190102 by The Southern Cross

The

S outher n C ross

January 2 to January 8, 2019

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

Warm Panama City awaits Catholic youth

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No 5116

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What to expect in SA’s 2019 By CHRISTEN ToRRES

T Fr Richard Stonier makes a pledge to Mary during his ordination Mass in St Charles’ church in Victory Park, Johannesburg. Fr Stonier attributes his decision to follow God’s call to the priestly vocation to our Lady. (Photo: Judy Stockill)

New priest ‘guided by Mary’ By LEBo WA MAJAHE

HEN Fr Richard Stonier was ordained to the priesthood in December, his godfather Fr Ignatius Fidgeon OMI was present. Fr Stonier was ordained by Bishop Duncan Tsoke, auxiliary bishop of Johannesburg, at St Charles church in Victory Park. Among the congregation were the Stonier family, their relatives and friends. Bishop Tsoke in his homily called on Fr Stonier to be a good and holy minister, and told him to run to Mary’s shoulder as she has a special love for priests. Fr Stonier, a former teacher at St Benedict’s, has a deep devotion to Our Lady and the Rosary, and credits Mary with guiding him in his vocation. In June he spoke on the YouTube channel

HM Television about his surprise to discover the presence of Mary in his life, saying that it was “only after I made a consecration to Our Lady that I experienced a real relationship with her…the closeness of a [praying] mother” (bit.ly/2LqunwI). In his thanksgiving note during his ordination Mass, Fr Stonier thanked the Oblates of Mary Immaculate for instilling in him the love to want to serve God and his people from a tender age. He thanked Fr Jonathan Petersen and the parishes of St John’s in North Riding and St Charles for the love and encouragement he had received as a parishioner in those parishes. He also thanked the archdiocese of Johannesburg for affording him the opportunity to study in Rome.

HIS year’s general elections will define South Africa’s year 2019, with the state of the economy, the on-going investigation into state capture and ex-President Jacob Zuma’s legal woes also playing roles, according to a Catholic political analyst. The 2019 general elections will serve as an indication of what the country thinks about President Cyril Ramaphosa, who succeeded Mr Zuma in February 2018, according to Mike Pothier, programme manager of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office. “President Ramaphosa has embarked on a project to undo a lot of the damage of the Zuma years. If the ANC does not do well in the elections, then there will probably be a reaction against him within the party,” Mr Pothier said. In a polarised ANC, “Zuma sympathisers will say [Mr Ramaphosa] is not the man to run the party”. However, strong electoral support will strengthen the president’s ability to appoint “ministers who share his feelings and who are hardworking”, and not be forced to include Zuma loyalists in his cabinet. “The election will tell us whether he will be able to get the country on track,” Mr Pothier said. The election will also test the main opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters. ”We have seen in the last year the DA floundering and there are obviously leadership issues. I don’t know the causes of this but it could affect their ability to run a clear-cut campaign, which is something they have been good at in the past. So we may find that they are disadvantage by their own internal problems,” Mr Pothier said. “The EFF is also dealing with a couple of

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Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, makes a point. His party is facing an identity crisis after the departure of ex-President Zuma, and still has to convincingly rebut corruption allegations against its leaders. (Photo: Kim Lundbrook, EPA/CNS) challenges. On the one hand, they have lost their biggest political drawcard which was their opposition to Mr Zuma,” he said, noting that this has led to the party experiencing an identity crisis. “President Zuma was their great target and, in a certain sense, their reason for being a party. Now that he is gone they have found it difficult to replace him. They have found the land issue, which is important but it isn’t as sensationalist as Zuma,” who was a votecatcher for the EFF, Mr Pothier explained. He added that the EFF is facing corruption allegations which its leadership has not convincingly rebutted. “I have a sense that the electorate as a whole is very sensitive to these types of allegations, particularly because we have just Continued on page 3

5-17 May 2019

The Southern Cross, January 2 to January 8, 2019

LOCAL

Will we pay for sins of SA corporate polluters? By PAuLINA FRENCH

BILL tabled in parliament by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has introduced a carbon tax, a new financial instrument which charges industries a tax in an internationally agreed effort to curb carbon pollution. What is the new tax and who will really pay the price for industrial pollution? The Carbon Tax Bill is effective from June 1, 2019. It has taken a significant time to get to this point, given that a carbon tax was first discussed in 2010. The carbon tax ties in with South Africa’s obligations to meet its carbon-emissions targets as set out in the December 2015 Paris Agreement to which it is a signatory. The purpose of the agreement is to drive action against climate change and to fast-track and intensify investment to drastically reduce the levels of carbon-dioxide pollution. Countries party to the agreement must report regularly on their carbon emissions and the efforts being made to reduce these to the agreed levels. In South Africa, the carbon tax is to be implemented in phases, with the first phase running from June 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022. The second phase is then expected to start in 2023, and the hope is that the tax will be fully implemented by 2030. The purpose of the tax, much more than raising revenue for the fiscus, is to change the behaviours of polluters by forcing them to pay for the damage they cause the environment. The tax will be levied on those companies which exceed the permitted carbon-emissions threshold. It is hoped the tax will act as a deterrent for polluters, and encourage innovation that would bring about a low-carbon economy. This should stimulate the economy overall in that it will bring many new business opportunities—and with that, jobs. Will that affect the price of elec-

tricity? The Bill specifically states that “the introduction of the carbon tax for the first phase will not have an impact on the price of electricity”. It goes on to state that “this will be achieved through a tax credit for the renewable-energy premium built into the electricity tariffs and a credit for the existing electricitygeneration levy”. This existing environment levy applies to local energy-producers who use non-renewable fuels and environmentally hazardous sources to generate electricity. Given the incentive to produce greener energy, it is hoped that electricity producers will calculate their carbon-tax liabilities, taking into account all the tax-free thresholds and potential rebates available. Once the tax liability has been calculated, the producer is then permitted to deduct the electricity-generation levy paid for the tax year as well as a Renewable Energy Premium (determined by the minister of finance on an annual basis). The principle is that polluters pay a tax for the damage they cause to the environment. But it is highly likely that these costs will simply be passed on to the end-user, perhaps leaving consumers worse off. We have seen consumers push back on proposed electricity increases and achieve some success. Nonetheless, Eskom’s continuing financial and operational troubles may mean that, once again, we will be forced to carry the penalties imposed on the national power authority through the carbon tax.

A ticking timebomb On September18, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reported that governments need to raise carbon prices (prices applied to carbon pollution) much faster, if they are to meet the commitments formally agreed to, to cut emissions and thereby slow climate change. Angel Guria, secretary-general of the OECD, noted that the gap “be-

South Africa’s carbon tax will kick in on June 1 this year, aiming to reduce industrial carbon emissions. tween today’s carbon prices and the actual cost of emissions to our planet is unacceptable”. The report shows the carbonpricing gap by country and across industries. The gap measures how far behind OECD and G20 economies are when it comes to pricing their carbon emissions. In 2015 Russia had a pricing gap of 100%, China 90%, the United States 75%, and South Africa 89%. This is incredibly high given our industrialisation is a fraction of that of these other economies. Countries with a low gap tend to produce fewer emissions than countries that do not price carbon emissions. Switzerland has the lowest gap at 27%. They are years ahead because they have been recovering carbon tax from high-polluting industries since 2008. China has taken a different tack by establishing what is hailed to be the largest carbon market in the world. Instead of taxing corporates for their carbon emissions, it is incentivising energy producers to do the right thing and has launched a nationwide carbon-emissions trad-

ing scheme in an attempt to meet its carbon budget. In Argentina and Singapore, a carbon tax is expected to come into force also in 2019. Unfortunately, one of the world’s biggest contributors to carbon emissions, the United States, reneged on the Paris Agreement in June 2017. By doing this, the Trump administration has sent out the message that the future sustainability of the world is of no concern to them.

Who will pay, really? There is an argument that in countries like South Africa, where poverty is widespread and the majority of people live below the poverty line, a carbon tax will only add to the overall downtrend of the economy. As always the poor will be hardest hit, as the effects of climate change add a further burden to their daily lives outside their control. The poor will simply not have access to the resources they would need to stave off or survive the effects of natural disasters brought about by the exacerbated rate of climate change due to the apathy, and

perhaps even the wanton disregard, of their richer counterparts. Pope Francis, in Laudato si’, his seminal encyclical on the environment, addresses “every person living on this planet”: “We know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels—especially coal, but also oil and, to a lesser degree, gas—needs to be progressively replaced without delay. Until greater progress is made in developing widely accessible sources of renewable energy, it is legitimate to choose the less harmful alternative or to find short-term solutions. But the international community has still not reached adequate agreements about the responsibility for paying the costs of this energy transition.” Mutual responsibility and accountability by the world’s governments to safeguard the environment is the intention behind the implementation of a carbon tax. But success in this widely adopted mandate depends on a number of factors. These include the implementation, collection and subsequent ring-fencing of carbon tax recovered which needs to be reinvested in the development and production of much cleaner and more sustainable energies locally. It is imperative that governments work together with industries to achieve this. It remains to be seen whether the main industry players, such as Eskom and the South African fuel industry, will absorb the resulting carbon tax and assume responsibility for their hazardous emissions. It is much more likely that, without shame, they will force us to pay for their sins. We can of course still hope that the new minister of environmental affairs, Nomvula Mokonyane, will provide the leadership needed to move our country towards becoming a low-carbon economy for the benefit of all and find ways to take polluters to task—but that remains to be seen.—Spotlight.Africa

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The Southern Cross, January 2 to January 8, 2019

LOCAL

Parish reacts to ‘diabolical masterpiece’ STAFF REPoRTER

PARISH in Johannesburg archdiocese has presented its resolutions from a public forum on Church clerical abuse. Immaculate Conception church in Rosebank presented the resolutions from its Groundswell forum, held in October, to Archbishop Buti Tlhagale and apostolic nuncio Archbishop Peter Wells. The forum was constituted by Rosebank’s pastoral council. The resolutions recorded “anger, shame, humiliation and sorrow regarding the sex-abuse scandal in its various dimensions”. “We are dismayed by the inconsistency between the message proclaimed in the joy of the Gospel—a message of love, justice, mercy and care for the poor and vulnerable— and actions within the institutional Church at the level of

leadership that have betrayed our trust and respect,” the document said. It called for “radical answers” to the sex-abuse scandal. “To restore confidence and trust in the Church, we believe that it is necessary to face and address the broad systemic issues—especially clericalism—that provide a context and climate for the sex-abuse scandal; and we call on our bishops to do so in consultation with all the People of God—lay, religious and clergy—in a true spirit of co-responsibility,” the Groundswell forum said. It called for measures that will prevent sexual abuse, suggesting “comprehensive screening procedures for all people in the Church—clerical, religious and lay—who will be involved with young people in their professional or pastoral activities”, which in

many areas of the Church is already standard. The document also noted that “it is also essential to hold clergy and bishops accountable for their actions in the past, present and future—accountable not only to the authorities in the Church, and the faithful, but also to the civil authorities where applicable, and the criminal justice system”.

he forum called on the bishops “to institute an investigation of all claims and allegations of sex abuse by clergy and consecrated persons” in the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference region, as well as into how these allegations were handled. This, the forum said, must be handled in “a credible, effective and transparent way, with significant lay involvement”. The bishops, it said, must “give

serious consideration to instituting a process of public reconciliation where victims and survivors of abuse can speak out to Church leaders and where the harm and hurt can be addressed.” The resolutions were submitted to Archbishop Tlhagale with a request that they be conveyed to his fellow bishops in the SACBC, and in particular to the president of the conference, who will be participating in the summit in Rome in February which has been called by Pope Francis to address the sexabuse crisis. In an address to the forum, Deacon Brent Chalmers of Rosebank called the abuse crisis, which was created by people within the Church, “a diabolical masterpiece”. “There can be no doubt that this is demonic; it undermines the work of the Church in every way,” he said.

Marfam goes digital

What SA can expect from 2019

IKE many other NGOs and Church movements, the family ministry Marfam is experiencing financial difficulties, and is trying to address them by adopting new strategies. “We’ve managed to be a promoter of family awareness, enrichment, strengthening and education for almost 25 years; in magazines, booklets, workshops and retreats,” said Marfam’s Toni Rowland. “We can’t say the time has come to close shop but rationalisation demands that we cut down on printing and build up the digital, online aspect,” she said. In future, Marfam will publish the following media digitally only: • Thoughts For The Day, previously published in booklets, will be sent out by e-mail to subscribers and published on the website www. marfam.org.za, Facebook and twitter. E-mail info@marfam.org.za to register for this and/or the weekly e-newsletter. • Marfam’s website (www.marfam.org.za) will be upgraded to be a resource with articles on important marriage and family-related topics and links to other resources. • An online magazine is envisaged for the near future. “To assist us in financing these plans, we are requesting donations,” Ms Rowland said. “From R20 to R200 per month you will qualify as a subscriber.” Payment can be made on www.marfam.org.za through Payfast (021 300-4455).

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier’s “Make a Difference” fundraising breakfast, held at the Golden Horse in Pietermaritzburg, aimed to raise money for the Napier Centre 4 Healing, a drug rehabilitation centre to be opened at Ekukhanyeni mission, near Verulam in KwaZulu-Natal. The centre will provide the secondary care that most addicts require, with the opportunity to continue residential rehabilitation for up to 12 months. The programme will be headed by a house “mother” and “father” on site, with the services of specialist professionals. At the fundraising breakfast, the Knights of da Gama presented Cardinal Napier with a cheque towards the rehab centre. (Submitted by Norma oosthuysen)

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“What would be the best way to undermine any evangelical effort, efforts to propagate the Church’s teaching, to make the Church attractive to people, to draw them to Christ—what would be a more effective way to undo that work than to have priests engaged in the sexual abuse of young people?” Deacon Chalmers called on Catholics not to leave the Church in disgust, but to fight for it prophetically. “You fight through your own righteous anger. You fight by your very presence at Mass. You fight by organising your fellow Catholics. You fight by joining Groundswell. You fight by making your presence felt and your opinion heard at public forums just like this. You fight by writing a letter to your priest, your bishop, the pope. You fight by demanding the truth—the truth will set us free,” he said.

Continued from page 1 come out of the Zuma era. People aren’t just going to overlook these allegations,” Mr Pothier said. “The same would go for any party. People are sick and tired of corruption, sick of the political elite getting away with it.” Apart from the elections, there are a number of commissions of inquiry which will continue in 2019. There is the ongoing investigation into state capture, with reports and information yet to be revealed, as well as inquiries such as the Nugent Commission, which is looking into irregularities within the tax office. “Many of the fallouts and recommendations of these inquiries will be dealt with in 2019,” Mr Pothier predicted. He also focused on how the newly appointed director of the National Prosecuting Authority, Shamila Batohi, will settle into her new position. “She has to turn the NPA around after many years of political interference and incompetence,” Mr Pothier said. “Advocate Batohi has to rebuild morale, and also will have to make tough decisions about individual prosecutions, chief among them that of Jacob Zuma.” Mr Pothier saw several encouraging signs for 2019. “The commissions of inquiry and the appointment of what seems like a good NPA head are all positive, and it seems like President Ramaphosa has a much more transparent way of making appointments, whereas before these were governed by political expedience.” Mr Pothier also noted that the economy appears to be “picking up slightly”, but cautioned that “it’s too early to be to positive about that”.

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The Southern Cross, January 2 to January 8, 2019

INTERNATIONAL

Warm city awaits Catholic youth By JuNNo ARoCHo ESTEVES

process. The registration process closed on December 31. He also said that an estimated 37 000 volunteers have signed up to help assist young people attending the event. “As a Church, as a country, we are prepared to welcome thousands of pilgrims,” Archbishop Ulloa said.

young women pray during a prayer vigil for young people near Panama City. World youth Day 2019 will be celebrated from January 22-27 in Panama City. (Photo: Bob Roller/CNS)

S World Youth Day (WYD) in Panama draws near, organisers said they are prepared to make young people from around the globe feel right at home. While warm temperatures will greet thousands of young people in Panama City, WYD general coordinator Fr Romero Aguilar hopes that the warmth of hospitality also will make them feel welcome. “People are opening their homes to house young people. We were surprised by how the people responded to the appeal for housing. We want all the kids to have a place, a space, a home,” Fr Aguilar said. The theme for World Youth Day 2019 is taken from the gospel of St Luke: “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Pope Francis’ visit to Panama from January 23-27 will be his 26th destination outside Italy, and his third World Youth Day. During his visit, the pope will

celebrate a penitential liturgy with young inmates at Las Garzas de Pacora Juvenile Detention Centre in Pacora. He will also visit Casa Hogar el Buen Samaritano (Good Samaritan Home), a centre dedicated to helping people with HIV/Aids. Although fewer young people will attend the Panama event compared to past World Youth Days, local Church and government officials are optimistic and expect around 200 000 young people to be there. Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa of Panama City said that by early December, 47 000 young pilgrims from 155 countries had registered for the event, while 168 000 others were completing the registration

owever, for organisers of WYD, preparations to receive young pilgrims to the country is more than just an exercise in hospitality, they said. It is a means of spreading the Christian message of welcoming those in need. The plight of Central American migrants making their way to the US border made headlines around the world and brought to light the dire circumstances that forces men, women and children to embark on such a treacherous journey. “I believe that this trip [by the pope] will reverberate in the world, but especially in the area of Central America and it will also shed light not only on the reality that we live,

but especially the reality lived by young people: of exclusion, of seeing themselves at times forced to immigrate and look for new paths, as well as the reality of violence,” Archbishop Ulloa said. He also said that the pope’s presence in Panama will be like soothing “balm and fresh air for our young people to regain their strength”. Fr Aguilar, the WYD coordinator, said that the warmth felt in Panama is not only “climatological but also human”. He hoped that people opening their homes to young pilgrims would encourage countries to open their doors to those in need. “We have to give an example, especially in the case of immigration. This phenomenon is very much present in our countries,” he said. “We must be welcoming so that nobody feels in any way that they weren’t allowed in Panama. It is a welcoming country and it will be an example of welcoming for everybody.”—CNS

Climate rulebook ‘not enough’ By JoNATHAN LuxMooRE

ATHOLIC stakeholders have criticised a “lack of ambition” by government negotiators at the December United Nations conference on climate change that ended with agreement on a “rulebook” to implement the 2015 Paris climate accord. The final rulebook that emerged from the 24th UN Conference of Parties, or COP24, in Katowice, Poland, sets out how governments will measure, report and verify their emissions-cutting efforts under the Paris agreement, which comes into force in 2020, but falls short of what scientists have said is needed to rein in climate change. The Vatican delegation to COP24, led by secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said that “the rulebook does not adequately reflect the urgency necessary to

tackle climate change, which represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day”. Moreover, the Vatican noted, “the rulebook seems to downplay human rights, critical in reflecting the human face of climate change, which affects the most vulnerable people on earth” Brussels-based Catholic group CIDSE noted that the lack of “solid financial commitments” and “strong mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions” in the rulebook showed governments were still failing to “reflect the urgency” and were “shying away from their responsibility to act”. “We are in a time of climate emergency—to save our planet, we will need to make drastic changes in our policies and lifestyles,” the organisation said. “People asked governments to put transformative actions in place

at this COP. While nobody expected one conference to solve the climate crisis by itself, we did expect better than this—and we deserve better.”. The chairman of the German bishops’ Social Affairs Commission, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen, warned that climate problems could not be solved “solely through new technologies”, but also needs a “change of lifestyles.” “Everyone—cities, local authorities, civil society groups and individuals—can and must make their contribution,” Bishop Overbeck told KNA, Germany’s Catholic news agency. “It’s very regrettable that the results of climate science research are still not accepted by all,” he said. “We cannot afford to doubt the findings of the overwhelming majority of climatologists and postpone the consequences till the day of judgment.”—CNS

An Indonesian girl holds a candle during Christmas Eve Mass at a church in Surabaya. This year nearly 50 000 churches across Indonesia, including some previously attacked by terrorists, were guarded during the Christmas period. (Photo: Fully Handoko, EPA/CNS)

Muslims guarded Christmas

ORE than 90 000 police and soldiers, and members of a Muslim youth movement helped guard nearly 50 000 churches across Indonesia, including some that have previously been attacked by terrorists, during the Christmas period. Among the churches that were tightly secured was Santa Maria church in Surabaya, which was attacked by suicide bombers on May 13, reported ucanews.com. Our Lady of the Assumption cathedral in Jakarta as well as churches in Sumatra, Java and West Nusa Tenggara provinces also have been attacked. Francis Xavier Ping Tedja, security coordinator at Santa Maria church, said about 70 police, military and members of Banser—a military youth group associated with Nahdlatul Ulama, the biggest

moderate Muslim organisation in Indonesia—were securing the church for Christmas. In order to simplify police work, Catholics were asked to not bring bags when attending Christmas Masses. Fr Antonius Suyadi, chairman of the Jakarta archdiocese's Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Commission, said 300 police and military personnel were allocated to guard Christmas celebrations at the cathedral, and additional forces to guard other Catholic churches in the archdiocese. Indonesia's anti-terror squad arrested two terrorist suspects in Yogyakarta on December 11; the suspects allegedly planned to attack during Christmas and New Year celebrations. Police did not elaborate their targeted facilities or locations.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, January 2 to January 8, 2019

Bishops told to meet abuse survivors before summit B By CINDy WooDEN

EFORE travelling to Rome for a major Vatican summit on the clerical sex abuse crisis and child protection, each participating bishop should meet with survivors of abuse, said the committee organising the meeting. “The first step must be acknowledging the truth of what has happened. For this reason, we urge each episcopal conference president to reach out and visit with victim survivors of clergy sex abuse in your respective countries prior to the meeting in Rome to learn first-hand the suffering that they have endured,” said the organising committee’s letter. The pope had announced in September that he was calling the presidents of the world’s bishops ‘conferences, the heads of the Eastern Catholic churches and representatives of the leadership groups of men and women religious orders to

the Vatican from February 21-25 to address the crisis. Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, said having participants meet first with survivors “is a concrete way of putting victims first and acknowledging the horror of what happened”. “The meeting on the protection of minors,” he said, “will focus on three main themes: responsibility, accountability and transparency.” The organising committee quoted Pope Francis’ letter to Catholics in August, which said: “If, in the past, the [Church’s] response was one of omission, today we want solidarity, in the deepest and most challenging sense, to become our way of forging present and future history.” Without “a comprehensive and communal response” to the abuse crisis, the committee said, “not only will we fail to bring healing to victim survivors, but the very credibility of the Church to carry on the

mission of Christ will be in jeopardy throughout the world”. The letter to the heads of bishops’ conferences included a questionnaire for participants, but it was not made public. The questionnaire, the committee said, was designed as “a tool for all the participants of the meeting in February to express their opinions constructively and critically as we move forward, to identify where help is needed to bring about reforms now and in the future, and to help us get a full picture of the situation in the Church”. Pope Francis, they said, “is convinced that through collegial cooperation, the challenges facing the Church can be met. But each of us needs to own this challenge, coming together in solidarity, humility and penitence to repair the damage done, sharing a common commitment to transparency and holding everyone in the Church accountable.”—CNS

Vatican newspaper gets new editor By CARoL GLATZ

OPE Francis has named Andrea Monda, an Italian journalist and religion teacher, as editor-in-chief of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. He also appointed Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli as “editorial director” of the Dicastery for Communication. Mr Monda, who was born in Rome in 1966, has degrees in law and religious studies. He worked in

the legal department of the city’s tax collector’s office and then began teaching religion in Italian high schools in 2000. He has held seminars on Christianity and literature at two pontifical universities and contributes to a number of Catholic publications. Mr Monda hosts a docustyle reality series, Good Morning, Professor!, which is broadcast on the Italian bishops’ television channel, TV2000. Pope Francis chose him to coor-

dinate the writing of reflections used during the Way of the Cross procession in 2018. Mr Monda, who has written several books—including about Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis—replaces Giovanni Maria Vian, 66, who led the Vatican newspaper since 2007. Mr Monda said in his statement that he sees the 157-year-old paper’s legacy as seeking to give more than the news, but to also inspire people to think.—CNS

A woman kneels and prays in front of the star that marks the spot where it is believed Jesus was born, in the grotto of the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine, just before Christmas. (Photo: Debbie Hill/CNS)

What pope told politicians By CARoL GLATZ

N today’s climate of mistrust, rejection and nationalism, the world urgently needs peacemakers and politicians who protect and lovingly serve others, Pope Francis said in his annual message for the World Day of Peace. “Terror exerted over those who are most vulnerable contributes to the exile of entire populations who seek a place of peace,” the pope said, and “political addresses that tend to blame every evil on migrants and to deprive the poor of hope are unacceptable.” Instead, political life can and should be “an outstanding form of charity” when it is exercised with a “basic respect for the life, freedom and dignity of persons”.

War and “the strategy of fear” are contrary to politics at the service of peace, he said. “One thing is certain: good politics is at the service of peace,” Pope Francis wrote. “It respects and promotes fundamental human rights, which are at the same time mutual obligations, enabling a bond of trust and gratitude to be forged between present and future generations.” In his message, which the Vatican sends to heads of state around the world, Pope Francis’ said his wish and prayer for peace in 2019 “is that politics...may bring peace to all the citizens of the households, especially its youth, who may not be robbed of their hope in the future because politics is so badly done that it deprives them of peace.”—CNA

The youth centre at the centre of the Church By HANNAH BRoCKHAuS

HOUGH it sits just steps from St Peter’s basilica, it goes unseen by the thousands of people that pass by every day. In a city of churches, it’s a church that can’t be found by accident, but must be sought out. And many do. It is St Lawrence in Piscibus, a tiny and simple church from the 12th century, tucked behind buildings which make it undetectable from the main thoroughfare to St Peter’s basilica. The church—owned by the Vatican since 1941—has gone through many evolutions over the centuries. Eventually, it was deconsecrated and used as a study hall and sculptor’s studio, until in the 1980s Pope John Paul II asked that it be trans-

formed into an international youth centre. He reconsecrated the church with a special Mass in March 1983. A few years later, it also became the home of the original wooden cross of World Youth Day (a tradition begun in 1985) and an icon of Salus Populi Romani, a copy of the ancient painting which hangs in the basilica of St Mary Major and depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary in her title as patroness of Rome. The small church also bears a San Damiano cross, a replica of the one hanging in the basilica of St Clare in Assisi, Italy, which is believed to be the cross St Francis prayed before when he received the request from God to rebuild the Church. The thriving Centro San Lorenzo, now under the apostolate of the

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The interior of the Centro San Lorenzo church in Rome (Photo: Daniel Ibez/CNA) Shalom Catholic Community and affectionately called the “Centro”, is a place where young Romans and those passing through on pilgrimage can stop by for prayer, Mass, and other spiritual and social activities. The centre’s chaplain, Fr Cris-

tiano Pinheiro, said people of all kinds pass through the Centro and take part in a “chain of intercession” that includes missionaries, young people and priests. One manager of the Centro, Jhoanna Climacosa, 27, said she finds it a “true joy” to serve in that place which is “at the heart of the Church, at the heart of Rome, and through which pass many pilgrims from every part of the world”. Prior to its new life as a place of evangelisation and welcome for pilgrims, especially youth, the church spent a few decades as a study centre and the studio of artist Pericle Fazzini, who in 1977 completed his large bronze sculpture of the Resurrection, which stands at the back of the Vatican’s Pope Paul VI hall. The façade of St Lawrence in Pis-

cibus was hidden from sight when part of the area surrounding the Vatican, Rome’s Borgo neighbourhood, was destroyed in the late 1930s to ’40s to construct the grand thoroughfare of Via della Conciliazione, which leads up to the main square and entrance to St Peter’s basilica. The church was preserved from demolition, but a large palazzo was built around it, marking the start of the Pio XII Square in the style of an ancient Greek propylaea, an architectural term which means a gateway building. After different renovations over the centuries, one which gave it an ornate Baroque design, for structural and financial reasons it was eventually returned to what is believed to be its original, bare-stone Romanesque appearance.—CNA

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The Southern Cross, January 2 to January 8, 2019

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Our prayers for 2019

S we enter the final year of the decade, we direct our prayers on immediate needs, but also with a view to creating a better, more humane future in the 2020s. For South Africans, this will be the concern when they go to the polls in the national and provincial elections. The electorate will have a difficult choice, with the three main parties having their own troubles, which may discourage confidence in them. We pray that God will guide voters to produce a result that will be most conducive to rebuilding South Africa from the carnage of the Zuma years, and that the new governments and parliaments will lead the nation and its provinces with wisdom and integrity. We also pray that we will find relief from the diseases infecting our society—such as crime, gender violence and xenophobia— and cures for their root causes. In Africa, many countries are stable, but many others are experiencing hardships. The strife in places such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Somalia, the Central African Republic and parts of Nigeria have found no resolution. Other troublespots are emerging, such as regions of Cameroon, where the Church has found itself in the crossfire. We pray that this continent will become a sign of peace. We also pray for peace in the Middle East, especially an end to Syria’s civil war and Saudi Arabia’s relentless assault on Yemen. We pray that Lebanon will retain its fragile peace, and that Israel will enter into good-faith negotiations with Palestinians. Increasing numbers of people in Europe as well as the United States have taken on the cloak of insular prejudice, seeing hated enemies in people who are fleeing war and grinding poverty— both crises not unrelated to historical and recent interference in their countries by the West. We pray that people in relatively affluent societies will find a consensus in treating refugees and migrants with Gospel-mandated compassion—feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and giving shelter to the homeless. We pray that political leaders will become ever-more proactive in reducing the threats posed by climate change. As we should always do, we

pray for our pope, bishops, priests and religious. The past year has been a miserable one for the Church, with the history of clergy abuses and their cover-up, compounded by a tone-deaf response from many Church leaders, sometimes even the pope. We must pray that the February summit of bishops’ conference heads will not be a meaningless talk-shop soundtracked by reassuring platitudes of good intent and increasingly tired-sounding statements of regret. The Church has to become introspective, realising that the scandal was caused not only by people but also by an institutional culture. The institution needs not just reform but reconstruction. The summit is the Church’s last opportunity to get its response right, at last. This will require many men to act with prophetic courage, and all men involved to act with genuine humility. We pray that the February bishops’ summit will be a watershed moment which will result in concrete action. We pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, that God may provide him with the health, stamina, serenity and wisdom he needs in his ministry to the People of God. We pray that those who treat our pope with aggressive hostility will turn their destruction into loyal opposition. In Southern Africa, we pray for our bishops, especially Bishop Sithembele Sipuka as he assumes the presidency of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and Bishop Abel Gabuza as he becomes the coadjutor archbishop of Durban. We pray for the papal nuncio, Archbishop Peter Wells, as he carries the immense responsibility of identifying suitable candidates as bishops for four vacant dioceses to be recommended to the pope. As always, we pray that the readers, associates, promoters, pilgrims, contributors, friends and supporters of The Southern Cross have a peaceful, grace-filled 2019. And we ask for your prayers for The Southern Cross and other Catholic media, that the social communications apostolate will receive enthusiastic support from our bishops, priests and laity, so that the Good News may be spread in the name of our Lord.

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.

Where is Church effort for nun held by jihadists? N this new year, I would like to Catholic tradition of ransoming the IColombian draw attention to the plight of freedom of Catholic captives from Sister Cecelia Gloria the Moors? Why has a worldwide Navaerez Argoti, a Catholic nun kidnapped by jihadists in Mali in February 2017. In a video clip sent out in February 2018, a year after her abduction, Sr Cecelia was recorded begging those in authority in the Church to comply with her captors’ demands and secure her release. While the wealth of the Vatican and indeed the bishops’ conference of Mali has been well documented, I protest that ransom for Sr Cecelia's release has not yet been paid. What has become of the age-old

The problem with Take care judging with my own petard! Pope Pius XII HOIST Shock/Horror! Judge, Jury and

HAT Patrick Dacey says of Popes Pius XI and XII in his letter “Nazi concordat and abuse silence” (December 5) is correct. At least Pius XI, against the advice of then-Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, issued the encyclical Mit brennender Sorge to be read in all churches, in which he said: “Anyone must acknowledge...how the other contrasting party emasculated the terms of the treaty...and eventually considered its more or less official violation as a normal policy.” (My information in this letter comes from The Pope and Mussolini by David I Kertzer.) Cardinal Pacelli, soon after becoming Pope Pius XII, showed that he was to be very different to his predecessor and this new attitude pleased both Mussolini and Hitler. One of Pius XII’s first actions was to reestablish relations with the right-wing Action Francaise, in response to its leader Charles Maurass reversing Pius XI’s ban. Maurass was France’s foremost anti-Semite. In 1939 Pius XI had written a “secret encyclical” against racism, which Pius XII seized, and which would not be released until after his death. On April 7 that year, Mussolini invaded Albania. “Not one word from his mouth about this bloody Good Friday,” wrote prominent French Catholic Emmanuel Mounier. Mussolini was encouraged by the report of the Swiss papal nuncio, who said the atmosphere in the Vatican was “completely changed”, like a “breath of fresh air”. The Holy Father spoke “with much sympathy for fascism and with sincere admiration for the Duce”. It is thus disturbing to hear, as Mr Dacey says, that there is an ongoing process for Pius XII’s beatification: he hardly merits it. Peter Onesta, Johannesburg

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What could Islam ever teach us?

WOULD like express my disgust at the article “What Catholics can learn from Muslims” (December 5). I am not entirely sure where this article is coming from; is it an attempt to infiltrate and change Christianity, move people away from Christ, as part of modern religious tolerance? Whatever the Southern Cross’ motives are, they must be rejected entirely for the following reasons. First, you are a Christian newspaper projecting the teachings of Jesus Christ and not those of people who do not recognise Christ as the Messiah, the Way and the Light, the only route to the Father. Second, read the First Commandment: “I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.” How many times were the Jews not punished for idolising false gods? We have Noah and the ark, temples destroyed, the Jews enslaved by Pharaoh, 40 years spent in the desert for idolising false gods, 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

Sr Cecilia Argoti, seen working with children in Mali, was kidnapped by jihadists in 2017 and has not yet been released.

with only the clean entering the Promised Land, and so on. Then, what of the violent persecution of Christians from ancient times till modern times by Muslims, the very group you are promoting? Surely the Southern Cross should see the inability within Islam itself to agree on teachings, resulting in the massacring and bombing of each other, instructions from who they believe in? What of the oppression and bondage of women in the name of their beliefs, the hate they feel for people who do not follow them, the closed society they operate in, the fact that they do not even subscribe to basic human values of preciousness and the gift of life, as granted by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ? Believers in Jesus Christ can and must be encouraged to bridge the gaps among themselves spiritually, and pray, worship and praise together. Christianity is under attack because it is seen as a weak religion from outside and within, for the Lord teaches love, forgiveness, mercy. But it is forgotten that he is also a jealous God who punishes idolators. Soon the Catholic Church will be a joke and the target of Islam if this conduct continues. Donovan du Plooy, via e-mail n The article by Deacon Isaac Mutelo OP did not address the teachings of Islam, nor did it propose that the Catholic Church adapt its teachings in any way. The article explained how Muslims live their faith, suggesting that Catholics can learn from that to enhance their individual prayer and devotional life, and to build a stronger Catholic Church and community. Deacon Mutelo observed that many Catholics don’t place their faith at the centre of their lives, whereas Muslims do, as individuals and as community. This is the essence of the lessons which the author said we can learn from Muslims.—Editor.

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collection not been made to pay for her ransom, and that of other Catholic nuns and priests currently being held captive in Nigeria? How could we possibly have celebrated Christmas knowing that Sr Cecilia spent her second Christmas in captivity with her captors? I cannot comprehend so many of our own people seeming to “look the other way”. Let us redouble our prayers and best efforts at this time of grace. Fr Sean Collins CSsR, Howick, KZN

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PERSPECTIVES

The worst-ever pope? P OPE Francis, the American Facebook commenter pronounced with a certainty that permitted no dissent, “is the worst pope of all time”. Obviously that person is not a fan of the Holy Father. Personally, I believe that Pope Francis will be regarded as one of the greatest, most courageous and most Christ-centred popes, though I’d shy away from absolute claims. St Peter, the first pope (in a manner) was more courageous and more Christ-centred than Francis or most other bishops of Rome. Anti-Francis Facebook Guy didn’t just deal in hyperbole but also in ignorance. His comment called to mind the rightwing protester on the streets of Finsterwalde in eastern Germany who on TV pronounced Angela Merkel’s migration policy “the lowest point in Germany’s history”. The lowest? One casual glance at the history of successions of medieval and Renaissance popes will indicate that Pope Francis does not even have a claim to contend for the mediocre mid-table of papal worstness. Many an Innocent, Clement or Pius was possessed of neither innocence, nor clemency, nor piety. The material and moral corruption of some popes, and their cruelty, was repugnant. The notorious Alexander VI is the poster child of bad popes, but he was not an aberration. Sometimes the papal psychosis was grotesque, such as the time in 897 when Pope Stephen VI had the cadaver of his predecessor but one, Pope Formosus, exhumed from the grave and dressed in papal vestments to try him in court. Duly found guilty, the dead pope had the papal vestments torn from his body, the three blessing fingers cut from his right hand, and the corpse thrown into the Tiber. There’s a sequel to that story, simi-

larly bizarre. Another strange pontifical case was that of Pope Benedict IX, who occupied the Chair of St Peter three times between 1032 and 1048, having sold the papacy in between, leading to seller’s remorse.

orn Theophylactus of Tusculum, he was the nephew of Pope John XIX. Thanks to bribery by the aristocratic Tusculum clan, Theophylactus succeeded his uncle. He was 20 years old. Predictably, the youngster wasn’t very good at being pope. He lived a dissolute lifestyle; Bishop Benno of Piacenza accused Benedict of “many vile adulteries and murders”. After 12 years of that, in 1044, the Romans had suffered enough and turfed Benedict out. Pope Sylvester III was elected to succeed him in January 1045. But Sylvester didn’t last long: within two months he was deposed by Benedict’s faction, supported by the emperor. Benedict IX took the throne for the second time.

Pope Stephen VI tries his exhumed predecessor Pope Formosus in the “Cadaver Synod” of 897 in this detail from an 1870 painting by Jean Paul Laurens.

Stories help spread faith I N the Gospels, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a mustard seed that grows beyond measure and a bit of yeast that expands the dough (Mt 13:31-33). The repentant sinner is compared to a lost sheep worth searching for, a misplaced coin that must be found and a son who squanders it all but is forgiven by his father (Lk 15:1-32). The stormy sea is calmed with a simple rebuke (Mk 4:35-41), and a few fish and loaves of bread are blessed and multiplied to feed a hungry crowd (Mk 6:34-44). The words and deeds of Jesus demonstrate that he is a master teacher who knows that stories and images have the capacity to capture the imagination of those who listen and watch. A good story helps us to paint a picture in our minds, to “see” the elements and “meet” the characters, all of which help us to remember and to find meaning. Using stories in the cause of evangelisation is a practice that permeates not just the Gospels but the whole of Scripture. Israel’s writers and prophets preserved a wide variety of colourful stories—accounts of creation, flood, tribal wanderings, sin and redemption—to communicate their own experiences of God. The psalms, written as poem prayers, retold many of the ancient events making them fresh for new generations. Jesus would have been schooled in these stories and in the methods of putting stories and prayer to memory, and even to music. Stories and images help us to recognise that learning is more than simply digesting information. Learning, especially the type that leads to conversion and discipleship, requires that we engage our imaginations. This “imagining” is not equivalent to “make-believe”. Rather, it acknowledges that there is more to reality than what

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The Sea of Galilee, seen here from Tabgha, was the stage for many of Jesus’ parables—and story-telling is a potent tool in evangelisation. meets the eye and more to faith than what we describe as knowledge. Albert Einstein wrote: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” In the realm of biblical faith we may rightly talk about “religious imagination” as the ability to discover and describe those aspects of divine encounter that cannot be directly observed in the physical world. We acknowledge that God works in the world that we see and understand and also in ways that are beyond our normal means of comprehension.

ake, for example, the very notion of forgiveness. We may sense the need for it and feel the effects of it, but still not know how to describe it. Jesus steps in with the story that is sometimes known simply as the parable of the Prodigal Son. Through this story, we are presented with the opportunity to respond in a way that involves not just our intellect but our emotions, our will and

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Point of Television

But Benedict wasn’t really into being pope anymore. He wanted to get married. So a month after toppling poor Sylvester, he approached his godfather John Gratian, and offered to sell the papacy to him. Keen to get rid of such a scandalous pope, the well-meaning John agreed to a “reimbursement” of Benedict’s “election expenses”, and thus bought the papacy to become Pope Gregory VI. Soon Benedict changed his mind again and wanted the papacy back. He and his troops took Rome, and Benedict laid claim to the papacy, while Gregory was the officially recognised pope. Sylvester said neither of them was the pope, and made his own claim to the papacy. The stand-off was resolved in 1046 when Emperor Henry III came to Rome. Benedict and Sylvester were deposed, and Gregory abdicated, having engaged in the mortal sin of simony. The emperor had the bishop of Bamberg, a good man, succeed that trio as Clement II. Alas, within a year, in October 1047, Clement died. Cue the return of Benedict. He took the basilica of St John Lateran—the cathedral of the bishop of Rome—and began his third stint as pope. German troops finally expelled him in July 1048, and a semblance of peace returned. Benedict was excommunicated but he is said to have repented before he died around 1056. Was Benedict IX the worst-ever pope? He certainly is a formidable contender. Is Pope Francis “the worst pope of all time”? Well, in some peculiar corners of the social media, he apparently is.

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God And The Bible

our imagination. We might feel the tug to be like the father who was lavish in his love and forgiveness; we might imagine the difference an embrace may make; and then we might even reach out to offer forgiveness to someone who has hurt us. Parables are a particularly effective tool for teaching, and so we hear of a would-be prophet spending time in the belly of a big fish before obeying God’s command (Jonah), potters reworking soft clay just as God will work with the clay of our lives (Jer 18:1-6), trees being given a second chance to produce fruit (Lk 13:6-9) and a good shepherd who is willing to lay down his life for his flock (Jn 10:1-18). The biblical writers were expert at recording or creating such stories as a way of reminding God’s people of the many ways God acts in their lives, in our lives. The images found in these stories are not themselves the reality; they serve as metaphors and open us to new layers of understanding and meaning. This is one of the reasons we read and re-read Scripture. Those stories and images stick with us, and in revisiting them, we begin to see familiar patterns of how God works. One of the gifts of reading and praying with Scripture is to discover that God did not just communicate with people centuries ago in a distant land. God uses the Scriptures to speak with us now, stirring our imaginations to envision our world beyond what we now know. n This is the seventh in a ten-part series of articles produced by Little Rock Scripture Study. This article first appeared in the Arkansas Catholic.

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The Southern Cross, January 2 to January 8, 2019

Stephen Syambi

Point of Debate

Is culture evil?

T is sometimes suggested that culture is “evil”. Culture includes the concepts, habits, skills, art, institutions, instruments and so on of a given people in a period of time. Evil means moral depravity; wickedness; anything bad or wrong. So, is culture evil? When we ask whether or not culture is evil, we are actually trying to gauge if culture conforms to the yardstick of goodness. As a Christian and ecclesiastical student, my yardstick is Christian teaching, as it should be for all Christians. According to the Christian values, whatsoever does not conform to the Decalogue—the Ten Commandments—is evil. God’s standards are high; he considers lust to be adultery and hate to be murder. There is a lot of that in Western culture, but here I wish to focus more on indigenous African cultures, which are among the richest and well-preserved in the world. African culture is passed on from generation to generation through oral tradition. More is said and less is written about African cultures. Culture is a composite of different aspects: rituals, habits, skills, art and way of life. Locally, some of the examples of rituals include circumcision, funeral rites, naming ceremonies, initiation, and so on. These can be good, but they can also include elements of evil. Many tribes and cultures in East Africa practise the “last funeral rite” ceremony during which people construct small tents where adults sleep. These adults then have to “replace” the deceased through the act of “sex” in the small huts. To me, as a Christian, that is practising fornication and adultery, which violate the Decalogue.

ome initiation ceremonies can be problematic, too. Initiation rites witness transformation of a boy into a man and a girl into a woman. These may include circumcision; what might be called genital mutilation. In some tribes, such as the Sebei and Gisu in Uganda, the circumcision ceremony is followed by some cleansing rituals that involve “sex with a virgin girl”. These initiations are also followed by trial marriages to taste virility/virginity and fertility; these do not conform to the Christian teaching. In addition, in our cultures, witchcraft is in fact more sacrificing to evil spirits and to the gods. These are in contradiction to the first commandment. Having surveyed African cultures, as well as some of the European and Asian cultures, it’s evident that these cultures include both virtues and evils. In all cultures, the evils are caused by selfish wants and needs, including witchcraft and fornication. Therefore we may ask: is it culture that is evil or do we, the owners of culture, attribute evil to culture? My opinion is that culture is good and ought to be jealously preserved and protected by its current holders, but Christians should purify culture to avoid culture being contaminated by evil. This means that Christianity should be seen as a universal religion of Christ, not a colonial or European religion, as some Africans say. No culture— European, American, Asian or African—entirely conforms to Christian teachings. We all need to check ourselves to trim the evil from our respective cultures, by avoiding evil practices in our cultures, and by sanctifying culture and baptising it as good rather than evil.

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The Southern Cross, January 2 to January 8, 2019

COMMUNITY Professor Callum Scott was ordained to the permanent diaconate for the archdiocese of Pretoria by Archbishop William Slattery oFM at St Augustine’s church in Silverton. The new deacon will exercise his ministry in Silverton parish with the Comboni Missionaries.

Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town comes yearly to celebrate the feast of our Lady of Guadalupe with the Capuchin Sisters of Swellendam, and parishioners from St Mary’s in George, St Patrick’s in Swellendam, and across Cape Town. (Submitted by Patronella Makhozana)

First Communion was celebrated at St Anthony’s parish in Pietermaritzburg, with Fr Terry Nash SPS and Deacon Leo Camp as the celebrants. (Photo: Mervin Fenner)

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youngsters at Emmanuel church in Sebokeng, Johannesburg archdiocese, celebrated their First Communion with parish priest Fr Simphiwe Kheswa oFM. (Submitted by Fr Sekabata Solomon Mphela oFM)

The Grade 1s at St Teresa’s School in Rosebank, Johannesburg, put on a Nativity play. Seen are three of the angels.

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The Creative Expressions group performs a liturgical dance during an ecumenical Advent service at Mariannhill Monastery. The service was led by Mariannhill Missionaries Father Lawrence Mota. (Photo: Patricia Ferrandi)

Pope’s ‘G9’ now down to six

OPE Francis’ “G9” Council of Cardinals—his group of papal advisers on curial reform—is now down to six members following the departure of three members, including controversial Australian Cardinal George Pell. Their departure precedes the conviction for sexual abuse of Cardinal Pell in an Australian court this month. According to Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, Pope Francis wrote to three cardinal-members at the end of October, thanking them for their service. The three are Cardinals Pell; Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, DRC, who has retired; and Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, 85, retired archbishop of Santiago, Chile, who is facing questioning by a local prosecutor over his handling of abuse allegations. No new members of the Council of Cardinals were set to be appointed at this time, Mr Burke told reporters. He said that this month’s meetings, from December 10-12, had been attended by five of the now six remaining members: Cardinals Sean O'Malley of Boston, 74; Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, 75, of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Oswald Gracias, 73, of Mumbai, India; Reinhard Marx, 65, of Munich and Freising, Germany; and Giuseppe Bertello, 76, president of the

commission governing Vatican City State. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 63, Vatican secretary of state, was unable to attend because he was leading a Vatican delegation at a United Nations meeting in Morocco. The council will meet again from February 18-20, ahead of the February 21-24 summit for bishops' conferences on the prevention of the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. Cardinal Pell was found guilty in a jury trial in Melbourne on five charges related to serious sexual misconduct involving two boys in the 1990s. A first trial in August had resulted in a hung jury. The trial, the specific charges, the testimony and almost all other details involving the accusations against the 77-year-old cardinal are covered by a court-issued "super injunction", which forbids all media in Australia from reporting on it. Cardinal Pell is expected to appeal the conviction, but not before he is sentenced in February. He faces a second trial, focusing on the alleged events in Ballarat in the 1970s. Reportedly it will begin in March. The cardinal was appointed head of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy in 2014 but took a leave of absence from his position in mid-2017 to face the charges.—CNS

ISHOP Abel Gabuza, 63, will be installed as coadjutor archbishop of Durban on February 10, at which point his current diocese of Kimberley will fall vacant. When he eventually succeeds Cardinal Wilfrid Napier as archbishop—which his appointment as coadjutor guarantees—he will become only the sixth ordinary in Durban since 1851. As coadjutor archbishop of Durban, Bishop Gabuza will take on the role as vicargeneral, as prescribed by canon law. More importantly, as coadjutor he has the right to automatic succession when the incumbent archbishop, Cardinal Napier, leaves office due to retirement or death. Since Cardinal Napier, who will turn 78 in March, is past the retirement age for bishops, the time as coadjutor will give Bishop Gabuza an opportunity to become familiar with the archdiocese before he takes over as its archbishop. The timing of his succession will be determined by the pope, who decides when he will accept the canonically-required resignation which Cardinal Napier had to submit on turning 75 in 2016. Bishop Gabuza will not inherit the title of cardinal, which is awarded to individuals. Bishop Gabuza will succeed unusually long-serving heads of Durban archdiocese: Cardinal Napier has been archbishop of Durban since 1992. His predecessor, Archbishop Denis Hurley, headed the archdiocese for 45 years. Before him Bishop Henri Delalle served for 42 years (from 1903-46), and Bishops Charles Jolivet and Marie-Jean-François Allard for 29 and 23 years respectively. Bishop Gabuza was appointed bishop of Kimberley by Pope Benedict XVI on December 23, 2010. He was ordained a bishop on March 19, 2011. Ordained apriest in the archdiocese of

S o u t h e r n C r o s s Pilgrimage

Bishop Abel Gabuza, future archbishop of Durban. He will be installed as coadjutor archbishop in February. (Photo: Mathibela Sebothoma) Pretoria on December 15, 1984, Bishop Gabuza was the first of three successive vicars-general of Pretoria to be made bishops. His successors, Bishops Dabula Mpako and Victor Phalana were appointed to Queenstown and Kimberley respectively in 2011 and 2014. After the sudden resignation of Archbishop Paul Mandla Khumalo in November 2009 and the appointment of Archbishop William Slattery in December 2010, Bishop Gabuza led the Pretoria archdiocese as apostolic administrator. Before becoming Pretoria’s vicar-general in 1999, he also lectured at three seminaries, and served South Africa’s orientation seminaries in Pretoria and Cape Town as rector from 1991-94. In a letter to the faithful of Kimberley, Bishop Gabuza said: “This message came as a shock to me. This was totally unexpected. I was stunned. I had mixed emotions. I froze Continued on page 2

6-16 October 2019

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S outher n C ross

IT’S WORTH IT!

A group of nine young men aged 12-17 from St Raphael’s church in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, after completing their two years of training, were received by parish priest Fr Matthew Ledo AJ as the first group of Divine Mercy Scouts. With them are Fr Ledo and Deacon Dominic Maruping.

Primary school pupils at Marist Brothers Linmeyer in Johannesburg were visited by Mpact Recycling, its mascot Ronnie, and Mrs South Africa finalist Tandi Potgieter, to promote awareness of recycling and help increase recycling volumes.

LIFE

The Southern Cross, January 2 to January 8, 2019

After divorce, have compassion Marriage is not easy, and sometimes it simply fails. TSHIAMo STEPHEN TAKoNGWA, a marriage counsellor, argues that Church and society should be compassionate towards divorcees, helping them to heal.

ings of people who come together to help each other to deal with the stresses of life. It’s a “little church”, an ecclecisiola in Latin. In forming such groups, remember the words of Jesus when he said: “Where two or three are gathered, there I am in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20).

Witness of the divorced

UMMER! It’s that time of the year when couples tie the knot and declare to one another that they will love, cherish and be faithful, “till death do them part”. I have witnessed the joy and sincerity on people’s faces as they exchange their marital vows. Their passionate kisses tell it all. The display of the left finger with a gold or diamond ring is done with a certain aura of having attained one’s dream. It is most men’s and most women’s dream to be bound in a matrimonial union with a companion fit for them. This dream is divine; it was planted by God right at that creation moment when he declared that it is not good for a man to be alone (Gen 2:28). The beauty of marriage is not just that it brings together two individuals; it is an act which brings two families together, for one mar- on the wedding day nobody thinks of divorce, but the dream of being happy together forever sometimes doesn’t ries not just an individual but a come true, and divorce becomes reality. In his article, Tshiamo Takongwa suggests that society and Church should not reject those emerging from a failed marriage but help them find healing. (Photo: ulrike May) clan. As an ideal, marriage is perfect and blissful. However, marriage as have not been able to live up to a lived experience is not a smooth with for more than five years, from previous relationship. In most, if not all, cases, these these teachings. journey. The path is strewn with her family, from her community it is high time that both the people experience the same pain thorns and thistles. That is the re- and from her church. The father of her children did civil and ecclesial societies accept and disappointment in their new ality of marriage. It is full of chalnot want to see her ever again. Her relationship which they experi- divorce as a social reality. lenges. Society needs to present itself as Marital challenges differ from family did not want to see her be- enced in their previous relationcause she had disgraced the family ship. a safe haven for the divorced and family to family. While some Some have lost trust altogether provide platforms for the rehabilistruggle with challenges of com- name by having a divorce. The patibility—perhaps in tempera- community did not trust her be- and have stopped believing in tation and resocialisation of those ment or when two individuals cause, supposedly, “divorcees are love. These people cannot give, who undergo divorce. neither can they receive love. You Society, through churches and come from very different social or husband-snatchers”. And at church, where she can imagine the state of an un- support groups, ought to reach out cultural backgrounds and cannot thought she would find comfort, trusting heart that is completely to them and listen to their stories, reconcile or comproshe was judged and shut from love! in a non-judgmental manner. mise in some areas of blamed. These people are trapped in the The process of recovery from dilife. This kind of rejection pain of the past and cannot move vorce is made easier by compasOthers struggle with No one gets and ostracisation usually on. They are full of anger, bitter- sionate family members and challenges of sexual married with leads to a victim mentality ness and even hatred. They need friends who understand what you morality, especially inwith a self-blaming atti- healing of memories so that they are going through. fidelity, or financial a view to tude, even taking all re- can recall their past experience Compassion is a gift. Compasshortfalls. Some have sponsibility for the without feeling the pain of the sionate family members and divorce. to contend with the separation. In the eyes of past. This in turn will able them to friends have to be able to stand by challenges of family No one really society, this woman failed forgive and move on. you and be able to pray with you interference while othbecause society does not in this difficult moment. ers suffer biological iswants to go care about the circumA social reality They needn’t be messiahs or sues such as a difficulty stances surrounding her diNo one gets married with a view miracle workers but rather friends through or inability to conceive vorce. to divorce. No one really wants to who are with you in this journey new life. People who undergo di- go through divorce; it is terrible for of recovery. divorce. It’s Sadly, many couples vorce have a lot to deal the couples as well as for the chilIt is not everyone who has this separate due to these terrible with. The transition from dren. Children are traumatised, es- gift of compassion, and sometimes and other marital chalbeing a married man or pecially those who are too young it’s difficult to figure why some do lenges. But more sadwoman to being a single dening is the fact that society parent needs wise and compas- to understand. If no one marries to not have it. divorce, should one be punished Genuine compassion comes seems not to know how to handle sionate accompaniment. for divorcing? only from prayerful reliance on a divorce—nor does the Church. There are a lot of adjustments Of course, the Church has God who has chosen us to make to be made and in that process, teachings against divorce (though, healing present in this world as we Divorced from society one needs wise counsel and honest since it does not acknowledge the embrace each other. As a marriage counsellor I deal support. validity of civil divorce, these A Buddhist proverb says: on a daily basis with people who Without such wise counsel and are undergoing or have undergone gentle support, one might make teachings refer more specifically to “Though our skins may be of divorce—and their experiences are hasty decisions which will later remarriage while the first spouse is many colours, our blood runs the still alive). same hue.” heart-rending. lead to regret. Support groups are very imporNevertheless, these teachings The first experience that those I have seen people reacting in who divorce have to endure is that an unhealthy way to divorce by present no obstacle to being com- tant societal components. We can of alienation and rejection. I coun- quickly entering into and commit- passionate towards those who define support groups as gatherselled a woman who was experi- ting themselves in a new relationencing multiple rejection: from ship, without dealing with the the man whom she had stayed pain and disappointment from the

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We need to share our lives with one another and find God speaking to us in our experiences. Our words every day should become bearers of God’s comfort and challenge to one another. The divorced are very important in our communities. Their witness of broken lives that are healed and restored by faith can be beacons of the Lord’s mercy to the rest of the community. If they find healing, those who went through divorce are able to communicate that, despite the difficult situation in which one be, we are still brothers and sisters in Christ. As Christians, we have to be people who go out and look for the lost sheep. We need to accommodate the divorced in our communities and treat them with a brotherly love—like the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 and goes out and search for the one which is lost. A support group has to reflect that kind of an image to the world. It has a serious mandate to fulfil: to give hope in hopeless situations, provide encouragement and give support to men and women who are divorced. Divorce is not the end of life but rather the beginning of a new life. As I said before, nobody premeditates divorce when they get married. It’s a situation where you say “My marriage did not work out.”

Keeping marriage alive Ideally, it shouldn’t come to this, even if some marriages simply were not meant to be. Married couples have to invest a lot in their marriages. Love is like a tree which you have to nurture— with water and manure, and even pruning, so that it can grow. We invest a lot on the wedding, but sometimes not enough on the marriage. Couples have to work together to make sure that they safeguard their marriage, and not invite what can destroy it. Here is my good piece of advice: Never make a decision in a crisis! Some couples have regretted their decisions after divorcing. As Christians, we should always bear in mind that God won’t give us anything that we cannot handle. Ask God to give you the grace to be able to handle the life-challenges of marriage. And above all pray for your husband, pray for your wife. May the good Lord who has called you to the vocation of married life be the one who brings it to completion.

“Here I am Lord”

cell: +27 72 769 7396, or +27 83 471 6081 e-mail: vocation.office@dehonafrica.net www.scj.org.za

The Southern Cross, January 2 to January 8, 2019

CHURCH

World Youth Days in the 1990s On January 22, 2019, World Youth Day will be held in Panama City. In last week’s first part of his series on past World Youth Days, GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER looked back at the first five events. This week he recalls the WYDs of 1993, 1995 and 1997.

FTER the success of two tentative Youth Days in Rome in 1984 and ’85, the first proper World Youth Day (WYD) took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1987. It was a resounding success. The next two WYD were held in Europe—Spain (1989) and Poland (1991)—before it crossed the Atlantic again, to the United States.

1993: Denver

ITH successive World Youth Days in Santiago de Compostela in 1989 and Czechostowa in 1991, Pope John Paul II established the notion of these gatherings as a pilgrimage. Those taking part in it were to be not just participants but pilgrims. That point made, the next World Youth Day would be in Denver, in the US state of Colorado—a city perhaps most famous as the setting for the materialistic ’80s soap opera Dynasty. Denver is on nobody’s list of pilgrimage destinations. But that choice made a point too: World Youth Day should be seen as a journey of faith (which is a brief but useful definition of a pilgrimage). The choice of Denver as a host symbolised that not every pilgrimage needs a shrine as an endpoint: the people who take part in WYD, from parish teenager to Holy Father, are the physical endpoint (the real destination on any spiritual journey is, of course, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit). The pope reached Denver by a pilgrimage of detours which took him first to Jamaica and Mexico.

n Denver, Pope John Paul was greeted by President Bill Clinton, who presumably was not in total agreement with a recurring theme throughout the WYD celebrations, from August 12-15: the sanctity of life. The theme for WYD ’93 was “I came that they might have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). Jesus’ proclamation in John’s gospel can be applied to various circumstances; but in the United States, where abortion was and still is a big issue of debate, the theme also sent a potent political message. The pope’s schedule in Denver

Left: Pope John Paul II surveys the crowds at Denver’s Cherry Creek State Park from the air before his arrival for the closing Mass of World youth Day 1993. centre: Pope John Paul II, dignitaries and youths hold hands at the closing Mass of World youth Day 1995 in Manila, Philippines, which drew a record crowd of 5 million. Right: A pilgrim holds a cross in front of the Eiffel Tower during World youth Day 1997 in Paris. was very busy—still, he was able to squeeze in a hike in the Rocky Mountains. The highlights, as always, were the Vigil and closing Mass the following morning, attended by 750 000 in Denver’s Cherry Creek State Park. The pope addressed WYD pilgrims in English, Spanish, French and Italian. At the vigil, he delivered a strong pro-life message, and listed a number of modern evils before asking: “Why do the consciences of young people not rebel against this situation, especially against the moral evil which flows from personal choices? Why do so many acquiesce in attitudes and behaviour which offend human dignity and disfigure the image of God in us? “The normal thing would be for conscience to point out the mortal danger to the individual and to humanity contained in the easy acceptance of evil and sin. “And yet, it is not always so. Is it because conscience itself is losing the ability to distinguish good from evil?” Writing in The Southern Cross about the event, South African pilgrim Simon Donnelly (now a priest working in the Vatican) described the uninhibited yet faith-filled atmosphere in Denver during those three days. “Downtown, Catholics were everywhere: singing, praying and waving banners. Although the weather was hot, the afternoon rain interrupted things, the organisation was ropy at times, and despite many taking over six hours to get registered, everyone was remarkably good-natured and wellbehaved: no drunken, riotous sports crowds these!” It is perhaps not surprising that a World Youth Day in the United States—the land of conspicuous profiteering and overeager lawyers—would become subject to litigation over the sale of memorabilia.

WHAT WAS HOT THEN: Music: “That’s The Way Love Goes” by Janet Jackson; “Two Princes” by The Spin Doctors; “It’s About Time” by Boom Shaka. Movies: Jurassic Park; Sleepless In Seattle; Groundhog Day.

On TV: The Simpsons; Arende; America's Funniest Home Videos.

1995: Manila

N January 1995, one of the world’s biggest-ever single gatherings took place. The headliner was not a hot rock star, but a 74year-old man in a gown. The previous three World Youth Days, and every WYD after 1995, had taken place in the northern hemisphere’s summer months (when schools and institutions of higher learning are closed there). The 1995 version, held in Manila in the Philippines, was held in January. Two years earlier, three-quarters of a million participated in the WYD Mass in Denver. In Manila, at least 5 million people were at he closing Mass in the city’s Luneta Park. Even if one takes into account that the Philippines is predominantly Catholic, that figure is staggering. Even Rome in the Jubilee Year 2000 would not nearly match Manila’s record—and Rome attracted an impressive 2 million youths. Considering that Manila is pretty far-flung on the map, 5 million is all the more an astonishing figure.

t the WYD vigil, Pope John Paul II explained why WYD is held in different countries: because “the Good News is for everyone”. “The pilgrim cross goes from one continent to another, and young people from everywhere gather to experience together the fact that Jesus Christ is the same for everyone, and his message is always the same. In him there are no divisions, no ethnic rivalries, no social discrimination. All are brothers and sisters in the one family of God.” There were some unsavoury rivalries at Luneta Park, as local Catholics began to jostle for space with WYD delegates occupying their allocated spaces. WYD ’95 formed part of an ex-

tensive papal tour of Asia and Australia. In the land Down Under, Pope John Paul beatified Sr Mary MacKillop (1842-1909), who had at one point been excommunicated for “disobedience” by her bishop because of her progressive education methods and “excessive singing” (the excommunication was lifted a year later after an appeal to the pope).

WHAT WAS HOT THEN: Music: “(At Your Best) You Are Love” by Aaliyah; “Circle Of Life” by Elton John; “Zombie” by the Cranberries. Movies: Pulp Fiction; The Shawshank Redemption; Dumber And Dumber. On TV: The X-Files; Frasier; The Nanny.

1997: Paris

OREIGN pilgrims outnumbered local representatives during the WYD ’97 celebrations in Paris, with 300 000 registered participants from outside France, but only 100 000 French youth. One of the reasons for that, of course, was France’s location: a Catholic country itself, its neighbours also had strong Catholic populations. But the pilgrims did not come just from Italy, Spain and Germany. More than 140 countries—including South Africa, with a contingent of 200 participants—were represented in Paris. Another reason was simply that the French youth was not into the Church any longer, as the bishops of France admitted. While Paris could not match Manila’s incredible numbers (try to fit an extra five million people into Paris!), the organisers’ expectations were still far exceeded. They didn’t know how many above the registered 400 000 pilgrims would participate in the Saturday night vigil and closing Mass on Sunday. They reckoned around 500 000 would come. In the event, 800 000 were at the

S outher n C ross Pilgrimage

vigil, and 1,2 million at the Mass at the Longchamp racecourse. WYD ’97 saw the introduction of a new innovation: the baptism and confirmation of ten young converts—representing different continents—to Catholicism during the WYD Saturday night vigil, and the concurrent renewal of baptismal vows by the assembled world youth.

y 1997, Pope John Paul’s health was deteriorating rapidly. As he arrived for WYD, he seemed tired and frail. But, as so often, being around young people inspired the Holy Father, who became increasingly energetic, despite the hottest August weather on record. For WYD, the French Church moved the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux, considered a model to young people especially, from Lisieux to the basilica of Our Lady of the Victories, the church where St Thérèse used to pray on her visits to Paris. At the end of the closing Mass, Pope John Paul announced that St Thérèse would be declared a Doctor of the Church two months later. Adding to a theme of saints as role models for the youth, Pope John Paul during the five-day WYD event beatified Frederic Ozanam, who was 20 years old in 1833 when he co-founded the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Paris. The SVP is now represented all over the world, including South Africa. South African pilgrims travelled to Taizé and spent time in Bayonne (where they reportedly moved the locals to tears by singing the national anthem). At a catechism session in Paris, youth coordinator Paul Hooper recalled at the time, an American bishop pointed to the South African delegation as a symbol of hope, three years after the first fully democratic elections.

WHAT WAS HOT THEN: Music: “Vulindela” by Brenda Fassie; “Mmmbop” by Hanson; “I’ll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy. Movies: Men In Black; Panic Mechanic; Con Air. On TV: Egoli; Mad About You; Home Improvements.

6-16 October 2019

CATHOLIC FRANCE Led by Bishop Joe Sandri Lourdes, Paris, Nevers, Paray-le-Monial, Avignon, Marseilles, Orleans and much more...

For more information or to book, please contact Gail at info@fowlertours.co.za or phone/WhatsApp 076 352-3809

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The Southern Cross, January 2 to January 8, 2019

From barman to priest H OW do you go from being a barman who has not attended Mass for 15 years to becoming a priest? For Fr Juan de Cáceres, the answer is that God was persistent in pursing his heart and revealing his call. Today, Fr de Cáceres is a priest of Santander diocese in Spain. But he had been away from the sacraments for 15 years when he had a conversion and heard God’s call. After finishing his undergraduate studies, Juan enrolled in law school. He was not a good student, and in 2006, at the age of 28, he decided to quit law to open a trendy bar in Santander. However, with the onset of the economic crisis in Spain, what had initially promised to be a successful business became the focus of his financial problems, compounded by turning 30 and feeling a lack of direction. “I was really lost, drowning in debt, and there were almost no customers. In addition, my friends quit going out like they used to. They began to get married. I found myself all alone,” he told El Diario Montañés. Then a friend invited him to some talks on prayer, which became the turning point of his life. At first, he went to the talks to spend time with his friend. But something within him changed, little by little. He began to go to Mass again, re-

Spanish barman Juan de Cáceres, after not attending Mass for 15 years, experienced a turning point in his life and became a priest. Fr de Cáceres (above) was ordained in 2018. turned to confession, and resumed his university studies. His life started to come together again, until two years after that new beginning, he “felt the call” to the priesthood. But his first reaction was to say no. “I came up with all kinds of objections: my work, my debts, my life. I thought what I needed to do was to settle down and have a family. But God is very insistent! And he would not let that thought out of my heart or mind,” Fr de Cáceres said. When he decided on the priesthood, he asked the bishop of Santander if he could enter a seminary in another city, to “keep his distance” from his past life. He entered a seminary in Pamplona, about 250km away.

“I was working at the bar up to the day before going to Pamplona, where I spent three fantastic years,” Fr de Cáceres recalled. During that time, he also worked with the Chinese Catholic community. Once ordained, he was assigned to serve four parishes in Santander, and also gives religion classes to teens three days a week. The experience of being a barman ended up having value for the priest, who noted that during those years: “I was sort of a confessor to everyone.” Fr de Cáceres helps foster vocations in the diocese as “a lot of people have felt the same way I did, but they haven’t worked out how to follow up…I’m here to listen and guide.”—CNA

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aBORtION WaRNING: The truth will convict a silent Church. See www. valuelifeabortionisevil.co.za aBORtION WaRNING: The Pill can abort. All Catholic users (married or cohabiting) must be told, to save their souls and their unborn infants. See www.epm.org/static/ uploads/downloads/ bcpill.pdf

Liturgical Calendar Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday January 6, Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13, Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6, Matthew 2:1-12 Monday January 7, St Raymond of Penyafort 1 John 3:22--4:6, Psalm 2:7-8, 10-11,

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PRaYeRS

Tuesday January 8 1 John 4:7-10, Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8, Mark 6:34-44 Wednesday January 9, St Adrian of Canterbury 1 John 4:11-18, Psalm 72:1-2, 10-13,

O MOSt BeautIFuL FLOWeR of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. o Star of the Sea, help me and

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLutIONS tO 844. acROSS: 1 Arch, 3 Wrestled, 7 olympic, 9 Grace, 10 Turns down, 12 Thrace, 14 Sparta, 16 Principal, 19 Ghoul, 20 observe, 21 Ruthless, 22 Tyre. DOWN: 1 Apostate, 2 Crypt, 4 Recess, 5 Learner, 6 Deed, 8 Parochial, 9 Good popes, 11 Ganymede, 13 Rapport, 15 Across, 17 Larry, 18 Igor.

Our bishops’ anniversaries

Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25

Epiphany of the Lord

This week we congratulate: January 11: Bishop Peter Holiday of Kroonstad on his 67th birthday

Mark 6:45-52 1 John 4:19--5:4, Psalm 72:1-2, 14-15, 17, Luke 4:14-22

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Friday January 11

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1 John 5:5-13, Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20, Luke 5:12-16

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Saturday January 12 1 John 5:14-21, Psalm 149:1-6, 9, John 3:22-30 Sunday January13, Baptism of the Lord Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7, Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

FatHeR, you have given all peoples one common origin. It is your will that they be gathered together as one family in yourself. Fill the hearts of mankind with the fire of your love and with the desire to ensure justice for all. By sharing the good things you give us, may we secure an equality for all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. May there be an end to division, strife and war. May there be a dawning of a truly human society built on love and peace. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen. LORD, inspire those men and women who bear the titles “husband” and “wife”. Help them to look to you, to themselves, to one another to rediscover the fullness and mystery they once felt in their union. Let them be honest enough to ask: “Where have we been together and where are we going?” Let them be brave enough to question: “How have we failed?” Let each be foolhardy enough to say: “For me, we come first.” Help them, together, to reexamine their commitment in the light of your love, willingly, openly, compassionately.

PaRISH NOtIceS

NeW PaRISH NOtIceS WeLcOMe: If any parish notices listed are no longer valid, call us on 021 4655007 or e-mail us at m.leveson@scross.co.za so that we can remove them. Also, we’d welcome new notices from parishes across Southern Africa to run free in the classifieds. caPe tOWN: Retreat day/quiet prayer last Saturday of each month except December, at Springfield Convent in Wynberg, Cape Town. Hosted by CLC, 10.00-15.30. Contact Jill on 083 282-6763 or Jane on 082 783-0331. Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Good Shepherd parish, 1 Goede Hoop St, Bothasig, welcomes all visitors. open 24 hours a day. Phone 021 558-1412. Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. Mass on last Saturday of every month at 9:30 at Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Followed by vigil at abortion clinic. Contact Colette Thomas on 083 4124836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel SCP on 078 7392988. DuRBaN: Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St Anthony’s parish every Tuesday at 9:00. Holy Mass and Divine Mercy Devotion at 17:30 on first Friday of every month. Sunday Mass at 9:00. Phone 0313093496 or 031 209-2536. St Anthony’s rosary group. Every Wednesday at 18:00 at St Anthony’s church opposite Greyville racecourse. All are welcome and lifts are available. Contact Keith Chetty on 083 372-9018. NeLSPRuIt: Adoration of Blessed Sacrament. St Peter’s parish every Tuesday, 8:00 to 16:45, followed by Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 17:30.

GOD BLeSS aFRIca Guard our people, guide our leaders and give us peace. Luke 11:1-13

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OMi STAMPS

Thursday January 10

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11, Psalm 104:1-4, 24-25, 27-30,

show me where you are, Mother of God. Queen of heaven and earth I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There is none who can withstand your power. oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary, I place his cause in your hands.

HOLIDaY accOMMODatION

Lord, You make all things new. You bring hope alive in our hearts and cause our Spirits to be born again.

Thank you for this new year, for all the potential it holds. Come and kindle in us a mighty ﬂame, so that in our time, many will see the wonders of God, and live forever to praise your glorious name. Amen. (From www.lords-prayer-words.com)

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The Baptism of the Lord: January 13 Readings: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11, Psalm 104: 14, 24-25, 27-30, Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7, Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

EXT Sunday (already?) Christmas time comes to an end, and we are plunged back into ordinary life, with the momentous event of Jesus’ baptism, which starts him off on his mission. We shall spend most of this year listening to Luke’s account of that mission; and learn that there will be elements in it of both comfort and discomfort. And that, of course, applies to our mission also. We start in the first reading with the quotation from Isaiah that you find applied to John the Baptist in Mark, Matthew and Luke. It starts, massively, “Comfort, be comforted, my people, says your God”, as the prophet is given his task, which is to “speak to the heart of Jerusalem”. Then we come to the verses that the gospels cite about John the Baptist: “A voice cries in the desert, ‘Prepare a way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill shall be brought low.’” We must remind ourselves that the prophet is being asked to tell the exiles in Babylon, who are living there quite comfortably, thank-you, that it is now time for them

S outher n C ross

to make the awkward journey, across a thousand miles of desert, back home to Jerusalem. But he remains cheerful in the face of the challenge: “Up a high mountain, go up, you gospel preacher to Sion, cry out with all your voice, Jerusalem the gospel preacher.” Then it ends with the lovely image of God as “like a shepherd, feeding his flock, gathering the lambs in his arms”. There is of course a challenge here, but also a deep joy, as there will be in Jesus’ mission—and in yours, this week. The heart of the matter, however, is that in our mission we should be keeping our eyes upon God above all; and that is what we find in the psalm for next Sunday. The anonymous poet is besotted with God, and that makes all the difference: “Bless the Lord, my soul; Lord my God you are very great…you make the winds your messengers [or ‘angels’].” Then he concentrates on God’s creation: “How many are your works, O Lord; you have made them all with wisdom”, and after that he meditates on the animal kingdom: “This is the sea, great and wide: reptiles there, and there is no counting them, small and great

risk and openness even as they defend the hard-won wisdom of tradition? What if both liberals and conservatives were able to do as Jesus did and bring out from their store the old as well as the new? What if pro-life groups were also to become as known for their defence of the poor, ethnic minorities, the ecology, and the imprisoned? What if pro-choice groups were to champion, in the name of women, the most defenceless of all groups in the world—the unborn? What if both groups were to become renowned for their gentleness, their respect of others, and their willingness to sit down and calmly discuss anything? What if these two groups began to pray together?

Conrad

hat if both women and men were to adopt an attitude of sympathy towards each other, recognising, as Virginia Woolf said, that “life, for both of us, is arduous, difficult, and a perpetual struggle”? What if both men and women were more gentle, less cynical? What if the Church began to challenge people to enjoy sex even as it teaches nonnegotiably the value of chastity? What if secular culture were to preach the value of chastity even as it challenges towards liberation from sexual repression? What if both, the Church and the world, recognised the importance of what the other is saying regarding sexuality? What if all the Christian Churches would begin to focus on the things we share in common (a common God, a common Christ, a common scripture, a com-

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Sunday Reflections

alike…when you open your hand they are well satisfied; you take away their breath, they are slain, and they return to the soil.” The point, you see, is that God is utterly in charge. There is something of this also in the second reading: “The grace of God which brings salvation to all people has appeared”; and this is our task: “Wait for the happy hope and the appearance of the glory of our great God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ.” We notice, though, that this was a costly gift: “He gave himself on our behalf, to ransom us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a chosen people.” So the outcome is happy enough: “The kindliness and human love of our Saviour God appeared…through the renewal of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out richly upon us.” We should therefore have a God-sent confidence in our mission, but ought not to think that it will be easy. The Gospel offers us Luke’s account of the baptism of Jesus, and starts with “the people waiting expectantly”. The people in Luke’s gospel are prominent, and here they point in

What if we could be better? HAT if we all were more consistent? What if we all had wider loyalties? What if we were slower to dismiss others’ ideas? What if we took seriously the biblical idea that God’s revelation comes mostly in what is strange and foreign to us? What if we all took to heart the idea that a little learning is a dangerous thing, that a little ideology is more dangerous still, and that other peoples’ passion for truth might be just as real as our own? What if we all remembered that a heresy is a truth ninetenths spoken? What if? What if the pious were to become more liberal and the liberals were to become more pious? What if those who are involved in prayer groups were to become equally as involved within social action? What if those with a passion for social action were to become equally as obsessed with private prayer and private morality? What if the pious and the liberal were to become more understanding of each other? What if liberals were to become as known for their humility, respect of others, and personal prudence as they are known for their social concern? What if conservatives were to define family values widely enough to include the welfare of the poor and of all races? What if Evangelicals were to get serious about justice, and justice groups were to get serious about Jesus? What if liberals were to draw more prudent boundaries even as they challenge others beyond rigidity? What if conservatives were suddenly to push for a greater

Nicholas King SJ

Jesus starts his mission

the right direction, as we listen to them wondering if John the Baptist is the Messiah. But he has to shift their attention from himself, by making a distinction: “I’m baptising you with water; but the One Stronger than me is coming, and I’m not fit to undo the thong of his sandals—he’s going to baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” We are, of course, in no doubt that he is talking about Jesus; and we may look ahead to the fire and the Spirit at Pentecost, with its combination of comfort and discomfort. Then Luke does something he will do again, namely to show us Jesus at prayer: “When the entire people had been baptised, and Jesus had been baptised and was praying…”. Then God takes a hand: “And it happened that the Holy Spirit came down upon him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son the Beloved; in you I am well pleased.’” That is what Jesus needs to hear to begin his mission. Is that comfortable or uncomfortable? It is for you to decide.

Southern Crossword #844

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

mon creed, many fundamental dogmas, 2 000 years of mostly-shared history) instead of upon the things that separate us? What if all Churches would focus as much on who is living in charity, joy, peace, patience, goodness, long-suffering, fidelity, gentleness, and chastity, as on who is dogmatically right? What if all the people on spiritual quests who are agnostic about their Churches were able to understand the importance of involvement in a concrete historical community? What if we all understood more clearly that only obedience and genuflection can save us from being slaves to the pride and wounds of our own egos? What if the Churches were to become as known for their challenge to be freethinking as they are for their challenge to obedience? What if both, the Churches and the emerging non-ecclesial spiritualities, were to be more self-effacing, less righteous, less judgmental? What if theologians were to become as renowned for their children’s stories as they are for their attention to hermeneutics? What if scriptural fundamentalists were to read the scriptural commentaries of the biblical scholar Fr Raymond Brown? What if liturgists were appreciated as much for their practical judgment as they are for their sense of the tradition and aesthetics? What if those who planned the liturgies in your parish understood basic human boredom and tiredness? What if religious writers were genuinely as interested in bringing God’s consolation and challenge to the world as they are in their own reputations? What if all columnists and editorial writers simply forgot about the labels of liberal and conservative for a while and wrote up things as they appear on a given day? What if we were all able to stretch our hearts in new ways to be open to a God and a truth that is forever beyond us? What if we all took more seriously the fact that God is ineffable and all of our language about God is, in se, inadequate? Certainly we would all be more compassionate—and considerably easier to live with!

ACrOSS

1. Char turns to lead a bishop (4) 3. Jacob did it with someone till daybreak (Gn 32) (8) 7. Games of the Greek gods? (7) 9. Undeserved favour of God (5) 10. Lowers the volume and does not accept the invitation (5,4) 12. Cart he dragged around part of Roman Empire (6) 14. Old Greek city of austerity (6) 16. Head (9) 19. Evil spirit in the lough (5) 20. See the Old Boy minister (7) 21. Showing no pity when Bible is one book short (8) 22. Town where Jesus healed the woman’s daughter (Mk 7) (4)

DOwN

1. He renounces his belief (8) 2. Room under the church (5) 4. Rest in the niche in the wall (6) 5. Student who is a novice bread-winner? (7) 6. Legal document is an act (4) 8. Kind of narrow outlook of your parish? (9) 9. Pontiﬀs who do their jobs well (4,5) 11. Cupbearer to Zeus (8) 13. Rap the harbour and get a close relationship (7) 15. Christian symbol on the other side (6) 17. In short, it’s St Lawrence (5) 18. Russian in rigorous surroundings (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

BRAHAM and Isaac were on Mount Moriah, collecting the wood for the fire on which they would make the sacrifice demanded by God. Suddenly Isaac realised that there was no sacrificial animal. “Where’s the sacrifice?” Isaac asked his father. “God will provide…Isaac,” Abraham replied. “Hold on,” Isaac said. “Did you say, ‘God will provide, Isaac’, or did you say, ‘God will provide Isaac’?” At that point Abraham beckoned Isaac to come closer, but the son exclaimed: “I will not budge until you put in a comma.” Eventually, God provided the comma.

THE JOurNEyS OF A liFETiME!

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