180808

The

S outher n C ross

August 8 to August 14, 2018

reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 5095

SA bishop speaks to Africa’s Church

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r10 (incl VAt rSA) associates-campaign

Bishop on Communion for non-Catholics

What you must know about the Assumption

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Top-rated pope film won’t be screened in SA

By CHrISteN tOrreS

A A cinema in Munich, Germany, advertises the screening of the widely acclaimed documentary film Pope Francis: A Man of His Word by the award-winning German director Wim Wenders.

Neither of South Africa’s two cinema chains have plans to screen the film in this country.

(Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

Catholic marriage counselling now open to gay couples

By Perry WeSt

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O maintain state funding, a Catholic marriage counselling service in the Republic of Ireland, Accord, will reportedly begin to counsel same-sex couples.

Earlier this year, the Irish government threatened to remove state funding from counselling services which did not accept same-sex couples.

Same-sex marriage was legalised in Ireland in 2015.

Accord has now signed a new service agreement with the Irish government.

Ireland’s child and family agency, Tusla, announced that “Accord Catholic Marriage Care Service will provide counselling services regardless of sexual orientation and comply with the agreement”.

“Tusla will monitor service providers including Accord Dublin Catholic Marriage Care Service to ensure they comply with the terms of their service level agreement,” a

spokeswoman for the agency said, noting that if the agreement is not followed through, funding may be withdrawn.

Accord receives the largest amount of public funding among counselling services in the Republic of Ireland.

Tusla is allocating more than 1,59 million euros (R24,5 million) for Accord’s services.

The agency has 55 counselling centres in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Accord also teaches relationship and sex education classes in schools, where it does not teach about contraception or same-sex relationships. It also holds marriage preparation courses.

Founded in 1962 by the Irish bishops’ conference, Acccord had previously offered its services only to opposite-sex couples.

In England and Wales the bishops’ marriage counselling agency, Marriage Care, already offers its service to same-sex couples.—CNA

CRITICALLY acclaimed documentary about Pope Francis by award-winning director Wim Wenders will not go on circuit in South African, or any African, cinemas anytime soon.

The feature-length documentary Pope Francis: A Man Of His Word, which was lauded by film critics worldwide, will not come to Africa because the international distributors have no plans at present of bringing it to the continent with the world’s fastest-rising Catholic population.

“We don’t do any distribution from our side,” a spokesman for the South African cinema chain NuMetro told The Southern Cross.

“If the film is not going to show in Africa, it is because the producers [of the film] didn’t request to have it distributed in Africa.”

Focus Features, the US-based international distributors of Pope Francis: A Man Of His Word, were unable to comment by the time of going to press.

Acclaimed German film director Wim Wenders premiered the film at this year’s Cannes Festival. It has received worldwide praise from film critics.

Vatican News wrote of the film: “In an era of deep distrust of politicians and people in power, Pope Francis: A Man Of His Word shows us a person who lives what he preaches and who has gained the trust of people of all faith traditions and cultures across the world.’’

In 2013 Mr Wenders was approached by Mgr Dario Viganò, who was then the head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, to make a film about Pope Francis. Mr Wenders—a Catholic who has directed cinema classics such as Wings Of Desire, Buena Vista Social Club and Paris, Texas— was given full creative control by the Vatican, regarding the approach and final cut of the film.

He was also given uncommonly open ac-

S outher n C ross Pilgrimage

5-17 May 2019

HOLY LAND & ROME Led by Fr Russell Pollitt SJ with

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cess to Pope Francis as well as the Vatican’s own footage of Francis’ pontificate.

The film showcases Pope Francis in intimate interview settings, intercut with footage of the pope visiting a variety of world locations including a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, typhoon-devastated Philippines, a volunteer-run hospital in Central Africa, and prisoners in Rome.

Mr Wenders explained his intention behind the intimate nature of the interviews, often with the pope staring directly into the camera. “As an audience, you’re now really eye to eye with Pope Francis, literally,” he said.

He has described Pope Francis as “the most fearless man I ever met”.

“Fearless! And he is not influenced by polls or whatever. I don’t think he would ever consider any public opinion over something he means and he’s convinced of. He’s totally fearless. Because he has a lot of opposition,” he told US television programme 60 Minutes.

Reviews of the film have noted it is not a critique or a recounting of the life of Pope Francis. The movie reviews website A Historic Moment said it is “a significant non-fiction film, as it is not a biography about the Pope, rather a film with him”.

Catholic News Service film reviewer John Mulderig said of the film: “This is a work of high quality that can be recommended for a wide range of age groups.”

Decent Films, a Christian film review website, wrote: “St Francis of Assisi has long been among the most beloved of Catholic saints, even among those who don’t share his faith, and his most consequential 21stcentury namesake remains popular among both Catholics and non-Catholics. Wenders sets out to connect the dots between the medieval Italian friar and the 21st-century Argentinian pope, making the case that behind their widespread appeal is a message the world needs to hear.”

In South Africa, Mr Wender’s vision of Francis will remain unseen.

2

the Southern Cross, August 8 to August 14, 2018

LOCAL

Catholic firefighter ready to race for the poor StAFF rePOrter

C

ATHOLIC firefighter Sipho Mataka will be running the Mandela Marathon on August 26 to raise money for the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban.

Mr Mataka, 39, from New Hanover in KwaZulu-Natal, is no stranger to marathon challenges.

This will be his fourth Mandela run, and he has also done the Soweto, Two Oceans and JZ Zuma marathons, among others, plus the ultramarathon 90km Comrades five times.

Mr Mataka’s personal best was a remarkable 2hrs 52min in the Durban City marathon.

The route of the Mandela Marathon is full of history.

It starts at the Arya Samaj Hall in Imbali where the future president made his last pre-arrest public speech in Match 1961, and ends at the site just outside Howick where Mr Mandela was captured on August 5, 1962.

Mr Mataka, a member of the parish pastoral council at Wartburg

parish, explaining why he wants to run for the Denis Hurley Centre, said: “I ask myself, how I can help people who are helpless? I am not rich but my daily life is good. At the same time, I am aware of people who cannot even get something to eat.”

He hopes that people will sponsor him to increase his motivation: “That way, when I am killing myself running, at least I know I am doing it for a good cause!”

Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) director Raymond Perrier said he was grateful to Fr Sfiso Mpanza of Wartburg for introducing him to Mr Mataka.

“We have a range of activities to celebrate the Mandela centenary, and having someone run the Mandela Marathon seemed so appropriate,” he said.

“It may be a long walk to freedom but it is an even longer run for fundraising!”

Mr Mataka said there are three things that keep him going when he runs: “I always wear my rosary, so I know that Mother Mary is close

to me; I have a great sense of determination—I have never not completed a marathon; and I am urged on by the support of the crowd.”

Mr Perrier hopes to mobilise Catholic supporters for Mr Mataka since he will be running through some of the parishes in Pietermaritzburg, close to St Joseph’s in Cedara, and also near the parish in Howick.

In honour of Mandela’s prison number, Mr Mataka has set himself a target of R46 664.

“This would be enough for the DHC to serve almost 800 homeless people and refugees in our clinic,” said Mr Perrier.

“We will know when Mr Mataka has completed the run since he always kneels down to pray when he crosses the finishing line.” n To sponsor Mr Mataka, or to find out more about the DHC’s Mandela 100 initiative, e-mail Mandela100@ denishurleycentre.org or call 031 301 2240. To sponsor online by credit card or EFT, go to www.doit4charity. co.za/Sipho.Mataka

Foundation steps up after govt’s ‘no’

Parishes to get free health screenings in pilot project

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FTER a Johannesburg orphanage was denied government funding, a Catholic foundation offered its support.

Manny de Freitas, a parliamentarian and founder of the De Freitas Foundation, said Angel Care Home in Germiston had been turned away by government when it applied for a subsidy and is thus completely dependent on private funding.

“Our heartstrings were tugged by the children,” said Mr De Freitas, adding that the orphanage “is being managed in the correct manner”.

“Characteristics such as responsibility and respect are being taught, and the children’s education is being prioritised so that when they leave the home they have a firm foundation for their futures,” he said.

Angel Care Home takes children from infancy to teenagers aged 17.

Mr De Freitas said the foundation “is most excited to be supporting this orphanage where each child is given individual attention”.

Catholic firefighter Sipho Mataka is gearing up for his fourth Mandela Marathon, this time aiming to fundraise for durban’s denis Hurley Centre. the Mandela Marathon route in kwaZuluNatal takes in several Pietermaritzburg parishes, is close to St Joseph’s in Cedara, and also Howick parish.

By BONGINkOSI MtHeMBu ANd MeLeSe SHuLA

T

HE Catholic Health Care Association of Southern Africa (CATHCA) is offering free medical screenings at five parishes in a pilot project.

The checks, over the next two months, will be for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and also conditions such as cataracts, among others.

The number of deaths from NCDs has been rising globally, and they are among the leading causes of death in South Africa.

The screening project was initiated by CATHCA, in partnership with Pretoria archdiocese, in 2017.

Albina Kekana, a retired nurse, is the coordinator. Medical doctors and nurses, with trained volunteers, will conduct the screenings for NCDs.

Sarie Lange, founder of Angel Care Home, with Manny de Freitas and Jeanette de Freitas, as children from the orphanage pray before enjoying a meal sponsored by Spur in Bedfordview, Johannesburg.

Selly Park Secondary School

Selly Park Secondary School is a Catholic Independent School situated in Rustenburg. The school caters for boys and girls from grades 8-12. Children of all faiths are welcome. The school was founded by the Sisters of Charity of St. Paul in 1999. Selly Park Secondary School aims to offer children the experience of being in a caring, Christian community where each can develop their abilities and talents to the full. The education provided is based on the message of the Gospel. Jesus Himself is the supreme teacher.

Pending the retirement of our Deputy Principal in December 2018, the Board of Governors invites applications for the Deputy Principal’s position. The appointment date is January 2019. Applicants should be motivated, enthusiastic with a passion for providing excellent education to young people, have professional teacher’s qualifications, be permanently registered with SACE, with at least ten years school management experience.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS • Ability and willingness to maintain the Catholic Ethos of the school.

• Lead, guide and support academic and other staff.

• Initiating and supporting staff development.

• Monitoring the quality of teaching and learning.

• Financial management skills.

• Commitment to continuous improvement in all aspects of the school.

• Critically evaluating academic results and implementing appropriate interventions.

• Excellent interpersonal, organizational and communication skills.

• Willingness for self-development to enhance the leadership of the school.

The Board invites interested applicants to e-mail the following to Father V.Brennan at spss_principal2@gwisa.com or fax them to 014 5920284.

o Curriculum Vitae not longer than four A4 pages. o Three contactable references, one of whom is a parish priest or a minister of religion o A letter stating both your vision for the school and your previous leadership achievements. o Police Clearance no older than six months. o Certified copy of SACE registration and professional qualification.

Short-listed applicants must please bring certified copies of their academic and professional qualifications to the interview. The closing date for applications is Friday 24 August 2018. Please consider your application unsuccessful if you have not heard from the school by Friday 7 September 2018.

The school reserves the right not to make an appointment. Submission of an application does not in itself entitle the applicant to an interview.

The five pilot parishes are Good Shepherd (Meerhof), Sacred Heart (Diepsloot), St John the Baptist (Pretoria North), St Camillus and GaRamotse (Hammanskraal). n For more information, contact CATHCA at 011 880 4022 or e-mail info@cathca.co.za

SPRINGFIELD CONVENT SENIOR SCHOOL

Corner of Old Johannesburg and Waterfall roads, rustenburg tel no. 0145920284, spss_principal2@gwisa.com

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

the Catholic Health Care Association is running free checks for noncommunicable diseases at five pilot parishes over the next two months.

Applicants are invited for the following post:

JUNIOR SCHOOL COUNSELLOR From 1 January 2019

Springfield is a day school for girls from Pre-School to Matriculation, set in beautiful gardens on Wynberg Hill in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. Founded by the Irish Dominican Sisters in 1871, Springfield has a caring, Catholic atmosphere, a proud academic record, vibrant Music, Art and Drama Departments and excellent facilities for Sport.

The successful applicant will:

• • •

•

•

be a fully qualified and registered social worker; be experienced in counselling, with a particular passion for working with young girls (Pre-School to Grade 7), and have an understanding of the issues pertaining to this life stage; be willing to work with individuals, small groups or classes to promote social emotional learning; engage with and arrange talks for parents on relevant topics, as needs determine; be willing and able to promote and uphold the school's Catholic ethos.

Apply in writing, giving details of qualifications, experience and the names of three contactable referees to: The Principal, Springfield Convent Junior School, St. John's Road, Wynberg, 7800 or Email: principal@springfieldconvent.co.za

Closing date for applications: Thursday 23 August 2018

The School reserves the right not to proceed with the filling of the post. An application will not in itself entitle the applicant to an interview or appointment, and failure to meet the requirements of the advertised post will result in applicants automatically disqualifying themselves from consideration.

Please note no faxed applications will be considered and only those applicants invited for an interview will be contacted.

Springfield is a member of the Independent Schools’ Association of Southern Africa.

LOCAL

the Southern Cross, August 8 to August 14, 2018

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SA bishop to Africa’s Church: Don’t be beggars By erIN CAreLSe

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SOUTH African bishop, in his homily at the Mass to launch the golden jubilee year of the African association of bishops’ conferences, said that “the smallest cooperation with Jesus and willingness to give the very little one has—be it money, time, a smile, attention, or a hug—can produce a miracle, even in our time”.

The Mass in Kampala, Uganda, marked the start of a year of celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the founding of SECAM, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar.

Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha, first vice-president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference and second vice-president of SECAM, reminded the congregation, and his fellow bishops, of the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes.

When Jesus and his disciples were faced with a large and hungry crowd, and no food for them, Bishop Sipuka said, there seemed no solution.

“When Andrew says, tentatively, ‘Here is a small boy present with five barley loaves and two fish,’ he adds with a sense of pessimism, ‘What is that between so many?’” the bishop said.

“But what does Jesus do? He takes the five loaves from the boy, gives thanks over them, and lets the disciples distribute them.

“The result is well known: over 5 000 men, not counting women and children, were fed, and there were 12 baskets of leftovers.

“One generous person became the solution, giving Jesus the opening he needed to rescue the situation,” Bishop Sipuka said.

“We face challenges in Africa which can be overwhelming, but we are encouraged not to despair but

the SeCAM jubilee logo, as seen on the banner. (Photo: CANAA) generously do the little we can, and let God, as Jesus did with the few loaves of bread, do the rest,” he said.

Bishop Sipuka noted that in this jubilee year, we are invited to all bring forward our five barley loaves and allow the Lord, together with our cooperation as African bishops, to enact the programmes we think will take the Church in Africa forward.

“This is not to say that we will not need the assistance of our partners and the larger Church anymore,” he said.

“What it means is that when we bring our five barley loaves, the word ‘partner’ will begin to have its true meaning—because now it is said out of courtesy to avoid offence; but in truth, we are not partners, we are beggars, because we do not all bring our barley loaves to the party.

“Let us bring our few barley loaves and gain our dignity.”

Bishop Sipuka also warned of growing materialism in Africa.

“Sadly, this crude materialism is even manifesting itself among pastoral agents, those at the forefront of missionary work.”

He said he observed an apparent loss of traditional African values.

“Being a community of love, self-sacrifice, finding joy in serving

others and having God as enough for us are gradually being replaced by individualism, self-seeking, love of money, power and comfort.

“The source of our joy is gradually shifting from the Gospel,” the bishop said. “Perhaps that is why corruption and the hunger for power, with the consequent poverty of the majority, have become a major characteristic of Africa.”

SECAM was born of the wish of African bishops during and following the Second Vatican Council to establish a forum in which they could speak with one voice on the Church in Africa.

In July 1969 in Kampala, during a visit by Pope Paul VI, SECAM was formally launched.

The jubilee year, scheduled to run until July 28, 2019, has as its theme “Church Family of God in Africa, Celebrate your Jubilee! Proclaim Jesus Christ your Saviour!”

October talk on Church in SA

Women’s sodality welcomes men as members

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T

HEOLOGIANS will discuss the past and the future of the Catholic Church in South Africa at a public talk in Johannesburg on October 27.

The theme, in the light of the bicentennial of the Church in the region, is “200 Years of Catholicism in South Africa: Lessons Learnt and the Path Ahead”.

The event is hosted jointly by the Catholic Theological Society of Southern Africa and We Are The Church in SA. Among the speakers at the colloquium will be Dr Nontando Hadebe, Fr Thabang Nkadimeng OMI, Prof Douglas Irvine and psychologist Boshadi Semenya.

It will be held in the Harry Wilkinson Community Centre at Immaculate Conception parish in Rosebank, Johannesburg, at 9:00.

Entry is R50, and all are welcome. n For more information contact Fr Thabang Nkadimeng at 073 029 0771 or Thabang@gmail.com, or Ruth Mampane at 082 819 1402 or ruth. mampane@gmail.com

By Sr PHAtSIMO V rAMOkGWeBANA SC

HE Sodality of the Women of the Blessed Mary, founded by St Maximilian Kolbe, now admits men in Botswana and Lesotho.

Under its new name, the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the group held a four-day national conference at St Joseph’s College in Gaborone.

More than 900 members from the Gaborone and Francistown dioceses, and men of the sodality from Lesotho, attended.

The purpose of the conference was to critically evaluate the way forward of the sodality. Issues discussed included administration and revisiting the constitution.

The conference heard that often sodality members fail to celebrate the many feasts of the Blessed Mary recognised by the Church, due to various reasons.

The decision was then made that such celebrations can be observed at parish, deanery or diocesan level, to reduce travelling costs, rather than not celebrating them at all.

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the Sodality of the Women of the Blessed Mary in Botswana and Lesotho now admits men under its new name, the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. At the new sodality’s conference in Gaborone, 600m of sheet material was donated to the city’s Princess Marina Hospital.

Explaining the sodality’s name change—which mirrors the founder’s original name for it, Militia of the Immaculata—national chair Patricia Matenge said the Immaculate Conception “is the way St Maximilian Kolbe recognised that it was from Mary’s maternity that all the graces granted to her by God

spring forth. Hence, among these graces, the Immaculate Conception is the first.”

In establishing the sodality, Mrs Matenge said, St Maximilian Kolbe based much on the Immaculate Conception as “characterising Mary even more than her divine maternity, because this latter one is more

an external attribute, which indicates her relation to Jesus, that is, her mission in the history of salvation”.

“Moreover, the Immaculate Conception refers more to her very nature, her person,” Mrs Matenge added. “Really, this clearly demonstrates Mary as Immaculate because at the very first instant of her conception, the Holy Spirit dwelt in her soul. In that way, the sodality is also inclusive of men.”

The group also translated the sodality’s new name into Setswana as Boithwalo jo bo senang Selabe ja ga Mme Maria.

Mrs Matenge said men had already started to show great interest in joining, and the decision to invite men from Lesotho to the conference was intended to encourage, educate and recruit other men.

During the conference, the sodality donated 600m of sheet material to Gaborone’s Princess Marina Hospital.

While new members are normally enrobed only at the sodality’s annual retreat, the conference witnessed the enrobing of 40 members at the closing Mass.

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4

the Southern Cross, August 8 to August 14, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

Church: Israel’s ‘Jewish state’ law harms Christians

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HE Latin patriarchate of Jerusalem strongly criticised Israel’s recently adopted law that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people and for failing to provide constitutional guarantees for the rights of indigenous people and other minorities in the country.

In a statement, the patriarchate said the law is a “cause of great concern” because the rights of Palestinian citizens, who make up 20% of Israel’s population, are not protected by it.

The patriarchate also raised concern for the rights of Israel’s Christian citizens under the law.

“It is beyond conception that a law with constitutional effect ignores an entire segment of the population, as if its members never existed,” the unsigned statement said.

“The law might not have practical effects, yet it sends an unequivocal signal to the Palestinian citizens of Israel to the effect that in

this country they are not at home.”

The law was passed with 62 votes in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s legislative assembly.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed its passage, saying: “Long live the state of Israel!”

“With this law we determined the founding principle of our existence. Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, and respects the rights of all of its citizens,” he said.

Among its provisions, the law granted an advantageous status to Jewish-only communities and downgraded Arabic from an official language to one with a “special status”.

The patriarchate said that while the law commits to work on the development of Jewish settlements, it contained no mention of the development of the country for other residents.

The law “is exclusive rather than inclusive, disputed rather than consensual, politicised rather than being rooted in the basic norms

that are common and acceptable to all fractions of the population”, the patriarchate said.

Citing United Nations Resolution 181 adopted in 1947, which partitioned what was then Palestine into Arab and Jewish regions and established the state of Israel, the patriarchate called the law discriminatory because it fails to protect the rights of non-Jewish residents.

The new law, the patriarchate said, also contradict a 1995 law that guarantees the respect of the dignity of every person. “Where there is discrimination, there is no dignity,” the statement said.

“In other words, the law says there are not equal rights between Jews and Arabs and refuses to acknowledge their existence,” it said.

The patriarchate called on Israeli citizens “who still believe in the basic concept of equality among citizens of the same nation” to object to the law “and the dangers emanating thereof to the future of this country”.—CNS

Papal theologian: Contraception feeds violence against women

By CAtHerINe SHeeHAN

T

HE widespread use of contraception has led to increased violence and aggression against women, the theologian of the papal household said during a visit to Sydney, Australia.

Dominican Father Wojciech Giertych, appointed to his position by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, said that the contraceptive mentality has distorted male sexuality, leading to violence towards women.

“Contraception is not for women, it’s for men,” Fr Giertych told The Catholic Weekly, newspaper of the Sydney Archdiocese. “It makes men egoists. It makes many of them degenerates and we’re seeing the consequences of that.”

Fr Giertych said government statistics in Italy revealed that a woman was murdered every four days from 2009-11. He said more than 80% of the perpetrators were sexual partners of the victims, such as boyfriends, husbands or former partners.

Even more violence is carried out against women in other countries, he said, pointing to Mexico, where six women are murdered every day, according to reports in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.

“In the hearts and minds of these men there is the treating of the

dominican Father Wojciech Giertych, theologian of the papal household. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) woman as an object to which he has a right. This deforms the male, freeing him from all responsibility,” Fr Giertych said.

“When such a significance is attributed to sexuality this does not give ultimate happiness and so it functions like a drug constantly demanding more, and then this leads to violence,” he said.

Given that the rate of women being murdered is so high, it’s likely that many more women are abused by their male partners, he added.

The introduction of the birth control pill nearly 60 years ago has led to what the priest called a demographic winter in many countries

and to a lack of interest in marriage and fatherhood among men.

In 1968, both Pope Paul VI and John Paul II, before he became pope, predicted that contraception would distort human sexuality, he said.

John Paul, then the archbishop of Krakow, Poland, was part of a group of theologians from his archdiocese who sent a memorandum to assist Bl Paul in preparing the 1968 encyclical Humanae vitae (“Of Human Life”). The memorandum explained that contraception generates egoism.

“Self-mastery, self-gift and disinterestedness are eliminated for the sake of pleasurable experience, satisfaction of the senses or emotion.

Such acts not only do not constitute true love, but when repeated, necessarily lead to the destruction of love,” the future pope wrote.

Fr Giertych rejected the idea that Humanae vitae could be reinterpreted in view of Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”), which offered his reflections on modern family life.

“Basically this cannot be done,” the papal theologian said. “We’re not to change the teaching of the Church. Furthermore, Amoris Laetitia doesn’t provide the grounds for reinterpreting Humanae Vitae.—CNS

Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception

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Should you wish to know more about us, contact: The Vocation Directress, PO Box 773 Nelspruit/Mbombela, 1200. Tel 076 692 8477 or 013 741 4520 franciscansnelspruit@telkomsa.net

Indian Church protests call to ban Confession

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NDIA’S Catholic Church has led a chorus of protest over a demand to ban the sacrament of reconciliation by the chair of the National Commission for Women.

“This demand is absurd and it displays ignorance about the sacrament of confession,” Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, president of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India said.

“The tenor of the demand shows they do not understand the meaning nor do they have respect for religious freedom,” the cardinal said, following wide media coverage of the demand from Rekha Sharma, commission chair.

Ms Sharma said that “priests pressure women into telling their secrets”, noting that the commission had heard testimony about one such case. “There must be many more such cases and what we have right now is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said, in calling for the end of the Church practice of confessing sins.

The call came after five Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church priests in Kerala state were suspended from ministry, including at least two who had sex with a married woman.

The scandal erupted when an audio clip of a telephone conversation, purportedly between the woman’s husband and a Church official, went viral on social media in June, ucanews.com reported.

It was alleged a priest had sex with the woman after threatening to break the seal of confession to reveal to her husband that she had confessed to having a relationship with a priest in her parish before she was married. The priest hearing the confession allegedly video recorded having sex with the woman and passed

the information and video to another priest, who also used it to have sex with the woman.

The woman’s husband said he learned of the incident after he found a bill for a five-star hotel in his wife’s name and she admitted what had occurred.

The commission’s demand “betrays a total lack of understanding of the nature, meaning, sanctity and importance of this sacrament for our people; and also an ignorance of the strict laws of the Church to prevent any abuse,” Cardinal Gracias said.

“Such a ban will be a direct infringement on our freedom of religion guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. I am confident the government will totally ignore this absurd demand from the commission”, Cardinal Gracias said.

The cardinal urged the commission “to pay attention to empowerment of women, their capacity building, prevention of domestic violence, organising rescue systems, and so on, instead of dabbling in religious matters about which it understands nothing”.

The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council branded the commission’s call “unconstitutional”.

“It is an attack on the Christian faith and spiritual practice,” the council said. “We strongly feel that the recommendation is unwarranted. We suspect communal and political motives behind this unconstitutional interference into the internal spiritual affairs of the Church.”

Cardinal Gracias said that there seemed to be a “contrived attempt”

by Ms Sharma to discredit the Church by making such a “shocking demand”.—CNS

Cardinal, archbishop resign over scandal

We Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception are an International Congregation

We try to deepen our relationship with Jesus and share our Joy of the Gospel with other people by serving them in various ministries, in the spirit of St Francis.

A firefighter sprays water to cool down young people before Pope Francis arrives for a special audience with altar servers in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Pope Francis told altar servers: “you know that the path to holiness isn’t for the lazy, it requires effort.” (Photo: Alessandro Bianchi, reuters/CNS)

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OPE Francis has accepted the resignation from the College of Cardinals of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, and has ordered him to maintain “a life of prayer and penance” until a canonical trial examines accusations that he sexually abused minors.

Archbishop McCarrick, 88, said he would no longer exercise any public ministry “in obedience” to the Vatican after an allegation he abused a teenager 47 years ago in the archdiocese of New York was found credible. The cardinal has said he is innocent.

In the weeks that followed the announcement, another man came forward claiming he was abused as a child by Archbishop McCarrick and numerous former seminarians and priests have spoken out about being sexually harassed by the cardinal at a beach house he had.

Although unusual, withdrawal

from the College of Cardinals in such circumstances is not unheard of. Just ten days before then-Pope Benedict XVI retired in 2013, Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien withdrew from the conclave in similar circumstances.

P

ope Francis also accepted the resignation of Archbishop Philip Wilson, who had been found guilty by an Australian court of failing to inform police about child sexual abuse allegations.

Archbishop Wilson of Adelaide was sentenced to 12 months of house arrest by the court with another hearing to assess the location of his home detention.

The archbishop was convicted in May for failing to report allegations of child sexual abuse by a priest in the 1970s. He stepped aside from his duties in the Adelaide archdiocese but at the time maintained his title as archbishop.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL Jerome Perrin, president of the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Paris and a leader in coordinating Catholic aidoutside the city’s St rosalie church.

(Photo: dale Gavlak/CNS)

Vincentian in Paris heeds pope’s call By dALe GAVLAk

A

S Europe continues to struggle with migrant and refugee arrivals, Catholics in the French capital are heeding Pope Francis’ call to come to their aid by providing practical and spiritual help to the newcomers.

A key figure coordinating Catholic aid is Jerome Perrin, president of the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Paris and a member of St Rosalie parish, located in a Left Bank neighbourhood south of the Seine River.

“As a young student, I took a course on immigrants and how to assist them. At the time, it was the Algerians,” said Mr Perrin, 63.

Fast forward four decades to 2015, when a massive influx of refugees from Syria and elsewhere made the dangerous journey to Europe, riveting the world’s attention.

It was the call of Pope Francis and retired Paris Cardinal André VingtTrois to respond to the newcomers in need that pushed Mr Perrin and other Catholics into action.

Mr Perrin discussed the situation with St Rosalie staff, established a communication system to contact refugees, and began a refugee association. Nearby parishes joined the effort.

“For me, that means in the spirit of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, carrying the message to those near at hand and in solidarity,” said Mr Per-

rin, a vice-president at car manufacturer Renault and the holder of a doctorate in physics and a bachelor’s degree in Catholic canonical theology.

Mr Perrin first focused on accommodations for refugees. In Paris, finding housing is a challenge, even for Parisians, but he was able to locate a hotel for Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Then he found a place called La Mie de Pain (breadcrumbs).

Not far from St Rosalie church, the modern complex mainly housed homeless men. At Mr Perrin’s request, managers agreed to take in 60 migrants from Sudan, Eritrea and Afghanistan. A lawyer was recruited to handle legal issues. A programme was introduced so refugees could learn French and the local culture through monthly outings and special meals to encourage relationshipbuilding between Parisians and the newcomers.

Ever the networker, he said he has a portfolio of associations and organisations providing specialised aid to migrants and refugees.

“It’s important to link people together, rather than for individuals to provide help solely on their own,” he said.

“Now, I feel like a small orchestra conductor,” Mr Perrin added. “So, I appreciate the cooperation we now have among associations and parishes.”—CNS

Cardinal: Germany must recover its moral strength

W

HILE Germany has the potential to be a major European leader, the Church in the country must take a strong stand to insist on moral direction as well, according to German Cardinal Gerhard Müller.

“Germany is the leading country economically, but we need leadership also in the moralethical orientation,” said the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

He warned that “most of the European leaders and people in authority are too much linked with certain ideologies”, such as support for abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage. “They think this is the progress of humanity but it is a regression.”

Cardinal Müller also spoke about the relationship between Church and state. Government has a proper role and limitations, he said, cautioning that not all legal actions are moral.

“The power of the state must be responsible to the transcendent, to the higher law and reality,” the former archbishop of Regensburg said.

Government’s power is not absolute, but must adhere to natural moral law, which is universal, he said. Efforts to violate this natural moral law— for example, by legalising abortion or attempting to require priests to violate the seal of confession—are unjust.

The Church can help society understand the foundation for a democratic, pluralistic state, Cardinal Müller said: “The state must be tolerant and accept all the diverse, different religions but on the basis of human rights and the natural moral law.”

“We as the Catholic Church are the promoters of religious freedom, not only requiring it for ourselves. We are not a lobby for ourselves, but we are the promoters of this natural right, which everybody deserves: religious freedom derived from the natural moral law and freedom of conscience.”—CNA

the Southern Cross, August 8 to August 14, 2018

5

Aids struggle not yet over, say experts

By PAuL JeFFrey

tion of HIV/Aids in many settings, the agency warns that new infections are on the rise in some regions and among several key populations, and drug-resistant forms of the virus are beginning to appear.

In addition, a population boom of children and adolescents, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, will be particularly susceptible to infection following years of overly optimistic messaging about the end of HIV/Aids as a public health threat.

UNAIDS also warns that global funding for the HIV/Aids response is insufficient to get to those remaining sectors that until now have proved unreachable.

Participants in the biennial global gathering heard about advances in treating HIV/Aids infection, including what’s been dubbed “U equals U”—research showing that HIV positive individuals under treatment with anti-retroviral med-

D

ESPITE rumours of its demise, the Aids pandemic is far from over, and churches must continue to play a critical role in combating the disease, Catholic leaders were told at an international gathering of more than 15 000 Aids researchers and activists.

“We broke the conspiracy of silence, but now we face the conspiracy of complacency,” said Michel Sidibe, executive director of the joint United Nations programme on HIV/Aids, known as UNAIDS, in a conversation with Catholic and other faith leaders at the International HIV/Aids Conference in Amsterdam.

“Science is important. But social change is also needed, and social change happens with faith-based organisations,” he said.

While progress had been made in testing, treatment and preven-

ications who have achieved an undetectable viral load cannot pass on the virus to others. Thus, “undetectable” equals “untransmittable”.

“It’s a miracle. And the data is irrefutable,” said Maryknoll Father Richard Bauer, who chairs the Catholic HIV and AIDS Network.

“We call this the three zeros.

Zero missed doses. Zero missed clinical appointments. Zero viral load. If you can get the three zeros, the virus becomes undetectable in the body and it’s virtually impossible to physically transmit it to others.

That has huge implications, especially for married couples where one person is HIV positive and their partner is not. And couples no longer have to be afraid of conception because the virus can’t be transmitted to the baby as long as we keep those three zeroes going,” Fr Bauer said.—CNS

Three children euthanised in Belgium in the past two years

A

RECENT government report revealed that in 2016 and 2017, three minors were euthanised in Belgium, amid a profound rise in the number of individuals legally procuring their own deaths.

“In all three cases, the patients were suffering from insufferable and incurable conditions which were already in a terminal phase,” Alan Hope reported in the Brussels Times.

The euthanisation of children was legalised in Belgium in 2014.

The practice had first been introduced in 2003 for adults.

There were 2 028 euthanasia deaths in 2016, and 2 309 in 2017, a 13% rise year-on-year. The report

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was legalised, John Haas a governing member of the Pontifical Academy for Life said the development was “dreadful”.

“They are appealing to ‘rights of children’ to make these determinations, but children aren’t capable of making those types of self-determinations,” Mr Haas said.

“So what is really going to happen is that, under the rules of children making these decisions for themselves, parents and physicians are going to be making those decisions, for children, to eliminate them because they’ve become excessive burdens on them and on the rest of society.”

“It’s a terrible situation. Unbelievable, if I may say so.”—CNA

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found that cancer is the primary reason individuals seek euthanasia.

Most were people between 60 and 89 who exhibited multiple illnesses or ailments. 710 of those euthanised in 2016 and 2017 sought their death because of conditions like sight loss or incontinence. 19 young people, between the ages of 18 and 29, were euthanised in 2016 and 2017. 77 people sought euthanasia because of psychiatric suffering.

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Seeking deepens daily readings F

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

A new scandal

T

HE Church must prepare itself for a new wave of scandal: revelations of sexual abuse of nuns by priests.

In recent weeks, religious Sisters from a congregation in Chile told national television their stories of abuse by priests and other nuns—and how those in authority knew but failed to protect them. In India, a nun filed a formal charge against a bishop whom she accused of having raped her.

Allegations which until recently were whispered are now going public. As Associated Press has suggested, this could be the #MeToo moment for religious Sisters.

Of course, cases of some priests abusing some nuns—likely small in number—is nothing new. Four reports in the 1990s outlined the problem in Africa, pointing to a serious issue, while stressing that the allegations of abuse were not representative of the African clergy.

When the reports were published in 2001, the Vatican acknowledged their accuracy, and the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference responded by drafting a protocol to act against these abuses.

Since those reports were issued, the Church in Africa is said to have made progress, with Sisters in many places becoming more emancipated—but the problem persists.

The latest allegations emanate from South America, Asia and Europe. The problem seems to range across the continents, as it does through time.

And now it is being spoken about, even as those deterrents that tend to silence these victims of abuse—the Catholic Church’s institutional culture of secrecy, its patriarchal structure, clericalism, misogynist prejudices, vows of obedience, fear and shame—remain powerful.

As it was with the disgrace of clerical abuse of minors, the even greater scandal here is the insidious culture of silence and coverups by those in authority.

Some whistleblowers have been treated shamefully.

In 2013, a priest in Uganda was suspended until he retracted his allegations that some “priests [are] romantically involved with religious Sisters” and apologised for making them.

In Malawi in the 1990s, a bishop dismissed the heads of a diocesan women’s congregation after they protested about dioce-

san priests having impregnated 29 nuns.

Has the Church taken action against these bishops, and others in authority who have covered up such abuses?

The Vatican has long known about these abuses, as its acknowledgment of the reports released in 2001 illustrates, but has done nothing concrete about it.

One can understand the temptation to keep scandal under wraps. It embarrasses the Church, it upsets the faithful, it could even lead people away from the Church.

But none of these may take priority over the protection of women religious from sexual abuse.

As the scandal gathers pace, as it surely will—internationally and possibly closer to home—we must be clear that the vast majority of priests are innocent of such allegations, and the vast majority of nuns have not been subjected to abuse, or other forms of corruption of their vows of celibacy.

We must not generalise, never mind allow salaciousness to enter the conversation. Indeed, this would compound the abuse of the victims.

The full implications of the new abuse scandal—not all of them clear yet—must be discussed openly and forthrightly.

And in this, our primary concern and loyalty must reside with those who have been victim to sexual predation. Here we, the Church, must show that we have learnt from the scandal of abuse of minors.

In some regions there are cultural pressures which are at odds with the Church’s mandated obligation of celibacy for priests and religious. This raises questions about the suitability of the discipline of celibacy in certain social environments, and calls for an examination of the support given by the Church to priests and religious living in such cultural contexts.

For most Catholics, the public emergence of a new scandal will be exhausting. How much more can we take?

The faithful will need guidance from their bishops, and the assurance that steps are being taken to root out this evil in our Church— as a few have already done.

The People of God can also help themselves by keeping in mind this basic truth: we are not Catholics because of the men who are leading the Church, but because we believe in the Creed—which no human evil can diminish.

OR years now Catholics have been able to acquire a booklet with the daily Mass readings, plus short commentaries, and I am positive this has been a great help in the daily routines of many.

Recently I was unable to obtain a copy, and I found this very inconvenient—firstly having to find which readings were relevant, and then having to look each up.

A friend suggested that I use the Daily Reading app posted by the Jesuits, which gave the full readings for each day, but without any commentary, and I commenced using this site, expecting to do so until I could once again get my hands on that little booklet.

But I found that this app did not satisfy—I needed more than just the

Celibacy problem

J

UST a few words on Fr Ron Rolheiser’s column “Conspiracy against celibacy” (July 18).

As he notes, marriage and celibacy have successful and happy exponents, and their counterparts.

At one period, Catholic “religious” could marry, so it seems a retrograde move to rescind this option.

Even some of our renegade popes have ignored this, as witness the notorious Alexander VI, the Borgia pope.

Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant clergy may marry, as may rabbis, the latter being encouraged to do so!

As the great Dr Johnson observed: “Even ill-assorted marriages are preferable to cheerless celibacy.”

Peter Onesta, Johannesburg

Humanae vitae and the Pill

T

HE editorial and other two articles on Humanae vitae (July 18) omitted to state the strongest and medically substantiated argument in favour of this papal encyclical, which prohibits all forms of artificial birth control.

This is that, with the exception of the barrier methods (for example, the condom and diaphragm), they all, especially the most popular one, the Pill, often fail to prevent the formation of new life in the womb by conception, and then destroy it very soon thereafter by an early and undetectable abortion.

This truth is confirmed and explained by American Randy Alcorn in his booklet Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions? This can be read online at www.cpm.org/static/ uploads/downloads/bcpill.pdf and bought at www.epm.org In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI told a congress of Catholic pharmacists

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readings, I wanted some comment.

So I decided to provide the missing bit myself. What a discovery!

Where I had previously no need to make any effort (although, to be fair, I could have), I now had to think, to absorb the content of the Bible readings, to search for the message which God was sending to me!

My friend told me to write down my thoughts, and being forced to provide tangible output made it imperative that I concentrate on my subject. So I did.

I have now come to have a far deeper experience of what God’s Word is saying to me—my ears have been opened a little more. What is more, I hear what is aimed at me, what is specific to my experience, my faults, my daily life.

Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy.

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

that “some drugs sold as birth control do not prevent fertilisation, but rather prevent the fertilised egg from being implanted in the uterus (and thereby abort it)”.

The Church hierarchy has hardly informed the faithful of this tragic truth about artificial birth control, and people are thus today completely unaware of it.

In an attempt to remedy this untenable situation I have, over the years, inter alia, placed a weekly notice against the Pill in The Southern Cross, and also sent the following to Pope Francis: 1. A copy of Mr Alcorn’s booklet with a request that he read it and publish a statement on the evils of birth control, 2. Certain cards against the Pill, based on the said booklet, which I continually circulate worldwide, with a request that he officially approve them to facilitate this project.

Despite numerous reminders, I have never received from Pope Francis any acknowledgement of my requests. This fact, combined with the massive dissent today in the Church hierarchy regarding Humanae vitae, clearly indicates a lack of concern about the faithful’s ignorance of the tragic truth about artificial birth control.

This unsatisfactory situation calls for our urgent prayers that it may one day be remedied.

Damian McLeish, Johannesburg

of his life. He was made sovereign, in the sense that God provided that no one can overrule the will of man, and that he, God, would not. The Law simply tells man where his sovereignty impinges on the sovereignty of God and other men.”

That is why we are taught that Almighty God’s laws do not change, and there will be justice meted out to sustain God’s total holiness.

Peter Throp, Value Life Abortion is Evil

Whose Eucharist more qualified?

I

N his letter (July 18), JG Goossens says the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life”.

Although Christian groups view the Lord’s Supper in differing ways (transubstantiation, consubstantiation, or spiritual), one needs to see the bigger picture which began with Adam and Eve supposedly sinning in the Garden of Eden.

The storyteller relates that they were expelled by God and thereafter had to till the fields—work for a living. Through their hard work and that of countless generations of people through the ages, we can enjoy the “fruits of the earth”. The celebration of the Lord’s Supper in Christian churches throughout the world is a memorial to our ancestors who were the very people who lived and died for us, their offspring.

What makes one Christian group’s Eucharistic celebration more qualified than the others’?

Patrick Dacey, Johannesburg

Man and free will

I

REFER to Sarah-Leah Pimentel’s column (July 4) on the primacy of conscience. On the question of mortal sin, may I suggest taking a look at “free will”?

I quote: “Only one with a free, sovereign will could be held accountable for his acts. Man, having been given a free will, is always in control

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We are bombarded in this age of the Internet with messages of all sorts, many of which could be meaningful, many just junk, but the sheer volume means we hardly process most of it with any real concentration—it’s all just too much.

So by at first feeling the loss of someone else’s thoughts, I have now discovered that my own inspiration is more relevant, more meaningful to me. And I’m revelling in having become an author, albeit that no other human might read my output!

Perhaps the Lord arranged that I miss that issue, perhaps he decided I should start thinking for myself?

I intend no disrespect to that little booklet—I am sure it is of invaluable assistance to any person who is searching for meaning in their faith. It’s just that there could be another way for some of us.

Tom Drake, Johannesburg

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PERSPECTIVES

the Southern Cross, August 8 to August 14, 2018

7

Of credit cards and other curses I REMEMBER the first time I felt rich. I was 11 years old and had found myself with R50 to spend at the tuck shop. It was time to splurge and shower my classmates with sweets or salty treats.

I decided, perhaps in an attempt to gain popularity, to blow it on a box of Crazy Pops—ice lollies packaged in a long plastic strip that come in a variety of flavours.

Soon the box was in my hand and I was ready to hand them out to the faces that I favoured and to be seen by the ones that I didn’t. For a brief moment those ice lollies had made me powerful and given me the opportunity to form new alliances in the classroom.

Money is a strange thing. It is at times an angel and at other times a demon. In its most wicked form it appears alluring and seductive. Like a harlot manipulates her solicitor, it will pull you in and give you every pleasure in which your senses can indulge.

And when it has had its way with you, it will withdraw its charms and demand its compensation.

But when it is at its kindest, it is a lifesaving ferry in the treacherous waters of life. How often have we found ourselves choking and gasping for breath under the charging rapids of school fees, motor vehicle instalments and other bills? And what a relief it is when money finds its way to us in these moments of drowning.

In the sphere of financial services there are numerous insurance companies, investment banks, mutual funds and the like. This seems to suggest that humanity has organised its use of money sensibly.

But despite the many algorithms that

exist to help us do this, money still seems to trouble us.

It is well-known that the hearts of investors, traders and those whom they serve are ruptured by the daggers of fluctuating futures prices.

We are afraid to lose money and so we spend money to protect it. Such is achieved by slaving away to make money or by borrowing copious amounts of it.

The latter is a well-disguised trap for those who are innocent, trusting and unsuspecting.

M

y mother has encouraged me to get some kind of debt so that I build a respectable credit record. My bank has twice offered to see if I qualify for a credit

debt is seductive, but it can be like a famished hound by night—hungry and on the prowl, writes Nthabiseng Maphisa in her column. (Photo: Steve Buissinne)

Nthabiseng Maphisa

Pop Culture Catholic

card. Despite these pressures, I have developed an aversion to debt. I loathe the idea of spending money I do not have.

I have seen too many people wander into the forest of debt. They feast on the flesh of a new credit card offered to them by the bank.

These credit cards, like berries and mushrooms, are in great abundance. But soon the sun will rise and its rays will peer through the woods. Then they will see that in the excitement of picking berries they have pricked themselves with thorns and felt the poison of the mushrooms churning in their stomachs.

By day it is a nourishing fountain, by night it is a famished hound, hungry and on the prowl. In the light it is a vessel carrying hopes for a better life, in the darkness it is a missile leaving grotesque greed in its wake. It is the weakness of gamblers and the strength of dreamers.

In the calm of the morning, we cautiously count our coins, but when dawn has turned to dusk we become like wolves and for money we lust.

Dear God above, take care of us, let not your heart turn into ice, may what we have now endure and in the future suffice. n Read previous articles by Nthabiseng Maphisa at www.scross.co.za/category/ perspectives/nthabiseng-maphisa/

What World Youth Day did for me I N January 2019 Pope Francis will travel to Panama to attend his third World Youth Day (WYD).

I had my WYD experience ten years ago in Sydney, Australia. Having matriculated the year before, this was any young Catholic’s dream come true.

Fifty pilgrims from my home diocese of Port Elizabeth set out for WYD08. With the support of our families and parishes, spiritual and financial preparations had started three years prior to this.

Aside from starting WYD, St John Paul II gave a cross and icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the youth, now known as the WYD Cross. These sacred objects accompany every celebration of WYD, and after touring through different countries, they are sent to the host country.

On the way to Australia, this cross and icon visited a number of Southern African dioceses, in January 2007. In this way, the prayers and petitions of the youth of this country were carried to WYD08. This also provided the necessary motivation the pilgrims needed to finalise their preparations for the main event.

The theme of WYD08 was from the Acts of the Apostles: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses” (1:8).

With this theme of the Holy Spirit, WYD08 was like an experience of Pentecost, with the successor of Peter, Pope Benedict XVI. It was an even more special experience for two young people from Port Elizabeth diocese who were confirmed by the pope during WYD08. Needless to say, any expectation we had was exceeded, having received far more than we could ever have imagined.

WYD, which attracts pilgrims from all nations of the world, is one of the best manifestations of the “one, holy, Catholic and apostolic” Church.

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Point of reflection

Surfers welcomed the World youth day cross and icon in Australia in 2008. In this article, seminarian runaine radine recalls his inspiring experiences of Wyd ten years ago. (Photo: Fiona Basile, reuters/CNS) The liturgy is the fullest expression of this reality. It is amazing how people from different corners of the earth can worship at one altar, without any confusion.

In fact, celebration of the sacraments is central to WYD, especially penance (the pope himself listens to the confessions of some pilgrims) and the Holy Eucharist, celebrated daily and often preceded by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

W

orld Youth Day offered us an opportunity to interact with one another and share our different cultures.

During the first part of the pilgrimage (known as Days in the Diocese), pilgrims are hosted in homes with local families.

In our case, we visited the island of Tasmania.

At the WYD event itself, this cultural exchange is portrayed by the sea of flags from the different nations hovering over the crowds and pilgrims trading tokens

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from their countries of origin, which serve as a reminder years later of the WYD experience.

The young pilgrims are never ashamed of witnessing to their faith in Christ and their joy in being Catholic. On the streets, in the buses and trains, prayers (especially the Rosary) and hymns are offered. Thankfully, this was before the “selfie culture” became prevalent!

More than the official Vocations Expo, it is the sight of priests and religious, in collars and habits, roaming the streets with the youth, which raises awareness: “What if I, too, am called?”

Young people have themselves expressed the need for such authentic witness. This can stimulate our reflections on the Synod of Bishops on the theme of “Young people, the faith and vocational discernment”, which will be held in the Vatican in October.

WYD ends with a missionary mandate.

The final words of Pope Benedict XVI, to an estimated 400 000 pilgrims during the Angelus address at the final Mass of WYD08, encourages “joyful witness to Christ before the world” every day of our lives.

As far as possible, WYD is a must for any Catholic young person! And following the successful Mini World Youth Day held in Durban last December, we long for the day when this life-changing event will be hosted by the African continent. n Runaine Radine is a seminarian of Port Elizabeth diocese. He completed his studies at St John Vianney Seminary, Pretoria, in May.

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Pilgrims from tzaneen at the Catholic radio Wa of the diocese of Lira in northern uganda. they were interviewed about their pilgrimage. Bishop João rodrigues stands at the right; Bishop Hugh Slattery third from left.

Bishop Hugh Slattery MSC

Point of reflection

Uganda martyrs inspire cause for Benedict Daswa

R

ECENTLY a small group of pilgrims from the diocese of Tzaneen went to Uganda to honour their martyrs and to get inspiration for promoting the cause of our own Bl Benedict Daswa.

The group included Bishop João Rodrigues, Fr Wilfred Okali AJ—a Ugandan who was our very competent organiser and guide—and myself.

Fr Okaki had arranged our accommodation at the Foyer De Charité in Kampala which is within walking distance of the shrine at Namugongo built in honour of St Charles Lwanga and his 21 companions.

These Catholics were martyred in the most cruel manner in the years 1885-87. They were canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1964. There were also 23 Anglican martyrs and they are honoured at a shrine about a kilometre from the Catholic one.

Uganda has two other young martyrs and we decided to visit their shrine first. It is at Paimol in the far northern part of the country. Here two teenage catechists, Bl David Okelo, aged 18, and Bl Jildo Irwa, 13, gave up their young lives for the faith just 100 years ago. They were beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

We had the joy of celebrating Mass at their shrine, attended by a couple of hundred young people and children. We were very warmly received and after the celebration were presented with two young goats as a token of their appreciation and gratitude!

The really big event was of course the celebration of the feast of St Charles Lwanga and his companions. This was something beyond our wildest dreams. Four million people came from Uganda and neighbouring countries, especially from Kenya and Tanzania, and some even from distant Nigeria.

In addition to our group, South Africa was also represented by two other small groups coming from the diocese of Witbank and the archdiocese of Johannesburg.

Many pilgrims had walked for one and even two weeks to be present for the celebration.

There were large screens to enable those far away from the altar to see what was going on. Everything went off very well and one could sense the joy, peace and happiness which reigned among the people.

Our visit showed us beyond doubt the great importance of the saints and especially of the martyrs in building up the faith of the people.

This has been the case throughout the history of the Church, going back to the very early martyrs who were greatly revered by the faithful. They were regarded as great role models as well as powerful intercessors with the Lord.

One could say that the Church in Uganda, and in Eastern Africa in general, owes a great deal to the heroic witness of the Martyrs of Uganda.

The people are immensely proud of all of them and have chosen them to be special patrons for various categories of people such as families, husbands and youth.

Witnessing first-hand the deep faith of these young Churches of Africa was a real spiritual experience for us. We returned home strengthened in our own faith and with renewed commitment to the task of promoting Bl Benedict Daswa.

It is obvious that as the years go by, he too will become a big saint, not only for South Africa but also for other African countries and indeed for the wider Church as a true apostle of life. n Bishop Hugh Slattery MSC is the retired head of Tzaneen diocese. He initiated the sainthood cause for Bl Benedict Daswa.

8

the Southern Cross, August 8 to August 14, 2018

COMMUNITY

Parishioners of the archdiocese of Cape town parishes of Good Shepherd in Bothasig and St John the Baptist in Atlantis went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land earlier this year with Fr Ivanhoe Allies. (Submitted by Jean Sullivan)

Students at Holy rosary School in edenvale, Johannesburg, celebrated Mandela day by wearing shweshwe fabrics or the colours of the South African flag. they also made sandwiches, working with the school’s Outreach Committee, for those in need. (From left) Bontle Mametse, esther Mfuamba, tariro Hairwadzi, Winonah Chindawi, Athule Beseti, thato Sizani, erin Newman, Sasekani usiba, and tiba dlulisa.

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St Peter Claver parish in Pimville, Soweto, celebrated the First Communion of young members during a Mass said by parish priest Fr tom Segami OMI. (Photo: Sello Mokoka)

Grade 4 to 6 pupils of St teresa’s School in rosebank, Johannesburg, went down onto the site of the foundations of the new junior school to sprinkle it with holy water and hold a small service blessing the ground.

Living the joy of the Gospel as a Franciscan Friar!

Grade 5 pupils from Marist Brothers Linmeyer in Johannesburg collected socks, stationery and shoes for refugees at St Patrick’s parish in rosettenville.

On Mandela day, students at CBC St John’s Parklands in table View, Cape town, did their 67 minutes of service helping out at the soup kitchen in the Cape Quarter.

(From left) Junior City Council member Michaela van Wyk, Gemma Benfield and Angelique Flood hard at work.

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Sacred Heart College in Observatory, Johannesburg, held a tea for Grade 5 pupils, parents and grandparents who had participated in the “When We Were ten” Box Project. Pupils were asked to remember things they liked or did when they were 10, for example, what song they liked, what food they ate, what movie they liked, what their favourite school subject was. they then asked their mother or father and a grandmother or grandfather the same questions. All the answers were collated and designed on a box. Seen are learner Nayen kellan with his aunt and uncle, Sivan and Paddy Padayachy.

Join us in a life of…Prayer, Brotherhood, and loving Service Contact: Br. Thabo Mabaso OFM National Vocations Director Mobile: 067 089 2234 Facebook: Franciscan vocation ministry of Our Lady Queen of Peace, RSA Email: vocations@ofm-sa.co.za website www.ofm-sa.org Post: P.O Box 914-1192 Wingate Park 0153

Fr Nkosinathi Njoko OFM with Franciscan novices and young people of the church of the resurrection in dawn Park, Boksburg, Johannesburg archdiocese. (Submitted by Fr Sekabata Solomon Mphela OFM)

the Southern Cross, August 8 to August 14, 2018

FAITH

9

What you must know about the Assumption The Assumption of Mary into Heaven is the patronal feast of South Africa. Here’s an overview of what you need to know about the Assumption.

O

N August 15, Catholics around the world mark the feast of the Assumption of Mary—and on August 19, South African Catholics have a second opportunity to celebrate the country’s patronal feast as in our region it is transferred to the nearest following Sunday.

This means that the obligation to celebrate the feast on August 15 in a Mass falls away, and is satisfied by attendance at the Sunday Mass.

Parishes and individuals are still free, and even encouraged, to observe the feast on its actual day.

The feast of Mary Assumed into

Heaven (from the Latin assumptio, meaning “a taking”) commemorates the end of Mary’s earthly life and her assumption into heaven.

While the feast day is a relatively new one, the history of the holy day—and the mystery behind it—has its roots in the earliest centuries of Christian belief.

“As her earthly life comes to an end, the Assumption helps us to understand more fully not just her life, but it helps us to always focus our gaze to eternity,” Dr Matthew Bunson, a contributor to the Catholic TV station EWTN. “We see in Mary the logic of the Assumption as the culmination of Mary’s life,” he said. “A Eucharistic requirement for that day is very fitting.”

The dogma of the Assumption of Mary—also called the “Dormition of Mary” in the Eastern Churches—has its beginning in the early centuries of the Church. The Catholic Church teaches that when Mary ended her earthly life,

Mary’s dormition, as she is taken up to heaven in the presence of Christ and the apostles, is depicted on the facade of Notre dame cathedral in Paris.

God assumed her, body and soul, into heaven.

This belief traces its roots back to the earliest years of the Church.

A site just outside Jerusalem, in the Kidron Valley, was recognised as the tomb of Mary. The earliest Christians maintained that “no one was there”, Dr Bunson said.

Apostles were witnesses According to St John of Damascus, in the 5th century, at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, Roman Emperor Marcian requested the body of Mary, Mother of God. St Juvenal, who was bishop of Jerusalem replied “that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened upon the request of St Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven”, the saint recorded.

There is a modern tradition that places the Assumption in Ephesus, modern-day Turkey, in the House of the Virgin Mary. The earliest traditions say that Mary’s life ended in Jerusalem.

The traditional site of Mary falling into her eternal sleep is Dormition abbey on Mount Zion; the ancient site of her tomb, which is still preserved, is at the foot of the Mount of Olives.

By the 8th century, around the time of Pope Adrian (772–795), the Church began to change its terminology, renaming the feast day of the Memorial of Mary to the Assumption of Mary.

Pope Leo IV (847-55) confirmed the feast as official.

The belief in the Assumption of Mary was a widely held tradition, and a frequent meditation in the writings of saints throughout the centuries.

However, it was not defined officially until the past century. In 1950, Pope Pius XII made an infallible, ex-cathedra statement in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus, officially defining the

the rock-cut tomb of Mary and its entrance, its front side covered in icons, in the crypt of Mary’s tomb in the kidron Valley in Jerusalem. (Photo: Wikipedia) dogma of the Assumption.

“By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory,” Pope Pius wrote.

Dogma in 1950 Within the decree, which was passed beforehand to dioceses around the world, Pope Pius surveys centuries of Christian thought and the writings of a number of saints on the Assumption of Mary.

“We have throughout the history of the Church an almost universal attestation of this,” Dr Bunson said of the Christian tradition’s testimony to Mary’s Assumption.

“We have this thread that runs

throughout the whole of the history of the Church in support of the dogma. That’s significant because it supports the tradition of the Church, but it also supports a coming to a deeper understanding of the teachings of the Church of how we rely upon the reflections of some of the greatest minds of our Church.”

What’s also notable about the dogma, he added, is that it “uses the passive tense”, emphasising that Mary did not ascend into heaven on her own power, as Christ did, but was raised into heaven by God’s grace.

Today, the feast of the Assumption is marked as a major feast day and a public holiday in many countries. In most countries it is a Holy Day of Obligation, and Catholics are required to attend Mass (or on the date to which the feast is transferred).

South Africa was placed under the patronage of Our Lady of the Assumption in the early 1950s.

Where snakes come out to ‘venerate’ Our Lady E

VERY year, on the Orthodox feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos—what we call the feast of the Assumption—a monastery on a Greek island experiences a miracle: dozens of snakes come to “venerate” an icon of Mary.

In a phenomenon that has reportedly been happening for hundreds of years, black snakes begin appearing in the village of Markopoulo on the Greek island of Kefalonia between August 5 and 15, the days when the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates the dormition of the Theotokos (Mother of God).

According to tradition, the miracle of the snakes began in 1705, when nuns of the monastery were about to be attacked by pirates.

Legend has it that the nuns prayed fervently to the Virgin Mary, asking her that she turn them into snakes to avoid capture. Other versions say that the nuns prayed that the monastery be infested with snakes so as to scare away the pirates. Either way it happened, they were spared.

Since then, the small black snakes, known as European cat snakes, appear every year just before the feast, and make their way to the walls and entryways of the Church to “venerate” the silver icon of Mary known as the Panagia Fidoussa, or the Virgin of the Snakes.

The snakes’ patterning can produce a small black cross on their head, and they have a forked tongue, adding to the legend that these snakes are marked by the sign of the Cross.

A more boring explanation suggests that the church was simply built on the natural migratory pathway of the snakes.

In recent years, the faithful have taken to trans-

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(Photo: pravoslavie.ru) porting snakes to the church in jars and bags, to protect them from being run over by unwitting motorists.

The usually aggressive snakes are reportedly docile and calm during these days, when they are welcome in the church for Mass and prayers, and disappear from the island completely after the feast until the next year.

Reportedly, the only years the snakes have not appeared on the island were during World War II, and in 1953, the year of a massive earthquake. Locals now take the lack of the snakes’ appearance as a bad omen.

Every year, the island celebrates the Theotokos and the miracle with a Snake Festival.

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10

the Southern Cross, August 8 to August 14, 2018

FAITH

Who may receive Communion and when?

With the Church in Germany having launched the debate about Communion for nonCatholics, BISHOP VICtOr PHALANA notes that the Southern African Church dealt with the question many years ago, and explains what the rules on inter-Communion are here.

W

HILE the Catholic Church in Germany and many other bishops’ conferences are struggling with the question of Holy Communion for non-Catholics, the Church in Southern Africa tackled this issue and took a position 15 years ago.

In January 2003, five years after issuing a first draft, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a “Directory on Ecumenism” for its pastoral region.

I was privileged to have been a member of the SACBC’s Department of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue when this directory was being initiated.

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith—which was headed then by Cardinal Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI—did not accept the first draft. I can still remember their comments and concerns, and later, their approval after our amendments and corrections.

When it comes to sharing sacramental celebrations with Christians of other churches, the position of the Catholic Church is that “Eucharistic communion is inseparably linked to full ecclesial communion and it is its visible expression”, according to the Directory on Ecumenism (#6.1).

“At the same time, the Catholic Church teaches that by baptism members of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities are brought into real, even if imperfect, communion, with the Catholic Church and that ‘baptism, which constitutes the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn…is wholly directed towards the acquiring of fullness of life in Christ’” (Unitatis Redintegratio 22).

The position is that the sacraments, and most especially the Eucharist, are signs as well as sources of unity and therefore are properly open as a matter of course only to those who are in full ecclesial communion with each other.

For us full ecclesial communion entails sharing the beliefs, same doctrine, seven sacraments, the authority of the pope and the magisterium, and so on.

There are special situations

where Christians of other Churches can receive Holy Communion. Our Directory on Ecumenism refers to the Vatican’s “Directory for the Application of the Principles and Norms on Ecumenism” of 1993 which says: “In general the Catholic Church permits access to its Eucharistic Communion and to the sacraments of penance and anointing of the sick only to those who share its oneness of faith, worship and ecclesial life.

“For the same reasons, it also recognises that in certain circumstances, by way of exception, and under certain conditions, access to these sacraments may be permitted, or even commended, for Christians of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities.”

There are certain conditions, where a baptised Christian of another denomination may receive Holy Communion from a Catholic minister.

The sharing of the Eucharist, penance and anointing with ecclesial communities from the Reformation of the 16th century is more difficult.

For Catholics, the Eucharist is a sign of ecclesial communion, which excludes their ordinary participation. However, there are occasions when the sharing of these sacraments “may be permitted or even commended”.

The directory offers four conditions: “that the person be unable to have recourse for the sacrament desired to a minister of his or her own church or Ecclesial Community; ask for the sacrament of his or her own initiative; manifest Catholic faith in this sacrament; and be properly disposed” (131).

Catholics, however, under similar circumstances, may receive Communion only from those Churches whose sacraments are considered valid (such as Orthodox Churches). Hence, the invitation does not work both ways, even in these extraordinary circumstances: put plainly, Catholics may not receive Communion in Protestant churches.

The Catholic Church recognises the sacraments in all eastern Churches; it extends its willingness to share the sacraments with them—but not all eastern Churches are able to extend the same invitation back (DE 122-128).

What are the rules?

The conditions laid down by the bishops’ conference for the reception of Catholic Communion by a non-Catholic are as follows: l For a non-Catholic in danger of death or in cases of grave and pressing need determined by proper authorities. The norms for judging when such a need exists should be laid down by the diocesan bishop.

of matrimony, Christian burials, anointing of the sick, viaticum, and many other services simply because they are poor and many priests charge exorbitant stole fees for these.

The bishops were at pains in one of our conferences trying to come to terms with this evil practice which unfortunately is common in all dioceses of the conference. One of the bishops suggested that a pastoral letter, condemning this abuse of religion, be written.

It is a consolation to know that if there is an Orthodox church nearby, whose ordination we recognise, an Orthodox priest can be called to give viaticum to a person who is on their deathbed.

Today many Catholics opt to “rent a pastor” as a way of avoiding our exorbitant fees. This is causing a lot of suffering to many bishops.

They feel powerless to do anything. This is a new phenomenon and it is a strange culture in the Catholic Church.

My pastoral experiences

A priest administers Holy Communion. there are occasions when, according to the Vatican, the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ by nonCatholics “may be permitted or even commended”. l When a grave and pressing need justifies such sharing, the following conditions must be met: a) The person admitted to such sharing must seek it of his or her own initiative; b) must be unable to receive the sacrament from a minister of his or her own Church; c) must manifest a Catholic faith in the sacrament (acknowledging that it is the Body and Blood of Christ), d) must have the proper disposition for the fruitful reception of it.

I must add that the person requesting reception of Holy Communion must be from the Churches whose baptism we recognise. For us the valid baptism must be a baptism by water and the use of the Trinitarian formula. For that reason, we recognise the baptisms of most mainline Churches. Those are the

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people who may receive the sacraments from a Catholic minister. l As regards the sacraments of the sick and of penance, in the absence of the appropriate minister of their own Church, the mere request for such sacraments can be taken as evidence of pressing spiritual need and the sacrament may be administered. l As regards the Eucharist, a spiritual need can arise for a Christian from another Church or Ecclesial Community when attending a Eucharistic celebration for a special feast or event or when accompanying his or her Catholic marriage partner at Sunday Mass. l We must also promote Spiritual Communion as one way they might respond to this spiritual need.

When a person has an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and in lovingly embracing him in a Spiritual Communion, they can, with contrite and humble hearts, ask the Lord to come to them spiritually in the same way he would if they were able to receive the Sacrament. l The Church in Southern Africa encourages us to invite those who will not be receiving sacramental Communion to come forward at the same time as others and, when they approach the priest, to cross their arms over their chest as a sign that they wish to receive a blessing. l Catholics can receive the sacraments from some other Churches when there is a grave need.

The Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism says that Catholics can receive sacraments of Eucharist, penance and anointing only “from a minister in whose Church those sacraments are valid or from one who is known to be validly ordained according to the Catholic teaching on ordination” (DE # 132) This instruction is very important. We are well aware that in many Catholic churches in Southern Africa, people are refused baptisms, confirmation, the sacrament

Allow me to write from my personal experiences.

One day, when I was still a parish priest in Pretoria, I was giving Communion to a Catholic from my parish at George Mkhari Hospital. The person on the next bed requested to also receive Communion. I spontaneously said no.

She insisted, saying that her inlaws are Catholic, she had been to a Catholic school and was a bona fide member of the Lutheran Church and a member of their sodality.

Aware of these directives, I spoke to her about the Eucharist.

She said: “I know, I believe it is the Body of Christ.” I gave her Communion.

Another incident was at a wedding of a Catholic and an Anglican. The groom, who was Anglican, requested to receive Communion. As part of their marriage preparations, we helped him to understand the Eucharist.

He received the Eucharist with his wife and we encouraged him to join the RCIA so that he could be received into the Catholic Church.

Full, visible communion with the Catholic Church is important and it is the only condition for one to receive Holy Communion permanently in the Church.

At a Catholic funeral, a member of the Methodist Church, wearing her church’s uniform, came to the sacristy and requested to receive Holy Communion. We asked her a few questions, and we found out that she had been a Catholic all her life, but had to leave the Catholic Church and join the church of her husband, according to African tradition.

She expressed her longing for Eucharist. Permission was granted but parishioners were offended that “a non-Catholic came to receive the ‘Roman’ Eucharist”.

At Loreto School in Pretoria, Fr John Shand SCP and I faced a situation where many non-Catholic learners came to request the sacrament of penance. We spoke to their teacher and asked her to prepare them, and we offered them the sacrament. For those whose baptisms are not valid, we listened to the confessions and gave them a blessing.

I believe that the success of the Catholic Church in accepting the Doctrine of Justification—the landmark agreement with the Lutheran Church—must lead to our dialogue with the Churches until we find a common ground, as far as the Eucharist is concerned.

Pope Francis is encouraging the bishops’ conferences to deal with this matter and for individual bishops to make pastoral solutions on such matters, according to the parameters set down by canon law. n Bishop Victor Phalana is the head of Klerksdorp diocese and chair of the SACBC’s Department of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue.

the Southern Cross, August 8 to August 14, 2018

CLASSIFIEDS

Fr Frans Samyn OMI

O

BLATE Father Frans Samyn, formerly of Klerksdorp, died at the age of 88 at the retirement home of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Pretoria on July 21.

Born in Belgium on February 14, 1930, he entered the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1949.

He made his first profession in 1950, and in 1953 committed himself to lifelong service to God in the Oblate congregation.

Fr Frans was ordained a priest in 1955 in Gijzegem, Belgium, and straight away got his appointment for South Africa.

He started his ministry in Pretoria at Little Flower mission, Lady Selborne, where he died just over 61 years later.

Fr Frans is remembered by many older Catholics in Johannesburg and Pretoria through his work there in those early days.

He later worked in Dobsonville before being sent to Ikageng, Potchefstroom, where he founded and ran a high school for many years.

Later Fr Frans was transferred

to Motlhakeng, Roodepoort, Toekomsrus, and Randfontein.

Then in 1990 he requested to return to what had become the OMI Western Transvaal Delegation.

Fr Frans served the communities of Jouberton, Alabama,

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Klerksdorp, Orkney, Kanana and Vaal Reefs.

For eight years he served the Catholic community of Promosa, which was his last appointment, before retiring to the Oblate House in Potchefstroom.

Fr Frans was chaplain to the Belgian Catholic community while he was stationed in the Johannesburg area, and for this he received two awards from the Belgian embassy in Pretoria.

In the last years of his life he continued to serve the poor, and founded and supervised a project for orphaned children in Kanana, Orkney. Fr Frans was regularly seen collecting food parcels for the project and raising funds to keep this important ministry to the poor going.

He was quietly spoken, and fulfilled his tasks diligently. One Oblate referred to him as a “silent saint”. He never complained and was not demanding.

Fr Frans retired for the last months of his life to the Holy Cross Home in Pretoria, where he was well cared for by the religious Sisters and staff.

IN MEMORIAM

ADAMS—Sybil Muriel.

Passed away on August 10, 2017. Our beloved mother and grandmother, today marks the anniversary of your first day in Heaven.your legacy of love and service lives on. Stay with us and intercede for all those in need of help. eternal rest grant unto her O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her always. May she rest in peace. Amen. Forever in our hearts and prayers with love. your children Joan, Friedl, emma, Bernadette, Jennifer, elizabeth and dudley , daughter-in-laws, son-inlaws and grandchildren.

ADAMS—Sybil Muriel. August 10, 2017. One year ago today our Nightingale was silenced. With heavy hearts we mourn the loss of a great woman. you walked among us all our life leading, teaching, sharing and always caring. Our nurturer with a heart of gold. Our greatest supporter, a warm, humble and generous soul who not only loved us with her whole being, but taught us how to love. What a great honour we all had to learn at the feet of a legend. Although it is difficult to see beyond the sorrow, our many happy memories and love for her comfort us. May perpetual light shine upon her always.

Forever in our hearts and prayers. your daughter Lizzy, Shaun, keshia, Miche' and damon.

Sr Terry Motadinyana OP

D

OMINICAN Sister Terry Motadinyana died at St Mary’s convent in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, on July 20.

Born Theresita Motadinyana on June 30, 1931, in Western Township opposite Sophiatown, she attended the primary school run by the Notre Dame Sisters in Martindale. For high school and teacher training, she went to the Village Main school run by the King Dominicans.

Of her time at Village Main she said: “ I was drawn to the religious life by the good example of the Sisters who taught us. I was deeply touched by their simple lifestyle, and their prayer life, impressed by their dedication, commitment to their duties, and in particular by the way they devotedly imparted knowledge to their students.”

Sr Terry chose “Give a

Thought to Africa” as one of the hymns she wanted for her funeral. Her whole life was indeed a gift to Africa, which she loved

and served faithfully for 65 years as a Dominican Sister.

She taught for many years in schools in the Eastern Cape and also in Gauteng.

When Sr Terry retired she did not stop serving but taught literacy and sewing to women in Witbank, enabling them to have the skills they needed to earn a living for themselves and their families. She also did pastoral work in the Free State for a number of years.

Hers was a full and fruitful life. Sr Terry is remembered by many people whose lives she touched with both gratitude and joy. She is missed by her religious community and also by her older sister, Sylvia.

She continues to call us to “Breathe a prayer for Africa, a prayer sincere and true.”

By Sr Ann Wigley OP Yolanda Timm on 021

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When may non-Catholics receive Communion?

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No 5094

STAFF REPORTER

W

HILE some German bishops have decided that non-Catholic spouses of Catholics may receive Communion in individual cases according to pastoral needs, inter-Communion in Southern Africa is governed by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s “Directory on Ecumenism”, which was approved by the Holy See and released in 2003.

“The position is that the sacraments and most especially the Eucharist are signs as well as sources of unity and therefore are properly open as a matter of course only to those who are in full ecclesial communion with each other,” said Bishop Victor Phalana, the chairman of the SACBC’s Department of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue.

“For us full ecclesial communion entails sharing the beliefs, same doctrine, the seven sacraments, the authority of the pope and the magisterium, and so on.”

Bishop Phalana said that there are certain conditions when a baptised Christian of another denomination may receive Holy Communion from a Catholic minister—but Catholics are generally not permitted to receive Communion from Protestant churches.

The SACBC’s Directory on Ecumenism makes provision for the administration of the Eucharist to non-Catholics under the following conditions: For a non-Catholic in danger of death or in cases of grave and pressing need (the norms for judging when such a need exists should be determined by the bishop of the local diocese; When a grave or pressing need justifies such sharing , the following conditions must be met: The person admitted to such sharing must seek it of his or her own initiative;

must be unable to receive the sacrament from a minister of his or her own church; must manifest a Catholic faith in the sacrament (acknowledging that it is the Body and Blood of Christ), and have the proper dispositions for the fruitful reception of it; and must be from a church whose baptism the Catholic Church recognises.

As regards the sacraments of the sick and of penance, in the absence of the appropriate minister of their own Church, the mere request for such sacraments can be taken as evidence of pressing spiritual need and the sacrament may be administered.

As regards the Eucharist, a spiritual need can arise for a Christian from another church or ecclesial community when attending a Eucharistic celebration for a special feast or event or when accompanying his or her Catholic marriage partner at Sunday Mass. ”We must also promote Spiritual Communion as one way they might respond to this spiritual need,” Bishop Phalana said.

“When a person, Catholic or nonCatholic, has an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and in lovingly embracing him in a Spiritual Communion, they can, with contrite and humble hearts, ask the Lord to come to them spiritually in the same way he would if they were able to receive the sacrament.”

The Church in Southern Africa encourages those who will not be receiving Communion to come forward at the same time as others and, when they approach the priest, to cross their arms over their chest as a sign that they wish to receive a blessing.

Catholics can also receive sacraments from other churches, when there is a grave need. The Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism says that Catholics can receive sacraments of the Eucharist, penance Continued on page 3

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SOLUTIONS TO 823. ACROSS: 4 Fallacy, 8 Adonai, 9 Forgery, 10 Grassy, 11 Ninety, 12 Monument, 18 Buddhist, 20 Tidier, 21 Unseen, 22 Chalice, 23 Seethe, 24 Baptism. DOWN: 1 Sangoma, 2 Domains, 3 Balsam, 5 Legend, 7 Curate, 13 Embraces, 14 Biretta, 15 Othniel, 16 Mithra, 17 Violet, 19 Daniel.

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Sunday August 12, 19th Sunday of the Year

KOHLER—Charles Henry.

In loving memory of the beloved brother of Margaret and ursula who died on August 13, 2014. rest in peace. Our Saviour’s resurrection was God’s way of telling men that in Christ we are eternal and in him we live again (Helen Steiner rice).

MARUSIC—Martin (tinko).

Gone to his eternal rest 5/08/2014. those we love don’t go away; they walk beside us day by day. Lovingly remembered by wife Poppie, children Susan, Steven and Sonja, and families. Sister ruzica, Makso and nieces.

RATERING—david.

12.08.2015. Beloved son and brother, we miss you and love you so very much. rest in peace. Forever in our hearts, Mom, dad, Lisa karen and family!

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A crew member of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms holds the hand of a woman who was rescued in the central Mediterranean Sea. With the rising death toll of migrants and refugees attempting the treacherous voyage across the Mediterranean Sea, Pope Francis has urged world leaders to act to prevent further tragedies. According to the International Organisation for Migration, around 1 500 migrants have died in the Mediterranean this year alone. The pope expressed his pain “in the midst of such tragedies” and offered his prayers “for the missing and their families”. (Photo: Juan Medina, Reuters)

Bishops slam taxi murders STAFF REPORTER

T

HE bishops of Southern Africa have condemned taxi industry-related killings and called on government to act.

In a statement, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) noted that on just one Saturday in late July, 17 people involved in the taxi industry were ambushed on the R74 in KwaZulu-Natal, killing 12, and a taxi owner was killed in Alexandra, Johannesburg.

“It is clear that there is a serious problem in the taxi industry which needs urgent attention by the government,” said the statement, which was signed by SACBC spokesman Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria.

Noting that millions of South Africans depend on taxis every day for transport, the SACBC said: “Taxi violence continues to endanger the lives of many innocent people.

Many taxi drivers live in serious insecurity.

“Is the government which we now have capable of dealing with this grave issue which is so close to the ordinary lives of our people?” the bishops asked.

“Law enforcement agencies, which should reach even the remotest parts of our land, seem totally unable to make any impact on this crime within the taxi industry.”

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The bishops expressed their strong concern about “the easy availability of sophisticated illegal firearms”.

“Suppliers of such weapons must bear grave responsibility for murders which result from this criminal activity,” the SACBC said.

“The Catholic Church is concerned about the use of illegal firearms within the taxi industry which are the cause of the loss of innocent lives. We therefore appeal to competitors in the transport sector to engage in peaceful dialogue and ethical business practice,” the statement said.

The bishops pointed out that the violence tarnishes the image of South Africa.

The parliamentary Police Portfolio Committee has warned that taxi violence has reached “crisis levels” and also called for the removal of illegal firearms.

“These firearms must be removed from our streets to deal effectively with crime,” committee chair Francois Beukman said in a statement.

The safety strategy of the taxi industry must also take into account the context in which “a large number of people who depend on this service as well as the impact these crimes have on innocent families”, Mr Beukman said.

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The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Patronal Feast of South Africa: August 19 Readings: Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10, Psalm 45:10-12, 16, 1 Corinthians 15:20-27, Luke 1:39-56

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EXT Sunday, we celebrate this country’s patronal feast, the Assumption of Our Lady; and sometimes Catholics feel a bit worried or embarrassed, lest perhaps we are doing something unbiblical in enjoying this day.

But if you look at the readings, you will see that the theme is not really about Mary. As always with Our Lady, it’s about the all-important question: “What is God doing here?”

You can see this very clearly in the first reading. “The Temple of God in Heaven was opened”; and clearly it is God who is doing the opening; then we are allowed a glimpse of the “Ark of the Covenant”, and “a great sign: the woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet”.

The point here is that it is all about what God is doing, as we watch this pregnant (and therefore vulnerable) woman who “cries out in labour”, and is in the “torment of giving birth”.

Her plight is then made all the more alarming by the arrival of the enemy: “a great red dragon…whose tail wipes a third of the stars from heaven and throws them on the ground”. Then it gets worse, because the dragon takes up a position “to swallow up her child when the woman gives birth”.

S outher n C ross

But that of course would mean the end of God’s project. The child is, however, safely born, and is rescued, “snatched up to God and to his Throne”. The woman escapes, because God has prepared a place for her, but the hymn that ensues is all about, not her, but God’s victory (in which of course she plays such an important part).

So our attention is, as Our Lady would wish, always on what God is doing.

The psalm is a marriage-song for the king, and the praise of his wives, including an address to one of the ladies, who seems to have had misgivings about what she was about to do: “Listen, daughter and see: turn your ears and forget your people and your father’s house, let the king desire your beauty, because he is your Lord—you are to worship him.”

Then we watch as her bridal attendants “are presented to the king…they enter the king’s palace”. It is not (to be perfectly honest) enormously clear how this fits Sunday’s feast, except that, once again, these ladies, and one of them in particular, are invited to turn their attention away from themselves, and towards what is going on, which is the continuation of God’s project.

The second reading, likewise, does not mention Mary at all, but directs our attention (and Mary would be pleased at this) to what

A

Conrad

then we are dangerously asleep. We have no choice. The world has become one village, one community, one family— and unless we begin to understand and accept each other more deeply, we will never be a world at peace.

Moreover, for us, as Christians, the threat of hatred and violence coming from other religions isn’t the main reason we are called to understand non-Christian believers more compassionately.

The deeper reason is that the God we honour calls us to do that.

O

ur God calls us to recognise and welcome all sincere believers into our hearts as brothers and sisters in faith.

Jesus makes this abundantly clear almost everywhere in his message, and at times it is uncomfortably explicit: “Who are my brothers and sisters? It is those who hear the word of God and keep it…It is not necessarily those who say ‘Lord, Lord’, who enter the Kingdom of Heaven but those who do the will of God on earth.”

Sunday reflections

God did in her son; and in this case it is Paul insisting, against the negative views of the Corinthians, that “Christ has been raised from the dead, as the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep”.

That is the heart of the matter in this feast; and if we are raised from the dead, and if Mary is assumed into heaven, that is all a matter of what God has done in Jesus.

Then Paul takes us on a tour of the whole history of humanity, and how what Adam got wrong has been put right by God: “As Death came in through one person, so it was through a person that the Resurrection of the Dead came.”

He then fills this out by indicating how the Resurrection works: “each in their own order” until the triumphant ending, when “he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father”, and when “Death is overcome as the final enemy”.

The whole thing, that is to say, is a part of what God has been doing in Christ, and that is the context in which we are to understand today’s wonderful feast.

Now look at today’s Gospel; and, once again it is not directly about Our Lady, but about what God is up to.

It starts, immediately after the Annunciation, with this young girl making that very un-

God is the Father of us all PARTICULARLY powerful Gospel story recounts Jesus meeting with a Syro-Phoenician woman. Central to that story is where their encounter takes place. It takes place on the borders of Samaria.

For Jesus, Samaria was a foreign territory, both in terms of ethnicity and religion. In his encounter with this woman, he is standing at the edges, the borders, of how he then understood himself religiously.

I believe that this is where we are standing today as Christians, on new borders in terms of relating to other religions, not least to our Islamic brothers and sisters.

The single most important agenda item for our Churches for the next 50 years will be the issue of relating to other religions: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, indigenous religions in the Americas and Africa, and various forms, old and new, of paganism and New Age thinking.

Simply stated, if all the violence stemming from religious extremism hasn’t woken us yet,

Nicholas King SJ

What is God doing here?

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final reflection

Who can deny that many non-Christians do the will of God here on earth?

But what about the extremism, violence, and perverse expressions of religion we frequently see in other religions? Can we really consider these religions as true, given the awful things done in their name?

All religions are to be judged, as the late religious studies scholar Huston Smith submitted, by their highest expressions and their saints, not by their perversions.

This is true too for Christianity. We hope that others will judge us not by our darkest moments or by the worst acts ever done by Christians in the name of religion, but rather by all the good Christians have done in history and by our saints.

We owe that same understanding to other religions, and all of them in their essence and in their best expressions call us to what is one, good, true, and beautiful—and all of them have produced great saints.

But what of Christ’s uniqueness? What about Christ’s claim that he is the (only) way, truth, and life, and that nobody can come to God except through him?

Throughout its 2 000-year history, Christian theology has never backed away from the truth and exclusivity of that claim, save for a number of individual theologians whose views have not been accepted by the Churches.

So how can we view the truth of other religions in the light of Christ’s claim that he is

the only way to the Father?

Christian theology (certainly this is true for Catholic theology) has always accepted and proactively taught that the Mystery of Christ is much larger than what can be observed in the visible, historical enfolding of Christianity and the Christian Churches in history.

Christ is larger than our Churches and operates too outside of our Churches. He is still telling the Church what Jesus once told his mother: “I must be about my Father’s business.”

Formerly, we expressed this by affirming that the Body of Christ, the full body of believers, has both a visible and invisible element. In explicit, baptised believers we see the visible Body of Christ.

However, at the same time we acknowledge that there are countless others who for all kinds of inculpable reasons have not been explicitly baptised and do not profess an explicit faith in Christ, but who by the goodness of their hearts and actions must be considered as kin to us in the faith.

This may come as a surprise to some but, in fact, the dogmatic teaching of the Catholic Church is that sincere persons in other religions can be saved without becoming Christians— and to teach the contrary is heresy.

This is predicated on an understanding of the God whom we worship as Christians. The God whom Jesus incarnated wills the salvation of all people and is not indifferent to the sincere faith of billions of people throughout thousands of years.

We dishonour our faith when we teach anything different. All of us are God’s children.

There is in the end only one God and that God is the Father of all of us—and that means all of us, irrespective of religion.

wise journey on her own from Nazareth in Galilee, all the way to the Judean uplands, and what happens there: “When Elisabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb.”

Elisabeth starts by hailing her visitor: “Blessed are you among women”, but also points to what she is carrying, “and blessed is the fruit of your womb”.

Then she goes further and deeper: “How does it happen that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

Now the word “Lord” up to this point in Luke’s gospel has been used only to refer to God, so now we are going into the mystery of who Jesus is (as his mother would wish).

Listen to Mary’s response, the great hymn of the Magnificat, in which she invites us to join her in proclaiming the “greatness of God”, in contrast to the “lowliness of his slave-girl”.

So, once again, we see that this feast is all about God, “The Powerful One has done great things for me; holy is his name”, and about proclaiming God’s fidelity “as he promised our ancestors, Abraham and his offspring for ever”.

Mary would not wish us on this day to do anything but what God is asking of us.

Southern Crossword #823

ACROSS

4. Invalid argument may befall a cynic in there (7) 8. Hebrew name for God (6) 9. Fraudulent copy of the sacred text (7) 10. Kind of terrain where the people sat down (Jn 6) (6) 11. Days of a decade of novenas (6) 12. A solid reminder of history (8) 18. Believer with Asian origins (8) 20. I tried to be less of a mess (6) 21. Not noticed (6) 22. Precious Blood vessel?

(7) 23. Show anger among Holy See themes (6) 24. It ritually admits you to the Church (7)

DOWN

1. A mango’s mixture for the traditional healer (7) 2. Din Amos makes in these territories (7) 3. Some cymbals amaze with a fragrant resin (6) 5. Lubricated in the sacrament?

(8) 6. Inscription at the tip of the limb? (6) 7. Cleric who is not in charge (6) 13. Holds closely (8) 14. It goes to the priest’s head (7) 15. Caleb’s younger brother (Jg 3) (7) 16. Sun god of ancient Iran (6) 17. Does she prepare vestments in Advent and Lent? (6) 19. Lead in a prophet (6) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

T

HE catechist was teaching the Old Testament to a group of children.

Finishing up the lesson, she said to them: “We have been learning about how powerful kings and queens were in biblical times.

“But there is a higher power. Who can tell me what it is?”

Little Thabo had the answer: “I know! Aces.”

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