The
S outher n C ross
January 9 to January 15, 2019
How parish got men back to church
Reg no. 1920/002058/06
no 5117
www.scross.co.za
R10 (incl VAT RSA)
World Youth Days in the 2000s
Page 3
Jan. 13: Baptism of the Lord
Why there’s no joy in other people’s misery
Page 10
Page 7
NEXT WEEK:
MATRIC CELEBRATION ISSUE OUT ON JANUARY 16!
it was an international affair when Fr Gerard Masters presided over the exchange of wedding vows of Martine Klein and dominic Tang at Suikerbossie in Cape Town. The couple had married in a Catholic church in Brunei in July, but had a second wedding ceremony in Cape Town for the bride’s family. Guests came from as far as Kazakhstan (where the bride’s parents, Michael and Faith Klein, currently teach), Australia, dubai, Canada and Brunei.
Pope: Don’t pray like a parrot By Cindy Wooden
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HRISTIANS are not better than other people, but they do know that God is their Father and they are called “to reflect a ray of his goodness in this world thirsting for goodness, waiting for good news”, Pope Francis has said. “God does not want to be appeased with long streams of adulation, as the pagans did to win the benevolence of the deity; it is enough to talk to him like a father who knows what we need before we even tell him,” he said at his first general audience of 2019. “The Christian is not someone who tries to be better than others, but one who knows he or she is a sinner,” the pope said. A Christian knows how to stand before God with awe, to call upon him as Father, and try to reflect his goodness in the world. Jesus urges his followers not to be like the hypocrites who pray just to be seen, the pope said. “How often have we seen the scandal of those people who go to church, spend the whole day there or go every day, and then they live hating others or speaking badly of
others—this is a scandal. It would be better not to go to church.” He added: “If you go to church, live like a child [of God] and like a brother or sister” to others, Pope Francis said. In teaching the Our Father, Jesus was helping his followers learn the essence of prayer and the importance of not thinking that using more words makes for a better prayer, he said. “The pagans thought that by speaking, speaking, speaking, they were praying,” the pope said. But praying isn’t like being “a parrot” who repeats an endless stream of words, Pope Francis said. “No, praying comes from the heart, from inside.” “It even could be a silent prayer. Basically, it is enough to put yourself under God’s gaze, recognise his fatherly love—and that’s enough to be heard,” he said. “How beautiful it is to think that our God does not need sacrifices to win his favour. He needs nothing,” the pope said. “He asks only that we keep open a channel of communication with him to discover continually that we are his beloved children.”—CNS
Abuse summit must focus on role of bishops By Cindy Wooden
A
MEMBER of the committee organising Pope Francis’ February summit on the sexual abuse crisis said the meeting should include discussing ways to hold bishops accountable for handling cases correctly. The February 21-24 meeting will bring together the presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences, the heads of the Eastern Catholic churches, and leaders of religious orders. Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, a member of the committee organising the meeting, said that “we want to see how we...can put on the table the question of bishops’ responsibility, so there would be greater clarity about who must do something and who checks if the things the Holy Father and the Church...have ordered be done are, in effect, done.” Fr Zollner, president of the Centre for Child Protection at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, said the pope’s commitment to not undervaluing or covering up any case of abuse will require “a clarification of procedures, which aren’t so clear”. And, second, he said, there must be a change of attitude. “The rules—the laws as such—will not change hearts. We see this not only in Europe, but throughout the world. So, we must see how we can reinforce throughout the Church this attitude of openness and attention to the protection of minors because that is the attitude Jesus teaches us.”
S outher n C ross Pilgrimage
Fr Zollner said he hoped the February meeting would help everyone in the Church, everywhere in the world, realise “the urgency of making the protection of minors and bringing justice to the victims a priority”. Former papal spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi SJ has said that Church leaders who continue to believe clerical sexual abuse is a problem only in some countries or cultures must open their eyes and take action—otherwise “the Church will continue to find itself facing one crisis after another”. People have great expectations for the February meeting, Fr Lombardi said, but they also should take time to look at all the Church has been doing to face up to the crisis and protect children. “This isn’t something that began today or yesterday, but decades ago,” he said. Bishops’ conferences in many countries “have undertaken important initiatives, have tried to understand what really happened, how to help the victims and how to establish a culture of prevention”, Fr Lombardi said. And, he added, beginning with Pope Benedict XVI, the universal Church has strengthened its norms and procedures for dealing with cases. “We must understand that the problem is very serious, very important for society and for the Church,” he said. “There is a real renewal needed in the Church, there is a long road to travel,” he noted. “But, at the same time, we are not starting from zero.”—CNS
6-16 October 2019
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