The
S outher n C ross
October 19 to October 25, 2016
Reg No. 1920/002058/06 No 5003
www.scross.co.za
Church leaders: Mission Sunday reflection: We’ll miss Mercy in hell Madonsela Page 2
Page 11
R8,00 (incl VAT RSA)
Interview with activist Sister
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Urban mission in the spotlight By MANdlA ZiBi
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OLY Trinity church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, became the focus of the Catholic Church’s “urban mission stations” when violence between protesting students and police spilled over its precincts, with the parish priest shot in the face by police. Just as Catholics were celebrating Mission Month, Holy Trinity’s role as a safe and sacred space, and as a bridge-building agent in the political turmoil, made international headlines with photos of a bleeding Jesuit Father Graham Pugin being led away for treatment after being struck in his mouth and chest by rubber bullets. “Holy Trinity is an urban mission station because we are in the midst of the inner city and the university. Our mission is to reach out to people in that context, offer the Good News to men and women on the streets, to professionals who work in the area, and to university staff and students,” Fr Pugin told The Southern Cross. Holy Trinity church is adjacent to the Wits University campus, and also provides chaplaincy to the nearby University of Johannesburg. In the chaos that followed stalled negotiations on the resumption of classes—with police and student confrontation flaring up again at Wits—many students fled to the church for refuge. As students gathered in the church yard, police riot vehicles drove past and fired rubber bullets at them. Fr Pugin stood impassively at the entrance to the church grounds, blocking the police from entering it. After several attempts to enter the church compound, police fire struck Fr Pugin in the chest and face. “I was praying to God that their aim was good and that they were shooting past me,” said the priest, who had been imprisoned during the apartheid era for refusing to serve in the SA Defence Force. This month’s events have served to highlight the presence of the Catholic Church and its work in cities as mission stations in a post-apartheid, and rapidly urbanising South Africa, with its many social problems such as homelessness, disease, violence and marginalisation. “In the heart of the city we are the physical presence of the Gospel—not just the building, but also in the way that we witness by being there and also by reaching out to meet needs in that context,” said Fr Pugin. “Many people come for help—material help but also spiritual help. Quite a few people come for spiritual direction,” he said. Holy Trinity “is also an important place of meeting in the area”, he said.
Fr Graham Pugin SJ stands in the way of a Nyala armoured police vehicle before he was shot with rubber bullets outside Holy Trinity church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, where students were sheltering during unrest on Wits campus. (Photo: Edward Molopi) We have Masses, like any parish, and a normal parish schedule of meetings and events. The parish hosts many events and lectures of a faith formation nature. We collaborate with the Jesuit Institute and host events they offer too.”
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very morning the church provides soup for between 80 to 200 homeless people, and a hot meal in the evening. The dedicated Society of St Vincent de Paul group also organises clothing, blankets, shoes, soap and showers for the homeless. All this is interspersed with regular weekly Bible-sharing meetings. There is also a free lunch for hungry students daily from Monday to Friday. The church also hosts a fortnightly clinic run by Wits University medical students to provide patients with primary health care
check-ups, examinations and diagnostics. The clinic was also used as a makeshift trauma unit for those injured during the student protests. “The staff are all a bit traumatised. It's been a tough few weeks with all that's happened on the campus. But, they have also all been wonderful, and when we were in the midst of the protest crisis, they worked as a great team. They are all committed to ensuring that Trinity is a safe and sacred space where people can meet, listen and dialogue. That’s important for us, building bridges,” said Fr Pugin. The commander of the police operation at Wits visited Fr Pugin, apologising to him and asking for forgiveness. “I told them I forgive them; that’s my Christian faith,” the priest told the Jesuit magazine America. “But I also made sure that
they knew that the way their operations were conducted was unacceptable. There was no need to shoot traumatised students who were seeking a place of safety.” The police have promised an independent investigation into the shooting. The mission of the Church and Holy Trinity is clear, Fr Pugin told The Southern Cross: “Our role is to preach the Good News, and we have an opportunity to be a voice of non-violence and forgiveness.” He said he remained hopeful that a resolution between the protesters, the university and government would be reached, but “we are concerned by the sense of distrust between all the role players. The high security presence and clashes between police and students have also heightened tensions, making negotiations, at this stage, much more difficult.”