of the divorced spouse, they said, and in those cases “Amoris Laetitia opens the possibility of access to the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist.”

In those circumstance, the bishops said, priests must take care not to give scandal to their congregations, something which could be done by ensuring the couple receive in “a reserved way”, somewhat privately, although parish congregations also should be helped to “grow in a spirit of understanding and welcome”.

The pope’s letter to the bishops said they accurately explained what Amoris Laetitia taught and captured its full meaning. “There are no other interpretations,” he said.—CNS

Jordan’s king: Muslims must help Christians

K

ING Abdullah II of Jordan told a visiting delegation from the Middle East Council of Churches that his country has become a model for coexistence, fraternity and moderation in the Middle East.

“Christians in the Arab world are an integral part of the Arab social fabric, and protecting their rights is a duty of all,” the Muslim monarch told the delegation.

King Abdullah said Arabs, whether Muslims or Christians, face similar challenges in the Mideast, caught up in sectarian and other conflicts, adding that they also share a responsibility in addressing these challenges.

The Christian leaders met with the king during the three-day 11th General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches in Amman.

In a final statement the Christian leaders said they appreciated initiatives of Muslim institutions and leaders in the region “who have engaged in the rejection of extremism and violence, have affirmed the respect for diversity and recognised the role of Christians as an original and fundamental factor of the Arab civilisation and of the entire region”. They said they hoped such attitudes “translate into practical steps”.

They also said they would set up a delegation to visit Mideast civic and religious leaders with the aim of together seeking solutions that promote the continuity of the Christian presence in the region.

Their statement called for intervention to stop the war in Syria and asked nations and groups not to supply weapons to terrorist groups. It asked that Iraqis uprooted by the Islamic State in 2014 be allowed to return to their homes in safety and urged a speedy election for a Lebanese president, a post that has been va-

iraqi refugee women living in Jordan sent a hand-sewn chasuble to Pope Francis and asked him to pray for them and for peace in their country. (Photo: Catholic Center for Studies and Media in amman) cant for more than two years. It asked for the international community, including Arab countries, to help displaced persons and refugees. It also reiterated support for the Palestinian people and their right to statehood.

The Christian leaders appealed for the release of all hostages, especially the two Orthodox archbishops of Aleppo, kidnapped in 2013 in northern Syria while on a humanitarian mission.

Addressing the meeting on its opening day, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan said the current situation requires effective dialogue, moderation and mercy as well as cooperation with “our Muslim brothers in the face of all attempts to uproot us from our land”.

“Our message to our Muslim brothers is that we will continue, in spite of all the challenges, in the common life and in living together,” he said.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, September 21 to September 27, 2016

Pope, cardinals look at bishop selection

By Cindy WOOdEn

P

OPE Francis and members of the international Council of Cardinals advising him on Church governance once again discussed ways to improve the process of identifying the best priests to become bishops.

“The cardinals reflected broadly on the spiritual and pastoral profile necessary for a bishop today,” said Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office.

Meeting with Pope Francis, they also discussed “the theme of the Holy See’s diplomatic service and the formation and tasks of apostolic nuncios with particular attention to their great responsibility in the choice of candidates for the episcopacy”, Mr Burke said in a statement.

At their April meeting, the pope

and cardinals also had spoken about the process of choosing new bishops and they looked specifically at the questionnaire that nuncios send around to bishops, priests and others asking their opinions about certain candidates.

The nuncios evaluate the responses and forward suggestions for the appointment of new bishops to the Congregation for Bishops, which does a further evaluation and makes recommendations to the pope.

The pope and his international board of cardinal-advisers also continued their office-by-office look at the Roman curia in view of a planned reform, the Vatican statement said. The congregations for Clergy and for Catholic Education were discussed, as was the Pontifical Council for Promoting

Christian Unity.

The meeting also included a study of “the ‘diakonia’ of justice”, or work for justice as a religiously motivated service, the statement said.

The Council of Cardinals will meet again from December 12-14.

Its members are: Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state; Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Sean O’Malley of Boston; Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, retired archbishop of Santiago, Chile; Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India; Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany; Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, Congo; George Pell, head of the Secretariat of the Economy; and Giuseppe Bertello, president of the commission governing Vatican City State.—CNS

5

abbot Gregory Polan, the new leader of the confederation of Benedictine monasteries, is pictured at St anselm abbey in Rome. abbots and priors from Benedictine men’s communities around the world elected abbot Polan of Conception abbey in Missouri to be abbot primate. (Photo: Paul Haring/CnS)

Commission aims Neighbours help Boko Haram victims to teach Church about abuse W

By BROnWEn daCHS

HEN aid worker El-hedji Gombe Abba was growing up, very little happened on the road that runs through Niger’s Diffa region into the city, but nowadays people fleeing Boko Haram violence form a seemingly endless line along it.

“This is a new and terrible way of life,” Mr Abba said in an interview from Diffa, the regional capital of a territory of 600 000 people situated close to Niger’s border with Nigeria.

Mr Abba, who is in his mid-30s, works for a non-governmental organisation called Demi-E, which partners with Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

Michael Stulman, CRS regional information officer for West and Central Africa, said that the agency has prioritised helping those affected

by Boko Haram violence.

More than 20 000 people have been killed in attacks by Nigeriabased Boko Haram, and some 2,6 million people have been forced to flee their homes. The conflict that began seven years ago in Nigeria has spilled into Niger, Chad and

a young girl drinks water delivered to the community by Catholic Relief Services in Kindjani, niger.

(Photo: Michael Stulman, CRS) Cameroon, all of which have joined Nigeria in fighting the Muslim militant group.

Mr Abba said people making their way to Diffa set up temporary shelters at the side of the road, “where it is safer than many other places”.

“They flee, leaving all their possessions behind. They don’t even take water with them,” he said, noting that “many die on the roads because they have no water”.

Looking down the main road that runs through the region, “one sees thousands and thousands of people

walking, all seeking safety and shelter”, he said.

“Boko Haram wipes out whole villages; they kill everyone they find,” Mr Abba said, noting that “many other militants leave children unharmed, but Boko Haram kills everyone; even animals are killed”.

Working with CRS, Mr Abba and others run projects that include helping people access clean water.

“We do what we can to help local populations receive these displaced, vulnerable people,” Mr Abba said, noting that much depends on “how good the rainy season has been”.

Mr Stulman said CRS wants to increase its support in the entire region. He recently visited Chad, where he said the security situation has improved, which allowed CRS “to reach people we haven't been able to get to before”.

About 70 000 people in Chad have been uprooted through Boko Haram violence.

Mr Stulman said that in the region near Lake Chad, “the generosity of the local people, who have so little themselves, toward those who arrive with nothing was overwhelming”.— CNS

‘Jesus was not a prince’, clergy are warned

By JunnO aROCHO ESTEVES

C

LERGY who use their position for personal gain rather than to help those in need do not follow the spirit of Jesus who took upon himself the sufferings of others, Pope Francis said.

Jesus often would rebuke such leaders and warned his followers to “do what they say but not what they do”, the pope said at his weekly general audience.

“Jesus was not a prince,” the pope said. “It is awful for the Church when pastors become princes, far from the people, far from the poorest people. That is not the spirit of Jesus.”

Pope Francis explained that when

Jesus said: “Take my yoke upon you,” he was calling all disciples to follow him and not simply a set of rules like the scribes and the Pharisees did.

“He wants to teach them that they will discover the will of God through his person, through Jesus, not through frigid laws and prescriptions that Jesus himself condemned,” the pope said.

Christ’s final command in the Bible passage, “Learn from me,” invites disciples to follow a path of “knowledge and imitation”.

“Jesus is not a master who severely imposes burdens upon others that he does not carry,” the pope said. “This was the accusation he made against the doctors of the law.”

Jesus was “a pastor who was among the people, among the poor”, Pope Francis said. “He worked every day with them.”

“The Lord teaches us to not be afraid to follow him, because we will not be disillusioned by placing hope in him,” he said. “We are therefore called to learn from him what it means to live in mercy in order to be instruments of mercy.”—CNS

By CaROl GlaTZ

M

EMBERS of the pope’s commission for child protection, including an abuse survivor, have been speaking with new bishops and major Vatican offices as part of a mandate to develop and educate the Church about best practices.

Pope Francis also approved the establishment of a day of prayer for survivors of abuse, but decided it will be up to each nation’s bishops’ conference to decide when the memorial should be held, according to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

The Southern African Bishops’ Conference will dedicate December 2-4—days which fall during Advent this year—to penance, fasting and prayer.

Members of the pontifical commission have spoken recently with officials at the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, as well as at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, which trains priests for service in the Vatican’s diplomatic corps.

Pontifical commission members, who were in Rome in early September, were also set to address the Congregation for Clergy and to speak at seminars for recently appointed bishops; the training seminars are organised by the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

The commission has completed a template meant to help all Church entities—from bishops’ conferences to Catholic associations—in formulating guidelines in preventing and responding appropriately to abuse.

Pope Francis was set to receive the template “shortly”, according to the commission press release.

At the request of a clerical abuse survivor from Canada, the com-

Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, a psychologist and member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, meets abuse survivors.

(Photo: Tony Gentile/CnS) mission developed a proposal for a universal Day of Prayer because “prayer is one part of the healing process for survivors and the community of believers” and public gatherings for prayer also help raise awareness about the issue, it said.

Pope Francis received the proposal and has asked “that national bishops’ conferences choose an appropriate day on which to pray for the survivors and victims of sexual abuse as part of a Universal Day of Prayer initiative”, it said.

The reason a universal date was not set is because a number of bishops’ conference around the world already have specific days set aside for penance and prayer for victims and their healing, commission member Jesuit Father Zollner said.

For example, the Church in Australia adopted the nation’s own Day for Child Protection to mark its Day of Prayer.

The commission said it has resources like prayers for Mass, liturgical texts and other materials available on request as part of the Day of Prayer initiative.—CNS

6

The Southern Cross, September 21 to September 27, 2016

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Light a candle when words fail WAS touched by the prayer “Can- when we try to pray—a helplessness Idle” (page 3 of September 7). which, for me, was given such enSome of the wording was similar couragement by the words spoken in

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Pray for our bishops

S

HOULD an enterprising researcher conduct a survey of what quality lay people appreciate most in priests and bishops, humility would doubtless rank highly, perhaps even top such a poll.

One often hears lay people reacting to an encounter with a bishop with the observation that “he was so humble”, perhaps signifying that this attribute was unexpected.

This expectation may well derive from an idea that the bishop should be impressed by his office.

Bishops and priests who communicate with laity as equals are likely to be seen to exhibit humility.

They communicate humility most obviously by their disposition when engaging with the faithful, but also by their lifestyle and the manner in which they exercise their authority.

This is what Pope Francis is expecting from today’s bishops and clergy: men who impress through their humility, mercy and Christian witness, rather than by virtue of their title.

Pope Francis wants the bishops to open the doors of the Church to those at the peripheries—economically or socially— and to be apostles of mercy. By opening the doors of the Church, the bishops liberate Christ and bring him to the margins of society—exactly where we can locate him in the gospels—thereby offering a narrative of hope.

Today’s call for the bishops— and by extension also for the clergy and the laity—is to go out and be missionaries.

The pope is making great demands on bishops. This month he told a conference for newlyordained bishops that they must be always available for their priests.

“When a bishop gets a telephone call from a priest or he receives a letter, answer right away—the same day if possible,” the pope told the conference.

For bishops in charge of large dioceses, that is bound to be a tall order, especially if they don’t have auxiliaries. The demands on their time might preclude dealing with correspondence expeditiously.

Bishops, like any other group of people, come in all shapes and sizes. Like any of us, they have their strengths and their weaknesses, clear vision and blind spots, and they record successes

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.

and failures—which are amplified, because of their position.

It is fair game to criticise a bishop for his failings and mistakes. Sometimes it is even necessary that a bishop be removed from his position, for gross mismanagement or for having lost the confidence of the clergy and laity.

But when we offer criticism of a bishop who is not guilty of such gross mismanagement or alienating the faithful, we ought to be charitable in our appraisal.

Being a bishop can be a lonely and colossal task, performed by a relatively small number of men who must find ways of meeting the trust that has been invested in them.

The price of the mitre is indeed steep: a bishop must take decisions that will not please everybody. A good bishop will make difficult and hopefully wise judgments, even at risk of upsetting his friends. Expectations of him differ so much that invariably he will disappoint somebody at some point. And a bishop knows that some people will find it difficult to pardon a mistake or lapse in judgment.

A bishop is expected to be a father, brother and friend to his clergy, and a shepherd to the laity. He must also be a spiritual leader, pastor, administrator, human resource executive, social advocate, promoter of vocations, psychologist, arbitrator, moderator, reconciler, teacher and student, and guarantor of unity within his diocese—preferably exercising all these roles with a measure of collegiality. No man can excel in all these tasks.

The Body of Christ must be thankful to those who assume these great responsibilities. We must pray for our bishops that they may satisfy the enormous expectations invested in them, that they exercise their authority with wisdom, that they will not be discouraged when things go wrong and remain humble when things go well; and that they will not be too lonely.

We must commend our bishops when they perform their obligations well. And when they do not, we must feel able to communicate our concerns as well, with charity and respect.

Above all, we must give thanks to our bishops for their selfless service to the People of God, and offer our prayers for them in their demanding ministry.

to a candle prayer that I discovered many years ago—I don’t even remember where.

But I printed it out and hung it on the wall next to the statue of Our Lady in Queenstown’s cathedral, when I was parish priest there.

Some of the wording used by the anonymous author reflects the helplessness that we often experience

Communion is for all believers

A

LLOW me to comment on the Open Door article “Is Anglican Communion OK?” (August 31).

I would say that not only is it OK but desirable. Anglicans offer the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Until very recently I used to attend Mass at 7:00 every morning except Saturday and Sunday. The priests used to offer the body and blood of our Saviour, but have since stopped, giving the communicant only the wafer.

Some other Catholic churches I attended offered the full meal. For me the wine is an essential part of the sacrifice.

Our Saviour was the sacrificial Lamb of God, the blood of the new Covenant and in the Jewish tradition it was the blood of the sacrificed that was offered on the altar.

Christ died for all, not only Catholics. I once attended a nuptial Mass at Actonville some 15 years ago. The Catholic priest invited all to participate to join in the supper of the Lord.

Some time later this priest of vision was questioned by me, and responed “Do I think that if Jesus Christ came down from heaven, he would celebrate Mass only with Catholics?”

This same priest invited Jews for Jesus to the church and had a Passover meal in the church as celebrated by Jews. Can you imagine a Passover meal without the wine?

Alex Jones, a former evangelical pastor, now Catholic, gave a talk on EWTN. Radio Veritas broadcast his talk in June this year.

Mr Jones explained the constitution of the Eucharist perfectly by starting with Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17 Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 7:24 etc) until the final glass of wine on the cross.

In this regard I would refer you to the Southern Cross of June 15, and the letter “Answering Anti-Catholics” by John Lee of Johannesburg.

The talk by Alex Jones is worthy of being printed verbatim by The Southern Cross.

John Driver, Daveyton

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a conference given to his monks at Ampleforth Abbey, England, by Abbot Basil Hume OSB, before he was appointed to the See of Westminster.

He said at that time: “The desire to pray, is already prayer.”

I attach this “Candle Prayer” hereto in case it might be interesting to somebody.

Anglicans have no valid clergy

R

EGARDING Tiro Amos Dinake’s question in Open Door (August 31) about communion in the Anglican Church, I would like to add the following.

There is no transubstantiation in the Anglican Church for the simple reason that there is no clergy in the Anglican Church.

What passes for Anglican priests in Catholic eyes are just laypeople who have been invalidly ordinated and that since the 16th century.

Pope Leo XIII confirmed this fact in 1896 when he said that Anglican orders are “absolutely null and utterly void”.

As far as Catholic holy orders go, Archbishop Tutu would be just simply Dr Tutu.

JH Goossens, Pretoria

Power and fervour are needed now

I

N the 1970s I read about charismatic renewal, for the first time, in The Southern Cross, and started attending meetings at Victory Park parish in Johannesburg.

I was totally “blown away” by the fervour I experienced there, especially in the prayer. This was something I wanted and needed, but thought it was only possible in the early Church, “to kickstart” it.

These people seemed to really know the Lord. And the love among the members there was real—as in the early Church. At first the prayer in tongues (1 Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

Letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

WHEN YOU LIGHT A CANDLE I lit a candle I lit a candle I didn’t know how to pray, I didn’t know what to say.

The light I offered was a little of what I have, a little of my time, a little of myself.

I left it before the Lord, before the Blessed Virgin and the whole company of heaven.

The flame stood for my prayer which is always with me.

Fr Barry John Reabow SAC, Queenstown Corinthians 12: 1-10) seemed strange, but I knew that this was a common occurrence in the early Church and in the lives of some saints, such as the Curé of Ars. The testimony of healings, conversions, and so on, being reported astounded me.

After attending my second meeting, my wife and I were prayed over for the “release of the Spirit” which is an “empowering”, as it were, or unwrapping of the gift received at baptism and confirmation, which many of us Catholics seem unable to “unwrap” at initiation, and to witness with power—the main reason for the Church’s existence, in fact.

I could hardly believe those present at these meetings were Catholics, so fervent and powerful was the singing, so numerous the references to Scripture and so “alive” the spontaneous prayer.

We Catholics “say” set prayers—nothing wrong with that, as long as the heart and mind are turned to God. But if we’re in love with Jesus, as we should be, telling him of our love and presenting our requests in our own words, however simple, will touch the heart of God as well.

Today this renewal has entered all aspects of the Church’s life, which Pope Paul VI described as a “chance for the Church and the world”, during the charismatic conference in Rome in 1975.

Does it last?

If one watches EWTN on TV, one will observe several of the original international leaders in this renewal, some of whom I know, and are still active in leadership capacities in the Church, after more than 40 years—leaders such as Patti Gallagher-Mansfield, Bert Ghezzi and Ralph Martin.

We need, more than ever, for the whole Church to experience the fire, individually, of the new Pentecost that Pope St John XXIII prayed for so fervently at the start of Vatican II in the 1960s.

Come Holy Spirit, come now with your power and the fire of your love!

John Lee, Johannesburg

PERSPECTIVES

The new meeting places S OMETIMES Catholic communication seems like an oxymoron, like military intelligence or clean government.

As The Southern Cross prepares to celebrate its 5 000th issue next week, we can ask about the contribution of Catholics to communication and how this communication impacts the message of the Gospel.

As the person responsible for communication for the bishops’ conference for seven years, I experienced the joys and extreme frustration of the efforts of Catholics to communicate.

The listing of the frustration would easily take up the next 400 editions of the paper, so I won’t do too much of that. Save to say that until communication is regarded as a constituent element of the Gospel, we won’t be getting anywhere.

That needs funding, training, support and competent people in each parish, organisation, sodality, diocese and the bishops’ conference.

But let’s look at what is being done. In the few years since I left the bishops’ conference, there are two phenomena that have changed the Catholic communication landscape—I think for the better. The first of these is the widespread adoption and influence of Twitter. The second is the power of group communications like WhatsApp. Twitter has changed the landscape by allowing a much broader spread of a type of “citizen journalism” in a way that far surpasses the “I had cornflakes for breakfast” appeal of Facebook.

Twitter has allowed the linking and quick dissemination of information (sometimes of questionable progeny) to a very broad audience. The expression “it spread like wildfire” really applies to Twitter!

The broadscale influence can be seen in how for instance the student protests

#feesmustfall spread all over the country in a matter of hours. Even the use of the hashtag is a twitter phenomenon. Pope Francis and the many Catholic communicators active on Twitter are some of the nicest people I follow—and I follow and interact with over 2 000 people on Twitter The group communication enabled by platforms like WhatsApp have also made local communication much quicker. I wonder how cellphone companies continue to offer WhatsApp as “part of the package” when it surely must have killed much of their phone business. I am one who seldom uses my phone as a phone.

W

hatsApp as a local communication method has also had untold damage on our ability to communicate face to face.

One only has to go out to a restaurant or sit at the back of the church during a homily to see how much we are hooked to our phones and the immediacy of the message.

But the upside is that we are more able to share our needs and our joys.

Putting these two together, we get to see

Social media has revolutionised the way we communicate, and the Church can use this to spread the Gospel.

Fr Chris Townsend

The Southern Cross, September 21 to September 27, 2016

Pastor’s notebook

that ‘“the medium is the message”—Marshall McLuhan’s iconic and indeed prophetic lens through which we view our universe. It’s this meaning/message symbiosis that I think is the way forward for the Church—finding the immediacy of social media a platform for the daily and continuous good.

One of the most profound spiritual books that I read, and which remains a spiritual classic in my life, is Jean Pierre de Caussade’s Self Abandonment to Divine Providence. In it, the central concept is the idea of the sacrament of the present moment— an idea that I see played out beautifully in the Church’s use of media such as Twitter and WhatsApp groups.

We can use the media of the moment for good—not just slagging off the authority or complaining—which takes the majority of Twitter traffic. We need to immerse ourselves in trying to use the media for the message of the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

WhatsApp has revolutionised parish communication in many ways. I notice this in the way that interest groups have quickly turned into prayer groups.

I am part of a WhatsApp group formed in preparation for our pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2015. A practical response to the many questions people have before a pilgrimage has turned into a prayer and fellowship group that has remained active for over a year now. We all post, participate and pray.

The immediacy of the medium is then the immediacy of our message.

This is Catholic communication: not PR but content—our life in Christ.

Consecrated by circumstances Judith Turner O N a recent flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, the flight attendant announced that there was a medical emergency on board and she asked whether there was anyone who could assist.

I saw a woman raise her hand. She put down her magazine, unbuckled her seat belt, got up and followed the flight attendant to the front of the cabin.

While watching this scene I was reminded of an article I read some years back, which spoke of being set apart or being consecrated by circumstance or need.

What I understood from that article is that in our daily lives we may have experiences of being set apart or of being consecrated by circumstance to do something good which we did not plan to do, to be of help and to give of ourselves to others.

This consecration takes our freedom away. We are no longer free to do what we ordinarily would have done. Like the woman on the plane: she was no longer free to continue reading her magazine and enjoy her flight.

Of course, she could have decided not to raise her hand and continue reading her magazine, she was free to do that—but she would have relinquished part of her being human and the oath she took as a doctor.

At that point in time, by who she was and what she could do, she was a woman consecrated and set apart to do something good, and she was no longer free to do her own will. At that point she did not plan to be consecrated for something good, but she was consecrated by circumstance, and her

Faith and life

at baptism we are consecrated and set apart for the very purpose of doing good. own agenda was put on hold.

All of us are set apart to do God’s holy work—that’s what our baptismal consecration means. Consecration means to be set apart to be or do something holy.

Churches are consecrated, setting that space aside for a holy purpose. Altars of new churches are consecrated, setting them aside for a holy purpose. The hands of a newly-ordained priest are consecrated, setting them aside for God's service, the holy purpose of offering the sacraments. And the baptised and the confirmed are consecrated, setting these Christians aside for a holy purpose, consecrating them for God's service.

N

ot all of us remember our baptisms.

We do not remember the gift which we receive through baptism. The mission we received at baptism is not part of our everyday thoughts, and we do not think about baptisms whenever we do something good or holy. But our purpose, our mission and our intention to do good and holy things

OUR GIFT TO YOU!

flows from our baptism, because at baptism we are consecrated and set apart for this very purpose of doing good, of doing Christ’s mission.

Many of us have the experience of being “disturbed” by someone needing our help when we really do not want it to happen.

For instance, while watching television someone rings the doorbell to ask for food.

This might annoy us, because it is not nice to be disturbed at such time. We then go to the window to see who it is. If we see it is someone coming for food, chances are that we might not open the door—and not because we do not have any food to offer.

It is because we are now called to step out of our enjoyment, to step out of our comfortable space, to suspend our own agenda and do something good. At this precise moment we have been called apart and such opportunities are holy encounters.

As the aircraft landed in Cape Town, all of us were asked to remain seated for another ten minutes to allow the ambulance to collect and transport the sick passenger.

We all now had to suspend our own agenda.

Individually and collectively, knowingly and unknowingly, we were then all set apart to do something good.

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7

Chris Chatteris SJ

Pray with the Pope

Media: You are what you read General Intention: That journalists, in carrying out their work, may always be motivated by respect for truth and a strong sense of ethics.

SHORT way of summing up the journalist’s ethical “compass” is: The search for the truth for the common good.

To risk one’s career for the sake of the truth is both admirable and inspiring. We saw it in the case of the SABC journalists who refused to kowtow to their director on the issue of reporting on events which would be uncomfortable for the governing party. The courts upheld their right to freedom in what they report by ordering the SABC to reinstate them.

Were they being told to lie by their boss? Not directly, but rather to conceal important truths which are in the public interest.

There are plenty of other pressures on journalists that can lessen the ethical quality of media reporting, most notably with the dire financial straits print media are in. The so-called “tabloidisation” of serious newspapers is often an attempt to staunch the flow of financial blood. The result is that serious issues are neglected.

But we, the users of the media, need to examine our consciences too and ask whether our media tastes help journalists to follow their code.

If we are avid Kardashian followers, are we not leading journalists into temptation, for when the headlines are dominated by stories about the doings of celebrities, the really important stories get neglected. The philosophical tradition that bad literature leads to bad behaviour is worth reflecting on in the media context.

The paparazzi get their material published because we, the public, buy it, and these pictures and stories can crowd out the real issues and coarsen our ethical sensitivity.

Let us therefore pray for journalists, but also for ourselves because we indirectly shape what they produce.

A

Our mission to announce the Gospel Missionary Intention: That World Mission Day may renew within all Christian communities the joy of the Gospel and the responsibility to announce it.

ORLD Mission Day, which we celebrate annually on the penultimate Sunday of October, was started by Pope Pius XI in 1926 as a day of prayer for missions.

Pope Francis places this year’s World Mission Day in the context of the Year of Mercy. He writes that “the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which the Church is celebrating, casts a distinct light on World Mission Sunday 2016: it invites us to consider the missio ad gentes as a great, immense work of mercy, both spiritual and material”.

We are all invited, he continues, “to ‘go out’ as missionary disciples, each generously offering their talents, creativity, wisdom and experience in order to bring the message of God’s tenderness and compassion to the entire human family”.

He uses several very feminine images in his message, for example: “When speaking of the womb, the Bible uses the word that signifies mercy: therefore it refers to the love of a mother for her children, whom she will always love, in every circumstance and regardless of what happens, because they are the fruit of her womb.”

This all sounds very beautiful, but Pope Francis knows that it will mean reaching beyond ourselves. Referring to his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), he writes that “all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the ‘peripheries’ in need of the light of the Gospel”.

Where are these “peripheries”? Most of us are unlikely to go and preach the Gospel in China, as a young South African member of my congregation has recently done. But “peripheries” may actually be geographically quite close—estranged members of one’s family or difficult, cranky neighbours, or people cut off from human contact because of sickness or poverty or some other kind of alienation.

Before the conclave, Pope Francis gave a fourminute address which some observers believe got him elected. In it he stressed the need to build a Church which would cease to be self absorbed and would go out on mission to the non-geographical “existential peripheries”, to those “places” where we find sin, pain, injustice, ignorance, misery and indifference to religion.

The “peripheries” are all around us, if we but look and listen carefully, and that is where we are called to go and proclaim the Good News. n For a brief monthly video message from the pope on one of his intentions go to www.thepopevideo.org

W

8

The Southern Cross, September 21 to September 27, 2016

COMMUNITY

Holy Childhood Sister Rose drescher (left) celebrated her diamond jubilee of religious profession at St Bendict’s cathedral in Eshowe with Bishop Xolelo Thaddaeus Kumalo, regional superior Sr assumpta Hadebe and her community.

Our lady of Health of Vailankanni parish in durban commemorated Women’s day at High Tea for women from three parishes in the Chatsworth area, with the theme “denims and diamonds” in Our lady of Vailankanni Hall.

Holy Cross Primary School in aliwal north, celebrated national Bible Week with a “Bible Corner” in each classroom and a Bible quiz for the whole school.

Send your photos to pics@scross .co.za

Follow us on Instagram! @southern crossmedia

St Kizito Children’s Programme, in partnership with Samaritan’s Feet, were able to give 22 children in lentegeur, Cape Town, new shoes. a volunteer washed the feet of the children before handing over the new shoes. St Kizito’s is a parish-based response to orphaned and vulnerable children. Contact info@stkizito.org.za

Molopo deanery in Mahikeng, diocese of Kimberley, celebrated the feast of the assumption with archbishop abel Gabuza. The theme of the celebration was the year of Mercy and family life.

St dominic’s Priory in Port Elizabeth celebrated its feast day and reunion weekend with dominican schools from around the area. as part of the festivities, the drama department staged their interhouse plays and a sports day was held. The past pupils association celebrating 10-68-year reunions, hosted a reunion dinner.

St luke’s Salesian mission in Maputsoe, lesotho, celebrated the feast of don Bosco with 3 000 young people from St Boniface High School, St luke’s Primary School, Mazzarello Vocational Training Centre, Ferrando Centre, laura Preschool and Ha Chaka Primary School, all served by the Salesian family, gathering for Mass in the parish church.

The Southern Cross, September 21 to September 27, 2016

INTERVIEW

9

Nuncio on his job, bishops and potjies Archbishop Peter Wells, the apostolic nuncio to South Africa, made a special visit to The Southern Cross’ offices in Cape Town. He was interviewed by GünTHER SiMMERMaCHER and Mandla ZiBi.

A

MAJOR challenge which the new papal nuncio, Archbishop Peter Wells, is likely to face during his tenure in the Southern African region is the appointment of three of South Africa’s five archbishops.

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban turned 75 on March 8; Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria will be 75 in 2018 and the following year Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo of Bloemfontein will reach his retirement age.

Bishops are required to submit their resignations to the pope upon reaching the age of 75. While the pope may ask the incumbent to extend his service by a few years, the Holy See will nevertheless be already considering the question of succession.

Even if Archbishop Wells’ tenure in Southern Africa turns out to be a short three years, he will be involved in planning the succession in all three archdioceses aside from the other dioceses that may fall vacant during his time here.

In an interview with The Southern Cross during a special visit to its offices—Archbishop Wells and Mgr Kevin Randall, councillor in the nunciature, travelled to Cape Town specifically to visit the Catholic newspaper—the nuncio discussed what kind of attributes would he be looking for in candidates for archbishops?

He noted that “the issue of appointments is complicated and multi-layered”.

“First of all, we need to look at what type of bishop or archbishop Pope Francis wants today. We often forget that it is the pope that nominates, not the nuncio. We assist but finally it is the pope who takes the decision,” the archbishop said.

“A lot of us know just from looking at Pope Francis what kind of people he wants. He wants men who are first of all men of prayer; [that is] absolutely essential. He also wants men who are very transparent, in their lives and their activities.

Transparency is so important in the Church today, we all know that,” Archbishop Wells said. “ I think it is also important that they be men of the people; very comfortable in any kind of situation, whether being with politicians or university professors or out in the parish with men and women, or people working in the street, doing domestic work or working at the local butchery store.

You have to be comfortable with all of those people and it is not very easy to find someone who can manage to be like that in every kind of setting.”

A great love for the poor, the archbishop added, was another key element of the skills set the Church is looking for in someone to lead diocese.

“We need men who really love the poor and are not afraid—not only to talk about it, but to go out and be with the poor. To sit down at table with them and share what little they have, and even if they have nothing to share, that is fine,” he said.

“Mother Teresa is a great example of someone who often did not have anything to give, except of herself, her love and concern and that is what people need today.”

Asked whether demographics will be a factor in choosing new archbishops, the nuncio pointed to the “complex nature of the process”, which would “take me a

while, to see exactly what we need.”

“We will do a sounding. We will hear a number of people from that area—and not only the archdiocese but from the entire metropolitan region—to find out what type of leader do they need today. We’ll listen to priests, to religious and to lay people, and that is where we will base the identikit for the type of person that Pope Francis might want in the future for this or that diocese,” he said.

Asked whether he would look only at serving bishops to fill vacant archdioceses, Archbishop Wells said “not necessarily”.

While there are people who have experience as bishops, “you might have someone who is in another type of work who also would be a very good leader for an archdiocese”. he said.

“I think you might have seen what Pope Francis has done recently, where a number of people have been named archbishops without having been necessarily bishops in dioceses.

It is what that diocese needs at that particular time and who the suitable candidates are that could fulfil that and not only suitable but worthy to go into that situation at that time. So, I am very open,” he said.

Archbishop Wells also answered some of our more light-hearted questions: How does one address a nuncio?

Generally speaking, it depends on the country. In the US people would just call me “Archbishop”.

In Italy it is always “Eccellenza”, which is “Your Excellency”. That is often used kind of universally and in the States as well. In parts of the commonwealth and the United Kingdom people refer to “Your Grace”, which is the common nomenclature for an archbishop.

Some people just call me “Father”, probably the nicer term [laughs]. I also like my first name a lot. Some bishops just call me Peter…I’m not into titles, I guess, just as long as you get the work done. I answer to whatever, just don’t call me late for dinner! [laughs].

What does a nuncio do?

It is a twofold job. In the first instance you act, as in this area of mine, as the main interlocutor of Pope Francis to the local churches, the local bishops, religious and priests.

And also because you are an accredited ambassador, you act as his plenipotentiary to all the countries to which you are accredited.

So you act for the Holy Father, as head of state, as his interlocutor to governments. The job goes from the simplest things to the most complicated; from visiting local parishes, conducting Mass and confirmations, to negotiating bilateral treaties between the Holy See and one of the countries I am assigned to, for instance on some diplomatic matter or human rights concerns around the poor.

After just over three months in the country, what are your impressions of South Africa?

Very, very positive overall. I’ve had an easier transition than I expected, mainly because I’m Anglophone and this is an Anglophone place, which makes it easy for us.

There are also many similarities here with the Church I grew up with [in the United States]; I come from an area that is predominantly Protestant, with Catholics only making up about 3,2% of the area.

So I was used to being in a place that was not saturated with Catholicism, a place where many people did not know anything much about it; many did not even know where the pope was.

I also think [being a minority] gives people in the Church here, whether in leadership or not, a similar attitude about their faith, similar feelings; they are very strong Catholics in many ways because

maybe they are in the minority, but also they are very open to sharing their experiences of faith with others who are not of their own faith community, and they are accepting also of others of different faiths, whether Christian or not.

A lot of that comes from the background of having been in a minority situation.

I have also found that the current situation in South Africa, with many things which are still tense, unresolved—it reminds me a lot of what I saw in my own area after the segregation had finished, a situation that you saw in those areas of the southern United States in particular.

An attempt to try to deal with a situation, to try to move towards integration but not so successfully always. It is not an easy process, changing the laws does not mean you are going to change overnight, and I think a lot of times people are being a bit naïve about that.

So I see a lot of similarities between here and the US, where the US is still going through the same things and will continue to do so for some time.

On a lighter note, have you had potjiekos yet?

No, what is it?

All kinds of meat and vegetables cooked outside in an iron pot over a fire…

Oh, yes! We did have that one then. We went to a parish priest’s house and they had a pot. I thought were going to have a braai but no, they had this big pot cooking outside and it was delicious. Yes we did have that! And I have been to a number of braais (laughs).

And Mopani worms?

No, that I have not had yet. I have had a lot of biltong but not Mopani worms—maybe I should be grateful! (laughs).

What do you think of The Southern Cross?

To be honest with you, I am impressed with The Southern Cross.

One of the things I realise is the

a chb shop Pe e We s he uS bo n papa nunc o o Sou he n a ca du ng h s v s o The Sou he n C oss challenge for print media today. It is not easy to be this type of publication, and especially now that everything is going to web-based electronic forms of free information, it is very hard to keep a sub-

Download or listen to the full interview at www.scross.co.za/podcasts

scriber base.

I can see why that challenge has been overcome here—even though you still have some challenges. It is because the paper is interesting, it is challenging at times, and also current, which I think is very important.

So, we like it, and always can’t wait to get our Southern Cross.

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Priest: All must fight crime Psoapinet: Nweilwl

BY MANDLA ZIBI

always be ‘Mother Teresa’

I

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

H

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 swelter-

The Southern Cross/Radio Veritas pilgrimage group that travelled to Italy for the canonisation of Mother Teresa is seen in front of the basilica of St John Lateran. The group was led by Radio Veritas’ Fr Brian Mhlanga OP (front third from right), substituting 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 doors 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.

and hijackings”.

He also welcomed remarks by

On sexual violence, Fr Pearson noted that non-governmental or-

or

y, Pop God’s will is explaine of the prophets: “I wa sacrifice.”

Like Mother Ter Christians are called perform acts of chari charity as a vocation each day in love”.

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Feed your soul with The

S outher n C ross

IT’S WORTH IT!

10

The Southern Cross, September 21 to September 27, 2016

YOUTH

Youth exodus: What we can do?

Young Catholics who leave the Church in South Africa give much the same reasons young people the world over give for doing so. MaTT HadRO found out what we can do about it.

Y

OUNG Catholics in the US are leaving the faith at an early age—sometimes before the age of 10—and their reasons are deeper than being “bored at Mass”, the author of a new report claims.

“Those that are leaving for no religion—and a pretty big component of them saying they are atheist or agnostic—it turns out that when you probe a bit more deeply and you allow them to talk in their own words, that they are bringing up things that are related to science and a need for evidence and a need for proof,” said Dr Mark Gray, a senior research associate at the Centre for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at the Jesuit Georgetown University in Washington, DC. “It’s almost a crisis in faith,” he said. “In the whole concept of faith, this is a generation that is struggling with faith in ways that we haven’t seen in previous generations.”

Dr Gray recently published the results of two national studies by CARA—which conducts social science research about the Church— in the US weekly Our Sunday Visitor.

One of the surveys was of those who were raised Catholic but no longer identified as Catholic, ages 15-25. The second survey was of

self-identified Catholics age 18 and over.

In exploring why young Catholics were choosing to leave the faith, he noted “an emerging profile” of youth who say they find the faith “incompatible with what they are learning in high school or at the university level”.

In a perceived battle between the Catholic Church and science, the Church is losing—and it is losing Catholics at a young age.

“The interviews with youth and young adults who had left the Catholic faith revealed that the typical age for this decision to leave was made at 13,” Dr Gray wrote.

“Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed, 63%, said they stopped being Catholic between the ages of 10 and 17. Another 23% say they left the faith before the age of 10.”

Of those who had left the faith, “only 13% said they were ever likely to return to the Catholic Church”, Dr Gray wrote. And “absent any big changes in their life”, he said to CNA, they “are probably not coming back”.

T

he most common reason given for leaving the Catholic faith, by one in five respondents, was they stopped believing in God or religion. This was evidence of a “desire among some of them for proof, for evidence of what they’re learning about their religion and about God”, Dr Gray said.

It’s a trend in the popular culture to see atheism as “smart” and the faith as “a fairy tale”, he said.

“And I think the Church needs to come to terms with this as an issue of popular culture,” he continued. “I think the Church perhaps needs to better address its history and its relationship to science.”

One reason for this might be

Research in the uS shows that young people are leaving the Catholic Church because secular society convinced them that having Christian faith is “dumb”, and religion and science are incompatible. a sociologist has identified three key components in the retaining young Catholics. the compartmentalisation of faith and education, where youth may go to Mass once a week but spend the rest of their week learning how the faith is “dumb”, he noted.

In contrast, if students are taught evolution and the Big Bang theory at the same school where they learn religion, and they are taught by people with religious convictions, then “you’re kind of shown that there’s no conflicts between those, and you understand the Church and Church history and its relationship to science”, he said.

With previous generations who learned about both faith and science as part of a curriculum, that education “helped them a lot in dealing with these bigger questions”, he explained, “and not see-

ing conflict between religion and science”.

F

ather Matthew Schneider, a priest who worked in youth ministry for four years, emphasised that faith and science must be presented to young people in harmony with each other.

A challenge, he explained, is teaching how “faith and science relate” through philosophy and theology. While science deals only with “what is observable and measurable, the world needs something non-physical as its origin, and that’s how to understand God along with science”, he said.

“It was the Christian faith that was the birthplace of science,” he continued. “There’s not a contradiction” between faith and science, “but it’s understanding each

one in their own realms”.

How can parents raise their children to stay in the faith? Fr Schneider cited research by Christian Smith, a professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame, who concluded that a combination of three factors produces an 80% retention rate among young Catholics.

• If they have a “weekly activity” like catechesis, Bible study or youth group; • If they have adults at the parish who are not their parents and who they can talk to about the faith; • If they have “deep spiritual experiences”, they have a much higher likelihood of remaining Catholic, Fr Schneider said.

More parents need to be aware of their childrens’ beliefs, Dr Gray noted, as many parents don’t even know that their children may not profess to be Catholic.

The Church is “very open” to science, he emphasised, noting the affiliation of non-Catholic scientists with the Pontifical Academy of Science, including physicist Stephen Hawking, a noted atheist.

There is “no real conflict” between faith and science, Dr Gray said.

“The Church has been steadily balancing matters of faith and reason since St Augustine’s work in the fifth century,” he wrote.

“Yet, the Church has a chance of keeping more of the young Catholics being baptised now if it can do more to correct the historical myths about the Church in regard to science,” he said.

The Church must “continue to highlight its support for the sciences, which were, for the most part, an initial product of the work done in Catholic universities hundreds of years ago”.—CNA

A NEW WAY OF HELPING THE SOUTHERN CROSS There is a NEW way to become part of The Southern Cross through a monthly contribution to the Associates’ Campaign. Our new Dorothy Day patron category is available for those who wish to make a monthly debit or credit card contribution of any amount.

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CLASSIFIEDS Valerie Magdalena Oliver

V

ALERIE Magdalena Oliver (née Green), was born on November 9 1947 and died on August 10 after a long illness, aged 68.

Mrs Oliver spent 26 years of her life teaching in various schools in and around Mitchells Plain and also in Elsie’s River.

After her teacher training at St Augustine Teachers’ Training College in Parow, Elnor Primary in Elsie’s River was the first school she taught at.

After she retired from teaching, Mrs Oliver spent her time serving the parish community of St Stephen’s, teaching catechism and as extraordinary minister of

IN MEMORIAM

Pope: Culture of encounter overcomes indifference in families and society day’s Gospel reading in which Jesus raised the son of a widow from the dead after he saw the mother’s suffering and “was moved with pity for her”.

Christ’s encounter with the woman “makes us reflect on our way of interacting with each other,” the pope said.

Pope Francis said that in reaching out to this woman’s suffering, Jesus shows not only tenderness, but the fruitfulness of encounter “that restores people and things to their rightful place”.

“It’s not enough to see. No, [we must] look. If I don’t stop, if I don’t look, if I don’t touch, if I don’t speak, I cannot have an encounter and I cannot help build a culture of encounter,” the pope said.

M

EN and women must work to build a culture of encounter in order to overcome today’s habit of turning a blind eye to the suffering of others, Pope Francis said.

“We are accustomed to a culture of indifference,” the pope said during morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, “and we must strive and ask for the grace to create a culture of encounter, of a fruitful encounter, of an encounter that restores to each person his or her own dignity as a child of God, the dignity of a living person,” the pope said in his homily.

The pope reflected on the

Liturgical Calendar Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday September 25 Amos 6:1, 4-7, Psalms 146:7-10, 1 Timothy 6: 11-16, Luke 16:19-31 Monday September 26, Ss Cosmas and Damian Job 1:6-22, Psalms 17:1-3, 6-7, Luke 9:46-50 Tuesday September 27, St Vincent de Paul Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23, Psalms 88:2-8, Luke 9:51-56 Wednesday September 28, St Wenceslas, Ss Lawrence Ruiz and companions Job 9:1-12, 14-16, Psalms 88:10-15, Luke 9:57-62 Thursday September 29, Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, Psalms 138:1-5, John 1:4751 Friday September 30, St Jerome Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5, Psalms 139:1-3, 7-10, 13-14, Luke 10:13-16 Saturday October 1, St Thérèse of the Child Jesus Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17, Psalms 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130, Luke 10:17-24 Sunday October 2 Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4, Psalms 95:1-2, 6-9, 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14, Luke 17:5-10

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People today, he continued, are in need of an encounter with Jesus and his word, particularly today where “within the heart of society, which is the family, there is no encounter”.

“In our families, at the dinner table, how many times while eating, do people watch the TV or write messages on their cellphones. Each one is indifferent to that encounter,” he said.

Pope Francis called on Christians to follow Jesus’ example and “to be moved by pity” for those who suffer.

“Draw near, touch them and say in the language that comes to each one of us in that moment —the language of the heart: ‘Do not weep’ and give them at least a touch of life.”—CNS

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

CAPE TOWN: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Durbanville fun walk. October 29, 8:00 to 13:00., at durbanville Racecourse. Parking, food, crafts, jumping castle. Entry fee 5km walk, age 6-12 R30. age 13-59 R60. age 60+ R30. Contact ourlady@ctnet.co.za Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. Mass on last Saturday of every month at 9:30 at Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Followed by vigil at Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street. Contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br daniel SCP on 078 739 2988.

DURBAN:

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Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • deaths • in memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • accommodation • Holiday accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,60 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

Holy Communion, serving at the altar and taking Communion to the sick.

Mrs Oliver had a love and passion for teaching, especially children, and she carried out her duties in love and simplicity.

She had a great love and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Eucharist.

She was also involved in prison ministries.

Her Requiem Mass was celebrated by Fr Siyabonga Dube OMI, assisted by Deacon Vincent Bell, who also preached at the Mass.

Brother Daniel Ambrose Manuel SCP

By JunnO aROCHO ESTEVES

The Southern Cross, September 21 to September 27, 2016

Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St anthony’s parish every Tuesday at 9am.

Holy Mass and Divine Mercy Devotion at 17:30pm on first Friday of every month. Sunday Mass at 9am.

031 309 3496.

9018 or 031 209 2536.

Overport rosary group. at Emakhosini Hotel, 73 East Street every Wednesday at 6.30 pm.

NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St Peter’s parish every Tuesday from 8:00 to 16:45, followed by Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 17:30pm.

Neighbourhood Old Age Homes

We can use your old clothing, bric-a-brac, furniture and books for our second-hand shop in Woodstock, Cape Town.

Help us to create an avenue to generate much needed funds for our work with the elderly.

Contact Ian Veary on 021 447 6334 www.noah.org.za

BROWN—Sybil-ann. in loving memory of Sybil-ann Brown who passed away on September 21, 2011.you are always in our thoughts and prayers. your strength has become our strength. lovingly remembered by your son Ruben, daughterin-law Gloria, and grandchildren Randall, Grant, nadine and Robert.

LEITE—Jacqui. Formerly of Cape Town, died on September 22, 2014 in Port Elizabeth. you suffered much, without complaint. always in my thoughts and prayers. Missed and lovingly remembered by your brother Patrick.

PRAYERS

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

tance. 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.

LORD, inspire those men and women who bear the titles “husband” and “wife”.

Help them to look to you, to themselves, to one another to rediscover the fullness and mystery they once felt in their union. let them be honest enough to ask: “Where have we been together and where are we going?” let them be brave enough to question: “How have we failed?” let each be foolhardy enough to say: “For me, we come first.”

Help them, together, to reexamine their commitment in the light of your love, willingly, openly, compassionately.

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

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: The truth will convict a

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 725. ACROSS: 4 Scourge, 8 Esther, 9 Alchemy, 10 Naaman, 11 Sylvia, 12 Tantalus, 18 Suspense, 20 Infant, 21 Wrench, 22 Tallboy, 23 Attain, 24 Heating. DOWN: 1 Keynote, 2 Strains, 3 Cedara, 5 Colossus, 6 Uphold, 7 Gambit, 13 Lost coin, 14 Ananias, 15 Bethany, 16 Intake, 17 Ballet, 19 Parity.

Word of the Week

Encyclical: A letter written from the pope addressed to the bishops.

Excommunicate: The punishment of cutting off a person from receiving the sacraments and exclusion from the communion of the Church.

Magisterium: The divinely appointed authority in the Church consisting of the pope and bishops whose purpose is to teach and establish the true faith without error. The magisterium alone has the right to interpret the word of God.

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in Johannesburg & beyond DStv Audio 870

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SMS 41809 MaSS followed by Mass intention 41809 VERi followed by comments

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silent Church. See www.valuelifeabortion isevil.co.za VISIT PIOUS kINTU’S official website http://ave maria832.simplesite.com This website has been set up to give glory to the Most Holy Trinity through the healing power of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

View amazing pictures of Pious Kintu’s work in Congo and various african countries since 2007. also read about african Stigmatist Reverend Sister Josephine Sul and Padre Pio among others.

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

BALLITO: up-market penthouse on beach, self-catering, 084 790 6562.

CAPE TOWN: Strandfontein. Fully equipped selfcatering two bedroom apartment, with parking, sleeps four. R600 per/night.

Paul 083 553 9856, vivilla@telkomsa.net CAPE TOWN: looking for reasonably priced accommodation over the december/January holiday period, come to Kolbe House. Set in beautiful gardens in Rondebosch. Self-catering, clean and peaceful. Safe parking. Close to all shops and public transport. Contact Pat 021 685 7370 or kolbe.house@telkomsa.net GORDON’S BAY: Harbour Park. Sleeps 2 adults and 2 children. Fully furnished. R 2100, per week. Ph alison at 084 5771 356. delton at 083 4146 534.

Traditional Latin Mass Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel 36 Central Avenue, Pinelands, Cape Town Call 0712914501 for details.

Email:sspx.capetown@gmail.com The

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Published by the proprietors, The Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd, at the company’s registered office, 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001.

The Southern Cross is published independently by the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd. address: PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000. Tel: (021) 465 5007 Fax: (021) 465 3850 www.scross.co.za

Editor: Günther Simmermacher (editor@scross.co.za), Business Manager: Pamela davids (admin@scross.co.za), Advisory Editor: Michael Shackleton, News Editor: Mandla Zibi (m.zibi@scross.co.za), Editorial: Claire allen (c.allen@scross.co.za), Mary leveson (m.leveson@scross.co.za), Advertising: yolanda Timm (advertising@scross.co.za), Subscriptions: Michelle Perry (subscriptions@scross.co.za), Accounts: desirée Chanquin (accounts@scross.co.za) Directors: R Shields (Chair), J O’leary (Vice-chair), archbishop S Brislin, S duval, E Jackson, B Jordan, Sr H Makoro CPS, J Mathurine, R Riedlinger, G Stubbs, Z Tom

Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, staff or directors of The Southern Cross.

the

27th Sunday: October 2 Readings: Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4, Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9, 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14, Luke 17:5-10

S outher n C ross

just that it will enslave us, rather than setting us free if it is an idol and not the real God. The point is that God is in charge: “In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the peaks of the mountains belong to him, to him belongs the sea—he made it!”

Then we are invited to worship this great God, and to listen: “Today if only you would pay attention to his voice; do not harden your hearts.”We have to pay attention to this God. In the second reading Paul (if indeed it was he who wrote 2 Timothy) is asking Timothy to “rekindle God’s gift to you, which is within you because of the laying-on of my hands”, for “God gave us a spirit of love and prudence, not one of cowardice”.

Do you see how the emphasis is all on what God has done? “So don’t be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, nor of me his prisoner; instead you are to suffer along with the Gospel, by God’s power.” Finally, he is instructed to “preserve what has been entrusted to you through the Holy Spirit that lives in

I

T is essential that we avoid the trap of thinking that we know better than God. That is the message of the readings for next Sunday.

In the first reading, the prophet is complaining about God’s silence: “How long shall I cry to you, Lord, and you will not listen?”

Then, once he stops talking, the Lord can get a word in edgeways: “Write down the vision, make it clear on tablets.” After that comes the reassurance: “For there is still a vision for the appointed time…it will certainly come, it will not delay.”

God is in charge, that is to say, whatever it may feel like.

The author of the psalm for next Sunday is in absolutely no doubt: “Come, let us sing to the Lord, and make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation…a great King above all the gods”; and it is no use you saying “but I thought there were no other gods”, because anything, no matter how unsatisfactory, that we put at the centre of our lives is a god; it is

S

I

t’s significant that the first word out of Jesus’ mouth in the synoptic gospels is the word, “metanoia”. Jesus begins his ministry with these words: “Repent [metanoia] and believe in the Good News”—and that, in capsule, is a summary of his entire message.

But how does one repent?

Our English translations of the gospels don’t do justice to what Jesus is saying here. They translate metanoia with the

Conrad

word “repent”. But, for us, the word repent has different connotations from what Jesus intended. In English, repentance implies that we have done something wrong and must regretfully disavow ourselves of that action and begin to live in a new way. The biblical word metanoia has much wider connotations.

The word metanoia comes from two Greek words: Meta, meaning above; and Nous, meaning mind.

Metanoia invites us to move above our normal instincts, into a bigger mind, into a mind which rises above the proclivity for self-interest and self-protection which so frequently trigger feelings of bitterness, negativity and lack of empathy inside us.

Metanoia invites us to meet all situations, however unfair they may seem, with understanding and an empathic heart. Moreover, metanoia stands in contrast to paranoia. In essence, metanoia is “non-paranoia”, so that Jesus’ opening words in the synoptic gospels might be better rendered as: “Be un-paranoid and believe that it is good news. Live in trust!”

Fr Henri Nouwen, in his small but deeply insightful book With Open Hands, describes wonderfully the difference between metanoia and paranoia. He suggests that there are two fundamental postures with which we can go through life.

We can, he says, go through life in the posture of paranoia. The posture of paranoia is symbolised by a closed fist, by a protective stance, by habitual suspicion and distrust. Paranoia has us feeling that

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Sunday Reflections

us”. What matters is the alertness to that Other which, if only we will pay attention, is knocking on our door.

The Gospel makes this point in a different way. Jesus has just been telling his apostles that if fellow-Christians sin against us, we should rebuke them, and if they repent, even if they do it seven times a day, forgive them.

Not unreasonably, they respond with incredulity: “add to our faith”.

Jesus makes no concessions to their weakness: “If you had faith [no bigger than] a grain of mustard, you would say to this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’—and it would obey you!”

Then (as so often) Jesus tells a story to remind them of how different things are when seen from God’s point of view: “Which of you, if you have a slave who is ploughing or looking after sheep, when they come in from the farm, will say to them, ‘Quick, come and sit at table’? Won’t you rather say, ‘Get me something to eat, put your clothes on and wait on me while I eat and drink—and after

Open your fist and heart OMETIMES we’re a mystery to ourselves, or, perhaps more accurately, sometimes we don’t realise how much paranoia we carry within ourselves.

A lot of things tend to ruin our day.

I went to a meeting recently and for most of it felt warm, friendly towards my colleagues, and positive about all that was happening. I was in good spirits, generous, and looking for places to be helpful.

Then, shortly before the meeting ended, one of my colleagues made a biting comment which struck me as bitter and unfair. Immediately a series of doors began to close inside me.

My warmth and empathy quickly turned into hardness and anger, and I struggled not to obsess about the incident. Moreover, the feelings didn’t pass quickly. For several days a coldness and paranoia lingered inside me, and I avoided any contact with the man who had made the negative comments while I stewed in my negativity.

Time and prayer eventually did their healing, a healthier perspective returned, and the doors that had slammed shut at that meeting opened again—and metanoia replaced my paranoia.

Nicholas King SJ

We don’t know more than God

that you are to eat and drink’?”

Now of course, Jesus, who for Luke’s gospel is God’s walking on earth, never behaved like that; but we get things horribly wrong if we start to suppose that we have rights over God, and that we can give him orders and expect to be served. Jesus adds: “Does the master give thanks to the slave because he [or she] did what they were told to do? In just the same way with you: when you have done everything you have been told to do, you are to say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done [only] what we ought to have done’.”

The God of Jesus is, of course, a loving Father, but we shall get things very badly wrong if we start to suppose that anything that we do gives us rights over the creator of the universe, the heavens and the earth and the fardistant galaxies.

There is no cheap grace here.

Southern Crossword #725

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

we forever need to protect ourselves from unfairness, that others will hurt us if we show any vulnerability, and that we need to assert our strength and talents to impress others. Paranoia quickly turns warmth into cold, understanding into suspicion, and generosity into self-protection.

T

he posture of metanoia, on the other hand, is seen in Jesus on the cross.

There, on the cross, we see him exposed and vulnerable, his arms spread in a gesture of embrace, and his hands open, with nails through them. That’s the antithesis of paranoia, wherein our inner doors of warmth, empathy, and trust spontaneously slam shut whenever we perceive a threat.

Metanoia, the meta mind, the bigger heart, never closes those doors.

Some of the early Church Fathers suggested that all of us have two minds and two hearts. For them, each of us has a big mind and a big heart. That’s the saint in us, the image and likeness of God inside us, the warm, generative, and empathic part of us. All of us harbour a true greatness within.

But each of us also has within us a petty mind and a petty heart. That’s the narcissistic part of us, the wounded part, the paranoid part that turns self-protective and immediately begins to close the doors of warmth and trust whenever we appear threatened.

Such is our inner complexity. We are both big-hearted and petty, open-minded and bigoted, trusting and suspicious, saint and narcissist, generous and hoarding. Everything depends upon which heart and which mind we are linked to and operating out of at any given moment.

One minute we are willing to die for others, a minute later we would see them dead; one minute we want to give ourselves over in love, a minute later we want to use our gifts to show our superiority over others. Metanoia and paranoia vie for our hearts.

Jesus, in his message and his person, invites us to metanoia, to move towards and stay within our big minds and big hearts, so that in the face of a stinging remark our inner doors of warmth and trust do not close.

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ACROSS 4. Instrument of Christ’s lashing (7) 8. There’s disturbance for Old Testament heroine (6) 9. Chemistry began with clay hem mixture (7) 10. Syrian captain who was a leper (2 Kg 5) (6) 11. Ivy and Sal turn to another girl (6) 12. Son of Zeus who was teased with the unobtainable (8) 18. Uses pens in uncertain state (8) 20. Jesus is Prague’s baby (6) 21 Twist your arm with this tool (6) 22. Chest of drawers not for short males (7) 23. Reach a certain age (7) 24. If it’s central you’re getting warm (7)

Solutions on page 11

DOWN

1. Musician’s opening speech? (7) 2. Makes an effort to hear the snatches of song (7) 3. Location of theological institute in archdiocese of Durban (6) 5. He doth bestride the narrow world like a ... (Julius Caesar) (8) 6. Sustain and support (6) 7. Opening for chess players (6) 13. Sweep the house to locate it (Lk 15) (4,4) 14. Husband of Sapphira (Ac 5) (7) 15. Lazarus died here (Jn 11) (7) 16. Number of novices entering (6) 17. All in bet about dancing (6) 19. In the party I find equality (6)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

N

OT so very long ago, an old German man was feeling guilty about something he had done, so he decided to go to confession.

He said: “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I feel terrible because during World War II I hid a refugee in my attic.”

The priest said: “But that’s not a sin! I wouldn’t feel bad about that if I were you!”

“But I made him agree to pay me 50 Marks for every week he stayed.”

The priest said: “Well, I admit that certainly wasn’t the most noble thing to do, charging the man to save his life—but you did save his life, after all, and that is a good thing. Don’t worry about it too much; God forgives.”

The man said: “Oh thank you, Father, that eases my mind. I have only one more question to ask you: Do I have to tell him the war is over?”

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