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How one line by Ramaphosa said everything STAFF RePORTeR

Fr Malek Abou Tanous, superior-general of the congregation of the Maronite Lebanese Missionaries worldwide, administers Communion during Mass at our Lady Of Lebanon church in Mulbarton, Johannesburg. Concelebrating with him were Fr Maurice Chidiac, superior of the Maronite Church for Southern Africa, and Fr Jean Yammine, vice-superior and parish priest, as well as Frs Charbel Habchi and Georges Arrouk. Fr Tanous spent a week on his annual visit to the Maronite missions in South Africa. (Photo: Mark Kisogloo)

Pope: I pray for my critics BY CiNdY WOOdeN

OPE Francis has said he tries to dialogue with those who disagree with him in the hope that he will learn something; but he just prays for those who call him a heretic. “When I perceive resistance, I seek dialogue whenever it is possible; but some resistance comes from people who believe they possess the true doctrine and accuse you of being a heretic,” the pope told a group of Jesuits during a meeting last month in Santiago, Chile. The text of the meeting was published by the Jesuit journal Civiltà Cattolica this month. “When I cannot see spiritual goodness in what these people say or write, I simply pray for them,” Pope Francis said in response to a question about the “resistance” he has encountered as pope. The exchange was part of a question-andanswer session. Pope Francis told the Jesuits in Chile that he tries not to think of opposition as “resistance”, because that cuts off an opportunity for dialogue, discernment and learning something or at least recognising a need to explain something better. As for blogs and Internet sites devoted to leading the “resistance” against him, Pope Francis said: “I know who they are, I know the groups, but I do not read them for my own mental health.”

The

People are naturally resistant to change, and “this is a great temptation that we all faced in the period after the Second Vatican Council”, the pope said. The resistance continues today with some people trying to “relativise” or “water down” the council’s teachings and the course it set for the Church. “We are used to a ‘yes, you can’ or ‘no, you can’t’ mentality,” the pope said. “If you take a look at the panorama of reactions to Amoris Laetitia, you will see that the strongest criticisms of the exhortation are against the eighth chapter: ‘Can a divorced person receive Communion, or not?’ But Amoris Laetitia goes in a completely different direction; it does not enter into these distinctions,” the pope said. Instead, “it raises the issue of discernment”. Picking up the same themes during a meeting with Jesuits in Peru, the pope said he was convinced God was asking the Church to be evangelising, missionary, reaching out—the “Church as a field hospital”. “Ah, the wounds of the People of God,” he said. “Sometimes the People of God are wounded by a rigid, moralist catechism, of the ‘you can or you can’t’ variety, or by a lack of testimony.” In many ways, he said, the resistance to the changed approach he has proposed “is a good sign. It is a sign that we are on the right road, this is the road. Otherwise the devil would not bother to resist.”—CNS

HERE was one key sentence in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s first address to the nation which said a lot about where South Africa is now, a Church political analyst has said. Mike Pothier, head of research of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, pointed to the sixth-last line of Mr Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address: “We are at a moment in the history of our nation when the people, through their determination, have started to turn the country around.” “There is a lot in that sentence,” Mr Pothier said. “Firstly, not since 1994 has a president found it necessary to talk of ‘turning the country around’. Previous SONAs have assured us that we were moving in the right direction, though possibly not fast enough and not without encountering obstacles and opposition. To speak of ‘turning around’ is to concede quite explicitly that we were in fact heading for the rocks,” he explained. “Secondly, it is ‘the people, through their determination’ that started the turnaround— not the African National Congress; not the alliance; not the government. “It is the resilience of our people, expressed in myriad ways, from street protest to radio talk-shows, from investigative journalism to court applications, from withholding their votes to changing their loyalties, that has counted,” Mr Pothier noted. “The people saw through the lies and dissembling of Jacob Zuma and his cronies, and sent a message. Just about enough of the delegates to the ANC’s December conference understood the message,” he said. “Thirdly, Mr Ramaphosa correctly identified a ‘moment in our history’. We have been through an era marked by mendacity and betrayal. We now have the chance to put that behind us and shake off the cloying taint of the Zuma years,” he said. “Many commentators have drawn comparisons with the euphoric days that followed

A State of the Nation Address banner is seen near parliament in Cape Town. President [Nelson] Mandela’s accession in 1994; apart from the fact that we are more sceptical now than we were then, the comparison is not out of place. “Apartheid robbed the majority of our people of their dignity and material wellbeing. Jacob Zuma’s ANC, by embracing corruption, by subordinating the public interest to the personal enrichment of the elite, and by selling out to commercial and foreign patronage, did exactly the same,” Mr Pothier said. “So, that one sentence was sufficient to set this speech apart.” Mr Pothier applauded the early signs of the Ramaphosa presidency. “We now have a president who acknowledges that [Social Development] minister Bathabile Dlamini has been undermining the Continued on page 2

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The Southern Cross, February 28 to March 6, 2018

LOCAL

SA nun reappointed to papal commission BY eRiN CAReLSe

SOUTH African religious Sister has been reappointed by Pope Francis to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) for a second term. Precious Blood Sister Hermenegild Makoro, the secretary- general of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference who was first appointed to the commission in 2014, said the last three years had been a learning curve for her. “The accompaniment of the panel of people who have been abused or relatives of people who have been abused is an opportunity for us to actually hear their proposals to us as a commission so that we really respond to the needs of the people,” Sr Makoro told The Southern Cross.

Pope Francis has re-confirmed US Cardinal Seán O’Malley as president of the PCPM and named 16 members to this advisory body, including nine new members. Sr Makoro is one of seven returning members. In an interview with The Southern Cross last October, Sr Makoro described the work of the commission: “The commission’s specific task is to propose to the Holy Father the most opportune initiatives for protecting minors and vulnerable adults, and to promote local responsibility in the particular Churches; uniting their efforts to those of the Holy See, for the protection of all children and vulnerable adults.” Its specific task is to propose to the pope best practice initiatives for protecting minors and vulnerable

adults from the crime of sexual abuse and to promote local responsibility in the particular churches for the protection of all children, young people, and vulnerable adults. Over its first four years, the PCPM has worked with almost 200 dioceses and religious communities worldwide to raise awareness and educate people on the need for safeguarding in our homes, parishes, schools, hospitals, and other institutions. As decided by the founding members at the September 2017 plenary, the new PCPM staff will begin their term by listening to and learning from people who have been abused, their family members, and those who support them. This “victim/survivor first” approach continues to be central to all the commission’s policies and educational programmes.

The PCPM wishes to hear the voices of victims/survivors directly, in order that the advice offered to Pope Francis be truly imbued with their insights and experiences. The opening session of the April plenary meeting will begin with a private meeting with several people who have experienced abuse. The members will then discuss various proposals to foster ongoing dialogue with victims/survivors from around the world. Discussions have been underway for some months with a view to creating an international survivor advisory panel, a new structure shaped by the voices of victims/survivors and building on the experience of the Survivor Advisory Panel of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission in England and Wales.

Sr Hermenegild Makoro CPS, secretary-general of the SACBC, has been reappointed by Pope Francis to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

New stained glass window Life Teen conference registration opens lights up church’s centenary R BY NeReeSHA PATeL

EGISTRATION for Life Teen SA’s three-day Empower Joburg 2018 conference has officially opened. The conference, to be held in Centurion, Gauteng, from April 13-15 at the Padre Pio Retreat Centre, aims to facilitate new ideas about youth ministry in South Africa. “We hope that those attending the conference will leave the weekend re-energised in their ministries, ready to go back to their parishes and inspire those around them,” said an Empower 2018 statement. “We hope that youth min-

BY NeReeSHA PATeL

NEW stained glass window has been installed at St John the Baptist Catholic church in Brakpan, Gauteng, in commemoration of the church’s centennial this year. The church was opened on June 23, 1918, and is celebrating its 100th anniversary, with different events planned throughout the year. These will include the launch of a centenary booklet on March 24, a fiesta held by the Portuguese community on June 24, and a high tea on September 1. To kick off the celebrations, the church commissioned a new stained glass window. Containing 209 pieces of coloured glass held together by lead frames, the window—known as “The Holy Spirit”—features a dove in flight against a radial blue background to symbolise peace in South Africa. It was inspired by the stained glass artwork on Bernini’s altar of the Chair of Saint Peter in St Peter’s basilica in the Vatican, which depicts the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Brakpan resident and parishioner Mervyn Dansie, a stained glass artist who has been refurbishing and restoring the windows at the church for years, began working on the new window in February last year. The previous window had suffered extensive damage over the years and was ready to be replaced. To construct the window, Mr Dansie had to import glass from Mexico via a distributor in Pretoria. Each glass piece had to be cut and fitted separately into the lead framework; 132 pieces make up the inner and outer circles, while the dove itself is made up of 77 pieces. Using a crane to lift the window into

istry will be more than an interest or a job but a missionary mindset, and that we can instil that same message in our youth as they go out into the world as young Catholics.” Teachers, catechists, youth ministers, priests and religious are encouraged to attend. The conference is also open to parish youth leaders who are not involved with the Life Teen programme but may still want to take part in the sessions. Various speakers from around the country will address the conference, as will Stephen Estes, Life Teen International’s director of missions formation in the United States.

The registration fee is R900 per person. This includes accommodation and meals at the venue, which provides rooms with two to four single beds, each with their own en-suite bathroom, dining area and conference room. Space is limited to 100 stayover guests. Should numbers exceed the venue capacity, there is also the day-pass option, the cost of which is R750 per person. This option includes meals and will be available on a firstcome, first-served basis. n Registration closes on Monday, March 26. All information and registration details are at www.lifeteen.org.za/joburg/

Good Friday pilgrimage to bless proposal for mountain crucifix BY eRiN CAReLSe

The new stained glass window at St John the Baptist church in Brakpan was made by resident and parishioner Mervyn dansie (left). He is seen with parish priest Fr Kieran Birmingham. The dove in the window represents peace in South Africa. position in the choir loft of the building, it took a team of seven builders about five hours to get the window into the frame without it bending. The effect is stunning, as the interior becomes bathed in a soft blue light. That’s certainly one way to raise a glass to St John the Baptist church’s centenary.

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HRISTIANS in the Eastern Cape will make a Good Friday pilgrimage in support of plans for a huge crucifix proposed for a mountain in Grahamstown. Organised by the King Lobengula Foundation, the pilgrimage will re-enact the Paschal mystery as it leads up to Mount Zion, where the 35m-high Christ the Saviour crucifix will be erected. The aim of the procession is to bless the mountain in preparation for the crucifix, inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. Organisers hope that the

monument will capture the spirit of ecumenism and solidarity among all Christians. Sizwe Mda, chairman of the King Lobengula Foundation, which intends to build the monument, said the statue will be made with kaolin, which is mined in Grahamstown. The Christ the Saviour crucifix will be the centrepiece of a heritage route project to honour local Xhosa heroes and marginalised people who lived in the area, he told The Southern Cross. Mr Mda, the great-greatgrandson of King Lonbengula—the last king of the Ndebele in Zimbabwe—said

Waterwise schooling looks to the future

RADE 8 students from Brescia House School in Johannesburg went on a waterwise tour around their school with operations manager Paul Matthews. They were shown tips and tricks, such as harvesting water off parking lots and pathways, and directing and obtaining stormwater from high-lying neighbourhood properties. The school uses this water to irrigate its fields, playgrounds and even the herb garden, which relies solely on rainwater collection. There was discussion on the emergency water supply, the energy cost of sustaining it, and providing water in emergency periods of no council water. Brescia House was recently

Brescia House operations manager Paul Matthews explains aspects of the school’s waterwise grounds. awarded Platinum 3 status from the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa for its continued eco-efforts.

the statue would help heal the wounds of the past and attract more tourists to the area. Last year’s pilgrimage, led by Franciscan Father Peter Wilson, saw local children performing the 14 Stations of the Cross up to the top of the hill of Mount Zion, Makana’s Kop. Pilgrims will meet at 9:30 on Good Friday, March 30, at St Peter Claver Catholic church in Raglan Road, Grahamstown, to begin at 10:00. Clothes and shoes suitable for hiking are recommended. n For more information and to donate to the Christ the Saviour monument, contact Sizwe Mda on czoemda62@gmail.com

Ramaphosa: early signs promising Continued from page 1 deadlines set by the Constitutional Court; that state-owned enterprise board members have been leveraging their positions for personal gain; and that Zuma-appointees Shaun Abrahams and Tom Moyane have destabilised the NPA and SARS respectively,” Mr Pothier said. “Such candour would have been unthinkable from Mr Zuma or, for that matter, from Mr Mbeki before him,” he said. “Mr Ramaphosa comes across as calm, serene, confident, firmly in charge, and clear about what he has to do. Not conflicted, not corrupt, not compromised,” Mr Pothier noted. “It is said that Nelson Mandela wanted Cyril Ramaphosa to succeed him as president. On the strength of his first SONA, we can understand why,” he added.

The Southern Cross, February 28 to March 6, 2018

LOCAL

SA Oblates’ three provinces unite as one BY eRiN CAReLSe

OUTH Africa’s three provinces of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), as well as the order’s Zimbabwe mission, are amalgamating to focus their mission. The Oblate general superior and council have by official decree erected the new province with the name of OMI Province of Southern Africa. Fr Neil Frank is serving as the provincial; the six provincial councillors are Fr Lizwelinjani Mlotshwa, Br Rex Harrison, Fr Wayne Weldschidt, Fr Charles Nabwenje, Fr Jonathan Petersen, and Fr Thabo Mmolaoa. There were many starts and stops to the amalgamation discussion and process. The first time the idea was mooted in South Africa was in 1983, which saw the combined numbers of Oblates at over 300.

Thirty years later, in 2013, with fewer than 150 members, the discussion was taken up more earnestly by the provincials of the three provinces, Frs Mokone Rathokoa, Ronald Cairns, and Vusumuzi Mazibuko. Fr Frank explained that such a restructuring is now a common feature of religious congregations throughout the world. One important reason is the drop in membership. “The rationalisation of human resources, aided by the ease of travel and communication in our modern world, allows larger territorial reaches to be managed by one provincial team and to focus our mission to the poor and most-abandoned with more effective leadership,” Fr Frank told The Southern Cross. The official public installation of the new office will take place at a celebration on the May 21 feast day

of St Eugene de Mazenod, the founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, in Germiston, Johannesburg. More details will be finalised closer to the time. “There is a spirit of renewal that is sweeping through all the Oblates as we prepare for May 21, and our unity beyond that day,” Fr Frank said. “We see this as a kairos moment—a time of grace and rejuvenation of our Oblate mission, as this unification or re-founding draws us to reflect again on our charism, captured in our constitution and rules, with a renewed commitment to living it in apostolic religious communities.” The OMIs were instrumental in evangelising Southern Africa, especially the east coast and the inland regions, as well as Lesotho, which was evangelised by Bl Gerard, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II

in 1988. Until the appointment of Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, a Franciscan, as archbishop of Durban in 1992, the archdiocese was always headed by an Oblate, most famously Archbishop Denis Hurley. Bloemfontein and Johannesburg have also had several OMI bishops. Currently, there are three OMI bishops: Archbishops Buti Tlhagale in Johannesburg and Jabulani Nxumalo in Bloemfontein, and Bishop Edward Risi in Keimoes-Upington. A fourth OMI prelate, Auxiliary Bishop Barry Wood of Durban, died last year. The OMIs also founded St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, near Pietermaritzburg, where many of the region’s religious, from different orders are trained, and where Fr Frank is the president.

Fr Neil Frank OMi, president of St Joseph’s Theological institute in Cedara, has been elected the first provincial of the Oblates’ new single province.

SA and Namibian Franciscans meet to map their way ahead BY FR PATRiCK NOONAN OFM

RANCISCANS from Namibia and South Africa discussed their way forward when they assembled at La Verna Retreat Centre in Johannesburg. The assembly was facilitated by visitators-general Fr Amaral Bernardo Amaral from Mozambique and Fr Jesus Aguirre from Mexico/US. Among the subjects tabled, discussed and debated were pastoral commitments, life of prayer, evangelisation, ongoing formation of young

friars, vocations, and portfolio reports from local Franciscan leaders, provincial restructuring and financial matters. During the conference a new leadership was elected. Fr Siphelele Gwanisheni (Eastern Cape) was elected provincial, and Fr Solomon Mpela (Gauteng) viceprovincial. Elected as advisers were Frs Jeff Jawaheer (Mauritius), Clement Kholopa (Ghana), Vumile Nogemane (Eastern Cape), Thabo Sefoli (Free State) and Ndumiso Khumalo (KZN).

Franciscans from South Africa and Namibia gathered in Johannesburg to debate policies for the future and to elect their new leadership.

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St John Bosco parish in Robertsham, Johannesburg, had a celebratory open-air Mass to mark its 60-year relationship with the local Sir John Adamson Secondary School and to celebrate its patron. The parish provided lunch for parishioners and friends, and community fun and games for the youth. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Joy Sebastian, the new Salesian provincial for Gauteng, with parish priest Fr John Thomson SdB, Fr Robert Gore SdB and Fr eugene Hennessy SdB. Assisting was deacon Victor Ho with the Knights of da Gama in full regalia. Note the parishioner on the far left holding copies of The Southern Cross. (Photo: Alexis Santana Callea. Story: Mark Kisogloo)

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The Southern Cross, February 28 to March 6, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

Nigerian priests ‘win’ standoff with pope BY CiNdY WOOdeN

IGHT months after ordering priests in a Nigerian diocese to pledge their obedience to the pope and accept the bishop that now-retired Pope Benedict XVI had named for them, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the disputed bishop. Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke, who since 2012 has been prevented from exercising his ministry as bishop of Ahiara, Nigeria, because most of the priests in the diocese refused to accept him, said in a statement, “I am convinced in conscience that my remaining the bishop of Ahiara diocese is no longer beneficial to the Church.” Bishop Okpaleke’s appointment was met by protests and petitions calling for the appointment of a bishop from among the local clergy. Ahiara is in Mbaise, a predominantly Catholic region of Imo state in southern Nigeria. Bishop Okpaleke is from Anambra state, which borders Imo to the north. The Vatican announced that Pope Francis had accepted the resignation of Bishop Okpaleke, who will turn 55 on March 1. The pope named Bishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji of Umuahia as apostolic administrator of the diocese. “Exercising the ministry in a diocese where priests who are supposed to be my immediate and closest collaborators, brothers, friends and sons are at war with one another, with the laity and with me as their chief shepherd would be disastrous

Bishop Peter ebere Okpaleke, who has resigned after five years of conflict in his diocese over his appointment. and a threat to the salvation of souls—including my own soul,” Bishop Okpaleke wrote to members of the Nigerian bishops’ conference in a letter. “I do not think that my apostolate in a diocese where some of the priests and lay faithful are ill disposed to have me in their midst would be effective,” the bishop also wrote in a letter to the diocese, according to Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

n June Pope Francis had given each priest of the diocese, both those resident in Ahiara and those working outside the diocese, 30 days to write him a letter promising obedience to him and accepting the duly-appointed bishop or face suspension. According to a statement from the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, the pope “re-

ceived 200 letters from individual priests of the diocese of Ahiara in which they manifested to him obedience and fidelity”. “Some priests, however, pointed out their psychological difficulty in collaborating with the bishop after years of conflict,” said the congregation’s statement. Therefore, the statement continued, “taking into account their repentance, the Holy Father decided not to proceed with the canonical sanctions and instructed the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples to respond to each of them. In this line, the congregation has urged every priest to reflect on the grave damage inflicted on the Church of Christ and expressed hope that in the future they will never again repeat such unreasonable actions opposing a bishop legitimately appointed by the supreme pontiff”. Bishop Okpaleke, in his letter to Catholics of his diocese, said his resignation was necessary to facilitate the “re-evangelisation of the faithful and, most importantly and urgently, the priests of Ahiara diocese, especially now that the Holy Father and his collaborators in the Roman curia can already decipher priests who affirmed their loyalty to the Holy Father and those who decided to bow out of the Catholic Church in disobedience”. He urged dissident priests “to reexamine their initial motivations for becoming priests in the Catholic Church. Repentance and reconciliation are urgent.”—CNS

Christian leaders protest plan to tax Jerusalem church property BY JudiTH SudiLOVSKY

HE heads and patriarchs of Christian churches in Jerusalem strongly denounced the city of Jerusalem’s plan to force churches to pay property taxes. The proposal to levy taxes on some properties would run contrary to unofficial historical tax-exempt status the churches have enjoyed for centuries, the leaders said. “The civil authorities have always recognised and respected the great contribution of the Christian churches, which invest billions in building schools, hospitals, and homes, many for the elderly and disadvantaged, in the Holy Land,” their statement said. The leaders called on city officials to retract their intention and to “ensure that the status quo, which was sanctioned by the sacred history, is maintained, and the character of the Holy City of Jerusalem is not violated”. “We declare that such a measure both undermines the sacred character of Jerusalem, and jeopardises the

The Vatican-owned Notre dame Centre faces a huge tax bill. Church’s ability to conduct its ministry in this land on behalf of its communities and the world-wide Church,” they said. “We stand firm and united in our position to defend our presence and properties.” Fines totalling millions of dollars were handed out by the Jerusalem municipality to properties owned by the UN and by churches, citing a new legal opinion that determined the properties are not legally defined as places of worship and therefore are not entitled to exemp-

tions from property tax. Some observers said the step appeared to be an escalation in a financial dispute between the municipality and Israel’s finance ministry, with Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat demanding the ministry provide his city with more funding. The threat to fine the churches seems to be another way the municipality is pressuring the ministry to release more funds to the city, which is one of the poorer larger cities in the country, observers said. The Israel Hayom newspaper reported that the religious institution with the biggest tax bill was the Roman Catholic Church, owing more than $3,3 million. Among the properties slated to be fined is the Notre Dame of Jerusalem hotel, restaurant and conference centre across from the Old City, which is owned by the Vatican. The Holy See and Israel have been in negotiations over the status of its Jerusalem holdings since 1993, when diplomatic relations were established.—CNS

North Korean defector Mi Jin Kang, with the Korean sisters who taught her about the Catholic faith. (Photo: CNA)

Conversion: From North Korea to Church BY COuRTNeY GROGAN

URING her childhood in North Korea, Mi Jin Kang never believed in the existence of God, until one person began to spark her curiosity. “From school education, I learned that religion is a drug,” Mi Jin said. “However, I heard the story of God from a girl that I met in North Korea before my escape. This was the first step to belief.” “Before escaping North Korea, the story of God was a curiosity and miraculous,” said Mi Jin who decided to escape North Korea in 2009, at the age of 40. “When I escaped from North Korea, I prayed with my two hands,” remembered Mi Jin, “When my prayer to God at the moment of escape was answered, I decided to be a child of God.” “It was especially this prayer that led me to be a believer during the process of settling in South Korea.” Though she did not share details of her escape, many North Korean defectors are helped to South Korea by a network supported by Chinese Christians. In South Korea, an order of Korean religious sisters taught Mi Jin and other North Korean defectors about the Catholic faith. Mi Jin

learned about St Thérèse of Lisieux from the sisters. At her baptism, Mi Jin took a new Christian name, as is the custom for Korean Catholics. She became Teresa. “I wanted to be like St Teresa, who lived a faithful life,” Mi Jin said. When Pope Francis visited South Korea in 2014, Mi Jin was invited by the Korean bishops to see Pope Francis face-to-face, in the front row of the beatification Mass for 124 Korean martyrs. She also attended to pope’s Mass in Seoul’s historic Myeongdong cathedral. “I got to experience the glory of a Mass close to the pope,” said Mi Jin. Mi Jin now works as a journalist in South Korea at the Daily NK, helping others to understand what life is like inside the world’s most opaque country. Mi Jin especially encouraged prayer for North Korea. “I hope that Kim Jong Un’s regime in North Korea realises economic democratisation for North Korean’s true freedom and life by giving up nuclear weapons.” She also “hopes to see the unification of Korea as the relationship between North and South Korea has developed in a positive way recently”.—CNA

Vatican: Pope Benedict has no ‘degenerative disease’ BY JuNNO AROCHO eSTeVeS

HE Vatican denied that retired Pope Benedict XVI has a degenerative paralysing condition after his brother, 94-year-old Mgr Georg Ratzinger, told a magazine that Pope Benedict had a debilitating disease. In an interview published in the German weekly entertainment magazine Neue Post, Mgr Ratzinger said Pope Benedict suffered from a nerve disease that was slowly paralysing him. “I pray every day to ask God for

the grace of a good death, at a good moment, for my brother and me. We both have this great wish,” he added. The Holy See press office said in a statement that “the alleged news reports of a paralysing or degenerative illness are false”. “In two months, Benedict XVI will turn 91 years old and, as he himself recently said, he feels the weight of years, which is normal at this age.” In a letter to an Italian newspaper Pope Benedict said that “with the slow diminishing of my physical strength, inwardly I am on a pilgrimage toward Home”.—CNS

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INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, February 28 to March 6, 2018

Pre-Synod: No youths excluded BY JuNNO AROCHO eSTeVeS

S the Catholic Church prepares to welcome youths from around the world to a preparatory meeting for the Synod of Bishops on youth, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri said the Church is using every means of communication available to listen to young people from all walks of life. Speaking to journalists, Cardinal Baldisseri, the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, said social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter will allow young people to follow and interact “with their peers in Rome” attending the March 19-24 pre-synod meeting. “In short, even through the new technologies of communication, the pre-synod meeting wants to broaden as much as possible the audience of young people involved so that no one should feel excluded,” Cardinal Baldisseri said. Announcing the pre-synod meeting last October, Pope Francis said he hoped Christian and nonChristian young people from around the world would attend so the Church could listen to the hopes and concerns of all young men and women. “Through this journey, the Church wants to listen to the voices, the sensibilities, the faith as well as the doubts and criticisms of young people,” Pope Francis had said.

Young people wave atop a concrete wall during World Youth day in 2016 in Krakow, Poland. (Photo: Bob Roller/CNS) The theme chosen by the pope for the Synod of Bishops, which will be in October, is: “Young people, faith and vocational discernment”. The 300 young people invited to the pre-synod meeting in March were chosen to represent national bishops’ conferences, the Eastern Catholic Churches, men and women in consecrated life, and seminarians preparing for the priesthood. The gathering also will include representatives from other Christian communities and other religions, and experts in the fields of education, culture, sports and arts, who “are involved in helping

young people discern their choices in life”, according to the synod office. “In this pre-synod meeting, we will listen to youths ‘live’ to better understand their situation: what they think of themselves and of adults; how they live their faith and what difficulties they find being Christian; how they plan their lives and what problems they face in discerning their vocation; how they see the Church today and how they would like to see it,” Cardinal Baldisseri said. The pre-synod meeting, he added, also will include young men and women from what many consider the margins of society, particularly young victims of human trafficking and prostitution. Filippo Passantino, a young Italian who will attend the pre-synod meeting, said a group of young people are helping develop the meeting's social media and use it as an “open forum for all”. They plan to open a WhatsApp messaging group so that young people from around the world can send messages, questions and concerns during the pre-synod meeting, he said. “We are trying to open various doors so that many more than the 300 people invited can enter the pre-synod meeting hall,” Passantino said.—CNS

A member of the Somali armed forces carries her ammunition during fighting in 2017 between the military and police backed by intelligence forces in Mogadishu. (Photo: Feisal Omar, Reuters/CNS)

Bishop warns: ISIS is now in lawless Somalia BY FRedRiCK NzWiLi

S it loses its grip in the Middle East, the ISIS is finding a foothold in Somalia, said a bishop who oversees the Catholic Church in the troubled country. The insurgent group—linked to widespread terror in Iraq and Syria, where it is facing defeat—see Somalia as a suitable base due to its lawlessness, said Bishop Giorgio Bertin, apostolic administrator of Mogadishu, Somalia. “I think they have chosen Somalia because there is no central authority. The country also represents a good possibility for them to continue their search for an Islamic state

or, at least, they can continue their ideology without many obstacles,” Bishop Bertin told Catholic News Service. The emergence of the Islamic State faction will complicate the scenario in an already fragmented country, Bishop Bertin said. The faction is based in Puntland state in north-eastern Somalia and is believed to be recruiting foreign fighters fleeing Iraq and Syria are joining the faction, as well as former al-Shabab fighters. The insurgents initiated attacks in 2016-17 while receiving funding from Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, according to the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea. —CNS

Ex-Chilean seminarian Pope answers priests’ questions meets with abuse expert BY CiNdY WOOdeN

HILE it is true that the world is full of sin and sinful behaviour, priests must learn to scrutinise the “signs of the times” for new trends and attitudes that are good and healthy and holy, Pope Francis told pastors from the diocese of Rome. While there is “moral conduct that we aren’t used to seeing”, such as the normalisation of living together before marriage, there also is a greater awareness of human rights, a push for tolerance and equality, and appreciation for the values of peace and solidarity,” he said. Pope Francis spent the morning with the pastors in the basilica of St John Lateran, the Rome cathedral. He responded to some of their questions. The questions were submitted by groups of priests according to how long they had been ordained. The younger priests asked how they could fully live their vocation.

Pope Francis has three recommendations: first, learn to balance commitments; second, “find your own style”; and finally, spend time in private prayer and find a good spiritual director with whom to talk over what arises in prayer. To priests who are 40 to 50 years old and have been ordained a bit longer, Pope Francis said theirs is a time when ideals tend to become weaker, and when the weight of ministry and administrative duties starts to be felt. The approach of middle age is a time of “many temptations”, he said, but also a time of a “second calling from the Lord”, a call to greater realism about ministry and greater maturity. “One cannot continue without this necessary transformation because if you keep going like this, without maturing, making a way for crisis,” the pope said, “it will end badly. You’ll end up living a double life or leaving everything.”

The older group of priests, those ordained more than 35 years ago, asked the pope about handling change, saying “we cannot always draw on our experience to respond to new questions” raised by society. They also asked the pope how he handled that mature phase of his ministry. While the pope said he understood their unease with the fastchanging culture, he insisted that what people need most today are things they are more than able to provide: a smile, a listening ear and “offering pardon without condition in the sacrament of reconciliation”. Elderly priests, he said, know the trials of life and the difficulties and pain that people experience. They don’t have to talk much, but they should listen a lot. In his own life, when he faced big changes in his ministry, he told the priests, what helped most was to spend more time in prayer and adoration before the tabernacle.—CNS

FORMER Chilean seminarian who accused a current bishop of abuse cover-up, met with a Vatican investigator and said he finally felt he had been heard. Juan Carlos Cruz met for nearly four hours with Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, a longtime expert on clergy sex abuse who was sent by Pope Francis to investigate allegations of an abuse cover-up. Mr Cruz, who currently lives in Philadelphia, said that this is the first time he felt church officials had listened to how, as a seminarian, he was sexually abused by Fr Fernando Karadima, a Chilean priest. Mr Cruz maintains that now-Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno, Chile, witnessed some of the abuse. In 2011, the Vatican ordered Fr Karadima, then 80, to “retire to a life of prayer and penitence” for sexually abusing minors and forbade him from exercising public ministry. Fr Karadima was not prosecuted civilly

Changes in canon law extend how long curial leaders serve BY JuNNO AROCHO eSTeVeS

PDATING the norms and regulations governing the resignation of bishops and of Roman curia department heads who are not cardinals, Pope Francis said they will continue to hold office until he accepts their resignations. The update was published in a document titled Imparare a congedarsi (“Learning to say farewell”) and was given motu proprio, meaning on the pope’s own initiative. The Code of Canon Law previously stated that a resignation that requires acceptance “lacks all force if it is not accepted within three months” while one that does not require acceptance “takes effect when it has been communicated by the one resigning”. However, the pope said that after consultation, he “became

aware of the need to update the norms regarding the times and methods of resignation from office upon reaching the age limit”. Under the new norms, “the acceptance or extension, for a specified or unspecified amount of time, is communicated to the person” resigning. The ending of a Church assignment, the pope wrote, “must be considered an integral part of the service itself, in that it requires a new form of availability”. “This interior attitude is necessary both when, for reasons of age, one must prepare to leave office and when they are asked to continue that service for a longer period despite reaching the age of 75,” Pope Francis wrote. He also updated the norms involving the resignation of heads of dicasteries of the Roman curia

who are not cardinals. Now, the pope decreed, bishops and prelates heading offices in the Roman curia still must offer their resignations at 75, but whether they leave or not is up to the pope who “will decide evaluating the concrete circumstances”. The request for bishops and prelates to go beyond their mandate, however, should “not be considered a privilege or personal triumph, or as a favour due to presumed obligations derived from friendship or closeness, nor as gratitude for the efficiency of services provided”, Pope Francis said. “This pontifical decision is not an automatic act but an act of governance,” the pope wrote. “Consequently, it implies the virtue of prudence that will help, through adequate discernment, to make the right decision.”—CNS

Cape Town Chapter

Juan Cruz after speaking to reporters following a meeting with Archbishop Charles Scicluna. (Photo: eduardo Munoz, Reuters/CNS) because the statute of limitations had run out. At the time, Mr Cruz welcomed the move but expressed frustration that no one listened to the accusations when they were first made in 2005. The ecclesiastical investigation began in 2010. Fr Karadima had been then-Father Barros’ mentor.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, February 28 to March 6, 2018

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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.

Trust in God for miracles Salvation after suicide? W F Editor: Günther Simmermacher

EW family tragedies leave as many lasting scars as the suicide of a loved one. Those left behind not only are faced with the grief that accompanies all bereavements, but they inevitably will inquire into the past to answer questions that cannot be answered. Sometimes the lack of answers can lead to wounding secondguessing: feelings of guilt about actions and inactions, about having missed warning signs or being absent in times of need. Every person affected by suicide will have asked the question: “What if?” They may also experience anger with the person who committed suicide for the pain that has been inflicted, and for breaking the bonds of love with others by perpetrating what often is considered to be an utterly selfish act. It is tempting for the survivors to engage in self-recrimination or to make angry accusations of selfishness. However, neither response is helpful in finding healing; indeed, neither is likely to be true. Suicide is still not well understood. It usually is not a voluntary act, even if that person planned it with rational precision. Suicide is the culmination of an emotional pain which most of those left behind cannot comprehend. The sad notion that a person believes that their life will never be better should fill us not with anger, but with compassion. The Canadian author Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI, who writes the popular column on our back-page every week, puts it like this: “A person who falls victim to suicide dies, as does the victim of a terminal illness or fatal accident, not by his or her own choice. When people die from [illness], they die against their will. The same is true of a suicide, except in that case, the breakdown is emotional rather than physical.” Suicide, in short, usually occurs when one’s pain exceeds one’s means of dealing with it. The Catechism of the Catholic Church maintains that suicide is an offence to God, but also understands the exceptional torment that drives some people to act entirely against that most basic and potent human impulse: the instinct to survive. Noting that suicide negates "the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life [and] is contrary to love for the living God", the Catechism also explicitly acknowl-

edges the diminished responsibility in suicide if there were "grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture" (2282). This applies to almost all suicides. Many Catholics have been brought up to believe that suicide is a mortal sin, and that those who kill themselves are therefore precluded from attaining salvation. Clearly, the Church has refined its teachings to differentiate between suicide bombers or murderers who follow the slaying of others by killing themselves, and the great majority of those who commit suicide because they are anguished. The Catechism offers sound pastoral advice: "We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance." Indeed, we believe in a loving and merciful God who would not exclude an anguished soul from his warm embrace. Alas, most Catholics affected by suicide will not consult the Catechism for perspective and comfort. They more likely will rely on their parish priests to provide these. Most priests will handle such situations with Christ-like sensitivity; some will not. It seems necessary that the Church formulate a pastoral response to suicide and the conditions that lead to it. Firstly, the Church must work harder to address the stigma that is still attached to mental conditions, such as clinical depression, that lead to suicide. Some common but outdated preconceptions attached to suicide, such as that its victims may not receive a Christian burial, also require correction. Secondly, the Church must offer proper spiritual care to those affected by suicide. This means that priests and others must be given the training to deal with the grief and trauma that follow the suicide of a loved one, giving emphasis to emotional support and healing, not to insensitivity and debatable reference to sin. The salvation of the souls of those who kill themselves is God’s business; the Church however must take good pastoral care of those who are left behind, and we all are called to offer prayers for the souls of those who have ended their lives, and for those they have left behind.

VIVA SAFARIS KRUGER PARK with

George hospital, the hall in ICU was packed with my visitors day and night. At that stage the doctors were not sure what to do to drain the poison, and my stomach was not closing up again. My health was deteriorating fast and my wife, who was a nurse, suggested they check my kidneys. Indeed, it was kidney failure and I was flown to Groote Schuur in Cape Town at once. I spent a good couple of months in ICU, and during that time I was visited by priests, nuns, pastors, dominees and people from different religions and beliefs. All prayed for my recovery, and although my family was told many times over, by many doctors, that chances were I would not survive... I did, thanks to all these people praying! I was transferred to the general ward and was so thankful to be among people again. Still visitors

E are near Easter and my ordeal started around the same time about eight years ago, and I feel an overwhelming urge to share my story. On a Thursday morning I experienced terrible stomach cramps and they got worse during the weekend. I had declined to get medical attention because I thought it would clear within a few days. By Sunday evening my stomach was swollen stiff and rock hard. My family rushed me to Knysna hospital and the doctor wanted to operate immediately. My sugar count was too high and I was taken immediately to the George hospital to be stabilised. The next morning doctors found that my appendix was badly infected and had poisoned all my organs. While lying unconscious, I was told later by my wife, I mumbled Psalm 23. During my stay in

Blocked from catechism

gets that they did so only after the pope had refused to answer their letters. Their aim was not, as Mgr Hill suggests, to create a pressure group, but to defend the perennial truths of the Church. Mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution (St Thomas). And that is happening now in the Vatican. JH Goossens, Pretoria

LESSED are the merciful, but is it merciful for a parish to deny catechetical instruction to dependants who desire the sacraments, on the grounds that their guardian families might be perceived to be less engaged and participative in the supportive spiritual formation of their dependants? Is it not a priority of our pastors to lead those young abandoned souls to salvation? Ivan Wermuth, Germiston

And how did God punish Adam?

A new Privilege?

WAS interested to read the article “Lord’s Prayer: Germans to stay, Italians to change” (February 7), in regard to translations in the respective countries’ bishops’ conferences of the line “and lead us not into temptation”. Long ago I came to the same conclusion that our Creator would not put temptation in our way, and taught my grand-daughter to say, “and let us not be led into temptation”. I say the same when I pray silently, instead of “and lead us not into temptation”. Regarding the letters on the subject of whether women suffer the pains of childbirth as a result of original sin, I find the concept preposterous. To think that our Creator would punish women in this way because of the alleged sin of Eve—what punishment did he mete out on men for the alleged original sin of Adam? This kind of thinking is rather hard to swallow in this scientific age. June Boyer, Johannesburg

N his guest column “Safe answers not always the best”, Mgr Vincent Hill explains the Petrine and Pauline Privileges (February 7). These Privileges are exemptions to the indissolubility of marriage. They are based on the New Testament and attributed to Ss Peter and Paul. Mgr Hill informs us that Pope Francis wants to introduce a third exemption to the indissolubility of marriage. This new exemption (Franciscine Privilege?) is not based on the New Testament, but on the exhortation Amoris Laetitia, and it is not attributed to any apostle but to Pope Francis. For these reasons, several cardinals and bishops refuse to accept this new Privilege. Mgr Hill doubts the sincerity of these cardinals and bishops who question the correctness of Amoris Laetitia. He disapproves that these prelates went public with their rejection of Amoris Laetitia, but he for-

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from all over South Africa came to pray. Christmas, New Year and my birthday in January had come and gone. I missed my son’s graduation from traffic college. Two weeks before Easter, I got up one morning, dressed myself, packed up my stuff and waited for the doctor. I told him to call my family to come and fetch me because I was discharging myself. Eventually he gave in and called them. That very same day, they came to fetch me. Now, eight years later, I am still here, by the grace of God and the prayers of thousands of voices, and I can only say to all who are reading this: Never turn your back on your Church and your faith, because it will never turn its back on you. We are blessed to celebrate soon the most precious stage in our faith, Easter. Let us do it with dignity and the dedication it deserves. Frederick Benjamin Smith, Knysna

Respect priests

OOK at the role played by an ambulance: a vehicle that is primarily used for taking sick or injured people to hospital. In accordance with the laws of a particular country, an ambulance must be respected on the road. When an ambulance appears on the road, all other vehicles give it respect, due to the role it plays in saving the lives of people. Irrespective of any circumstance, all other vehicles are bound to respect an ambulance, for it provides essentialk care for the people. The concept in the Mass of the celebrant being in persona Christi— in the person of Christ—makes clear the importance of a priest. Outside the Mass, the priest is alter Christus, that is, “another Christ”. Pope Benedict XVI defined that role in 2009: “As an alter Christus [the priest] is in Christ, for Christ and with Christ, at the service of humankind. Because he belongs to Christ, the priest is radically at the service of all people: he is the minister of their salvation, their happiness and their authentic liberation, developing, in this gradual assumption of Christ’s will, in prayer, in ‘being heart to heart’ with him.” A priest carries Christ wherever he goes. He deserves a high respect not only for who he is or where he comes from, but also—fundamentally and essentially—for the role he plays in bringing Christ to people. When you respect a priest, you respect Christ whom he carries. When you disrespect a priest, of course, you disrespect Christ himself. So we must respect a priest. Br Dzinisa Hyacinth Ngcongo, Windhoek

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Mgr Dario Vigano (left), director of the Vatican Secretariat for Communications, and artist Mauro Pallotta hold a T-shirt showing Pope Francis as a superhero. The Vatican will auction off a T-shirt signed by sports celebrities, with proceeds going to charity. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

‘Superpope’ takes off BY CAROL GLATZ

HOUGH not as fast as a speeding bullet, “Superpope” will fly across the world, gathering autographs of sports stars and eventually being auctioned off to raise money for the pope’s charity. The initiative kicked off at a Vatican news conference with the unveiling of a simple medium-sized yellow T-shirt graced with the iconic “Superpope” image: Pope Francis, fist extended, flying through the air, holding his black bag packed with Christian “values” and a scarf representing his favourite football team, San Lorenzo of Argentina. The first superstar who signed the shirt was recently retired AS Roma football legend Francesco Totti, who added his old squad number, 10, to the signature. Next in line for the shirt signing “relay” around the world will be soccer legend Diego Maradona, followed by world champion motorcyclist Marc Marquez and many more, including top female athletes, said Mgr Dario Vigano, prefect of the Secretariat for Communication. The plan is to get as many famous signatures as possible before the shirt goes on auction later this year. The first “Superpope” image went up on a backstreet near the Vatican on a cold night in

The Th T he

January 2014. The artist, Mauro Pallotta, who signs his work “Maupal”, paints his removable street art onto paper that he then glues with a water-based adhesive to walls around Rome. While most of his street art tends to stay up for years, the depiction of the pope drew an uncharacteristically quick response from the city’s “decorum” police, who within days scraped off the artwork. But by then, pictures of the image had gone viral. Once Mr Pallotta got permission from the Vatican to use his “Superpope” image, the artist launched an #Ordinar yHeroes movement online in October 2017 with the help of a local entrepreneur. The idea was to get people to share stories of ordinary people doing simple, positive and caring things, based on the belief that, “in order to change the world, we don’t need superheroes, but ever yday heroes who spread the values of humility and solidarity, which Pope Francis, the first of the #Ordinar yHeroes, perfectly embodies”, according to the sup perpope.it website. The site sells T-shirts with the “Superpope” image for 19 euros (about R280). About one euro per shirt goes to the papal Peter’s Pence charity which will receive the full 100% of the proceeds from the autographed T-shirt sold at auction.—CNS

BISHOP and police joined Catholic parishioners in a march against human trafficking in Witbank, Mpumalanga. Parishioners of Sacred Heart parish in Ackerville, led by parish priest Fr Linda Zwane, were joined by Bishop Giuseppe Sandri of Witbank and superiors of different religious orders in the area. They marched to protest against the barbaric practice of human trafficking and to pray y for the victims of the practice. The march was escorted by traffic police officers of Witbank who have united with the Church in combating the problem of human trafficking in the area. Also present was Holy Family Sister Melanie O’Connor, coordinator for the CounterHuman Trafficking Office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). Sr O’Connor and her team gav ve a presentation on the reality of human trafficking in South Africa. The young people of Sacred Heart parish amplified the message of the protest through different slogans, songs and poems. They also enacted plays portraying how the trafficked suffer abuse at the hands of their traffickers. In this they drew inspiration from the patron saint of trafficked people. St Josephine Bakhita, born in 1869 in Sudan, was kidnapped at the age of 7 while working in the fields with her family and subsequently sold into slavery. During the Mass for the march, Bishop Sandri strongly condemned the practice of human trafficking and urged the faithful to continue to pray for the victims of modern slavery. He noted that human trafficking is a serious reality on the streets of Witbank, even around where he lives. “Those who are trafficked are treated badly and they are forced out of their normal life without the respect of human dignity,” Bishop Sandri said.

Yo oung people of Sacred Heart parish in Ackerville, Witbank, protest against human trafficking at one of the key points of the trade in human beings in South Africa. “I urge everybody present to continue with the courage to fight against human trafficking and make sure the factors associated with the problem are eradicated in all spheres of our society,” he said. All men at the Mass, including Bishop Sandri and the priests, lit white candles and made the prayer of commitment to God that they will alway ys protect their families and children against human trafficking. The Witbank region is one of the channels for migrants and refugees into South Africa. It is one of the areas where many vulnerable people who enter the country fall into the hands of human traffickers. The Catholic Church in South Africa is working together with different stakeholders, including truck and taxi drivers, to act against human trafficking and work towards its eradication. Pope Francis this month bemoaned the “great ignorance” about human slavery, suggesting that primarily this is not due to a lack of information but a “lack of will to understand the dimensions of the problem”, in part out of either shame or complicity (see page 5). For moree inform mation conta act Fr Linda Zw wane on 084 240-2779.

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PERSPECTIVES

Let God be God to guide us safely Mphuthumi M Ntabeni OST of us take seriously our duty to bolster our faith by prayer, discussion, reading, discernment and through the sacraments, especially during the Lenten season. I am, for instance, forever bemused by how the midday Mass for Ash Wednesday in Cape Town’s St Mary’s cathedral is always filled to the brim, as opposed to other days. In the past the priest would, irritatedly, sermonise about big days and supermarket Christians and all that. These days, as a symptom of growing humility, perhaps, they’re just grateful people still take their faith seriously enough to make an effort. This year’s Ash Wednesday was a busy day. Not only did it fall on the same day as the commercialised Valentine’s Day, but it was also the day on which the former president incoherently asked, “What have I done?”, before he finally saw the writing on the wall, and resigned. That day Cape Town’s St Mary’s cathedral, which faces parliament, was filled with many MPs in their dark suits. Rumour was that they were going to pass a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma the following day. So Mr Zuma’s falling on his sword late that evening was not inspired by altruistic motives for the greater good of the country; rather he feared the national humiliation of a parliamentary recall. Either way, it was rather pleasing to see the MPs assign the burden of their responsibilities with grave significance to the extent that they also committed them to God’s altar. It reminded me of David, the first recorded king in the Bible, who took the weight of governing people to the altar of God, as did Moses, in a way. That line of thought, by progression, took me to King Saul, the first king of the Israelites to be corrupted by power. When he realised the spirit of the Lord had departed from him he went mad. He envied David, on whose shoulders the power of God had rested, and went to his grave wondering how he had lost favour with the Lord.

public power is self-generated, and not a responsibility of stewardship from God. This is one of the consequences of shifting the centre of your life away from God on to yourself. It surreptitiously creeps into all of us, even in prayer when we want to direct the process. We want God to reward our efforts in a manner we lay down for God: to feel mystical, happy, charged, bountiful, holy, etc, as if God is Santa Claus to our prayerful efforts. While we wait for all that, like Saul and ancient Israelites who thought to be God’s favourite—the Sadducees and Pharisees— we miss out on the God of everyday experiences. Like Mr Zuma, we broadcast our delusions: “But people still love me.” Or like Saul, we consult clairvoyant powers and shriek against the prophets—those who don’t fear to tell us the truth, whatever the costs to their own lives—that “God has departed from you”. We feel confounded, because we thought we were doing everything right: attending Mass, fasting and sacrificing. Yet we feel God has departed from us. This is because we have shunned God, who gives himself in the stream of our ordinary mundane things; in the brethren we are angry with while we go to prayer; in Lazarus we skip over at our gates because we are rushing to attend to what we think is corban.

ike Saul and Mr Zuma, we refuse to take the spiritual battle into the realms of our own subjectivity—understanding of things. This is how we not only miss the preaching Christ of the Beatitudes but also crucify him in the Golgotha of our

t is not too difficult to see Mr Zuma in the light of Saul—the inability of introspection, allowing fear of public ridicule to override his public responsibility for what is good for the nation, victimising himself and seeing conspiracies behind every bush that is moved by the wind, and so forth. He had allowed himself into thinking

St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town, opposite parliament.

The Public Square

own hearts. Because in him we see only the son of Miriam and miss the first principle of life. Our Christian knowledge assures us that God’s passion is to reveal divine Self in Love. Hence the incarnation. Our sins, in particular our egos, are what is blocking God’s revelation of Love in our lives. During Lent we enter into prayer programmes, cells, spiritual guidance and so on, so we may have a greater understanding and feeling of our spiritual ascendency. Yet, when we look closer, we may discover that we want to serve God by our egos, that we want God to be as opposed to what God has revealed of himself. Everything we do, we do to prop up our ego of our understanding of what God should be.

he authentic Lenten period is when, like Peter, we trust what is still a mirage in our eyes, by getting out of the boat of our comforts, understanding and wishes. It’s when we call unto the Lord: “If it is you, bid me to come to you upon the waters.” Not only that, but it’s when we discern his voice, amid our worries and fears, say: “Come”. That’s when we jump out of the boat with childlike trust, wobbly and weak, but with extended arms; still doubtful but praying that he takes away our disbelief. It is to find courage beyond our fears and our non-understanding to say: “Lord hold me fast, lest I fall.” It is to stop looking at the raging waves at our feet and concentrate on the extended hand of the Lord. Lent is the time to prepare us for the encounter of unflinching Love. But we have to be prepared to let go of our own ideas of what that encounter entails, and enter the silent embrace of the Lord’s mystical dimension. We must give up wanting assurances and signs, for only “a faithless generation” demands these. If we are people of faith, then we need to die to egotism, self-determination and the desire to self-achieve. Then God will be in our lives and will adopt our plans and give us the desires of our own hearts as a means of demonstrating his goodness.

This is how I now shoot for the stars Nthabiseng I Maphisa WANT to be famous. I want my face splashed across billboards on national highways. I want to be on the cover of Time magazine. I want National Geographic to do documentaries about my life. I wish for my name to be synonymous with chocolate bars and designer jeans. I long to have one million followers on Instagram. I desire to be praised l throughout the Twittersphere. My “humble” followers will defend my name in the event that some insecure social media troll decides to “blaspheme” me. All this may have you believe that I am naïve, arrogant and selfish. But much has changed for the better since I had these thoughts. Yet it was not long ago that I did want all these things. Every human being will at one stage reach a fork in the gravel road of life. There will be a creaky wooden sign pointing to a path that will lead to worldwide fame or notoriety, if you so desire. You may be known the world over or you may be adored in a small country, but you will have fame nonetheless. The crooked wooden sign does not say how long this fame will endure. Alternatively you could take the path to anonymity. You may have followers on Twitter but not too many. You may obtain “likes” on Facebook but not enough for an advertising agency to care. Even as a Southern Cross columnist, you will still be able to go on holiday without the paparazzi taking some unflattering swimsuit photographs. Inside you roars a ravenous lion hungry for accomplishments and the adulation that ensues. It is a beast that is never satisfied. It preys on the weaknesses of its competitors. It will grab, slash and hammer its teeth into the sinews of unending

Pop Culture Catholic

Time was when Nthabiseng Maphisa dreamt of fame and stardom, but now there are other paths to greatness. praise and worldwide publicity. But whispering and gently hooting while perched on the branches of the mind is a lonesome bird. It flies above and sees how the others feast upon their kill. It is, however, content with the meagre seeds and worms of mediocrity. It seems we are confined to two outcomes. Either we will have fame and fortune or we will be consumed by a vacuum of obscurity. Note that the wooden sign does not indicate whether the two paths will cross. Life has shown us that at times they do, irrespective of the intention of the traveller.

ndeed we have seen musicians, athletes and actors alike blossom into national heroes and superstars. They are hailed by every publication and news channel. They have amassed autobiographies, advertising endorsement deals and a congregation of fans who will worship them. But over time they are plagued by injuries, financial mismanagement and be-

trayal. They are dumped into the lonely corner of has-beens and left to pick up the pieces of the career they once had. We have also seen how the “bland” and the “boring”, who are hidden away in their ordinary lives, have stumbled upon fame. Men and women who have been deemed too ordinary to be famous have written popular children’s novels and have started successful ice-cream franchises. Some are famous, even notorious—but not all are great. If the pursuit of fame and the pursuit of greatness are equals, then Christ should have said to His apostles, “Go forth and make headlines in all nations” instead of “Go forth and make disciples of all nations”. The single grandmother who in her old age works five days a week to feed and clothe her grandchildren is in no way famous. She is one picture in an album of what many households in South Africa look like. This does not diminish her greatness. She is a champion in the premier league of life. She is the next great sequel in the hard-knocks life trilogy. Like the croon of Nat King Cole and the wild falsetto of Prince, she is a charttopping single in the playlist of the saints. I wanted to be famous—but now with bow and arrow in hand, I aim for greatness. With this lowly wooden shaft and this humble string and arch, I now shoot for the moon and the stars.

The Southern Cross, February 28 to March 6, 2018

Michael Shackleton

Open door

Where may we scatter ashes? In The Southern Cross of October 25, 2017, there was an article on “Catholic funerals: Some practical advice”. What the article did not say is when, or when not, ashes are allowed to be scattered anywhere, other than in a garden of remembrance. I have heard that ashes may be scattered or buried only within a certain radius of the church. Is this so? Sharon Vorster

E Catholics can so easily forget that we are a more tightly knit community than we think. The Church asks us to be particularly mindful of this when a loved one dies. That loved one remains within the community of the faithful. Their mortal remains, physical body or ashes, should be interred in a place that we all know, such as an established cemetery or designated garden of remembrance. The internment is accompanied by the inspiring words of the liturgy, which put into simple language how we are all one in the Risen Christ. We share the same baptism and sacraments, we live in him, through him and with him. Just as he rose from the grave, we too shall rise, as he promised. For this reason, the remains of a Christian person are holy. They should logically be preserved in a holy place that has been set aside and blessed in expectation of the Resurrection. A minister of the Church conducts the service and carefully records the deceased’s personal details in the parish register for future generations to know. Often, a plaque or similar commemorative tablet is placed in the area. Scattering the ashes of a cremated Christian is not uncommon. Families and friends find sentimental reasons for consigning the ashes around a particular spot that was important in the life of the deceased. The Church does not condemn this but neither does she regard it as a fitting way to treat the remains of a member of her community. In August 2016 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sent out an instruction called Ad resurgendum cum Christo (Rising with Christ), which in part said: “The reservation of the ashes of the departed in a sacred place ensures that they are not excluded from the prayers and remembrance of their family or the Christian community. It prevents the faithful departed from being forgotten, or their remains from being shown a lack of respect, which eventuality is possible, most especially once the immediately subsequent generation has also passed away.” Sometimes, when people want to know about their ancestry from way back, they search census records and Church registers. It can be a comfort for them to find that the remains of someone they seek in their family tree are interred in a cemetery or sacred place, and not forgotten.

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

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

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The Southern Cross, February 28 to March 6, 2018

COMMUNITY

Junior school pupils at CBC St John’s College in Parklands, Cape Town, observed Ash Wednesday around the theme of Fruits of the Spirit. each grade presented their fruit and reflected on how they will nurture the Fruits of the Spirit in their lives for the next 40 days. A visiting priest from Poland, Fr Sigmund, gave a special blessing and distributed ashes.

The Catholic Women’s League at Holy Trinity parish in Musgrave, durban, prepared pancakes for the annual parish pancake evening on Shrove Tuesday. From left are CWL members euginia Sabela, Lesley Canter and Cheryl Fuller.

Candice Kivido of St Martin de Porres parish in Gelvandale, Port elizabeth (seen with Cardinal Wilfrid Napier), attended Mini World Youth day in durban last year and is looking forward to World Youth day in Panama in 2019.

Learners at Holy Cross Primary School in Aliwal North visited Sr Michelina in her sickroom at St Michael’s on her 104th birthday to sing and drum for her. Sr Mary presented her with a birthday cake and the Grade 7s wished Sr Michelina happy birthday and presented flowers.

Catechists at St John Bosco parish in Robertsham, Johannesburg, were presented to the congregation on the feast of St John Bosco by Fr John Thompson with deacon Victor Ho. Sr Patricia Finn FMA (left back) leads the RCiA team, with co-ordinator Linda Ferreira (second left middle) leading the children’s team of teachers. (Photo: Roy Newton-Barker) We unfortunately lost all our Community information during a computer crash, so please resend your photos and captions to us so we can publish them.

Send your photos to pics@scross.co.za

The St Kizito Children’s Programme provided 282 pairs of black school shoes and socks to needy children within the Cape Town archdiocese. Seen here are SKCP members at St John the evangelist parish in Fish Hoek packing school shoes.

The Southern Cross, February 28 to March 6, 2018

MINISTRY

Women walk with Mary by their side For members of the Schoenstatt Women’s League, Mary is always by their side. NeReeSHA PATeL explains.

loved ones; • Joining the annual “Shrine to Shrine Pilgrimage”, which is open to the entire archdiocese of Cape Town. Members and non-members meet at the Shrine in Constantia, walk from Constantia Nek and over the back of Table Mountain, down into Tamboerskloof and end with benediction at the Schoenstatt shrine at Villa Maria near the city centre.

T was on a Sunday—July 14, 1940—that a group of women met at Villa Maria in Cape Town. They were the founding members of the local Schoenstatt Women’s League, a lay branch of the international Schoenstatt Movement which had been established in Germany in 20 years earlier. Modelling themselves after Mary, the Mother of God—the “first living tabernacle” who bore Jesus— these women pledged to live their baptismal promises more consciously in daily life: in their parishes, places of work, their communities and their families. The league grew out of the Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt, a Marian movement founded in Germany in 1914 by Fr Joseph Kentenich. This year the Schoenstatt movement marks the 50th anniversary of Fr Kentenich’s death. Almost 80 years after being founded in South Africa, the Schoenstatt Women’s League is still continuing its mission. Catering for working, single and professional women who have chosen this lifestyle by choice or through circumstance, the Women’s League aims to foster the moral and religious renewal of the world in Christ through being instruments the Blessed Mother’s hands. Acting as tabernacles themselves, members strive to live up to the Marian ideal of holiness, drawing their strength from participating in the sacraments and making time for prayer among other activities. There are three Schoenstatt Women’s League groups in South Africa, two in Cape Town and the other in Johannesburg. Each group comprises between eight and 15 members. Almost all of the members become involved with Schoenstatt through a personal invitation or personal contact with the Schoenstatt Shrine. Mary McCrae, deputy diocesan leader of the Cape Town branch, ex-

Schoenstatt Women’s League members in Cape Town mark the start of Kentenich Year commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founder’s death on September 15, 1968. plained that “all of these women joined the Women's League to deepen their faith and join a community of people who share the same lifestyle values”. “Many work as teachers, in the medical profession, as accountants and in business, as lawyers, students, in advertising and media,” she said. “We freely choose to enter into a covenant of love with Mary. Through it, we believe that Mary, as our Mother, concerns herself with our formation and education. In turn, we promise to be cooperators in renewing the world for Christ,” she explained.

ome members choose to deepen and formalise their covenant of love through a consecration. This means committing to monthly meetings, a spiritual daily order, monthly confession, and helping in the activities of the branch and movement. Sheila (members’ surnames are withheld for reasons of privacy), a founding member of the Women’s League, made her consecration in 1946 at the age of 22. Now 93 years

Johannesburg members of the Schoenstatt Women’s League with the symbol of God the Father given to the international Schoenstatt Movement which travelled to South Africa in 2010. old, she still attends regular meetings and is very grateful to “all who contributed to our spiritual growth in the Women's League”. At a social level, these women cherish the relationships and friendships that have been formed. “What still binds me to Schoenstatt, particularly the Women’s League, is the fellowship and experience of loyalty over the years,” explained Norma. “There’s deep respect for one another, even though we come from different life experiences and backgrounds.” It’s a connection that transcends age and physical ability, according to Dulcie. Too frail to attend meetings, Dulcie is nonetheless “grateful for the loyalty for shown to me” by the group members who keep in touch with her. The Women’s League organises and participates in a wide array of activities, which include: • Spiritual activities within the Schoenstatt Movement, including formation talks, Eucharistic adoration and Days of Recollection; • Taking on active ministries in their parishes as youth workers, sac-

ristans, catechists, proclaimers of the Word, flower arrangers, organists and choir members; • Providing training and presenting talks on various topics; • Caring for family members who are housebound or ill, and assisting them in their various parishes; • Attending the annual October weekend celebrations, where the whole movement comes together for formation to discern the areas of spiritual focus for the coming year; • Collaborating in joint activities with other branches of the Movement such as fun days for needy children in Cathcart, Eastern Cape, helping with the annual day for the sick and aged, and assisting with the planning of the patronal Assumption feast day; • Participating in the Schoenstatt Sisters’ “Christ in the Mall” initiative, which aims to raise awareness of the true meaning of Christmas among shoppers and their children by inviting them to light candles, write prayers in the Schoenstatt Sisters’ petition book, and make personalised Christmas cards for their

n addition to these activities, the Women’s League seeks to actively engage with other women in their respective communities. For example, member Evadne is a prosecutor who works closely with victims of violence, many of whom are women. She says she draws her strength from attending Mass daily. “There is much to digest when listening and taking in these ladies’ situations,” Evadne explained. “I am better able to minister to others if I start my day attending Mass. As long as I’m here, I'll do 100%, but I know that I can only do this with Our Lady and ask her to give us the graces we need.” Similarly, lawyer Candida provides free legal advice to the Culture of Life Movement that helped to set up a shelter for pregnant girls and abused women. Former full-time teachers Mary and Norma’s apostolate was in the formation of young people, whilst other members, like Blanche and Thope, spend their weekends assisting children with their schoolwork at a local refugee centre at Mercy House, Johannesburg. Thope is also part of a team in Johannesburg that runs the Schoenstatt-initiated Christian Business Leadership course which teaches business leaders to apply Christian principles and values in the corporate world. By being a part of the Schoenstatt Women’s League, these women are able to discern their “feminine genius” and carry out the Blessed Mary’s mission in their everyday tasks. Evadne summed it up: “The shrine is within me and Our Lady is within me—wherever I am going or whatever I do, she goes with me.” n For more information visit www.schoenstattsouthafrica.org.za/ womens-league/

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The Southern Cross, February 28 to March 6, 2018

FILM

This story of three heroes includes God For the three heroes in the new fact-based film The 15:17 To Paris, their story cannot be told without faith, as they told deNiS GRASSKA.

T’S almost a miracle that Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone are even alive. Yet here they are, promoting a major Hollywood film in which they portray themselves. For all three, faith is an essential part of their story. On August 21, 2015, while on a backpacking trip through Europe, their Paris-bound train was attacked by a terrorist whose arsenal included an assault rifle and 270 rounds of ammunition. The three childhood friends were able to subdue him, saving the lives of the more than 500 passengers on board the train. They became instant celebrities and were honoured by both the French and US governments for their heroism. The three men happened to be in the right place at the right time. Skills they had developed—including Mr Skarlatos’ and Mr Stone’s military experience, the former’s proficiency with firearms, and the latter’s training in jujitsu and as a medic—all came into play. And if just one of many variables had been different—had they not been seated where they were, had the terrorist’s rifle not jammed when Mr Stone charged him—it would have resulted in tragedy. On the day of the train attack,

the three friends “survived something...that we really shouldn’t have”, Mr Sadler said. The son of a Baptist minister, he said that fateful day felt “like a biblical moment” for him, reaffirming his conviction that God had a plan for his life. Mr Stone, a former US Air Force staff sergeant, said that “there’s just no way you can deny” that divine providence was at work. “There’s just too much going on for it to just be coincidence,” agreed Mr Skarlatos. Their story gets the big-screen treatment in a new film, The 15:17 to Paris, which will go on circuit in South African cinemas on March 9. Directed by Clint Eastwood and based on the memoir the men cowrote with Jeffrey E Stern, the film traces their journeys from youth to adulthood, showing how their life experiences prepared them to react as they did.

Incomplete without faith As far as the three friends are concerned, any account of their story would be incomplete if it left out their Christian faith. “You can’t tell the story without…the faith element,” Mr Sadler said, because “that’s who we are”. References to God and prayer can be found throughout the film. The Christian school that all three attended is not portrayed positively, but the three friends and their parents are shown to be people of faith. When a public school teacher later suggests that Mr Stone’s future is bleak because he is the product of a single-parent household, his mother (portrayed by ac-

Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone portray themselves in the Clint eastwood-directed film The 15:17 to Paris. While on a backpacking trip in 2015 through europe, their Paris-bound train was attacked by a terrorist and the three childhood friends were able to overpower him, saving the lives of the more than 500 passengers on the train. They say that their faith is a crucial element in their story. (Photo courtesy Warner Bros.) tress Judy Greer) defiantly declares: “My God is bigger than your statistics.” In another scene, Mr Skarlatos’ mother (portrayed by Jenna Fischer) tells her son that, in her prayers for his wellbeing, she had received the assurance that he was destined for something great. Elsewhere, Mr Stone can be seen asking a wounded train passenger if he would like him to pray. Mr Sadler said he appreciates that the film doesn’t depict the three friends as perfect. They are all Christians, he said, but the film also shows them “doing some things [that are] not so smart”.

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Chance to evangelise Perhaps unlike many other Hollywood films, The 15:17 to Paris has provided its stars with opportunities to evangelise. For Mr Stone, it has presented “a huge platform” from which “to spread the word of God”. In each interview he has given, he said, he has tried “to make sure I gave God the credit”. Grateful to be alive and able to share their story, the three friends also consider themselves blessed to have that story brought to the screen by a filmmaker of Clint Eastwood’s stature.

A poster for the 2006 Eastwood film Letters From Iwo Jima, displayed on the wall of young Spencer’s bedroom in one scene from the film, wasn’t just a clever cameo on the director’s part. In fact, Mr Skarlatos said, it’s an acknowledgement of the fact that both he and Stone “literally grew up on [Eastwood] movies”. In another scene, Mr Skarlatos himself is seen wearing a T-shirt featuring Eastwood’s likeness from the 1985 western Pale Rider; it’s a shirt that came from his own wardrobe. “You build up people a lot in your head as to who they are,” he said. But Eastwood turned out to be “just as cool and calm as you would imagine” and “more personable and funny”. The three friends hope the film will deliver the message that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things and that every life has a purpose. Mr Sadler is confident that it “does a good job of showing how ordinary the three of us are”, which he hopes will inspire others when they encounter adversity. “It doesn’t have to be terrorists on a train, but it could be anything they face in their own life,” he said. “Hopefully, it inspires them to know that they’re capable.” Mr Skarlatos hopes that the film will speak to those who struggle to understand their life’s purpose. “I just hope people realise that…they might not be on the path that they think they should be on or not doing what they want to do,” he said, “but it’s the thing that they need to do.”—CNS

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HE good news about the drama The 15:17 to Paris, as well as the real-life events on which it’s based, is that, given the right circumstances and motivations, ordinary people can achieve great things. The bad news is that, when they are not doing so, such everyday people tend to lead lives that are not of much interest to moviegoers. Thus, the uneven nature of director Clint Eastwood’s film recounting the circumstances that led up to the thwarting in August 2015 of a terrorist attack and potential massacre on the train of the title. Travelling from Amsterdam to the French capital as tourists, a trio of Americans—Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone, who all portray themselves—courageously stop a heavily armed jihadist bent on a shooting spree among the captive passengers. Stone also uses his knowledge of first-aid to keep a grievously wounded fellow traveller alive as the train races to the nearest station. The portion of the movie devoted to these headline-grabbing incidents is taut and compelling. But, in adapting the three friends’ book about their

exploits and their lives before it (written with Jeffrey E Stern), screenwriter Dorothy Blyskal fails to evoke much interest in the lads’ humdrum childhoods and fitful careers. As kids, they have minor skirmishes with their easily-provoked teachers. Once grown, they chat about the ups and downs of their professional lives in a way that doesn’t make eavesdropping on them particularly rewarding. They talk sports, trade gentle insults and, once embarked on their European vacation, debate whether to include Paris in their itinerary. Edgeof-your-seat material this is not. Still, faith and prayer are shown to be an important part of Stone’s life. Twice we see him kneeling at his bedside reciting the “Peace Prayer” often attributed to St Francis of Assisi. And self-sacrificing heroism is obviously an integral element in the makeup of all three pals. More honourable than entertaining, The 15:17 to Paris reaches an exciting destination. But, in this case at least, getting there turns out to be a good deal less than half the fun.— CNS n The 15:17 To Paris will go on circuit in South Africa on March 9.

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CLASSIFIEDS

Eddie Koch

ETERAN journalist Eddie Koch, known for his courageous journalism, died on February 9 at the age of 63 after having a stroke. A memorial service was held for Mr Koch at Our Lady of the Wayside church in Maryvale, Johannesburg. Mr Koch attended Mass regularly up until he suffered a cardiac arrest in 2006 while driving. This left him with brain damage and loss of memory, but his family would still occasionally bring him to Mass. Mr Koch, who grew up in Johannesburg, attended Maryvale Primary and Sandringham High schools, where he was captain of rugby. At the University of the Witwatersrand, he earned a masters in history. As a journalist he worked for The Weekly Mail (later Mail & Guardian) and at publications Learn & Teach and the Labour Bulletin, and the South African Press Association. At the memorial service, reflections and tributes were paid to Mr Koch by some of his colleagues, such as Henner Frankenfeld who was the chief photographer at the Mail & Guardian in 1994. Researcher Hassen Lorgat, in a message to his good friend and comrade, wrote: “Eddie was a veteran environmental and ecology activist and author working in the subregion, particularly Mozambique. He wrote many articles for newspapers and journals. “He was a fun-loving guy, and had a passion for sport, running, hiking, and football (to talk about and watch) and was also a keen karateka… While he was ill, he continued to threaten a return to karate.” In the last few years of his life, after his heart attack and ill-

ness, Mr Koch took up art as part of his rehabilitation programme. Anton Harber, who was then part of the small group of journalists who pooled their retrenchment pay from the closed The Rand Daily Mail and Sunday Express newspapers to start The Weekly Mail in 1985, spoke on his website of the life and work of Mr Koch. He said Mr Koch’s journalism, covered a wide range. “Eddie produced a remarkable body of work: at different times he was a historian, a political and labour writer, a music writer, an investigative journalist, a human rights activist, a pioneering environmental journalist and then an eco-tourism worker.” In 1990 Mr Koch exposed human trafficking between Mozambique and South Africa before that term had even entered public consciousness. “I bought two slaves on Wednesday: Jorge Mthembu (17) and Immanuel Khambule (18). They were sold to me on the sole condition that I paid hard cash for them,” he reported in The Weekly Mail of November 16, 1990. His two “slaves” went on to live with his family while he made sure they found proper employment, Mr Harber noted.

t The Weekly Mail, which Mr Koch joined shortly after it started, “he was seldom in the office, always off with colleagues on a journalistic escapade,” Mr Harber said. “But ‘Crocodile Koch’, as I came to call him, kept up a flow of diverse and important stories.” He recalled how in the late 1980s and early ’90s, when rogue elements of the state were promoting violence, Mr Koch exposed the collaboration

PERSONAL

Veteran Weekly Mail journalist eddie Koch was honoured at a memorial service at Our Lady of the Wayside parish in Maryvale, Johannesburg. between the state and the Inkatha movement. He also exposed gang activity that was sponsored by the apartheid security police to disrupt struggle activities, and attempts to derail the negotiations for a democratic South Africa. “When democracy came, and we had to rethink our journalism, Eddie became a pioneering environmental journalist, starting a supplement that became the “Greening the Future” programme and awards. He was one of the first environmental journalists to go into deep investigative reporting,” Mr Harber said. “When I asked people he had worked with over the years about him, three Cs came up repeatedly: curiosity, courage and caring. He was a decent guy, they all said, a mensch, levelheaded and always calm,” Mr Harber said. Mr Koch is survived by his wife Tina Sideris, and their children Tasha and Michael.

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family in yourself. Fill the hearts of mankind with the fire of your love and with the desire to ensure justice for all. By sharing the good things you give us, may we secure an equality for all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. May there be an end to division, strife and war. May there be a dawning of a truly human society built on love and peace. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

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PRAYERS

FATHER, you have given all peoples one common origin. it is your will that they be gathered together as one

O VIRGIN Mother, in the depths of your heart you pondered the life of the Son you brought into the world. Give us your vision of Jesus and ask the Father to open our hearts, that we may always see His presence in our lives, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, bring us into the joy and peace of the kingdom, where Jesus is Lord forever and ever. Amen. FATHER in heaven, ever-living source of all that is good, keep me faithful in serving you. Help me to drink of Christ's truth, and fill my heart with his love so that i may serve you in faith and

love and reach eternal life. in the sacrament of the eucharist you give me the joy of sharing your life. Keep me in your presence. Let me never be separated from you and help me to do your will.

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. 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.

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Liturgical Calendar Sunday March 4, 3rd Sunday of Lent Exodus 20:1-17, Psalms 19:8-11, 1 Corinthians 1:22-25, John 2:13-25 Monday March 5 2 Kings 5:1-15, Psalms 42:2-3, 43, 3-4, Luke 4:24-30 Tuesday March 6 Daniel 3:25, 34-43, Psalms 25:4-9, Matthew 18:21-35 Wednesday March 7, Ss Perpetua and Felicity Deuteronomy 4: 1, 5-9, Psalms 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20, Matthew 5:17-19 Thursday March 8, St John of God Jeremiah 7:23-28, Psalms 95:1-2, 6-9, Luke 11:14-23 Friday March 9, St Francis of Rome Hoseah 14:1-9 (2-10), Psalms 81:6-11, 14-17, Mark 12:28-34 Saturday March 10 Hoseah 6:1-6, Psalms 51:3-4, 18-21, Luke 18:9-14 Sunday March 11, 4th Sunday of Lent 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23, Psalms 137:1-6, Ephesians 2:4-10, John 3:14-21

The Southern Cross, February 28 to March 6, 2018

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: March 8: Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, archbishop of Durban, on his 77th birthday March 8: Bishop João Rodrigues of Tzaneen on his 63rd birthday March 14: Bishop Stanley Dziuba of Umzimkulu on the 9th anniversary of his episcopal ordination

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4th Sunday of Lent: March 11 Readings: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23, Psalm 137:1-6, Ephesians 2:4-10, John 3:14-21

EXT Sunday is mid-Lent Sunday, when you can for a time take a break from your remorseless Lenten austerities, in order to gain strength for the last part of the fast. It is not that we are to ignore God’s uncomfortable demands; more that we are invited to see what God is doing beyond the horizon. That comes across very clearly in the first reading, which provides us with the very last words of the Hebrew Bible. It is quite clear that the disaster promised by the prophets has now arrived, because of the iniquities of “all the princes of Judah and the priests and the people of the land”. God had tried, sending “messengers” and “prophets”—but they just laughed, “until the Lord’s rage rose up against his people, until there was no healing”, and the Temple was burnt down and the walls of Jerusalem torn down, and “those who were left he deported to Babylon, and they were his slaves, and his son’s slaves, until the kingdom of the Medes”. But, amazingly, all was not lost; and “the Lord aroused the spirit of Cyrus” (of all peo-

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See beyond the horizon ple!), king of the Persians, who writes a very surprising letter: “[The Lord] has commanded me to build him a House in Jerusalem in Judea: any of you who belong to all his people, his God shall be with him, and let him go up [to Jerusalem].” So the Bible ends, astonishingly, on a note of quite unexpected optimism, just as you may in these days be starting to feel the possibility that Lent will perhaps eventually come to an end. The psalm for next Sunday also reflects on the terrible event of the exile to Babylon (“By the waters of Babylon there we sat and wept as we remembered Sion”), and the jeering demands of their captors to “sing for us a song of Sion”, something they simply could not do “in a foreign land”. But we notice that the singer is refusing to forget Jerusalem (“May my right hand wither”), and so not all hope is lost. God is at work, even in the awfulness of exile. That is the God of whom our second reading speaks: “God who is rich in mercy, because of the immense love with which he has loved us”; then we are offered a glimpse of

than 50 years and have served as a priest for more than 45 of those years—and, all told, celibacy has served me well, just as I can honestly say that I have served it in essential fidelity. Celibacy has its upside: Beyond the inner work it forced me to do in terms of my relationship to God, to others, and to myself (often painful work done in restlessness and prayer and on occasion with the help of a counsellor), celibacy also afforded me a privileged availability for the ministry. If you move through this life as a priest and missionary, celibacy can be a friend.

Conrad

ut it isn’t always a friend. For me, celibacy has indeed been the hardest struggle within religious life and ministry: a habitual emotional crucifixion, as it should be. There have been seasons—days, weeks, even many months—when almost everything inside me screamed against it, when because of falling in love, or dealing with an obsession, or handling the one-sided energy within a male congregation, or when I was overcome by the fact I will never have children, or, when the simple, raw physical and emotional power of sexuality left me restless and frustrated enough that the man inside of me wanted to take back what the priest inside me had once vowed. Celibacy will have you sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane sometimes. It goes against some of the deepest, innate,

Th e

Sunday Reflections

the Resurrection that now lies only a few weeks away: “He has brought to life along with Christ us who were dead because of [our] transgressions (you have been saved by the free gift); and God has raised us up with Christ, and sat us down with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Then, in a lovely image, the author continues: “We are God’s poem, created in Christ Jesus, for good works that God has pre-prepared, for us to walk in them.” God is at work, beyond the horizon of our gaze. The same message comes from our Gospel for next Sunday, one of the most oftenquoted passages of John’s gospel. The author (or possibly it is still Jesus who is talking to the bemused Nicodemus; it is hard to tell) is taking us deeper into the mystery of who Jesus is, and that means going deeper into an understanding of what God is doing. To get the point across, we are reminded of the time in the desert when the Israelites accused Moses (and God!) of attempted genocide, and had to be brought to their senses with the outbreak of fiery serpents.

The ups and downs of celibacy W RITING in the first person is always a risk, but the subject matter of this column is best done, I feel, through personal testimony. We live in a world where chastity and celibacy are seen as naive and to be pitied, and where there’s a general scepticism that anyone is actually living them out. What’s to be said for celibacy and chastity, whether these are lived out in a vowed religious context or are simply the given situation of anyone who is going through life celibate? Here’s my story: At the age of 17, I made the decision to become a priest and enter a religious order, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. That decision involved committing myself to celibacy for life. Strange as this may sound, since I was only 17, I didn’t make that decision naively or out of some passing fancy. I intuited pretty accurately the cost—so much so that virtually everything inside me strongly resisted the call. Anything but that! While I was drawn to ministry, the accompanying vow of celibacy was a massive stumbling block. I didn’t want to live as a celibate. Who does? Indeed nobody should. But the inner call was so strong that, despite its downside, when I finished high school I gave a reluctant but solid assent and entered a religious congregation. Now, looking back on it, I see it still as the purest, most unselfish decision I’ve ever made. I’ve been in religious life now for more

Nicholas King SJ

No cure could be found until “Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert”. In just the same way, “the Son of Man has to be lifted up”; and here “lifting up” means two things: it means crucifixion (and Good Friday is of course rushing towards us) but also exaltation or “glorification”. Then we are told what is really going on; the name of it is “love”. In one of the bestknown lines of John’s gospel: “God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that everyone who believes in him might not be destroyed, but have eternal life.” Not that everyone has got the message: “The light has come into the world and people loved darkness more than light.” But the picture is not utterly bleak, it seems, because God is at work: “The one who does truth comes towards the light, in order that it may be revealed that his deeds are done in God.” Take time, this week, before we go deeper into Lent, to get a sense of what God is doing beyond our horizon.

Southern Crossword #800

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

God-given instincts and energies within you, and so it doesn’t allow itself to be dealt with lightly. That being said though, something else also needs to be said, something too little understood today: celibacy can also be very generative because sexuality is about more than having sex. Just before creating the sexes, God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone!” That’s true for every person who will ever walk this earth. Sexuality is given to us to take us beyond our aloneness; but many things do that for us and full sexual intimacy is only one of them. Perhaps the single, biggest misunderstanding about sex today is the belief that deep friendship, warm companionship, a faith community, and non-genital forms of intimacy are only a substitute—some second-best compensation—for sex rather than a rich, generative modality of sex itself. These aren’t a consolation prize for missing the real thing. They are, just as is having sex, one rich aspect of the real thing. Recently, I phoned a priest on the 60th anniversary of his ordination. Eighty-five years old now, he had this to say: “There were some rough times, all of my classmates left the ministry and I had my temptations too. But I stayed and, now, looking back, I am pretty happy with the way my life turned out.” Looking back on my own life and my commitment to celibacy, I can say something similar. Celibacy has made for some tough seasons and remains, as the late Trappist mystic Thomas Merton once put it, the deep anguish within chastity. But celibacy has also provided me with a life rich in friendship, rich in community, rich in companionship, rich in family of every kind, and rich in opportunity to be present to others. I will die without children, my life, like everyone’s, an incomplete, never-fullyconsummated symphony. But looking back on it all, I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. Celibacy can be a very life-giving way of being sexual, of creating family, and of being happy.

CATHOLIC Feast day at shrine of IRELAND OUR LADY OF KNOCK,

ACROSS

2. Quick to do what you do during the time before Easter (4,2,4) 8. Being a skilled person, Fiona loses PR scramble (12) 10. She is greeted with an “Ave”(5) 11. Maintenance of a divorced spouse (7) 12. They’re there for the wedding (6) 13. Movement of air by the Spirit? (6) 16. Travelling missionary’s suitcases (7) 18. Carry to a place (5) 19. One in charge when the ﬁrst resident bishop settled in South Africa (4,8) 20. Do you wear it during the vigil service? (10)

DOWN

1. Imbo people provide papal transport (10) 3. A grave out east is ordinary (7) 4. Status can reveal one from Florence (6) 5. Ruth’s mother-in-law (Rt 1) (5) 6. A stable Orion involves many more details (12) 7. The ticket pilgrims need to get on the aircraft (8,4) 9. Ancient Greek mathematician (10) 14. They steal your property (7) 15. Routed by a devious way to church (6) 17. Taped as proﬁcient (5)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

Y the time Mandla arrived, the soccer game had already started. “Why are you so late?” asked his friend. “I couldn’t decide between going to Mass and going to the game. So I tossed a coin,” said Mandla. “But that shouldn't have taken too long,” said the friend. “Well, I had to toss it 35 times,” replied Mandla.

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