The
S outher n C ross www.scross.co.za
April 4 to April 10, 2018
Way of the Light now in Afrikaans
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reg No. 1920/002058/06
No 5078
r8,50 (incl Vat rSa)
Kolping Society: Catholics serving through Christ
‘Four Seasons’ composer was a priest
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African youths at the Vatican: Give us a voice I
F the Catholic Church at every level— and governments, too—would listen to young people and give them a voice in decision-making, they could unleash great potential, African young adults told Catholic media in the Vatican. Tinyiko Joan Ndaba of Pretoria was one of the 305 young adults participating in a weeklong meeting designed to allow young people—involved Catholics and others—to provide input for Pope Francis and the world’s bishops, who will meet in a synod in October to discuss “young people, faith and vocational discernment”. “I hope that young people can be given a chance to change society because I think we have so much potential,” she told Catholic News Service. “But we can’t do it on our own,” she said. “We need support from the people who have been there before and who can give us direction [on] where to go.” Ms Ndaba was chosen to attend the meeting by Talitha Kum, the anti-human trafficking organisation where she works. The organisation is an international network of consecrated men and women in 75 countries promoting initiatives against human trafficking. While the Catholic Church in South Africa is doing its best to prevent future cases of human trafficking, she said, the Church also must warn young people of the harm inflicted by those who exploit women, especially when “the demand is coming from Catholics”.
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ddressing the meeting, Pope Francis used strong words to condemn prostitution. “One who goes to a prostitute is a criminal—a criminal,” Pope Francis told the young people. “This is not making love. This is torturing a woman. Let’s not confuse the terms. This is criminal.” As one of many men and women working to prevent human trafficking in Africa, Ms Ndaba said she was happy to hear the pope speaking frankly about a “hidden crime”
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that is “not talked about so much”. Human trafficking is an important topic for a youth gathering, she said, “because most victims of human trafficking are young people who are trying to find better jobs, a better life, so they migrate and traffickers take advantage of that, most especially with young people.”
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endai Karombo, a 26-year-old from Zimbabwe, said she wants the Church in her country to have greater appreciation for young people, many of whom become caregivers for their elderly parents as early as 1215 years old. “When we come to Church, we do not get that respect…We are then sidelined to minor things, we cannot do a lot, we are viewed as weak, [so] we cannot do so many things,” she told Catholic News Agency. “I [would] hope and appreciate if the Church can also see that strength in us, make us responsible, and we can save so many souls,” she said. Vincent Paul Nneji from Nigeria said that the preparatory meeting offers a chance for young Catholics in his country who are considered “a minority voice” to speak out on important issues. “When the pope sent a letter on this meeting, we said, ‘Finally, the Church in Rome has decided to give us a platform; they decided to give us a listening ear,’” Mr Nneji said. African youths today have “so many things in our hearts we want to express and want to say”, yet they often feel disregarded. Too many, he said, then resort to violence in the hopes of provoking change. Mr Nneji hopes that, through the presynod meeting, the whole world “may see a reason for allowing youths to be heard, for allowing [young people] to be part of decision-making, even in society.” “If we were allowed to express ourselves, we would have less violence, we would have more peace in our society and in our world,” he said.
tinyiko Joan Ndaba, an anti-human trafficking activist from Pretoria and delegate to the presynod meeting at the Vatican, speaks during a media opportunity. youths from all over the world met at the Vatican in preparation for the Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment this october at the Vatican. (Photo: robert Duncan/CNS)
Pope Francis in numbers I By Carol Glatz
N just five years as leader of the universal Church, Pope Francis has made 22 international trips, travelling 250 000km—the equivalent of six times around the world. He also has declared 80 new saints, plus 800 more in the form of Italian laymen killed by Ottoman soldiers in the 15th century. Those numbers and more were released by the Vatican, detailing the many papal events, documents, travels and accomplishments of the past five years. The numbers cover the period starting from March 19, 2013—the solemnity of St Joseph, the day officially inaugurating the start of his pontificate. According to the Vatican statistics, the 81year-old pope has: • Created 61 new cardinals. • Led 219 general audiences, with catechetical series that include reflections on the sacraments, the Church, the family, mercy, and the Mass. • Issued 41 major documents, including the encyclicals Lumen fidei and Laudato Si’, and the apostolic exhortations Evangelii Gaudium and Amoris Laetitia. • Prayed the Angelus and “Regina Coeli” with visitors 286 times. • Completed 22 trips abroad, 18 pastoral
visits within Italy and 16 visits to parishes in Rome—the diocese of the pope as bishop of Rome. • Made nine other visits to churches for special events and places of worship in Rome, including the city’s synagogue and Rome’s Evangelical Five years of Pope Lutheran and AngliFrancis. (Photo: Paul can churches, and the Haring/CNS) Ukrainian Catholic basilica. • Called four synods of bishops: two on the family, this year’s synod on young people and a synod on the Amazon in 2019. • Declared two special years: on consecrated life and the Year of Mercy. • Established or proclaimed seven special days, including World Day of the Poor, 24 Hours for the Lord, the annual September 1 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria, South Sudan and Congo. • Attended two World Youth Days (in Brazil and Poland), with the one in Panama planned for 2019.—CNS
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