181121 by The Southern Cross

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November 21 to November 27, 2018

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No 5110

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After eight years away, priest is coming home

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Feast of Christ the King

Much to smile about: Nun on turning 100

New Hurley, Tlhagale books reviewed

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November 25:

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How pope plans to ‘fix’ the curia By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

NEW constitution to rule the Roman curia, as the bureaucracy of the Vatican is known, will reflect Pope Francis’ call for a missionary Church that is focused on preaching the Gospel. This is according to Bishop Marcello Semeraro, the secretary of the pope’s international Council of Cardinals. Addressing students and staff at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University, Bishop Semeraro said that the document will also focus on the need for subsidiarity and “a healthy decentralisation”, which will strengthen the Church’s mission to serve others. “Subsidiarity” is the principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralised competent authority where that is possible. “The Roman curia is not only an instrument at the service of the Roman pontiff, but also an instrument of service to the particular churches,” Bishop Semeraro said. The current draft of the document, titled Praedicate Evangelium (“Preach the Gospel”), was reviewed by the international Council of Cardinals—the so-called C9—and a final draft was given to Pope Francis in June. Currently, Bishop Semeraro said, the draft is undergoing “stylistic revision” and a “canonical re-reading”, which are two necessary stages of development before its release. The bishop did not say when its publication is expected. “A stylistic revision means giving the text the best ‘literary’ coherence possible after the work has been completed. The same can be said for the canonical re-reading, given the legal nature of the document,” he explained. The Italian prelate said that the key to understanding the pope’s vision of the reform of the Roman curia lies in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), in which Pope Francis called for a “missionary option” in the Church that is

The choir at Durban’s Emmanuel cathedral was joined by a special children’s choir at a High Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier. The Pueri Cantores choir is a group of boys and girls being trained by world-famous choirmaster John Tungay, who is seen here conducting the two choirs. The children come from villages near Cedara, outside Pietermaritzburg, where there is a Catholic seminary as well as the Drakondale Girls Choir School founded by Mr Tungay. (Photo: Illa Thompson) Pope Francis speaks during his annual preChristmas meeting with top Vatican officials last year. The pope is preparing to issue a new apostolic constitution which is intended to change the culture of the Vatican’s bureaucracy. (Photo: Claudio Peri/Reuters/CNS) geared towards “the evangelisation of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation”. Changes to the structure of the Roman curia are made in the light of Church tradition and must be in keeping with “the principle of fidelity to history and continuity with the past”, the bishop emphasised. “It is precisely according to this principle that it would be misleading to think of a reform that would upset the entire structure of the curia,” Bishop Semeraro said. While the existence of the various dicasteries must be preserved, like any “structure of service, it always needs a permanent sort of maintenance”. For Pope Francis, he said, the path towards curial reform “is much more than any structural change”. Reform, Bishop Semeraro said, is about doing what “is necessary so that in the course of time and in changing situations, the Church may preserve her ‘sacramentality’, that is, her transparency towards God who makes her exist and dwells in her”.—CNS

Vatican stamps painted in jail By HANNAH BROCkHAUS

HE artwork featured on the Vatican’s postage stamps for Christmas 2018 were painted by a man serving a life-sentence in a Milanese prison. The two stamp designs, painted by Marcello D’Agata, depict the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Nativity of Christ. The postage stamps were unveiled by Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan at a presentation in the city’s Opera Prison and can be bought at the Vatican City post office. They are available in denominations of 1,15 or 1,10 euro, which is the postage required to mail directly to Europe and the Mediterranean region. An Italian journalist had the idea for the Vatican stamps after having followed a philately initiative within the Milan prison for several years. According to the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, D’Agata was drawn to art from an early age. “I confess that as a child, as soon as a blank paper appeared before me, I never failed to draw on it,” he told the newspaper. “Of course, they were just scribbles, but I

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liked it so much, because on those papers I gave shape and colour to my emotions and, most of all, to my dreams.” D’Agata said he had fallen away from artistic expression until a few years ago, when the director of the prison allowed a group of prisoners to take part in a drawing course, which served as a “source of inspiration and the dormant talents came back to life”.—CNA

6-16 October 2019

CATHOLIC FRANCE Led by Bishop Joe Sandri

Prisoner Marcello D’Agata paints an image of the Annunciation for use as one of the Vatican’s 2018 Christmas stamps, at the Opera Prison in Milan. (Photo courtesy of Danilo Bogoni via CNS)

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2018

LOCAL

After eight years, Jo’burg priest is coming home STAFF REPORTER

AVING completed his doctorate in Rome, a Johannesburg priest will say farewell to his parish in Italy and return to South Africa in December. Fr Michael Seheri, of the archdiocese of Johannesburg, has lived in Italy since June 2010. He successfully defended his doctoral thesis, “The Abrahamic Covenant: A Study From a Canonical Perspective”, at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (or Santa Croce). “It took me almost four years to complete the doctoral programme,” Fr Seheri told The Southern Cross from his parish in the Italian diocese of Ischia. “I began with a licentiate in biblical theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, and thereafter, I pursued a doctorate, also in biblical theology, at the same university,” he explained. Fr Seheri, who grew up in Naledi, Soweto, was ordained on March 29, 2009, in Potchefstroom by Bishop Zithulele Mvemve of Klerksdorp, and before going to Italy served at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Wolmaransstad. He is now incardinated in the archdiocese of Johannesburg. While pursuing his studies, Fr Seheri served as assistant parish priest at Sant’Antonio Abate parish in Ischia, near Naples in the south-western

Fr Michael Seheri, a priest of the archdiocese of Johannesburg, during the defence of his doctoral thesis at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome this month. Fr Seheri, who has been in Italy for eight years, will return to South Africa on December 4. Campania region of Italy. He missed home—“my family and friends, our vibrant society, the , and celebrating Mass in the vernacular”—but would not trade his time in Italy for anything. “The experience has been amazing. It presented me with the opportunity to exercise my pastoral ministry,” Fr Seheri said. “I celebrated the Eucharist daily, I heard confessions, I visited the sick, I preached, I buried the dead, and so forth,” he said. “The Italian parishioners welcomed and profoundly ap-

preciated my presence among them. They were respectful towards me; above all, they respected my priestly identity.” Fr Seheri said that his being African made no difference to his parishioners. “The fact that I was, as they call me here, un prete di colore—basically, a black priest—was never an issue for them. They appreciated the fact that they had a priest among them.” Indeed, the priest felt a connection between his parishioners and African culture. “To a certain degree, Italians

are like Africans, in the sense that they have and practise ubuntu. Or better yet, one could say they subscribe to our sacrosanct principle of ubuntu which indicates, inter alia, benevolence towards others,” Fr Seheri noted. “They joyfully welcomed me into their homes. I have been with these parishioners for almost eight years and my relationship with them has always been conditioned by mutual respect, which recognised and valued one another’s integrity.” The pastoral experience Fr Seheri gained in Italy will find application back home, he said. “I have been considerably nourished and humbled by my pastoral experience here. In general, Italians are very devout and staunch Catholics; as such, through observing their impressive and inspiring commitment to the faith, I was inspired to become a better priest,” Fr Seheri said. “This experience has inspired me to focus not only on academic matters, but also to go out to the periphery and reach out to the marginalised, the downtrodden, the suffering, the sick, the elderly, and so on,” he added. “In essence, it has made me a better priest and I would not trade it for anything.” Along with his doctorate, Fr Seheri will bring this experience with him when he returns to Johannesburg on December 4.

Jean-Marie Ntamubano, manager of the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban, was one of the keynote speakers at the launch of a book of selected letters by Archbishop Hurley.

Hurley letters book launched

REFUGEE who was once helped by the late Archbishop Denis Hurley of Durban was a keynote speaker at the launch of a collection of letters by the archbishop. Jean-Marie Ntamubano, manager of the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban, spoke to a full house and shared stories about how he met the late archbishop when fleeing Burundi as a refugee. The launch audience also heard about Archbishop Hurley’s love of language and his prolific letter-writing. This spanned eight decades and is compiled in the anthology A Life in Letters: Selected Correspondence of Denis Hurley, which has been edited by Philippe Denis, Paddy Kearney and Jane Argall (see review on page 10). After launches in Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg, the final event will take place on November 27 at 18:00 at Springfield Convent School in Wynberg, Cape Town. Mr Kearney and Cape Town vicar-general Fr Peter-John Pearson will be the keynote speakers. (RSVP to Brian Robertson at brian.r@mweb.co.za)

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2018

St Joseph’s raises funds for conference centre T HE papal nuncio addressed the inaugural Bishop Barry Wood OMI Business Breakfast, which is planned to become an annual event to raise funds for the development of St Joseph’s Theological Institute (SJTI) at Cedara, near Pietermaritzburg. The breakfast event was named after the late auxiliary bishop of Durban. SJTI, an Oblate-founded institute, trains future priests, from religious orders and congregations. Hosted at Emakhosini Hotel in Durban, the event’s keynote speaker was Archbishop Peter Wells, the apostolic nuncio to Southern Africa. After a brief introduction by Fr Sylvester David OMI, vicar-general of the archdiocese of Durban and former SJTI president, the nuncio addressed the gathering of mainly

Catholic business people on the subject of Catholic education. The well-received address was the topic of much discussion during the breakfast. Fr Allan Moss OMI and Lionel Samuels responded to the nuncio’s address, speaking about the development of courses for the laity and the Catholic Schools Office respectively. Br Nhlanhla Mhlanga, financial administrator of SJTI, and Clement Chetty presented the proposed project of a multi-purpose conference centre which the institute hopes will become a venue where both clergy and laity will come to receive ongoing theological training. It is foreseen that the centre will also be used by various organisations in the Church and society to host conferences and other meet-

ings. It will also have several classrooms, which will allow for expansion of SJTI. Those present pledged finances as well as expertise to assist the centre in bringing this project to fruition. The projected date of completion is 2021 at an estimated cost of R25 million. SJTI president Fr Ewen Swartz OMI explained that the vision of the institute is to become a centre for Catholic theology in the KwaZulu-Natal region and Southern Africa. He thanked those present for their support and assured them that the institute will continue to engage with them as well as other business people, communities and organisations in order to raise the necessary funds for this and other future projects.

Nuncio Archbishop Peter Wells (centre) with Fr Sylvester David OMI (right), vicar-general of the archdiocese of Durban and former St Joseph’s Theological Institute president, and current president Ewen Swartz OMI, at the inaugural Bishop Barry Wood OMI Business Breakfast.

SABC bicentenary docu on YouTube STAFF REPORTER

Vica-Lee Bost, 16, was baptised at the Nazareth House chapel in Cape Town. Vica-Lee is one of the profoundly disabled children at Nazareth House and her parents, parishioners of Our Lady Help of Christians church in Lansdowne, were anxious for her to be baptised. Seen above (from left) are grandmother and godmother Angie Arendse, Fr Michael Clement SAC, and Vica-Lee with her parents, Candice and Hayden Bost. (Submitted by Sr Margaret Craig CSN)

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HE SABC’s documentary on the bicentenary of the Catholic Church’s establishment in South Africa is now available on YouTube. Originally aired as part of SABC2’s Hosanna programme on October 21, the video is available in high definition at www.youtube/Sr4uyNDIjUU. The 25-minute documentary, made by Patricia Proctor of Get Reel Productions, is presented by Simthandile Mtolo. It notes the contribution made by the Catholic Church in the lives of millions of South Africans, highlighting contributions such as the Church’s engagement for social justice, especially during apartheid, and the massive roll-out of antiretrovirals by the Aids Office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The film features footage of the bicentenary’s closing Mass at the Bellville Velodrome in Cape Town and music by the Holy Trinity Catholic Youth Choir of Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Among those featured are Southern Cross columnist and Denis Hurley Centre director Raymond Perrier, Nqobile Ngcobo of Catholic Alpha (to be interviewed in next week’s Southern Cross), and Ursula Collings, principal of Holy Family College in Durban. The episode on saints in SABC2’s Issues

The Holy Trinity Catholic youth Choir of Braamfontein, Johannesburg, isseen in ascrenshot of the SABC documentary of the bicentenary of the Catholic Church in Southern Africa, now available on youTube. of Faith programme, also produced by Ms Proctor, which was screened in June, is still up on YouTube. It features Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, Fr An-

thony Egan SJ, Fr Lawrence Ndlovu, Raymond Perrier, Dr Nontando Hadebe, Frances Correia and others. See www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsioMjEBNbU

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

New book refutes ViganĂ˛ claims on McCarrick By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

T Pope Francis celebrates morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican. (Photo: Vatican Media/CNS)

Pope: Bishops should be servants, not princesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; By CAROL GLATz

BISHOP must be â&#x20AC;&#x153;blamelessâ&#x20AC;? and at the service of God, not of cliques, assets and power, especially if he is ever to â&#x20AC;&#x153;set rightâ&#x20AC;? what needs to be done for the Church, Pope Francis said. A bishop must always â&#x20AC;&#x153;correct himself and ask himself: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Am I a steward of God or a businessman?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? the pope said in his homily during Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae. The popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homily looked at the Letter to Titus 1:1-9 describing the qualities and role of a bishop. The apostle underlines how a bishop must be a steward or â&#x20AC;&#x153;administrator of God, not of assets, power and cliquesâ&#x20AC;?, the pope said. Most of all, he said, a bishop must be â&#x20AC;&#x153;blamelessâ&#x20AC;?, the same quality God asked of Abraham

when he said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Walk in my presence and be blameless,â&#x20AC;?, he added. According to the apostle, a bishop must not be licentious, rebellious, arrogant, irritable, a drunkard, greedy or obsessed with money. A bishop with even just one of these defects, the pope said, is â&#x20AC;&#x153;a calamity for the Churchâ&#x20AC;?. A bishop must be hospitable, temperate, just and holy; he must have self-control, love the good and be faithful to the Word, to the true message as it was taught, the apostle says. Above all, Pope Francis said, a bishop â&#x20AC;&#x153;must be humble, meek and a servant, not a princeâ&#x20AC;?. This is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the word of Godâ&#x20AC;? that comes from the time of St Paul and isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t something recent from the Second Vatican Council, the pope added.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;CNS

HE decision to appoint Archbishop Theodore McCarrick to lead the archdiocese of Washington and eventually to make him a cardinal went forward at the insistence of Pope John Paul IIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inner circle despite reservations stemming from reports of misconduct, a new book claims. The book, titled Il Giorno del Giudizio (Judgment Day), reconstructs the events leading to Archbishop McCarrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rise in the hierarchy while countering claims made by Archbishop Carlo Maria ViganĂ˛, former nuncio to the US In August Archbishop ViganĂ˛ called on Pope Francis to resign and claimed he personally informed the pope about then-Cardinal McCarrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s misdeeds. He also claimed that Pope Benedict XVI imposed sanctions on the cardinal because of allegations of sexual misconduct with and harassment of seminarians. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to try to give an account of the facts but to also offer some perspective on the current crisis in which it is increasingly clear that some peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including some bishopsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;have forgotten what the Church is, confusing it with a corporation and demanding the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resignation as if he were a CEO,â&#x20AC;? Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli said. In the book, Church conservative Tornielli and co-author Gianni Valente claim that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;testimonyâ&#x20AC;? released on August 25 by Archbishop ViganĂ˛ is riddled with inaccuracies and omissions on how the former

Il Giorno del Giudizio claims that the appointment of Archbishop Theodore McCarrick to Washington went forward at the insistence of the inner circle of Pope John Paul II, despite reports of misconduct. (Photo: Piemme Publishing) cardinal rose through the ranks of the Church hierarchy despite allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

mong other things, the book attempts to address Archbishop ViganĂ˛â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claim that Pope John Paul II was â&#x20AC;&#x153;already very illâ&#x20AC;? in 2000 and so, perhaps, he did not make the decision to name Archbishop McCarrick to Washington and eventually make him a cardinal. Archbishop ViganĂ˛ implied that

the appointment was â&#x20AC;&#x153;the work of Cardinal Angelo Sodanoâ&#x20AC;? and others â&#x20AC;&#x153;who were responsible for thisâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was struck by the clearly instrumental nature of the ViganĂ˛ operation,â&#x20AC;? Mr Tornielli said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gianni Valente and I have tried to find all the information about the McCarrick case because we think that a correct and full presentation of the facts is the first and most important step.â&#x20AC;? The book disputes the former nuncioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claim that Pope John Paul was incapacitated because of his health, nothing that from 2000, the pontiff â&#x20AC;&#x153;still had five very intense years ahead of himâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In that same year, aside from presiding at dozens of celebrations for the Jubilee Year, John Paul II visited Egypt, the Holy Land and then went to Fatima,â&#x20AC;? the book notes. Citing an anonymous Vatican source, the book also says that the decision to promote McCarrick was made by those in â&#x20AC;&#x153;the apartmentâ&#x20AC;?, a term used to describe Pope John Paul IIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closest collaborators, bypassing the suggestions made by the Congregation for Bishops and Cardinal Sodanoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objections, the source alleged. Overall, Mr Tornielli said, it was surprising â&#x20AC;&#x153;to discover that there was a general underestimation of the rumours and allegations during the process of McCarrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appointment as archbishop of Washingtonâ&#x20AC;? as well as to see â&#x20AC;&#x153;the absolutely clever way in which McCarrick was able to defend himself and bypass the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;instructionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; about his retirementâ&#x20AC;?.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;CNS

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ELKITE Catholic bishops from around the world, meeting for their synod, criticised the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories and rejected of Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nation State Law. In a statement following the synod in Rabweh, Lebanon, the bishops underscored â&#x20AC;&#x153;the seriousness of the oppression and the violation of the rights of innocent citizensâ&#x20AC;? in the Palestinian territories and called upon â&#x20AC;&#x153;stakeholders to find the best ways to stop the tragedy of the Palestinian peopleâ&#x20AC;?. The bishops appealed to the Palestinians â&#x20AC;&#x153;to unite their forces in the face of the new reality that is intended to be imposed on themâ&#x20AC;? by Israel. The bishops also rejected the Nation State Law passed by the Israeli Knesset in July. The law limits the promotion and protection offered by the state of Israel to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jewish citizens of the state of Is-

Melkite Catholic bishops from around the world are seen at their synod in Rabweh, Lebanon. (Photo: Melkite Catholic Synod/CNS) raelâ&#x20AC;? only. In their statement, the bishops said they support the position taken by Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land. That groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statement said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We must draw the attention of the authorities to a simple fact: Our faithful, the Christians, our fellow citizens, Muslim, Druze and Bahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i, all of us who are Arabs, are no less citizens of this country than our Jewish brothers and sisters.â&#x20AC;?

Addressing the general situation in the Middle East, the Melkite bishops voiced concern about â&#x20AC;&#x153;the deteriorating economic situation that makes most people suffer under the problem of poverty and needâ&#x20AC;?. The bishops appealed â&#x20AC;&#x153;to those concerned â&#x20AC;&#x201D;wherever they may beâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to work for achievement of justice, in the interests of humanity and for the preservation of dignity.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;CNS

INTERNATIONAL

Pope plans Morocco trip

OPE Francis will make a twoday apostolic visit to Morocco next year, the Vatican has announced. Accepting an invitation by Moroccan King Mohammed VI, the pope will visit the cities of Rabat and Casablanca on March 30-31. Vincenzo Abbinante, Italian honorary consul to Morocco, said that the pope’s visit would highlight the importance of Morocco as “a centre of excellence in intercultural and interreligious dialogue”. Pope Francis will be the second pope to visit Morocco. Pope John Paul II made a historic visit to the country in August 1985, becoming the first pope to receive an official welcome in the predominantly Muslim country. “We believe in the same God, the one God, the living God, the God who created the world and brings his creatures to their perfection,” Pope John Paul told a crowd of Muslims and Christians.—CNS

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2018

Pope names his abuse ‘top cop’ to key position By CINDy WOODEN

OPE Francis has named Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, arguably the Catholic Church’s most respected abuse investigator, to be adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Vatican press office said the archbishop would continue to serve simultaneously as head of the Malta archdiocese. “To fulfill the duties entrusted to him by Pope Francis, Archbishop Scicluna will travel to Rome on a regular basis,” said a note on the archdiocese’s website. Archbishop Scicluna is expected to have a key role in the organisation of a meeting in February on child protection that Pope Francis has asked all presidents of national bishops’ conferences to attend. The 59-year-old archbishop, who holds a doctorate in canon law,

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) worked at the doctrinal congregation for ten years as the “promoter of justice”—a position similar to prosecuting attorney—dealing with cases of alleged clerical sexual abuse. But even after being named auxiliary bishop of Malta in 2012, he

continued to be the person the pope would call on to investigate high-profile cases of abuse, consolidating a reputation for treating victims with compassion and respect, and for insisting Church officials respond to allegations clearly. He generally is credited with consolidating the cases against Legionaries of Christ founder Fr Marcial Maciel Degollado and Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien and, most recently, for convincing Pope Francis to take measures against several bishops in Chile.

rchbishop Scicluna also serves as president of the doctrinal congregation board that reviews appeals filed by priests laicised or otherwise disciplined in sexual abuse or other serious cases. Although born in Toronto, Canada he has lived in Malta since he was a year old. He did his univer-

sity and seminary studies in Malta and was ordained to the priesthood in 1986. During the Synod of Bishops in October, reporters asked Archbishop Scicluna about the state of discussions regarding the need for greater accountability of bishops in handling abuse cases. He said accountability would be a topic at the world meeting on abuse prevention the pope called for from February 21-24. “We know there is a great expectation for more accountability,” he said. “Now how is that going to develop? I think we need to trust Pope Francis to develop a system whereby there is more accountability.” “We bishops realise that we are accountable not only to God but also to our people,” and accountable not only for what they do, but what they fail to do when it comes to “stewardship” and protection, he said.—CNS

How officials undermine Vatican-China agreement By MICHAEL SAINSBURy

LTHOUGH China and the Vatican signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in September, persecution of Chinese Catholics continues. Some believe there is considerable pushback against the Vatican-China deal from inside China’s United Front Work Department, the Communist Party-controlled religious bureaucracy, especially at a more localised level. “Many officials at a local level feel they need to change their old ways to deal with religions. This means a more difficult job and less power,” said Francesco Sisci, a longtime Italian media correspondent in Beijing and now a senior researcher at Beijing’s Renmin University. “So, they are not happy,” he said. “They are sloppy or try to sabotage Beijing. If they undermine the agreement, they can recover some of their previous power. It is a proof of Beijing’s determination in the agreement

that problems are only scattered in a few places and are not widespread.” The latest controversy for Catholics is the detention of at least four priests: Frs Zhang Guilin and Wang Zhong from the diocese of Xiwanzi and Frs Su Guipeng and Zhao He from the diocese of Xuanhua. Their sin appears to be a refusal to join the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the government-sanctioned organisation that works to control Church leaders. A number of publications have reported the detained priests have been subject to house arrest and indoctrination classes. As well, the cross from the bell tower and the spires of a church in Shangcai county in central Henan province were destroyed; the church was sealed, reported Asia News, a Rome-based missionary news agency. Many people hoped the deal with the Holy See would see an end to the string of cross removals, church demolitions and detention of clerics.

Lawrence Reardon, associate professor of political science, University of New Hampshire, noted that the current campaign is not focused just on Catholics, but is indicative of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s continuing campaign to control all religion. “The lower levels have been given the green light and are continuing to tighten controls over Islamic, Protestant and Catholic official and unofficial communities,” he said. While the Buddhist and Daoist communities seem unaffected, he said, the United Front Work Department is going after “commercial activities”. “I think the centre does always have the capacity to control their organisations on the periphery, so you get some overly zealous cadre going after ‘miscreants’ in order to ensure that the UFWD won’t target them as being too lax,” he said. “The impression I have is that the UFWD fear religious revival coming from abroad and from within.”—CNS

DRC bishops: Help 500 000 expelled from Angola

ATHOLIC bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo urged help for half a million Congolese deported from neighbouring Angola under a crackdown on informal diamond mining. The bishops said they were alarmed by news of human rights violations by Angolan security forces and said the expulsion of “successive waves” threatened peace along the two countries’ 2 000km border. “Thousands of children, women, elderly, sick and handicapped, as well as able-bodied men and women, are being roughly unloaded like vulgar goods, day after day, in areas of great insecurity,” said the Kinshasa-based bishops’ conference. “We call on the Congolese authorities to begin a direct, open dialogue with the Angolan government to ensure the return of Congolese is organised and conducted in conditions

that respect their dignity and conform with the international humanitarian law both countries have signed up to as United Nations members,” said the statement. The bishops urged Catholics to “share the little they can” with those returning. Angolan police commissioner Lambert Mende told Reuters that his country was entitled to “safeguard its national security and natural resources” and said most Congolese had “left of their own free will”. In a statement, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees confirmed the mass deportations had already brought “serious human rights violations by security forces on both sides of the border,” leaving at least 330 000 people “in an extremely precarious situation”. The Congolese Church’s charitable agency, Caritas, reported that more than 500 000 deportees had arrived in several

provinces. Of those, nearly 207 000 had converged on the single town of Kamako, heavily outnumbering local inhabitants. Pauline Sister Bernadette Reis, said that Catholic parishes had offered food and shelter to incoming people. However, she added that local resources were “completely disproportionate to the number in need”, and said Caritas Congo was working with Caritas Internationalis “to put a strategic plan in place”. The crisis is the latest to affect the conflict-torn DRC, one of the world’s poorest countries, which faces presidential, parliamentary and regional elections on December 23. In its statement, the bishops' conference said it feared the mass deportations could disturb election preparations and called on the government to “make necessary and lasting arrangements” to discourage “illegal migratory movements”.—CNS

AN EVENING CHRISTMAS MARKET

An Evening Christmas Market will be hosted by Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Rivonia. One of the aims of this Market is to keep Christ firmly at the centre of our Christmas preparations and celebrations. Stalls will be selling homemade beverages, Christmas fruit cakes, arts and crafts, food, decorations and much more. Join our parish with friends and families on Friday 30 November 2018 from 15h00 to 22h00 (R20 entrance fee, children under 5 years free) as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with Christmas decorations and fun for the whole family. Venue: Our Lady of Lourdes Rivonia – corner Rivonia and North Roads, Rivonia; Sandton

Interested in a stall? Contact Beryl Mohr (082 772 1932) or Marian Symons (011 8031229)

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2018

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher Guest editorial: Fr Stefan Hippler

See the divine light in others

VERY year on World Aids Day, December 1, we are reminded of the plight of the more than 34 million people living with HIV/Aids and—depending where they live—also dying of causes related to the syndrome. The message we receive every year on World Aids Day remains the same: We have made strides, but it is not over. Even if in Europe the pandemic is under control, infection rates in many countries are rising again. In South Africa increasing numbers of people are on treatment, but the new-infection rates remain too high, despite all prevention work. It is particularly worrying that thousands of young girls in our country are infected every month, with acute health consequences. This is alarming, even in the face of some hopeful signs in the mother-to-child transmission rate, down from 33% to under 4%, depending on the region. Yet, research shows babies born HIV-negative from an HIV-positive mother are nonetheless very vulnerable to other health problems, with a higher mortality rate in the first years. This places an additional burden on the already weak national health system. Apart from the medical considerations, HIV/Aids has in many ways also challenged the Church’s teachings and disciplines—and the imprecise interpretation of these. From absurd suggestions that the disease is God’s punishment for immorality to the debatable location of condoms as a preventative means in the context of Humanae vitae, the institutional Church has struggled—and at times still struggles—to reconcile the call for compassion for the sick with the various interpretations of moral teachings. Priest-activists and bishops have struggled to make sense of that, and to balance teaching and practice—and some still do today. Wherever one stands, there is a growing general acknowledgment of the challenge to reconcile doctrine and mercy. And this challenge remains valid today and may come into even sharper focus in the context of the struggles our Church faces

now in light of the sex abuse scandal. There is also the question of whether and how we catch up with modern science regarding human sexuality, and whether we allow for an honest debate on matters arising from developing insights. World Aids Day 2018 should serve as a reminder to confront all these questions. During this year’s World Aids Conference, held in Amsterdam, the discussion centred on what and who is driving the pandemic worldwide. The answer pointed to challenges which we, as Church, must face as well. The most vulnerable groups identified were gay people in the so-called First World; women in the underdeveloped and developing world; intravenous drug users; male and female escorts and prostitutes; bisexual men; and migrants in general. These groups present us, as Church, with a challenge in terms of gender equality (and specifically the emancipation of women to exercise autonomy over their sexuality), diversity of sexuality, people who live outside the norms of society, and so on. If we truly believe that every human being is made in the likeness of God, then we have to discern what that means for the way we are dealing with those issues referred to above. Do we allow those living “human question marks” of God’s creation to challenge us— as an institution but also as individual Christians—to look deeper, to understand deeper, to love deeper, to develop a deeper relationship with our brothers and sisters carrying the same divine light in them as we do? World Aids Day is much more than a question of medical or behavioural considerations. It challenges us to look at uncomfortable questions concerning our authentic discipleship; questions which we might prefer to avoid. So thanks be to God that there are observances such as World Aids Day to remind us of realities and to challenge us. n Fr Stefan Hippler is the chair of the Aids-care organisation HOPE Cape Town.

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion. Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

Cleanse your heart as you wash your clothes C LEANING and purifying our bodies, as temples of God, is expected of us by Our Lord. And so we human beings are likely to show an interest in bathing, rubbing sweet-smelling lotions into our skin, and using fragrances. And it is so with our clothing too. We wash our clothes, hang them on the line to dry, and then iron them to smooth out creases. In our homes we sweep the floors, dust and shine our furniture, and even clean the walls. Out in the fields, we plough the

Remember your beloved departed

OVEMBER marks a special commemoration of the faithful departed. The Church honours and prays for those who have gone into eternity: “May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace, Amen.” I have experienced a lot of criticism from some non-Catholics, who argue that we Catholics practise polytheism (believing in many gods). Their argument was primarily based on the erroneous idea that the Catholic Church is “worshipping” the dead. Their aim was mainly to undermine my faith. The background to Catholics considering November the traditional time to visit the graves of their loved ones, and pray for them in a special way, comes from the Second Book of Maccabees (12:4345), which outlines the Catholic theology of purgatory. Scripture explicitly says “Christ died and returned to life, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and of the living” (Romans 14:9). I urge my fellow Catholics to continue to pray for the dead and honour this month in a special way without ceasing. Br Dzinisa Ngcongo, Umzimkulu, KZN

Trading in arms is never Christian

HERE is so much truth in your editorial “The profit in war” (November 7). What has happened is what historian Oswald Spengler predicted a century ago: democracy has become plutocracy, rule by the wealthy, and our beloved Church is contributing by making far too many people feel comfortable. For example, how can anyone employed in manufacturing mines

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earth, sow seeds, and uproot weeds to make sure our crops grow well. Then, turning towards our inner lives, we also do our level best to exclude evil spirits that come into our hearts and contaminate us. We have to deal with and say no to evil seeds such as jealousy, hatred, criticism, gossiping, and vilifying other people. These evils are the work of the devil, and the devil capitalises on the weakness of human beings, who may lose focus and be misled. People can excuse evil behaviour and end up chained to the devil.

and bombs that have no other purpose than to destroy and kill people ever expect to get into paradise? How can anyone engaged in it be a true Christian and accepted as such? We need the Church to tell people that if they want to stand any chance of getting into heaven, then they must be true, practising Christians. There is a way to stop the arms trade and wars. This is with a truly effective United Nations, which could solve all disputes with sanctions—but how to achieve a truly effective United Nations? We simple people believe we have democracy, but that is bunkum. We have plutocracy and it gets worse by the year. I firmly believe our Church was founded by Our Lord to help and guide us, but regrettably it has swung from far right to far left. Our politicians depend on popularity for power while our Church does not: so why does it not take the lead and positively guide people? Roy Glover, Knysna

Pray for priests

ITH all the trouble in the Catholic Church, I feel we need to pray for our priests. There are thousands of priests affected by what some have done. We need to pray for them to give them strength and let them know we support them in their calling. I found this prayer in my old missal: “The priest is another Christ—respect him. He is God’s representative—trust him. He is your benefactor—be thankful to him. At the altar He offers your prayers to God—do not forget him. He prays for you and yours in purgatory—ask God’s mercy for him. In the confessional He is the physician of your soul—show him its wounds.

They can become outcasts, separated from Our Lord, falling into the abyss of criminal acts, enjoying sins such as committing adultery, and even conspiring to murder others. But we can all be saved, by remembering that we are, each of us, created in the image of God. If we can cleanse our hearts in exactly the same way as we carefully clean our clothes, we will become obedient to God and the Ten Commandments, and live righteous lives in Our Lord. Tau Moleli, Maseru, Lesotho

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

He directs you towards God—follow his admonitions. He is judging—abide by his decisions. In his daily life He is human—do not hastily condemn him. He is human—a word of kindness will cheer him. If you must tell his faults—tell them to God, that he may give him light and strength to correct them. He has a great responsibility—ask God to guide him in life, and to be merciful to him in death.” Pat Rother, Cape Town

Posing on the altar? No thanks

T the ripe old age of 91, and having been a practising Catholic all my life, I have never been so horrified as I was sitting for one and a half hours at the service of youngsters receiving their First Communion, in a parish I visited, while I waited to receive Communion myself. What was taking place appeared to me to be a total farce. A professional photographer was at the altar taking photos of each child, “posing”, as they first received the Sacred Body, and second as they received the Sacred Blood of Christ. This was distracting and artificial, with no meaning or sincerity. It makes me wonder what exactly was going on in each child’s mind? And what future dedication to our Catholic faith would there be? Petrina Violone, Cape Town

NAZARETH HOUSE Johannesburg

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PERSPECTIVES

Fight back with love T HE world is changing. It is becoming angrier, more hateful and less trusting of those who are different—either because they come from a different country, practise a different religion, have a different sexual orientation, or hold different political or social views. The rise of right-wing populism in the United States, the recent election of the populist Jair Bolsanaro in Brazil and the significant electoral gains made by nationalist and far-right parties across Europe in countries such as Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, and others suggest a shift towards a global neo-nationalism. These parties won over the electorate by playing on communities’ fear of migrants, fear of a loss of traditional values, fear of the loss of economic and employment opportunities, fear of the other. Fuelled by the rhetoric of politicians who take advantage and exploit these fears, a new intolerance has set in. Armed civilians march to the border to prevent the entry of migrants, gunmen attack places of worship, and economic opportunists step on the rights of ethnic and cultural minorities and ignore the environmental impact to maximise financial gain. But it is not just in political circles that we are seeing this swing to the right. We see it in our own Church. In a world that is become increasingly polarised, our spiritual head has gone against the grain, proclaiming the need for a Church that goes out to the poor and the marginalised, a Church that accepts everyone irrespective of their history, weaknesses and imperfections, a Church that is less clerical and less concerned with its honour and correctness, a Church that is more humble and carries the “smell of the sheep”.

Some clergy and laity see this vision of Church as a threat that will dilute Church teaching, and fear that it will somehow negate the striving of those who have denied temptations of all kinds and endured great sufferings to remain true to the teachings of the Church. Their reaction is to attack the pope and call for a world that is similar to the political leaders of the day by scapegoating and excluding groups of people who are perceived to be different or do not fit neatly into the paradigm of an idealistic, bygone Church that strictly upheld the utmost standards of morality. I’m not for a moment downplaying the importance of the Church’s teachings. In fact, we need those idealists of great faith who strive for the highest degrees of holiness to stand as models and examples for a wholesome Christian life. They show that it is possible to live by the Church’s teachings. However, if we have the faith to move even mountains but have no love in our

‘The problem with populist leaders is that their campaigns fuel hatred, which is anything but Christian.’

God’s in your neighbour N IGERIA as a vast nation is made up of more than 200 tribes, although these are categorised into three peoples: the Hausa-speaking regions (the Northerners), the Igbos (the Easterners and Southerners), and the Yorubas (the Westerners). These peoples all have different languages, cultures and beliefs but are yet bound as one nation, guided by their great constitution. This scenario, of course, is common among most countries of the world today. The unity among these peoples of Nigeria, and their ability to accept each other wholeheartedly despite their ethnic, cultural and religious differences, has been the key to the country’s success over the years. The nation Nigeria is beautiful with all her people working together as one, which boosts the economy and makes living affordable. Nigeria’s success is the reason why the country is referred to as the “Giant of Africa”. But that Nigeria’s glories are quickly fading away. It has suffered so much loss of lives and of property, the worth of which cannot be fathomed, as a result of the desire for personal glories, pride and greed. And that originated from a loss of unity and togetherness in the nation. This is also increasingly common in most countries that are at war or experiencing crises and chaos on several levels. Greed and the hunger for power and fame are part of the menace to unity. Jesus advised us to “seek first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all things shall be added unto you” (Mt 6:33). In seeking God we hope to see his face, feel his hand in our lives, know his will and plans for us in virtually everything that we do in life. How is it then that many can neither see God nor feel him? The psalmist who

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Children in Nigeria: Their future in the troubled country will be better when people see the presence of God in one another opined, “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (121:1b–2); now asks: “How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” But the Scriptures made it clear to us that God is close and always with us. He is there in every being around us. He is mighty in us and his love manifests in us all as well. Conversely, the devil locks us away from God by making us detest and neglect our fellow humans through our pride, greed, hate and strong desires to destroy them.

n his first letter, St John teaches: “No eyes have ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (1 Jn 4:12). So God is made present in all his gigantic magnitude in every person around us. This is why we are meant to discover the sacredness in each other, respect and cherish one another. It’s one of the reasons why we are referred to as the “Sanctuary of

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hearts for those whose lives are messier and less perfect than ours, then our calls for a renewed Christianity are meaningless (cf 1 Cor 13:2). It’s not my intention to lament the state of the world or the Church, but rather to try to understand why we are seeing this swing to the political and religious right. Why have we become so intolerant of the other? Perhaps we have become disillusioned by democracy and by the ideals of globalism. Democracy is the rule of law by the will of the people, whose greatest ideal is to promote the equality and human rights of all people. Globalism represents a world in which distance, language, culture, religions and difference no longer divide, but rather our common humanity becomes a source of unity and our diversity a reason for celebration. Yet, democracy has failed us. The world is not necessarily better. The people often have no idea what it means to govern resources and a wide array of interests, and political leaders often have to make huge compromises on their democratic ideals in order to keep some of the people happy, some of the time. Similarly, globalisation has created opportunities for some but has threatened the livelihood of others who find themselves unable to compete against people who are more educated, or are prepared to work for less. Open borders have created new sources of conflict because migrants are unable to adapt to their new environment, while those who find themselves sharing their Continued on page 11

Arinze Joseph Ani

Letter from Nigeria

God” (1 Cor 6:19)—we are meant to see God and the full extent of his grace and love in each other, for help comes more likely from those around us than it does from God raining down manna from the sky. So we are meant to illuminate the light of God’s love in each other, by reaching out to them in love and in return feel God’s touch through others around us, too. That is the opposite of pursuing our personal and greedy interests. It wouldn’t have been too hard a task for God to create each person in their own universe alone, but the wisdom in Scriptures makes it clear that we are all closely knitted together in this one universe. This explains Jesus’ injunction: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me.” In other words, whatever we do for each other, we are doing unto God; the person at the receiving end will appreciate you and God, for help came from you (affirming Psalm 121:1-2). And by searching and meeting one another’s needs, we create a better society, putting in motion a cycle of love that ensures the we all suffer less in this world. Nigeria understood this level of peace, unity and togetherness after its first civil war in 1970. But the enemy—the devil— has brought the division, and this time around in full force. In the past ten years, more than a million Nigerians have lost their lives at the hands of their fellow brothers and sisters. The response to that is to stand up for the cares of one another and be there for each other, knowing that God is present in every person we see around us. For when all is said and done, all that will matter to God is what we did for love’s rewards.

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The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2018

Chris Chatteris SJ

Pray with the Pope

Don’t get lost in translation General Intention: That people, who are involved in the service and transmission of faith, may find, in their dialogue with culture, a language suited to the conditions of the present time. N the beginning was the Word.” John the theologian has left us with a vision of God who is both love and logos, a God who is loving and intelligible and who desires to communicate with us. This is God’s nature: a loving, communicating Trinity of persons. That is why we human beings can make some sense of God. Because we are creatures of a loving self-communicating God, and we therefore reflect our Creator (though in an extremely limited fashion), God makes sense to us both on the emotional (loving) and intellectual (thinking) level. We talk nowadays of people having emotional as well as academic intelligence. This is an important insight. We do not communicate like computers, exchanging lots of information. The words we use are not just information bytes. There is a whole colouring of our communication which is infinitely subtle and beautiful. The tone of voice; the intonation; the cultural context; one’s mood at the time of speaking; the relationship with the interlocutor; these are just some of the divine subtleties which make up the marvel which is our human communication. So, when we say we are made in God’s image and likeness, perhaps the most important aspect of that likeness is this ability to communicate thanks to the grace of language. Language and love make us truly God’s children. How important, therefore, to choose our words about God the Father, the Incarnate Word and the Holy Spirit with the utmost care and reverence. How important to enter into dialogue with others in a way which always strives to help them to truly understand and to know, insofar as we human beings are capable, something of the loving and communicating nature of our God. How important to speak words which will enable others to meet and to enter into a relationship with the Word.

‘I

his astounding theological insight is why Christianity is a translating faith. In the beginning was the Word and in the beginning of the Church there was translation of the word. St Paul and the evangelists translated the story and sayings of Jesus into the koine (or common) Greek of the time in order to make it as widely accessible as possible to the culture of the Mediterranean world. Soon, the Christian scriptures began to be translated into other tongues, and we have not ceased to do that throughout the missionary history of the Church. In that sense the Catholic Church can be said to be radically Pentecostalist—that we make sure that the scriptures and the liturgy are translated into tongues which are intelligible, both intellectually and emotionally, to the people to whom we bring the Good News. But we need to beware of resting on our laurels here. Translation is hard work, and once we are done, we might be tempted to take a break for a century or two, or longer! But language and culture are dynamic; they are forever changing. Hence, the way something is said and understood in one generation can shift in the next. If we wait too long, we can find that the language, as people actually speak and understand it, has moved beyond the way our translations express things. People no longer speak and understand the Latin of the Vulgate; rather “Latins” now speak Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Romanian. The King James version of the Scriptures is written in a form of English which native speakers no longer use. There are some forces which contrive to hold onto older and less intelligible translations. One is nostalgia; another is tradition; a third is the beauty of these ancient forms. A less worthy reason is that when scriptures are only intelligible to an educated, priestly minority, this conveniently gives them added power. But the incarnate Word still wishes to speak, in and through those who are involved in the service and transmission of faith, in the languages and cultural forms of all the peoples of the world. May the Holy Spirit continue to enliven our hearts and loosen our tongues.

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2018

COMMUNITY

This year’s catechetical festival at Our Lady Help of Christians parish in Lansdowne, Cape Town, featured a group of liturgical dancers from the West Coast parishes of St Jude in Vredenburg and Mother of Mercy in Saldanha. (Submitted by Helene Williams)

To mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, students at CBC St John’s Parklands in Cape Town paid tribute to those who died in the line of duty during the war. The roll of honour of those who had attended CBC was read out by high school head Riccardo Furgione and the bell was rung by junior school head Amy Faure. Andrew Moore and Hannah Mc knight laid a wreath at a headstone with the names of the CBC dead.

Send your photos to pics@scross.co.za

The men of St Joseph’s Sodality in Umzimkulu diocese held their annual AGM at Mahobe mission. Mass was celebrated by Bishop Stanislaw Dziuba OSPPE (centre), St Joseph’s chaplain Fr Mbekezeli zamisa (right), Mahobe parish priest Fr Thokozani Masina SCP (left), and Gamalakhe mission’s parish priest Fr Siyabonga Magcaba (standing left). (Submitted by Sr zithobile zondi LSMI) Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent School in Durban celebrated the First Communion of a group of pupils. (From left) Sindy Eza; Amy Brown, Carla Godden, Grace Coetzer, Mia Lopes, Sr Ann Cunningham, Catie Padoa, Dominique O’Brien and Susan Matebhere.

A group of elderly parishioners gathered for an event at St Martin de Porres parish in Eshowe diocese with (centre) Sr Irene zitha OSB. (Submitted by Dr CW zondo)

This year the knights of da Gama CL2 held their yearly Mass for the deceased brothers of their council at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic church in Mulbarton, Johannesburg. The celebrant was Fr Jean yamin. (Photo: Alexis Santana Callea)

The Catholic Women’s League of Our Lady of Fatima parish in Durban North gave the children in the TB ward at king Dinizulu Hospital an early Christmas party. (Submitted by Anna Accolla)

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PERSONALITY

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2018

Nun recalls her life of 100 years Sr Bernadette Mtimkulu CPS of Mthatha has been a professed nun for almost 70 years and will turn 100 on November 26. SR MARy FLORENCE SITWALA CPS looks at Sr Bernadette’s long life of service.

N November 26, Sr Bernadette Mtimkulu will become the first African Missionary Sister of the Precious Blood to reach the age of 100. Sr Bernadette, who will celebrate her 70th jubilee in religious vows on January 6, is still clear in her mind. She walks about mostly unaided, and her eyesight is perfect as she sits in her working room doing embroidery on pieces of cloth. She says her favourite pope is Pius XII, of whom she requested three favours, two of which, she says, have been granted. The last favour is yet to be granted at the end of her life. Sr Bernadette Mtimkulu was born on November 26, 1918. Her grandfather on her mother’s side was a Mosotho of the Bafokeng tribe. When her grandfather was still a boy, herding cattle and flocks of sheep on the mountain sides at Metebong, he and other boys with all their beasts were taken by a Zulu army to Zululand. That was during Shaka’s time. Thus, he grew up in the Ixobho area called KwaNokweja. He eventually married and the couple was graced with three children, including Tharsilla, who would become Sr Bernadette’s mother. The family came to live near Lourdes mission in Umzimkulu district. This is where Tharsilla married Julius Mtimkulu, with Fr Bonaventure Feurer officiating. They moved to Julius’ home in Makhoba’s location in Kokstad, near Mount Currie, where Maria Telgte mission still stands. Sr Bernadette remembers Makhoba’s as a peaceful, treasured location which was very productive. Long before Sr Bernadette was born, Julius had gradually become a catechist under Fr Damascus. As he worked in the mission, he was first a guide in the location and a companion to the priest. Later, he rose to become a full-fledged catechist. “I am not boasting, to say that my father was a gentle, kind, loving, polite, understanding, just and a generous man,” Sr Bernadette recalls. He won many people to the Catholic Church in places he went to. From these small beginnings where her father started now stand big church buildings. Maria Telgte was Sr Bernadette’s first school. The first principal of the school was Sr Bona Kutzmann. The pupils had to rise as early as 5am as classes started at 7:00. Sr Bernadette’s mother would accompany them through the fields and then watched them until they disappeared to the other side of the hill.

Two photos from Sr Bernadette Mtimkulu’s personal album show the centenarian nun in her younger days. In the photo on the right she is seen giving religious instruction.

Precious Blood Sister Bernadette Mtimkulu will turn 100 years old on November 26. She entered the congregation’s novitiate in 1944, and served her working life as a teacher. (Photo: Sr Bettina-Maria Berens CPS) For little Bernadette, Makhoba’s location and Maria Telgte were the whole world. She never thought that there would be a better place or country than these. When classes were over, going back home westwards along the mountain under which the mission is built, the children would linger, picking the most delicious purple wild berries. “Ï have never since seen the like anywhere,” Sr Bernadette said. In order to escape punishment at home for being late, the children would pick the best berries and fill their little provision tins. At home, they would be asked why they had arrived so late from school. “We would then be asked to open our mouths in order to check for purple tongues that had been feasting on those purple berries,” Sr Bernadette recalled. To that, little Bernadette would produce her provision tin full of berries. Her pacified mother would make the most delicious jam from her berries.

other places. This was a most difficult era for many people who could not comprehend why they had to be driven out of their homes. Those who refused to move out, were shot dead. And so the large family was scattered all over. Eventually, they found a new home at Lourdes, in Umzimkulu district. “My mother could not go back to our old home to gather her property,” Sr Bernadette remembers There were many jealousies and much greed. Some uncles deprived her mother of all her father’s cattle, horses, goats and cultivated land. This resulted in poverty. Their house was broken into and furniture stolen. Window frames, door frames and crockery were all stolen. Thus, they were obliged to

Loss of home As political changes came in force, Sr Bernadette recalled, they could no longer go back to Makhoba’s location because the people had been driven away towards Matatiele, Mzongwana and

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begin a new life from scratch, In 1938, the family built their own home on a plot at Lourdes. The cost of this plot added to the family’s debt. But just as it looked like Bernadette’s education would come to an end because her sickly mother could not afford to pay her fees, God touched the heart of Fr Henry Jacob, who had been transferred from Mariannhill to Lourdes. He offered to pay her fees. In 1938, Bernadette joined the first intake of students at the newlyopened secondary school at Lourdes. In 1940, when Bernadette had completed her Junior Certificate, she was ready to enter the Teachers’ Training College at Mariazell. She completed her course in 1942. In 1943, because of the prospects of entering the convent by the end 1944, she was transferred to the Industrial School to teach there—under the care of Precious Blood Sister Imeldis Mülder, her future superior-general. And so, prior to entering the convent, Bernadette was able to pay off the debt of the farm which she had bought for her mother. Unfortunately, her mother passed away on January 14, 1944.

Entering the convent In 1944, Sr Bernadette entered the novitiate of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood, at St Patrick’s, about 10km from Mthatha. Mother Germelina soon sent Sr Bernadette to Mariannhill to complete her matric. In 1947, she and other young women were received as novices. She was handed the constitutions of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood at the altar when she became a novice, and this moulded her life as a full-fledged missionary until she will sing her last Nunc Dimittis. On January 6, 1949, Sr Bernadette made her first profession. Soon after, she was transferred to Mariazell Teachers’ Training College. There she was the first African Sister among the white

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Sisters. She embraced their lifestyle, knowing that she had entered an international congregation. She recalled that the congregation’s founder, Abbot Franz Pfanner, detested discrimination. “So I picked up courage and ventured into the unknown with a firm hope that the transfer to that place was by God’s order.” Apart from being a classroom teacher, she also directed the Girl Guides and Scouts. In 1962, she became principal at St Michael’s mission in Indonyane, and two years later was transferred to St Francis Training College, Mariannhill. The same year, she passed her examination, in Afrikaans. In 1970, under obedience, she was transferred back to Mariazell, and then served as principal at St Michael’s, in Cwele mission. Sr Bernadette retired from teaching in 1986 and handed over the reins to a younger Sister. “I want to thank God, despite the many difficulties and joys of this long journey, that from my first “Yes”, I learnt that one receives many blessings from God. This I can say with certainty,” Sr Bernadette said. “How many blessings did I receive from my loving God on the work I was doing? As I look back, I realise that God was always on my side. I received many blessings, not only good results, but many converts and nuns of my area who later followed me to enter the convent,” she said. “Likewise, I want to thank all the people who moulded me into what I am today. I am grateful to all my superiors who afforded me to advance in education, so I could give my students quality education,” she said. “When I take stock of my life, I discover so many manifestations of love and care of God for my family. Difficulties were there in plenty, but also good happenings which make me smile when I remember them,” Sr Bernadette recalled.

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The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2018

BOOKS

Hurley letters: Advocating real Christianity A LIFE IN LETTERS: Selected Correspondence of Denis Hurley. Edited by Philippe Denis, Paddy Kearney & Jane Argall. Cluster Publications, Pietermaritzburg. 2008. 541pp. Reviewed by Mike Pothier O anyone who knew him, however remotely, the idea of His Eminence Owen Cardinal McCann being referred to as “[a]nother chap, whose name, I think, is McCann” is slightly disconcerting. Likewise the thought of Archbishop Denis Hurley being “the same old Denny”. But that is how the young Hurley describes himself in a letter to his family on July 9, 1939, the day of his priestly ordination; and how he described his countryman and more senior colleague a few years previously when he was also a seminarian in Rome. These are just two of the more minor gems in this wonderful volume. Nine years after he published the excellent biography, Guardian of the Light, the late archbishops’ close associate Paddy Kearney has once again placed us in his debt by bringing out, this time with co-editors Philippe Denis OP and Jane Argall, A Life in Letters: Selected Correspondence of Denis Hurley. The 251 letters are presented in strict chronological order, and a number of themes span the whole of his life, chief among them his family. The earliest letter, at age 11, is written to “Dear Mummy”, for her birthday, and encloses a tea-cosy. The last, composed 78 years later, is to his brother Chris: it was discovered on his dictaphone a few days after his death. His sister Eileen seems to have been his main epistolary muse, and his many letters to her are full of observations about the people he met, the places he saw, and the weighty matters he was busy with,

all lightly described. Another enduring theme is travel: in his last letter, having just returned from Italy, he writes with relish about the food, the architecture, and the scenery of the Roman countryside. Many of his letters were written during his numerous long sojourns overseas—in the seminary, at the extended sessions of Vatican II, and at meetings of the Synod of Bishops. He clearly enjoyed his innumerable trips to attend meetings, to speak at conferences, to accept honorary degrees, and sometimes just to relax with friends. And then there is cricket. Hardly any of the early letters, written while he was a student at St Charles’ College in Pietermaritzburg, fail to contain some reference to a cricket match, or to comment on the performances of his younger brothers. At the other end of his life, his last two letters both refer to the West Indies’ 2004 tour of South Africa; the visitors were receiving “an unmerciful hammering, despite the fact they have Ryan Hurley in their team”.

Journey from racism But the collection also deals extensively with deeply serious issues. The editors note that “[i]n the 1930s, the young Hurley was still victim of the social and racial prejudices which his education as a white South African had inculcated in him”. And indeed, it is shocking to read in a letter written during his voyage to Ireland to commence his novitiate in 1932, a line such as this: “The only fly in the ointment is that we have Indians and Coloureds on board, no Indian rajahs and nabobs but common old sammys and as dirty as they are common.” The words of a 16-yearold, we should remember. As one works through the let-

Not daunted, Hurley wrote again to the pope a few years later, in anticipation of the 1971 Synod of Bishops: “While realising how painful any discussion of priestly celibacy will be to Your Holiness, I think it inevitable that the Synod will give a good deal of attention to this aspect of priestly life.” The question of women’s ordination comes up a number of times. He writes in 1970: “If we really believe in human rights, we have a job to explain why we debar women from the sanctuary.” Hurley held to that view to the end of his life, writing to a friend Letters to a pope in 2002 that, despite Pope John Hurley’s determination to ad- Paul II having “forbidden people dress social and political wrongs at even to discuss the matter… I home—and his perseverance in think women have the human doing so from a minority position right to enter the Catholic priestamong his peers, and in the teeth hood and I believe that one day of prevailing authority—was mir- they will. Please don’t whisper that in the pope’s ear!” rored by his resolve to And there were many speak out forcefully on theological and pas- this collection other causes, from all walks of life, that took toral issues which he felt demanded atten- can only renew him to his typewriter. The terrible political vition. our aﬀection olence in Kwa-ZuluThere are many striking examples. Per- towards a man Natal in the early 1990s; the situation of African haps the most moving who never workers, exploited and is a long letter he wrote denied the right to to Pope St Paul VI in stopped strike; the HIV/Aids pan1967, in the wake of the publication of Hu- advocating real demic; and, perhaps one of the greatest frustramanae Vitae. Christianity tions of his final years, In it, Hurley deals the Vatican’s highbrow quite provocatively linguistic vandalism that with various points: artificial birth control; the magis- left the Church with such clumsy terium; collegiality; leadership in and awkward English liturgical texts. the Church. Both our country and our This letter brought a lengthy personal reply from Pope Paul Church were blessed by the minwhich made no concessions and istry of Denis Hurley, in its depth which, amidst many felicitations, and in its longevity. This collection, itself just a fracnoted reprovingly, “here and there in the letter, certainly without in- tion of the letters he is known to tention on your part, there are ex- have written, can only reinforce pressions which a less our appreciation of that blessing, well-disposed reader might find and renew our affection towards a somewhat wanting in respect for man who never stopped advocating real Christianity. the Apostolic See”.

ingly polite terms—by Cardinal Agagianian, the head of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, for his decision to accept the presidency of the SA Institute of Race Relations. It did “not seem convenient, in the present circumstances” that the Church should be seen as “tied to an institution, the activity of which does not fall under its control”, wrote the cardinal. Thus was the idea of even a mild example of Christian prophetic witness to be sacrificed on the altar of Catholic exceptionalism.

ters, and as Hurley’s consciousness of the evils of racial oppression develops, one sees how he managed—unlike most of his white South African contemporaries—to a large extent to free himself from these prejudices. By 1961 Albert Luthuli, president of the ANC, is writing to him as “one so concerned about our liberation. We value very much your efforts for our welfare.” Four years later, after Archbishop Whelan of Bloemfontein had notoriously defended apartheid, the journalist Donald Woods sends Hurley a telegram: “Thank God for you STOP If you had not repudiated Whelan statement I would have left the Church STOP Keep on advocating real Christianity STOP Many are praying for you and depending on you – Donald Woods” The letters of this period are fascinating for any reader interested in the institutional Church’s stance towards the then encroaching ideology of apartheid. In a word, the stance was timid. Hurley was taken to task—in excruciat-

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PASTORAL LETTERS ON MARY AND MATTERS ANCESTRAL, by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale OMI. SA Catholic Online Books. 2018. 255pp. Reviewed by Michael Shackleton RCHBISHOP Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg, has a plan: to build a place of pilgrimage for his flock in the Magaliesberg. Inspired by the 2015 Year of Mercy, he will dedicate it to Our Lady under the title “Mary, Mother of Mercy”. The archbishop hopes that the sale of this book will promote a burgeoning veneration of our merciful Mother and simultaneously support the undertaking of the project. The book is unusual, as is apparent from its title. It is a compilation of pastoral letters on Mary and the way the faithful have embraced her in history, together with a scholarly analysis of Christian spirituality in its encounter with the active part played by deceased ancestors in African culture, which penetrates the daily lives of millions. Archbishop Tlhagale recalls that it was only 200 years ago that the Catholic faith was officially planted on Southern African soil, where age-old respect for the tribal ancestors constitutes the cornerstone of African popular religion. The promptings and interventions of ancestral spirits are central to the indigenous population which knows no reference to a supreme being, no God, no Christ. If to be converted to Christ is to be totally taken over by him as God, then the ancestral influence is irrelevant. In spite of this, the power of Christ and his Church

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and the ancient, tenacious power of the ancestral spirits appear to coexist. The author concedes that “at present, it is the overpowering force of tradition, of culture (and clearly not the Gospel) that determines the stakes” (p129). The Christian condemnation of belief in ancestral spirits simply drives it underground.

he archbishop unravels to the Western mind the pervading African acceptance of a cosmos replete with spirit-beings. He invites us to understand how Christian culture failed to recognise the African worldview and its values. It expected converts to assimilate Western ideals and spirituality. Christian missionaries brought their own rituals, vestments, gestures and the general concept of persons and community to a firmly rooted African way of life that could accept them only partially. Faith has its own life independent of culture yet it is expressed in a cultural form. The author explains that inculturation therefore means that the Christian faith can find a home in African culture and open it up to new challenges. Faith in God as a merciful Father is already dethroning the ancestors from their human-made pedestal. A deepening faith and the influence of education is subverting belief in magic, witchcraft and divination. The Christian message is gradually expressing itself in the local culture and the old African worldview will never be the same again. Yet aspects of the ancient

culture remain resilient. Archbishop Tlhagale’s exposition of the world of African traditional religion is the fruit of his own experience and years of research from the base of his firm Catholic conviction. He sketches the similarities and differences between saints and ancestors and a lot more, which the reader will find fascinating and instructive. While accepting that inculturation will take a long time, he recalls Christ’s words that no one can serve two masters without loving one and hating the other (Mt 6:24). The relationship between Christ and the ancestors is the relationship between creator and creatures. The two cannot be put on a par. In publishing his letters, the archbishop has given us an overdue clarification of how African Christianity is evolving and how the Church is still on its pilgrimage to preach to all nations. It is obvious that he trusts Mary, Mother of Mercy, to intercede that the shrine will become a truly African one. n The book can be ordered from www.sacatholiconline.org

CLASSIFIEDS

Sr Fidelis Dymond MSA

SSUMPTION Sister Fidelis Florence Dymond has died at 91. She was the last surviving Sister of the three who were received into the congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Assumption on January 22, 1948. As Sr Fidelis she made her first profession two years later and was finally professed in Grahamstown on January 23, 1953. Sr Fidelis taught for many years in Assumption schools in Woodlands in Durban, Sydenham in Port Elizabeth, Malvern in Johannesburg, the Assumption Chinese School in Schauderville, Port Elizabeth, Somerset East and Grahamstown. After completing a course in catechetics in 1980, she ministered as parish sister in Durban, and assisted in parishes in Port Elizabeth, Lulekani, Johannesburg, Pretoria North, Port Alfred and Somerset East. From 2001-08 Sr Fidelis worked at Mercy House in Johannesburg before retiring, firstly to Maryvale and then in

2011 to frail care in Port Alfred. There, in spite of becoming increasingly sight-impaired, she promoted devotion to the rosary and the Divine Mercy, and spent long hours praying the rosary and listening to tapes. Sr Fidelis died peacefully at home in the Assumption convent in Port Alfred on July 3. Her Requiem Mass in St James’ parish church was celebrated by parish priest Fr Trymos Munyaka, together with Mgr John Clarke,

and Frs Gerry O’Reilly OFM and Robert Kamangu. Her devotion to the Word of God and her congregation were symbolised by the Bible, her vows and the Assumptionist constitutions, which were placed on her coffin, together with her rosary and the Divine Mercy picture. Fr Trymos spoke of his association with Sr Fidelis before inviting community leader Sr Cecelia and Fr Robert to share their own—sometimes very humorous—memories of Sr Fidelis. After the Mass, Sr Fidelis was accompanied by many of her fellow Assumption Sisters, priests, and friends from the parish and further afield, who prayed and sang hymns as she was laid to rest in the Port Alfred cemetery. Sr Fidelis will long be remembered in various part of the country for her determination, and her tireless service to others, particularly refugees and displaced persons. Sr Ann Genevieve MSA

Fight back with love Continued from page 7 towns and cities with strangers have no idea how to relate to people so different from themselves. And at the heart of it, democracy and globalisation call for tolerance, acceptance, and the protection of those who are different to us, even when they hold values and views that we don’t necessarily always agree with. It means embracing the good, such as freedom of speech and religion, but it also means accepting the bad, such as the legalisation of abortion in many countries. There is a real fear that democracy and globalisation, taken to an extreme, will normalise relativism, a society where anything goes. If everything is acceptable, is there anything that is unacceptable? My sense is that new generations are struggling with this relativism and seek a world in which there is a clear right and wrong. That’s what is behind slogans such as Trump’s “Make America Great Again” or Bolsonaro’s “Brazil above everything, God above all”. Both these leaders, for example, have promised to restore Christian values, and have received many Catholic votes.

This is a good thing, right? If love was their clarion call, yes. My problem with these charismatic leaders is that their campaigns fuel hatred, which is anything but Christian. We have already seen their followers acting on their words, resulting in the violent loss of human life, the ultimate value in Christendom.

o what is our response, as Christians? As Catholics? We have to keep working for the transformation of society— and not through a “my way or the highway” mentality. This moral and spiritual transformation that our world desperately needs can be achieved only with love—the greatest commandment—when we truly love the Lord our God “with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength” and “love our neighbour as ourselves” (Mk 12:30-31). This love manifests itself in a “as well as” approach to those who are different from us. We are called to accept that we and our brethren in Christ might have lived our Catholic faith imperfectly in the past and that, despite a conversion of heart, it is

sometimes impossible to go back. In love, we are called to help others accept their past as well as go forward to live their current circumstances in greater proximity with Christ and the Church. This is not relativism. It is the call of Jesus who gave the same message to the tax collector and paralysed man: your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more. It is also the recognition that our humanity is a broken one. Our desire is to sin no more, but we find ourselves falling back into the same bad habits, or unable to completely release ourselves from the old ways of life. Our human story is one of conversion, again and again and again. It is learning to love God, ourselves and others a little more each day, and allowing it to translate into our decisions and actions. We cannot change the world through extremes, but with love in our hearts, our faith can move mountains. A worthwhile accompanying piece is one by Fr Anthony Egan SJ which explains why people have become easily persuaded by the rise of populism: www. spotlight.africa/2018/11/05/ the-scam-of-populism-and-why -we-fall-for-it/

Liturgical Calendar

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2018

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MOST HOLY LORD, I see your works here on earth. I stand amazed at the beauty and magnificent scenes before me. Thank you for my joy that is not claimed by life’s sadness and disappointments. I thank you for keeping me in your wings of love. you are so very precious to me and I will forever be yours in faith and hope. Blessed be your name in all of the earth, I pray. Amen.

O HOLY VIRGIN, in the midst of your days of glory, do not forget the sorrows of this earth. Cast a merciful glance upon those who are suffering, struggling against difficulties, with their lips constant pressed against life’s bitter cup. Have pity on those who love each other

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Sunday November 25, Christ the King: Daniel 7:13-14, Psalm 93:1-2, 5,

Tuesday November 27: Revelation 14:14-19, Psalm 96:10-13, Luke 21:5-11 Wednesday November 28: Revelation 15:1-4, Psalm 98:1-3, 7-9, Luke 21:12-19

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Saturday December 1, Bl Clementine Anuarite: Revelation 22:1-7, Psalm 95:1-7,Luke 21:34-36 Sunday December 2, 1st Sunday of Advent: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14, 1 Thessalonians 3:2--4:2, Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

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GOD BLESS AFRICA Guard our people, guide our leaders and give us peace. Luke 11:1-13 The

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Thursday November 29: Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19, 1-3, 9, Psalm 100:1-5,

MAY ALL I DO today begin with you, O Lord. Plant dreams and hopes within my soul, revive my tired spirit: be with me today. May all I do today continue with your help, O Lord. Be at my side and walk with me: be my support today. May all I do today reach far and wide, O Lord. My thoughts, my work, my life: make them blessings for your kingdom; let them go beyond today. O God, today is new unlike any other day, for God makes each day different. Today God's everyday grace falls on my soul like abundant seed, though I may hardly see it. Today is one of those days Jesus promised to be with me, a companion on my journey, and my life today, if I trust him, has consequences unseen. My life has a purpose. I have a mission. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. God has not created me for naught. Therefore I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. God does nothing in vain. He knows what he is about. John Henry Newman

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1st Sunday of Advent: December 2 Readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14, 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2, Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36

EXT Sunday we start a new liturgical year, as we enter the time of Advent. One of many possible ways of looking at this season is this: things can seem impossibly awful, and yet in the awfulness we are offered a reminder that God is at work. That seems to be the message from the readings for next Sunday. In the first reading, Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Israel; they have endured the disaster of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the appalling fact of their being taken into exile. In the aftermath of this horror, which seemed to mean that God had utterly rejected them, Jeremiah (who normally seems to concentrate on the negative) offers a message of hope: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I shall raise up the good thing which I promised to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” Then he presents a farming metaphor: “In those days, at that time, I shall raise up a branch of righteousness for David, and he will do justice and righteousness in the land.” For Jeremiah, you see, the sinful way Israel had behaved had irrevocably polluted the land (do you think that something of the sort

S outher n C ross

might be said about this country today?) And what God is doing about it will make things better, even though they seem to be in a mess: “In those days Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall be established in safety.” Then comes a wonderful promise: “This is what they shall call her: ‘The-Lord-Is-MyRighteousness.’” We are invited to grasp that God is at work even in the most unsatisfactory situations. The psalm is likewise a meditation on what the Lord is up to. The poet expresses himself in terms of the idea of “way” or “path”, which between them are mentioned no less than eight times: “Show me, Lord, your ways, make me see your paths; make me take the path of your truth and teach me…[the Lord] who teaches sinners on the way…shows the way to the oppressed, and teaches the oppressed his way. All the paths of the Lord are love and truth… the Lord guides them on the way.” Now this psalm is a “lament”; and that means that the situation may be awful, but against that is Israel’s certainty that the Lord will be nudging them in the right direction. In the second reading, Paul is working his

encouraged to read great thinkers in every discipline. But this higher learning was still solidly set within a Catholic ethos that valued all the things religiously and devotionally I’d been raised on. My studies were still friends with my piety. My mind was expanding, but my piety remained intact.

Classic Conrad

radually, though, my world changed. Studying at different graduate schools, teaching on different graduate faculties, being in daily contact with other expressions of the faith, reading contemporary novelists and thinkers, and having academic colleagues as cherished friends has, I confess, put some strain on the piety of my youth. It’s no secret; we don’t often pray the rosary or litanies to Mary or the Sacred Heart in graduate classrooms or at faculty gatherings. However, academic classrooms and faculty gatherings bring something else, something vitally needed in church pews and circles of piety, namely, wider theological vision and critical principles to keep unbridled piety, naïve fundamentalism, and misguided religious fervour within proper boundaries. What I’ve learned in academic circles is also wonderful and I am forever grateful for the privilege of higher education. But, of course, that’s a formula for tension, albeit a healthy one. Let me use someone else’s voice to articulate this. In a recent book, Silence and Beauty, JapaneseAmerican artist Makoto Fujimura shares

“Afraid Johnson left the machine on last night. We’ve got a 5 000-decade rosary.”

Sunday Reflections

way towards correcting the Thessalonians for various ways in which they have been going wrong; and it seems that love is to be the answer: “May the Lord fill you people to overflowing with love for each other and for everybody, just as we love you.” And there is more: “to strengthen your hearts and make them blameless in holiness before God”. Once again, the solution to all our ills seems to lie in God. But they are being told how to behave: “We ask you and beg you in the Lord Jesus, that you should behave just as you received from us the information about how you must behave and please God, that you may overflow all the more.” And then they are to rely on God’s commands: “For you know what orders we gave you, through the Lord Jesus.” That is how we are to survive, no matter how awful things may seem. In the Gospel, Jesus is facing the appalling situation of the imminent destruction of the Temple; but once again our attention is drawn to the fact that God is in charge: “There will be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars, and on the earth/land

Dual citizenship in faith LIVE on both sides of a border. Not a geographical one, but one which is often a dividing line between two groups. I was raised a conservative Canadian Catholic, and conservative in most other things too. Although my dad worked politically for the centrist Liberal Party (the party of current prime minister Justin Trudeau), almost everything about my upbringing was conservative, particularly religiously. I was a staunch Catholic in every way. I grew up under the papacy of Pius XII (the fact that my youngest brother is named Pius will tell you how loyal our family was to that pope’s version of things). We believed that Catholicism was the one true religion and that Protestants needed to convert and return to the true faith. I memorised the Catholic catechism and defended its every word. Moreover, beyond being faithful churchgoers, my family was given over to piety and devotions: we prayed the rosary together as a family every day; had statues and holy pictures everywhere in our house; wore blessed medals around our necks; prayed litanies to Mary, Joseph, and the Sacred Heart; and practised a warm devotion to the saints. And it was wonderful. I will forever be grateful for that religious foundation. I went from my family home to the seminary at the tender age of 17, and my early seminary years solidly reinforced what my family had given me. The academics were good and we were

Nicholas King SJ

God at work in our trials

a confusion of nations in puzzlement at the sounds of the sea and the ocean.” There is a picture of “people expiring from fear, and expecting what will come upon the world—for the powers of the heavens are going to be shaken.” Finally, however, they will know that God is at work: “Then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” And for that reason we are not to be intimidated: “When these things start, stand up, lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”. We are warned, however, not to take a negative approach: “Don’t let your hearts be weighed down with hangovers and drunkenness and worldly cares.” Our task is to “stay awake, all the time asking that you may be able to escape all these things that are going to happen, and stand before the Son of Man”. The cheerful fact is that God is at work, and no matter how awful things may appear, that is what counts.

Southern Crossword #838

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

this incident from his own life. Coming out of church one Sunday, he was asked by his pastor to add his name to a list of people who had agreed to boycott the film The Last Temptation of Christ. He liked his pastor and wanted to please him by signing the petition, but felt hesitant to sign for reasons that, at that time, he couldn’t articulate. But his wife could. Before he could sign, she stepped in and said: “Artists may have other roles to play than to boycott this film.” He understood what she meant. He didn’t sign the petition. But his decision left him pondering the tension between boycotting such a movie and his role as an artist and critic. Here’s how he puts it: “An artist is often pulled in two directions. Religiously conservative people tend to see culture as suspect at best, and when cultural statements are made to transgress the normative reality they hold dear, their default reaction is to oppose and boycott. People in the more liberal artistic community see these transgressive steps as necessary for their ‘freedom of expression’. An artist like me, who values both religion and art, will be exiled from both. I try to hold together both of these commitments, but it is a struggle.” That’s also my struggle. The piety of my youth, of my parents, and of that rich branch of Catholicism is real and life-giving; but so too is the critical, iconoclastic theology of the academy. The two desperately need each other; yet someone who is trying to be loyal to both can, like Fujimura, end up feeling exiled from both. The people whom I take as mentors in this area are men and women who, in my eyes, can do both: like Dorothy Day, who could be equally comfortable, leading the rosary or the peace march; like Jim Wallis, who can advocate just as passionately for radical social engagement as he can for personal intimacy with Jesus; and like Thomas Aquinas, whose intellect could intimidate intellectuals, even as he could pray with the piety of a child. Circles of piety and the academy of theology are not enemies; they need to embrace.

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ACROSS

1. Garments to make penitents bristle? (6) 4. Chubby little angel (6) 9. Something the prophet cannot foretell (13) 10. What you have whispered will be proclaimed from up here (Lk 12) (7) 11. Mingled among Rufus, Edward and company (5) 12. Air in the company is from Egypt (5) 14. The pigs charged down it into the lake (Mk 5) (5) 18. “... Every Mountain” (song from Sound of Music) (5) 19. Expecting something good to happen (7) 21. Call from the bishop is at hand (9,4) 22. Talking of a maxim (6) 23. Stick to your faith (6)

DOWN

1. This Mary was Queen of Scots (6) 2. Unlikely event foretold by the prophet (13) 3. An act that steals the show? (5) 5. Fault he has provokes loathing (7) 6. Oﬃcial garments of the bishop (5,2,6) 7. Loses blood (6) 8. Walks with diﬃculty (5) 13. Caesar’s point of no return (7) 15. The right to use a computer? (6) 16. Lashes (5) 17. One of the ten starting in Exodus 7 (6) 20. Stacked up (5) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

YOUNG couple went to the parish priest in an Irish village to arrange baptism for their newborn baby boy. Father sat them down in his study, opened his diary and picked up his pen. “What name will you give to the little fellow?” he asked. The mother proudly told him: “We want him called Patrick, please Father”. The priest put down his pen and shook his head. “What do you want him called Patrick for?” he complained. “Sure, every Tom, Dick and Harry in Ireland is called Patrick!”

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