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Pope Francis is coming to our neighbourhood

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Nun tells bishops:

No more talk – now act! STAFF REPORTER

HE time to talk about abuse is past; now is the time to act, according to the secretary-general of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). “Please stop talking but act,” Sr Hermenegild Makoro CPS said in an interview with the Spotlight.Africa website. Policies and protocols alone “won’t help us” when it comes to dealing definitely with sexual abuse in the Church, she told interviewer Ricardo da Silva SJ, acting editor of Spotlight. The scandal “has penetrated the heart of the Church”, she said, adding that some Church leaders still seemed not to understand that. “Unless the leadership takes responsibility, nothing will happen,” she said. Sr Makoro called on those who have at any time suffered abuse to “come forward, so that you can be helped”. To Church leaders and institutions she made an impassioned plea: “Let’s open our house; make it a safe space where people can come and share the pain that we are carrying.” She stressed the importance of listening to the victims of abuse—”giving them an ear”— and believing them. Sr Makoro noted that in the earlier stages of the Church’s response to the abuse scandal the focus had been on accountability. There was a need to admit that “things were not followed well, processes were not followed—and people were not listened to” or believed, she explained. The question of accountability dominated the summit on abuse held in the Vatican in late February. The assembled bishops’ conference presidents at the summit revealed this in their words as they confronted one another, Sr Makoro said, paraphrasing their sentiments: “We are wrong… We don’t do our duty... We don’t do what we are supposed to be doing.”

Fr Akofang Mantu of Gaborone (centre) with Fr Tebello Moeti of Kroonstad (left) and Fr John Selemela, rector of St John Vianney Seminary, during Mass at the tomb of St Peter in St Peter’s basilica in the Vatican. The Mass was attended by Southern African clergy and students based in Rome, as well as visiting priests, religious and laity. George Johannes, the South African ambassador to the Holy See, took the first reading. (Photo: Fr Kabelo Mahemo) Sr Hermenegild Makoro CPS is interviewed by Ricardo da Silva SJ. (Photo: Katleho Khang SNJM, spotlight.africa) Sr Makoro stressed that it is important to establish mechanisms for accountability, and guidelines and procedures for dealing with abuse, noting that this has already been done. But, she said, it is now time to take seriously the call to real action. “People are angry and hurting,” she said. And when a report of abuse is received, “we cannot say, ‘Okay, it’s a mistake’”, Sr Makoro said, adding the rhetorical question: “What mistake?” “Bishops need to act,” she emphasised. “If a priest has done something it must be acted upon!” The Precious Blood Sister is currently serving a second term on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which was set up by Pope Francis to address sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. She described the experiencing of serving on the commission as “challenging” but also a privilege because of the support that can be given to sexually abused people. “I’m hoping and praying that from now on we actually act, because if people don’t feel that the Church isn’t an open space” for them, all the good intentions and guidelines “won’t help us”.

‘Best teacher’ a Franciscan W HAT happens when you give a Franciscan friar $1 million? He gives it away. At least that’s what Br Peter Tabichi OFM from Kenya (pictured) plans to do with the $1 million prize he won alongside the 2019 Global Teacher Prize. "This prize does not recognise me but recognises this great continent’s young people. I am only here because of what my students have achieved. This prize gives them a chance. It tells the world that they can do anything,” Br Tabichi said. The Franciscan is a science teacher at a school in rural Kenya. His plan to give away the prize money made headlines around the world—but few secular media noted that the word’s best— and most generous—teacher is a Franciscan friar. Chosen from among 10 000 nominees, Br Tabichi will also become a global ambassador for the Varkey Foundation, which established the award. The international organisation, founded in 2010 by Indian businessman Sunny Varkey, looks to raise the standards of education for students across the developing world. In Kenya’s Rift Valley, afflicted by drought,

S outher n C ross Pilgrimage

violence, and drug abuse, many students have either been orphaned or are being raised by only one parent. Br Tabichi teaches science and maths at Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani village. The school is in need of resources and equipment, and has a student-teacher ratio of 58:1. Br Tabichi often walks 6km to an Internet café to download educational material for his lessons. He also donates 80% of his income to aid poor students, and intends to donate his prize money to support the school. Under Br Tabichi’s instruction, the school’s students have had success at national and international science competitions. More students have also been able to attend college, and girls’ tests scores have particularly seen an increase. Last year, his students won first place in the public school category at the Kenya Science and Engineering Fair 2018. The students submitted a device allowing blind and deaf people to measure objects.—CNA

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The Southern Cross, April 3 to April 9, 2019

LOCAL

World Salesian head visits Southern Africa BR CLARENCE WATTS SDB

F Heads of religious congregations from South Africa and Botswana met in Johannesburg for three days at their annual general meeting. The theme of the AGM was “From Expatriate to Local: The Gospel Culture of Religious Life”.

Religious congregations’ AGM

OME 70 leaders of religious congregations from South Africa and Botswana met over three days in Johannesburg for the annual general meeting of the Leadership Conference of Consecrated Life Southern Africa (LCCLSA). The majority of participants were local, said LCCLSA secretary-general Sr Maureen Rooney HC. Nearly all the language groups in South Africa and Botswana were represented; the Zulu group with 11 congregational leaders being the largest. The theme at the AGM was “From Expatriate to Local: The Gospel Culture of Religious Life”. Sr Judy Coyle IHM gave a presentation on the important 2017 Vatican document “New Wine in New Wineskins”, an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of religious life in the world today, followed by discussion and recommendations. Papal nuncio Archbishop Peter Wells celebrated the Eucharist and joined the

participants for supper and a social evening. Bishop Siegfried Mandla Jwara CMM, liaison bishop for the LCCLSA, took part in most AGM events. The meeting was also addressed on the Taizé Pilgrimage of Youth to be held in September in Cape Town. In the evenings there were presentations from the Catholic Board of Education and from a member of the National Professional Conduct Committee. Newly elected members of the group’s executive to replace outgoing members are Sr Thobile Gumede OP Montebello, Sr Marichu Gacayan SSPS, Fr Bheki Shabalala CMM, and Fr Callistus Zulu TOR. All religious congregations in South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini are strongly encouraged to become members of LCCLSA so they can benefit from the services offered, Sr Rooney said. n Contact lcclsa@mweb.co.za or visit the LCCLSA website.

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ATHER Angel Fernandez Artime, the successor of Don Bosco, spent five days visiting the Salesians of South Africa and Lesotho. Rector major Fr Artime has 134 countries with a Salesian presence under his leadership. The first stop in South Africa was the Learn To Live School of Skills at the Salesian Institute in Green Point, Cape Town, where he thanked learners and staff for their welcome. Next was the Salesian parish of Our Lady Help of Christians in Lansdowne, where he met the Salesian family and young people of the Salesian Youth Movement. “We are all of us part of a big family,” Fr Artime said, “and I want to emphasise the unity among us. It is not so much the magnitude of our work but the communion we share. This is important.” The rector major narrated what Pope Francis had said to him in a conversation: “Others work for young people, but you Salesians are for young people.” Fr Artime told the youngsters gathered that Salesians founder Don Bosco had the dream of achieving great things for the young. “We need young people who are willing to help those with doubts. Jesus needs young

Salesian rector major Fr Angel Fernandez Artime (centre) is pictured in Cape Town on his visit to South Africa and Lesotho. people like you to communicate his message to others,” he said. In Johannesburg, Fr Artime met members of the Salesian Youth Movement of Gauteng, and commended local volunteers who give one year in service to other young people. “In their life they give their own lives as a gift to others,” he said. He urged the youth to know Jesus: “Don’t ever live without Jesus, even in difficult situations, don’t ever leave Jesus.” Fr Artime also touched on the Salesian strenna or theme for 2019, which is “So that my joy may be in you (Jn 15:11). Holiness for you, too.” “Holiness means to live like the disciples of Jesus,” he said. “Do you have to do miracles? No.

It is simply the miracle of serving, the miracle of giving a smile, listening to the young person who is lonely, having eyes to see how others are. When you live like this, you are happy!” Fr Artime arrived in Maputsoe, Lesotho, as rain soaked the landscape. This prompted the people of Lesotho to give him a fitting Sesotho name, Motlalepula, which means “the one who brings/comes with rain”. The rector major met the Salesian family and members of the youth movement. The Salesians of Southern Africa said they had experienced a moment of grace during Fr Artime’s visit, and would continue to pray for him on his many other trips around the world.

SA Church gives cyclone aid

FTER the devastating impact of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, the Jesuits in South Africa are collecting donations in cash or kind (clothes, blankets, non-perishable food) for those affected, to be distributed by the Jesuit provinces of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Johannesburg donations can be dropped off at Holy Trinity church in Braamfontein, St Martin de Porres in Orlando West, and the Jesuit Refugee Service at 484 Marshall Street, Belgravia. More than two million people have been affected by Cyclone Idai across the three countries. The Southern African Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has already provided financial aid, and is calling on people of goodwill to be more generous in their Lenten contributions, so that the Church can continue to help.

The SACBC has also set up a Cyclone Idai emergency relief account people can donate to. The bishops applauded rescue agencies and the international community for their efforts to rescue survivors and bring relief to all the afflicted. The SACBC also encouraged bishops in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi to continue to work with their governments to ease the situation. Fr Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator SJ, president of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar, said the scale of devastation is enormous. “Floods have wiped out entire villages, and key infrastructure, such as roads, hospitals, schools, has been destroyed.” The archdiocese of Beira, Mozambique’s second-largest city, suffered enormous damage. Fr Orobator said on Facebook

that 22 parish churches were damaged, of which three totally collapsed, while 60 small chapels, 20 religious and religious residences, seven schools and nine parish residences were damaged, some seriously. “Let us especially use this time of Lent to help those in need in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi,” Fr Orobator said. “Even the smallest of gestures can bring hope,” he said. The bank details for the Jesuit Relief Fund are: Standard Bank Melville (006105), Society of Jesus in South Africa, account number 201874113. Indicate Cyclone Idai. The bank details for the SACBC fund are: Nedbank (160445), Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, account number 1604781130. Make reference to Cyclone Emergency Relief.

CWL turns 80 with handbag project By ERiN CARELSE

HE Catholic Women’s League (CWL) of Pretoria archdiocese celebrated its 80th anniversary by launching a project to assist victims of rape. The CWL Handbag Project uses donated new or used handbags, and fills them with items to help ease a rape victim during the initial reporting process at the police station. These “comfort” items include a facecloth, soap and new underwear—they can help the victim feel that little bit better, the CWL said. Also, a letter with a few words of encouragement to restore hope to the traumatised victim is put in the bags. The 80th anniversary celebration at Maria Regina parish in Lyttelton was attended by guests including Archbishop Emeritus George Daniel of Pretoria, priests, previous diocesan chaplains, CWL presidents from

CWL members in Pretoria archdiocese celebrated their 80th anniversary at Maria Regina parish in Lyttelton. as far afield as Swaziland, and representatives from the Catholic Woman’s Association, the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Knights of da Gama. A Mass was celebrated by Fr Sefiri Motsepe. Archbishop Daniel recalled special times during his 30-year tenure as the archbishop of Pretoria. At the function, all present CWL members received an 80th

commemorative wineglass. National president Bernice Cocci conveyed her congratulations, and diocesan president Delphine de Voss thanked members for their contribution. Forty-year badges were presented to Martha Middleton, Terry Dixon and Piaxao Gomes. The CWL is represented in 24 dioceses in Southern Africa, with membership of about 5 000.

The Southern Cross, April 3 to April 9, 2019

LOCAL

J&P to help government on land reform By ERiN CARELSE

HE land issue is important for inclusive growth and political stability—and if not properly addressed, will become one of the greatest threats to racial reconciliation, constitutional democracy, and inclusive growth in South Africa. This is the warning issued by Fr Stan Muyebe OP, director of the Justice & Peace Commission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. “For years, J&P has been working with rural communities that lost land during apartheid and have submitted applications for restitution. Through the intervention of J&P, some communities have received their land back, some in the form of commercial farms,” he said. “One of the critical challenges has been continued productivity on the acquired farms,” said Fr Muyebe. A 2018 government report on key land legislation and acceleration of fundamental change raised concerns about the lack of productivity on farms acquired through land reform programmes. Last year, Deputy President David Mabuza told parliament the committee on land reform, which he chairs,

was fundamentally opposed to reform that would leave farms derelict and unproductive. “Ideally, land reform is supposed to realise two objectives: equity and productivity,” Fr Muyebe said. “Some consider the two to be separable and incompatible. However, they could be made compatible and inseparable.” J&P is pilot-testing different models, and has partnered with the sociology department at the University of Johannesburg to monitor and assess ten test farms in both KwaZuluNatal and Limpopo. The assessment results will be made public in June. Fr Muyebe explained that land reform projects to date may be categorised broadly in four models: 1. Large groups obtaining farms and farming collectively as a single commercial entity. 2. Large groups obtaining farms and farming individually or in smaller groups. 3. Individuals, families or small groups obtaining farms and farming them as a single commercial entity. 4. Joint ventures between land reform beneficiaries and private-sector or state institutions. “Some policymakers consider

the fourth model—joint ventures— to be key in ensuring land reform programmes do not destabilise agricultural productivity and economic growth,” Fr Muyebe said. However, he noted, the joint ventures model has received criticism. “Some critics argue that joint ventures are a new form of exploitation, a mechanism through which white commercial farmers and corporations spread the risk of engaging in an increasingly complex and capitalintensive sector while gaining market and political credibility in the process.” The assessment is taking such concerns into consideration. It is also looking at agrarian reform. “There is little regard to the question of how land reform can be a catalyst for agrarian reform,” Fr Muyebe said. A key element of the assessment is poor communities’ involvement. “The assessment we are doing with the University of Johannesburg offers a platform for disadvantaged communities to identify key success and failure factors,” he noted. Fr Muyebe said Catholic Social Teachings emphasise people-centred development, “listening to the views of those affected”.

Our land was stolen

By ARMANDO CHiKHuDO

OGO Rebecca Mathugana, 71, of Tshivhazwaulu village outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo, is worried she might never get her land back—and the bishops’ Justice & Peace Commission is assisting her in her claim. She claims that her land was forcibly taken away during apartheid by a white farmer. The forced removal from her farm happened in 1991. Through the government restitution process, the family has recovered just a portion of their land. They are still waiting to get the remainder. Their royal graveyard is located in this remaining section. “Even though we received part of our land through the land claims process, a large portion, including our royal graveyard as we are from the royal family, is still in the hands of those who forcefully removed us from our land,” said family spokesperson

Livhuwani Mathugana, daughter of Gogo Rebecca. She said the family is forced to pay exorbitant fees to bury their loved ones in the royal graveyard. The farmer could not be reached for comment. Gogo Rebecca said she remembers vividly the day they were removed from their land. “I was alone at home when the farmer arrived at our home, armed and surrounded by his workers. I ran into the mountain and saw them shooting our dogs, 15 goats, before loading all our belongings onto a truck and leaving,” she said. Ms Mathugana has vowed to fight until they get the land back. Gogo Rebecca said her family has waited for the government to restore their land, but this is taking a long time. “I have suffered enough, and have always wanted this to happen in my lifetime. I do not want to go to my grave without this being realised,” she said.

Zimbabwean Catholics in SA call for unity in home country By ERiN CARELSE

IMBABWEANS in South Africa have been called on to unite, regardless of tribe, religion, and political affiliation. The challenge was made by Fr Jerome Nyathi, chaplain of the Zimbabwe Catholics’ Community in South Africa (ZimCatholicsSA), at a black-tie dinner at Montecasino near Johannesburg. The dinner was a platform for dialogue on the Zimbabwe situation. In a pastoral letter, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference said “Zimbabwe is burning, its economy is hurting, and its people are suffering”. The bishops called for rebuilding trust, confidence, and stability. ZimCatholicsSA meets every last

Dr Shingi Mutanga, executive chair of ZimCatholicsSA, called for unity among Zimbabweans at a dinner held in Johannesburg by the organisation. Sunday of the month at St Francis of Assisi church in Yeoville, Johannesburg, and every second Sunday at Sacred Heart cathedral in Pretoria. In his opening statement at the

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ahead of circumstantial differences. Bishop Victor Phalana of Klerksdorp, in his keynote address, posed solving Zimbabwe’s problems through an all-inclusive dialogue. Referring to the Church’s process of electing a new pope in conclave, the bishop said: “If needs be, let us lock the leaders in one room until they come up with solutions.” Fr Innocent Mabheka moderated two panel discussions. Panel A was on the economy and development. Issues Zimbabwean industries are grappling with were identified and possible solutions tabled. All Zimbabweans were called on help revitalise the economy. Panel B was on Zimbabwe’s political situation. Key points included the need for the ruling party and op-

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position parties to take responsibility for what the country faces. Independent mediation to address the loss of lives due to political unrest, akin to South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, was suggested. Zimbabwe’s deputy ambassador to South Africa, Mietani Chauke, thanked panellists and participants for their contributions. Dr Shingi Mutanga, executive chair of ZimCatholicsSA, echoed Fr Nyathi’s call for unity, tolerance, and respect for human life and dignity. A declaration of matters discussed during the dinner will be submitted to decision-making bodies in the business and political spheres. The declaration is on ZimCatholicsSA’s website (www.zim catholicsa.org.za).

The Southern Cross, April 3 to April 9, 2019

INTERNATIONAL

Pope amends canon law for religious absconders By CiNDy WOODEN

P Sr Maria Concetta Esu, an 85-year-old Daughter of St Joseph, kisses the hand of Pope Francis after the pontiff awarded her the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross during his general audience in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (Photo: Vatican Media via Reuters)

Pope: Don’t kiss the ring, please! By CAROL GLATZ

OPE Francis has made it more than obvious that he does not like people kissing his ring. A viral video of him yanking his right hand away from a string of about 17 people coming up to him one-by-one during a trip to Loreto, Italy, caught many people by surprise because of his sometimesbrusque manner. But the short video clip did not show the other 30 minutes of the pope greeting others in the line with his usual style, evident throughout his pontificate: his preference for face-to-face, heartto-heart human contact without the pomp and circumstance. Instead of formal ring-kissing, this has been a pope who prefers warm embraces, the European “air” kiss, solemn blessings, and holding a person's two hands like two friends would. And the selfies. One would think the pope had all day the way he pauses to pose for group shots and wait for the not-so-tech-savvy to fumble and swipe, looking for camera mode on clunky phones.

If he shows impatience with those who want to kneel and kiss his ring, he is ready to bend low for people in wheelchairs or those unable to stand, lingering in conversation, offering a blessing, a kiss or a hug. Normally, it is hard to notice the pope’s aversion to people wishing to kiss his ring. Throughout the meet-and-greet moments in Loreto—like on all occasions—Pope Francis used a more subtle method: immediately placing his left hand on top of the right hand of his greeter, thereby blocking access to his ring. Those who lean down end up kissing his left hand or his right thumb. At the same time, he has not hesitated to show his esteem and respect for others, for example, by kissing the hands of Holocaust survivors or kissing the hands of retired Pope Benedict XVI when he pays him a visit. Pope Benedict also tried—and failed—to dissuade people from kissing his ring, too, according to a series of interviews with him in the book Light of the World.—CNS

OPE Francis has made it easier for a religious order to dismiss a member who leaves the community without permission, stays away and does not communicate with his or her superior. In a document titled Communis Vita (Community Life), the pope amended the Code of Canon Law to include an almost automatic dismissal of religious who are absent without authorisation from their community for at least 12 months. The change will go into effect April 10 and is not retroactive, said Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Canon 694 currently states that “a member must be held as ipso facto dismissed from an institute” if they have “defected notoriously from the Catholic faith” or have married or attempted to marry. Pope Francis added a new clause adding the dismissal of a member of an order who is “illegitimately absent” from the community for 12 uninterrupted months and is unreachable. In such cases, the superior and the council of the order draw up a declaration of the facts and submit

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By CAROL GLATZ

OPE Francis will come to the neighbourhood of South Africa in September. The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will visit Mozambique and the island nations of Madagascar and Mauritius from September 4-10. The pope will visit the capital cities: Maputo, Mozambique; Antananarivo, Madagascar; and Port Louis, Mauritius. The last papal trip to Mozambique was by Pope John Paul II in September 1988, which also saw him visit Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. The Vatican press office released the logos and themes of Pope Francis’ visit to each country. The theme “Hope, Peace and Reconciliation” with an image of a dove on the logo for the trip to Mozambique is meant to symbolise the peace the country seeks to hold onto after years of civil war. Dorothy Day was an For the Madagascar American Catholic social activist and newspaper logo, the pope is pictured publisher. on a background showing a

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it to the Holy See for institutes of pontifical rite or to the local bishop for institutes of diocesan rite. “Community life is an essential element of religious life and ‘religious are to live in their own religious house and are not to be absent from it except with the permission of their superior’,” the pope wrote, quoting canon 665. Unfortunately, he said, “experience in the last few years has

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Pope Francis has amended laws governing religious life which provides that after a 12-month absence a member may be dismissed. (Photo: Julie Asher/CNS)

demonstrated that there are situations” where members of orders leave the community they are assigned to, withdrawing from obedience to their superior and making it impossible for the order to contact him or her. After six months of such an absence, the Code of Canon Law instructed and continues to instruct superiors to do everything they can to find the person to help them “return to and persevere in his or her vocation”. Archbishop Rodriguez said most cases of such prolonged absence involve religious men or women who were given temporary permission to leave, but they never returned. Unless they have requested a dispensation from their vows or have been dismissed, they legally are still part of the order, he said. “In such a condition, not being legitimately separated, they can find themselves in situations incompatible with religious life or can demonstrate behaviour in contrast with it.” Their life outside the community, he added, also could have implications of “an economic nature that could harm the institute”, which is why the Church needed a process for the order to initiate the dismissal.—CNS

This is the logo for Pope Francis’ trip to Mauritius. The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis will visit Mozambique and the island nations of Madagascar and Mauritius on September 4-10. (Photo: Vatican Press Office/CNS) dry landscape adorned with the local baobab tree and the native ravenala plant. It reflects in part how the nation has been a land of missionaries and witnesses to the Gospel who were killed for their faith, five of whom are pictured next to the pope. The theme is “Sower of peace and hope”. The theme, “Pilgrim of Peace” for Mauritius uses a logo of the nation’s flag, meant to unite the different ethnic groups living there, along with a

dove and the pope waving to the people. In the former Portuguese colony of Mozambique, 30% of the people are Catholic, 40% are of other Christian denominations and 19% are Muslim. About 25% of the 25,6 million people in Madagascar are Catholic. In Mauritius, more than 48% of the population of 1,3 million people are Hindu, 25% Catholic and 17% Muslim.—CNS

Lay people may get a vote in historic plenary council By MiCHAEL SAiNSBuRy

HE Australian Catholic Church has completed the first phase of its 2020 Plenary Council, in which laypeople will be allowed to vote and decisions could be binding on the nation’s Catholics, once ratified by the Vatican. The meeting’s organisers have received more than 20 000 submissions from more than 75 000 Catholics around the country in a ten month “listening and dialogue” process. The landmark meeting that will take place in two Australian cities during 2020-21 is already bringing to the surface debate about the role of the laity in the Church and other reforms that are becoming more urgent in the wake of the

ever-growing global sexual abuse scandal. The Australian meeting will be only the third plenary council to be held anywhere in the world since World War II; the Philippines held one in 1991 and Poland in 1993. The Australian council was announced in 2017, during the five-year Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. That inquiry documented decades of abuse by Catholic clerics, clergy from other faiths and adults from non religious institutions, and handed down its findings in October 2017. Some findings related to the administration of the Catholic Church and the formation of clergy, including a recommendation that the seal of confes-

sion be removed for abuse cases. “Around the beginning of the new millennium, the Australian bishops started discussing the possibility of some sort of national gathering to take up the challenge Pope John Paul II issued in his apostolic letter Novo Millennio Ineunte,” Lana Turvey-Collins, facilitator for Plenary Council 2020, said. A plenary council is the highest form of gathering of any local church. It has legislative and governance authority, and decisions made at the council—if approved by the Vatican—become binding for the Catholic Church in Australia; a synod does not have this legislative and governance authority.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL Father Claude Grou, rector of St Joseph’s Oratory in was wounded after being stabbed during a televised Mass in the crypt of the oratory. Photo: Francois Gloutnay, Presence/CNS)

Priest stabbed at TV Mass wishes attacker peace

HE priest who was stabbed during a televised Mass on the altar of a church in Montreal, Canada, has said he wishes his attacker peace. Fr Claude Grou, 77, rector of St Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, was stabbed in the stomach by the 26-year-old suspect, named as Vlad Cristian Eremia, during a morning Mass in the church. His wounds were superficial and he was released after a short stay in hospital. Eremia has been committed for psychiatric evaluation before his scheduled court appearance on April 26. The TV director at the Mass explained the attack: “At the end of the psalm, just before the...Gospel, there is this guy who comes from who-knows-where—I only film the front of the crypt—and who moves rather quickly,” said Dinh Khoi Vu, who directed the TV

filming of the Mass at the oratory for Salt and Light Television. “Fr Grou saw him coming with his knife. He had the reaction to move to the side, but he was still touched. The knife fell. The aggressor was no longer able to pick it up. Many faithful rushed to hold him back.” Security services managed to control the attacker. “Fr Grou left the oratory, sitting in a wheelchair”, to the applause of some people, relieved to see that he was still conscious, explained Mr Vu. The priest left the oratory in an ambulance. Fr Grou said he was “recovering from my emotions”. The priest said that he holds “no resentment” against the suspect, and wishes him “peace”. “I pray that St Joseph’s Oratory will remain a place of welcome, prayer, calm and peace, as it has been for over 100 years. —CNS

The Southern Cross, April 3 to April 9, 2019

Founder, staff of Vatican women’s magazine resign By CAROL GLATZ

LAIMING a lack of support for open dialogue and for an editorial line run by women, the director and editorial staff of a Vatican women’s magazine have resigned. But the editor of L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, which publishes the magazine, countered that he has given the staff “the same total autonomy and freedom” that have marked their work since it began. “There is a return to clerical selfreferentiality and an abandonment of that parrhesia (courage) so often asked for by Pope Francis,” said Lucetta Scaraffia, founder and director of Women-Church-World, a monthly supplement to L’Osservatore Romano. In December, Pope Francis appointed Andrea Monda, an Italian journalist and religion teacher, to be editor of L’Osservatore Romano. The new management at the newspaper has not shown support for the magazine’s mission and has tried to “weaken” it by launching initiatives that “seem competitive, with the result of pitting women against each other, instead of encouraging open discussion,” Ms Scaraffia wrote in an editorial. Ms Scaraffia also wrote an open letter to Pope Francis, explaining their resignations. Mr Monda’s choice of new writers for L’Osservatore Romano and his suggestion of new writers for the supplement, Ms Scaraffia said, suggests she and the editorial board are no longer seen as trustworthy and has closed the door to any chance of “true, free and courageous dialogue among women who love the Church in freedom and with men taking part”, she said in the editorial.

Women look at Women-Church-World, a monthly women’s magazine insert in the Vatican’s L'Osservatore Romano newspaper. Claiming a lack of support for open dialogue and for an editorial line run by women, the director and editorial staff of the magazine insert have resigned. (Photo: L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters) Responding in a note published by the Vatican press office, Mr Monda said he never tried to weaken the magazine. “My commitment was and remains on strengthening the daily edition of the Osservatore Romano, certainly not in terms of competition but of complementarity with the supplement,” he wrote. “In no way have I selected anyone, man or woman, according to the criterion of obedience. I pushed for the daily newspaper to create discussion that was truly free, not built on a dynamic of one side against another” or closed cliques, he wrote.

he publication began as a monthly insert in the Vatican newspaper seven years ago to give attention to women’s voices. Ms Scaraffia said the April 1 issue would be the last for her and the allfemale editorial board, in order to

“safeguard their dignity”. The publication, which had the support and encouragement of Popes Benedict XVI and Francis, she said, was founded to be autonomous and run by women. In her letter to Pope Francis, Ms Scaraffia said they were “throwing in the towel because we feel surrounded by a climate of distrust and continuous delegitimisation”. Because of their openness to exploring the world of women in the Church and of other faiths, Ms Scaraffia said they were able to cover and explore many new subjects and experiences, including the abuse of women religious. “Now it seems that a vital initiative has been reduced to silence and returns to the antiquated and arid custom of choosing, from the top, under the direct control of men, women who are deemed trustworthy,” she said.—CNS

UK official mocks Exorcist: More help needed for those who feel cursed Christian assylum seeker T By CAROL GLATZ

HE British Home Office has agreed to reconsider the asylum claim of an Iranian Christian, after it was shown that the department had denied the application on the grounds that Christianity is “not a peaceful” religion. “The Home Office have agreed to withdraw their refusal and to reconsider our client’s asylum application, offering us a chance to submit further representations. A good start, but more change is needed,” the Iranian’s caseworker, Nathan Stevens, tweeted. Mr Stevens added that he hopes “there will be real change though, as it isn’t all about this one case; there’s a much wider problem to be addressed here”. The asylum seeker had noted in his 2016 application that among his reasons for converting was that Christianity talks of “peace, forgiveness and kindness” while “in Islam there is violence, rage and revenge”. The refusal letter cited biblical passages, from Leviticus, Matthew, Exodus, and Revelation, which it said contradicted the asylum seeker’s claims: “These examples are inconsistent with your claim that you converted to Christianity after discovering it is a ‘peaceful’ religion,” the denial letter stated. Mr Stevens said: “Whatever your views on faith, how can a government official arbitrarily pick bits out of a holy book and then use them to trash someone’s heartfelt reason for coming to a personal decision to follow another faith?” The Home Office has said that the refusal letter is “not in accordance with our policy approach to claims based on religious persecution”, the Catholic Herald reported.

It added that “we continue to work closely with key partners…to improve our policy guidance and training provided to asylum decision-makers”. Sarah Teather, director of Jesuit Refugee Service UK, said that the refusal letter “is a particularly outrageous example of the reckless and facetious approach of the Home Office to determining life and death asylum cases—they appear willing to distort any aspect of reality in order to turn down a claim”. She said that the JRS routinely encounters cases where asylum “has been refused on spurious grounds”, adding that “this case demonstrates the shocking illiteracy of Christianity within the Home Office”. Mr Stevens referred to another refusal letter, indicating that this is part of a larger problem: “You affirmed in your [application] that Jesus is your saviour, but then claimed that He would not be able to save you from the Iranian regime. It is therefore considered that you have no conviction in your faith and your belief in Jesus is half-hearted.” Stephen Evans, CEO of the National Secular Society, commented on Twitter that it was “totally inappropriate” for the Home Office “to play theologian”. “Decisions on the merits of an asylum appeal should be based on an assessment of the facts at hand —and not on the state’s interpretation of any given religion.” Shia Islam is the state religion of Iran, though several religious minorities are recognised and granted freedom of worship. However, conversion from Islam is strictly prohibited.—CNA

HE Catholic Church, through its priests, deacons and lay experts, must do more to listen to, comfort and assist those who feel troubled, tempted, cursed or possessed, said an Italian exorcist. Even if those seeking help do not show signs of demonic influence or possession, “Do not deny them spiritual assistance,” said Fr Benigno Palilla, a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and an exorcist for the archdiocese of Palermo. There are many ways to assist those seeking help, offering them “peace and comfort and preventing them from going to witchdoctors” and other practitioners of the occult, he said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. The 78-year-old friar said that the number of people turning to the oc-

cult for help is constantly increasing “because they believe they are possessed by the devil or to solve problems related to the family, work or love”. Around 13 million people said they had turned to sorcerers, mediums, tarot card readers and other forms of the occult just last year—a number that was extremely high, he said. Italy’s total adult population is about 54 million. The number of people turning to magic and the occult will keep rising, he added, “if we pastors do not do something concrete to stop it”, especially through evangelisation and warning the faithful of the dangers associated with “incorrectly understanding Christianity”, Fr Palilla said. People who think they are a victim of demonic activity or are experiencing mental distress or illness “must be certain they have before

them a priest who is prepared” and knows what to do to help them, he said. “Instead, all too often, these people end up not finding that comfort and support that they need in the Church,” he said, which is why they then turn to the occult, religious charlatans or bogus faith healers. “Our task as exorcists is not just to perform exorcisms on those who are possessed but also to embrace those people who think they are victims of demonic activity, but in reality, they are not,” he said. Even when it looks like a person is not possessed, Fr Palilla said the person must not be denied other forms of spiritual help, including prayer, reciting the rosary, attending Mass or attending a retreat. Deacons, lay experts and prayer groups play a critical role in offering help, he added.—CNS

The Southern Cross, April 3 to April 9, 2019

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Mentality of arrogance

HE report that British officials turned down asylum applications by Christians from Iran by mocking their faith is symptomatic of the increasing lack of respect given to people of faith in secularised countries. An asylum request from an Iranian applicant was initially turned down by the British Home Office because Christianity is a “violent” religion. In stating the grounds for rejecting the application, the civil servant referred selectively to random books in the Old and New Testaments—Leviticus, Matthew, Exodus, Revelation—which supposedly show that the faith to which the former Muslim had converted is “not a peaceful” religion. Another letter of rejection mocks absurdly: “You affirmed in your [application] that Jesus is your saviour, but then claimed that He would not be able to save you from the Iranian regime. It is therefore considered that you have no conviction in your faith and your belief in Jesus is halfhearted.” The British Home Office has said it will reconsider the former asylum claim; it must be hoped that it will also take action to root out such bigotry against religion among its officials, and institute disciplinary proceedings against the officials involved. But this bigotry and attendant lack of respect for people’s religious faith does not come from nowhere. When civil servants feel qualified and entitled to ridicule asylum seekers—people who ask for refuge in fear for their lives— for their faith, and to discriminate against them because of it, then this is a symptom of anti-religious bigotry being written into the DNA of that society. It is a mentality of the arrogance of certainty which afflicts many secularists as badly as many people of religion. Invariably, the more entrenched that mentality becomes in society, the more fundamentalist that society becomes. Britain’s process of secularisation—underpinned by that dismal mentality of arrogance—is advanced, but other Western and Anglophone countries are catching up. Some sections of South African society, especially in urban centres, are already following in that path. Even though ours is one of the most religious nations in the world—a recent Pew Institute study found that 68% of South Africans say they attend religious

services, mostly Christian, at least once a month—if one were to survey the coverage of religion in the secular media, one might conclude that religion exists only on the fringes of society. Of course, the reputation of Christianity is not helped by the bizarre activities of self-appointed preachers who engage in grotesque acts of fraud to announce their supposed miracleworking capacities and the exploitative lies peddled by the merchants of the Prosperity Gospel. Religion is not helped either by the bigotry, hypocrisy and acts of violence perpetrated by some of its adherents—terrorists who pervert the teachings of Islam to justify their evil acts; Christians who render the Jesus of the Gospels unrecognisable in their hate-filled prejudices; Jews who claim God’s will in Israel’s commission of incremental genocide; Hindus who use their faith as a form of nationalism which calls for sectarian attacks on Muslims and Christians, and so on. But that is not the fault of religion itself. These things are expressions of the human condition—from which atheists are not exempt, even those who consider themselves more enlightened and intellectually superior to the followers of religious faiths. People of faith and goodwill should, obviously, forthrightly oppose and condemn the bigotries, hypocrisies and acts of violence committed in the name of religion. And they should act in concert in opposing and condemning them. People of faith should find dialogue among one another, instead of perpetuating prejudices, and they should find points of common cause with atheists who engage with religion respectfully. Such dialogue should serve to bust myths about religions being inherently violent and prejudiced. It should challenge secularist lies that the expressions of one faith in the public arena are offensive to members of other religions. And it should drive joint action when religions or specific faiths are being persecuted, whether by other religionists or by secularists. That dialogue and commitment to counter prejudice must be exercised on every level, at the top but also, and especially, at the coalface: in our parishes, in our workplaces, in our homes.

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.

We have no role at all in electing our bishops A LL that Raymond Perrier says in his column “Why we have to plan for successors” (February 27) is true, but a larger issue is at stake. What role do the People of God have in the selection of their bishops? The answer is none. The process is secretive, known only to a few. Of course, when a bishop reaches his early 70s there is much conversation among the priests of the diocese: “Will it be me? I hope it will not be him.” Eventually some names are sent to priests (I do know one Sister was asked a while back; maybe there are more) who are asked to give a recommendation and are sworn to secrecy. The apostolic nuncio reviews the reports and selects three names to go to Rome. A bishop is selected

Pope is not against pro-life movement

AM sorry if the wording of the Catholic Link article “The Great Criterion” could give rise to the belief by Damian McLeish (March 26) that Pope Francis has scant sympathy for pro-life lobbyists. The pope’s actual words in “Rejoice and Be Glad” could scarcely be more transparent: “Our defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate for at stake is the dignity of a human life which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development” (par 101). By widening the notion of prolife to include other life issues—the poor, the destitute, the abandoned, the underprivileged, those exposed to covert euthanasia, and so on— Pope Francis is saying that all human life must be defended. There is no hint of contempt for the pro-life movement, as suggested by Mr McLeish. Concerning the alleged decline in anti-abortion activities, one would have to look elsewhere than at Pope Francis for an explanation of that phenomenon. Fr Sean Wales CSsR, Cape Town

Gregorian chants indeed a great loss

AGREE with JH Goossens (March 12) whose letter laments the loss of our “beautiful liturgical traditions...discarded 60 years ago”. He mentions the Gregorian chants; alas, the Liber Usualis is busy gathering dust in choir lofts all over the country. Gregorian chant has been called the most spiritual of music—I think of the Pange Lingua or Veni Creator.

NEW TESTAMENT WORKSHOP REDISCOVERING THE JESUS OF THE GOSPELS How to study the Gospels to discover the truth about Jesus and his Good News In the course of the workshop, led by distinguished local New Testament scholars, participants will learn to understand the process of gospel formation and how that impacts on what the gospels say about the life of Jesus. The workshop is led by Fr Paul Decock OMI, Professor of Biblical Studies at St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara and the University of KwaZulu-Natal

TITLES AND SPEAKERS What are the Gospels? Fr Paul Decock OMI, St Joseph’s Theological Institute Who was Jesus? Prof. Marius Nel, Faculty of Theology, University of Stellenbosch Jesus’ understanding of his mission. Fr Paul Decock OMI Jesus’ death and its impact on his followers. Prof. Jeremy Punt, Faculty of Theology,

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and he is then either parachuted into the diocese from somewhere else or promoted from within the diocese. The People of God are glad, sad or relieved. However, there are other possible ways. In the early Church the people selected their bishop since they knew their clergy well. When a bishop reaches his early 70s, the Diocesan Pastoral Council should begin a process of helping to find a bishop who will be a good fit for that particular community. In consultation with lay organisations in the diocese, the council should draft a portrait of the diocese which includes demographics, economic status, and challenges. It should describe the diocese in terms of strengths and weaknesses, includOpinions 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

When the cathedral of Christ the King was opened in Johannesburg, one of the High Masses was celebrated by the cardinal of Lourenço Marques (Maputo), and a large choir sang Gounod’s St Cecilia Mass and his splendid Tu Rex Gloriae. Many nonCatholics attended this service. Also, thanks for the good column by Fr Chris Townsend on the way to deal with the sexual problems that have arisen in our Church, with us being more interested in preserving our “name and reputation” than dealing with the problem. Our renewal must centre on Christ. Peter Onesta, Johannesburg

Klerksdorp fire report one-sided

WRITE in response to your article on the fire that destroyed the presbytery at Maria MaMohau parish in Orkney, Klerksdorp diocese (February 13). I am disappointed by your onesided reporting of the story. Your focus was on the priest and how he survived the fire. You mentioned nothing about the young girl who was sleeping in the house that night and who did not get the chance to survive unharmed. She went to hospital, with both her legs badly burned, and one of her arms too. Fr Lelimo said in the article that his car was not damaged, and that he received new shoes, toiletries and shirts. But what about the girl who suffered burns? Will there be compen-

ing urgent needs. For example, perhaps social justice outreach is strong but the current bishop has not given attention to youth ministry. This portrait would be given to the metropolitan bishop (or if he is retiring, another metropolitan) who then begins another process of surfacing names. Because the current process is a “boys’ club only”, it will be a challenge to find another way to surface names and evaluate them. The current process is another example of the extreme clericalism in the Church. And we know where that has led the Church: read of yet another bishop or cardinal sentenced to prison for sexual abuse. Sue Rakoczy IHM, Cedara, KZN

sation for her? I am surprised too that there was no mention in the article of the seminarian who, we were told, was in the parish for pastoral work during his holidays. He was visiting somewhere on the night of the fire and lost everything: clothes, laptop and so on. His loss is never acknowledged. A day after the incident we parishioners requested a forensic team investigate the fire, but it took them over a week to come, and by then the site was already contaminated. On the night of the fire, I overheard a firefighter say: “It is arson, it is arson!” We asked him to explain, and he told us of his suspicion that fuel could have been used. Name withheld, Klerksdorp n The information on the young woman who suffered injuries in the fire were provided by Fr Lelimo, but was cut in the editing process. We apologise for the oversight. There was no mention of the seminarian in Fr Lelimo’s information.—Editor

Keep Utrecht cathedral for all

EGARDING the article on the intended sale of the Catholic cathedral in Utrecht in the Netherlands (February 27), I believe a house of God should be preserved and remain a place of worship, shared by all Christians. In Mark 9:40 we read: “For whoever is not against us is for us”, and this applies to all who spread the word of God. And in John 10:16 we read: “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” Jesus is the vine which has many branches, and we Catholics need to be more humble and tolerant. Maria Joas, Cape Town

Catholic news that COUNTS Print or Digital

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The Southern Cross, April 3 to April 9, 2019

PERSPECTIVES

As I move to a new parish G ENERALLY, I think most of my priest colleagues dread taking calls from their local ordinary—the fancy term we use for the bishop or superior. We just don’t like what those calls usually mean. And when that call comes from the archbishop directly, from his car and announcing that he is on the way, the temptation is to reach for “Father’s Little Helpers” in the bottom drawer, even if the call is at 8:30. You see, I have had one of “those” visits only when someone has written a ten-page (dis)missive to the boss, and you know you’re in trouble… Well, the Arch spoke about other things—things which make a priest’s anxiety match that of government ministers when the president calls one of his midnight reshuffles. Just as I finished my tea and announced that I needed to go, the archbishop simply said: “Yes, you are going to Zwavelpoort.” After my stunned silence denoted some form of consent, I asked when and what would happen to my current assignment. And this is where that promise of obedience makes life interesting. I really can’t object to the move and what happens to the current parish becomes not my concern, for the archbishop is the parish priest of all parishes. Thus the whirlwind has been reaped. It’s a flurry of secrecy with negotiations with successors and incumbents. It’s the discomfort of waiting for the go-ahead to announce a move. Often moves in a big diocese mean that it’s not just one man who is reassigned, but a number. In our case, the retirement of one senior priest after over 50 years of service meant that at least six of us needed to be shuffled, like a complex game of backgammon. Then comes the day of announcing. It’s really tough. I think of the many young families that I have watched. Their parents

met here. I watched them courting, their beaming engagement, his tears at the wedding (grooms don’t have makeup on and always cry the most!). I baptised their children and watched them explore their church as this familiar and unfamiliar home. And these are the stories I regret I won’t see growing any further before my eyes. The announcement is met by tears— some tears of joy, too. Not every person likes the parish priest, and the previous parish priest is always the best one… Well, now I will be that person. Someone cries out in church “Oh no!”, but you know those who had left the parish are already excitedly WhatsApping each other, planning a triumphal return to a parish they are no longer part of, like the Jews returning to the Holy Land and finding the Samaritans had carried on without the (self) chosen race.

very new parish has myriad challenges for the new priest. The first is meeting the exiting priest. There is always a threat there as we, like cuckoos or magpies, make our homes in those of others. In our old parish we have our own followers and supporters and our own stories, and we’ve become a “Father” to this household. We have our own way of doing

Fr Chris Townsend (right) at one of the weddings he officiated in his old parish, of Anthony and Angelique Fernandez.

Fr Chris Townsend

Pastor’s Notebook

things and any new person is an invader… The man on the way in is often treated like a stepfather who comes into the household of another and shifts him out. There is never an easy transition, and as we age, it just gets more difficult. I hate the thought of packing, of moving, of discovering a new section of the archdiocese. I’ve lived in the same area for over 12 years, so the first thing I did when I was told I’d have to move was to google the nearest shop for single-person food in my new area and the quality of the data signal there. As I write, I have not moved yet, but in the parish I’m leaving, there has been a generous response from the pastoral and finance committees which are seeing to a smooth transition of leadership, with handover meetings and succession planning. I must admit that this level of thought has really impressed me and it has taken a lot of the transition stress away from me. My successor already has an e-mail address set up and his diary is being booked. He’s literally hitting the ground running—that’s what we do in these busy big parishes. And he’s up to it. I will be moving to the east of Pretoria— so far east, I joked, that I would need the archbishop to sponsor a TEFL language course. That went down like a lead balloon. I walk into a parish with a sizeable debt which is made all the more manageable knowing that isn’t quite as big as Eskom’s. I have no car, but the property is a big smallholding so I think I may get a tractor. My closest neighbours are a herd of cows, five horses and seven sheep. But the community I enter into seems excited to receive me. And that makes all the difference.

We must be catholic, not just Catholic Keenan I Williams FIND it disturbing when some Catholics believe that outside of the Catholic Church there in no salvation. This comes off the back of a discussion I recently had with a good friend of mine who had left the Catholic Church to join the Anglican Communion with his newlywed wife, after a previous marriage was unsuccessful and annulment not given. He told me that after his acceptance into the Anglican Communion, a parishioner from his previous parish told him that she was disgusted at his betrayal of the faith and that his late father (who had been a deacon) was turning in his grave. My friend, once a very devout Catholic, said that he finds it difficult to connect with congregants from his previous parish as many of them believe that salvation cannot be found outside of the Catholic Church. Although I am all for renewal, revival and transformation, one particular piece of theological teaching, which was classified as the Third Creed in the Western Church since medieval times, was tossed out with the dawn of the Second Vatican Council. That creed was known as the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque vult). I think that many older, traditionalist Catholics may take its first line to heart and condemn those outside of the Church to the fiery depths of hell. It reads: “Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith unless every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.” Such Catholics, many of whom often disregard and distort scripture—never

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Talking Faith

“Will i have to tell my daughter that her grandpa is damned to hell because he is not a Catholic?” asks Keenan Williams. mind read the entirety of the text contained in this beautiful explanation of our faith—miss the point of salvation in what is meant by the word “catholic”. The second line of the creed says: “And the catholic faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Essence.”

o my friend who left the Catholic Church is still catholic in every sense, and similarly are many others who have left the Catholic Church to seek a spiritual home elsewhere. The key to salvation, according to the Athanasian Creed, is the “worship of one God in Trinity” (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). That catholic—meaning universal—belief and faith was taught by Jesus himself when he said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”, and “There is no way to the Father except by me”. A traditionalist Catholic told me that Christ was saying there is no way to the

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Father except by the Catholic Church. That is how some people twist and distort the words of Christ, to suit their own understanding of life after death. This sort of belief is very sad and bitter. Just thinking about it now, I would have to tell my daughter one day, when she is at an age of understanding, that her grandfather, who is a priest in another church, will go to hell, and so will her grandmother, her cousins, uncles, aunts and even her one set of godparents. Because they are not Catholics. It’s as though we think we are exclusive heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven while many of our other Christian brothers and sisters are excluded from it. Recently I read a few articles and opinions on why some people leave the Church. One reason for it was missing in these articles: the hypocrisy many experience. My friend wished to remain in the Catholic Church, but because of his divorce and new marriage, he couldn’t partake fully in the sacrament of the Eucharist. I don’t want to get into a debate on annulment, but I would like to create an understanding among Catholics that we are not entitled exclusively to that eternal reward promised in the Gospel. Instead of separating ourselves from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ outside the Church, but being in union with our Triune God, we should better Continued on page 11

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God And The Bible

Bible an encounter with God’s love

ENTURIES ago, in caves believed to be located beneath what is now the church of St Catherine’s in Bethlehem, a man by the name of Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus began an arduous task. He studied Hebrew so that he could translate the Old Testament into Latin, the language of the people in the Roman Empire. He produced numerous biblical commentaries. Better known to us as St Jerome (pictured below; statue outside St Catherine’s church in Bethlehem), this scholar was far from perfect. It is said that he was “intemperate in controversy”, “singularly agitated, impatient, and proud”, and that his harsh opinions made him so unpopular in the Roman Church that his time in Bethlehem was in fact selfimposed exile. St Jerome’s years of biblical study could have led him to an additional and certain arrogance—but instead, in the midst of it all, he offered this gem: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” For all his intellectual pursuits, everything came down to the necessity of encountering Christ in the Scriptures, the Word of God that remains alive and relevant in every age. Over the course of this series we have asked “Why bother with the Bible?” Ultimately, we “bother” because the Bible is a place of encounter. It provides the opportunity not simply to learn about Jesus but to know him in an intimate and relational way. Likewise, we recognise that Jesus knows us, each of us, and his way of knowing is to love. The classic children’s hymn proclaims this truth: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Think for a moment of the many ways Jesus reveals God’s love. He gathers children to his side, those who were counted among the least in his day. He touches the unclean and heals the sick, restoring them to their communities. He forgives sinners, even some who do not think themselves worthy of forgiveness and do not ask for it (such as the Samaritan woman at the well). Jesus calls out hypocrisy, providing an opportunity for repentance and conversion. He speaks the truth even when it is difficult to hear. He assures those who are anxious and proves himself worthy of trust. He nourishes the crowds with fish and bread and solid teaching. He entrusts his mission to his followers. He sacrifices his own life for our sake. He shares eternal life with mere mortals like ourselves.

his love of God revealed in Jesus is not reserved for the afterlife, but is real and tangible, something to be seen and tasted and felt. It creates the foundation for a fully human life, even in times of peril. Paul writes words of assurance to Jesus’ followers in Rome who are suffering persecution, telling them that absolutely nothing can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus: “In all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us” (see Rom 8:37-39). Jesus tells his followers, then and now, that the love he has for us is personal, intimate, and lifechanging: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love… Love one another as I love you” (Jn 15:9, 12). Our experiences of God’s love move us to love, taking Jesus and his actions as our guide. Of course, that may be easier said than done. It is difficult, for example, to love an enemy, to be single-hearted, and to reserve judgment about others. While these challenges are real, they are nonetheless part of the mandate given to us by Jesus in his preaching (Matthew 5:7, Sermon on the Mount; Luke 6, Sermon on the Plain). These actions and others are signs of the love we receive, and a reminder that God’s love is not a possession to be guarded but a gift to be shared. So, why bother with the Bible? Because it reveals God’s love for us. And because God’s love is transformative. Some people describe the Bible as a school or a library, a place of learning and understanding. But the Bible could also be described as a sanctuary, a place of God’s presence set aside for true encounter with the Divine. When we open our Bibles I hope we come with both expectations— eager to learn and to discover new understandings, and equally eager to respond to God’s initiative and to grow in love. n This is the final article in a ten-part series entitled “Why We Should Bother With The Bible?”, produced by Little Rock Scripture Study. This article first appeared in the Arkansas Catholic.

The Southern Cross, April 3 to April 9, 2019

COMMUNITY

The Grade 6s at CBC St John’s Parklands in Cape Town attended Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians church in Lansdowne with other Grade 6s from schools within the archdiocese. Archbishop Stephen Brislin officially welcomed the Grade 6s.

Two teams of Grade 8s at De La Salle Holy Cross College in Victory Park, Johannesburg, participated in the open section of the 58th Speech & Drama College of South Africa’s public speaking competition. Both teams scored A+s, the highest result. Pictured are members of Team 1 (from left) Tayba Sallie, Grace Joughin, Rufaro Shava and Carlos Magalhaes, with teacher Caitlyn Morris. Members of the school’s Team 2 are Thembelihle Mahlale, Diego de Abreu, Daniel Wundram, and Amy-Jo Pheiffer.

Ash Wednesday was celebrated with Mass at St Henry’s Marist College in Glenwood, Durban. The younger pupils had a service where they also received ashes. Pictured are Grade R teacher Tatum Ridgway and Grade 000 pupil Skyla Schmidt.

St Patrick’s parish in La Rochelle, Johannesburg, celebrated at a St Patrick’s Day Mass. The celebrants were (from left) Frs John Baptist Panpogee, Pablo Velasquez CS, Deacon Walter Middleton, Bishop Duncan Tsoke, Fr ivaldo Bettin CS, Br John Kawisha, and Fr Jorge Guerra CS. (Photo: Alexis Callea)

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T Australian funder Mei Wen touches an area of the Holy Stairs where Jesus is believed to have fallen, during restoration work in Rome. Ms Wen is one of the major donors who contributed to the restoration of the sanctuary. Pilgrims will have the opportunity to climb the bare marble stairs for at least a month after the April 11 unveiling of the renovated sanctuary. The stairs had previously been covered by wood. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

No wood on Holy Stairs, for now BY CAROL GLATZ

OR the first time in 300 years, the marble steps of the Holy Stairs are free from the thick wooden panels installed in 1723 to protect the stairs, and will be left uncovered for the public for a while. For at least 40 days, people will be able to touch and climb the bare stones that, according to tradition, are the ones Jesus climbed when Pontius Pilate brought him before the crowd and handed him over to be crucified. The soon-to-be cleaned steps and newly restored frescoed stairway will be unveiled on April 11, the week before Holy Week, during a special blessing ceremony at the Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs. The marble steps are going to be left open to the public temporarily before the original and restored wooden panels are put back on. The sanctuary’s restoration has been a 20year-long project overseen by the Vatican Museums. Paolo Violini, the Vatican Museums’ head fresco restorer, and his team were so astonished and moved when they saw the degree to which the stone steps had been worn away, he felt this hidden testimony of faith had to be seen and experienced—even just tem-

porarily—by today’s faithful. Tradition holds that St Helen, mother of the Emperor Constantine, brought the stairs to Rome from Jerusalem in 326 AD. The sanctuary, whose walls and ceilings are covered with newly restored decorative paintings and frescoes depicting Christ’s passion and events of the Old Testament, was built specifically for the stairs to be venerated by the public in the late 1580s, by order of Pope Sixtus V. Since then, millions of people had climbed the steps on their knees, slowly and unintentionally digging deep undulating ruts and furrows into the soft stone. One of the 28 steps was so worn away by people’s shoe tips, a hole had been bored straight through the thick slab of stone. This happened, Mr Violini said, because that was the step where pilgrims lingered longer, to lean down and kiss “the most important step” above, which is cracked down the middle and adorned with a metal cross and a raised metal grate. According to tradition, Jesus fell at the 11th step, cracking it with his knee. The cross marks the point of impact, Mr Violini said, and the open grate covers what was said to have been a spatter of his blood.—CNS

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The Renew group from Our Lady of Loreto parish in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, celebrated the 80th birthday of one of its members. Pictured are (from left) Denise Brown, Miquette Lecornu, Liesel Humphreys, Dorothy Lai,Wendy Simpson, Lynn Humphreys, Loraine Cowling and Jane Appleyard, with birthday celebrant Berniece Eales at the front.

Grade 1 learners at Sacred Heart College in Observatory, Johannesburg, rang the bell signalling the start of their schooling career. Pictured is teacher Robyn Jeevanantham with her daughter Sabeena.

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Every year, 15 million girls worldwide are married below the age of 18, a phenomenon that also exists in South Africa. (Photo: Steve Buissinne) stances, the girls are married off to men with community participation and sometimes accompanied by the support of other women. Girls marrying young results in them dropping out of school and in turn being denied an education. These two factors may lead to higher levels of poverty. Several countries have emphasised the importance of outlawing child marriages to ensure that girls are afforded the legal right and agency to decide who and when to marry. The UN Sustainable Development Goals call for the elimination of child marriage before the year 2030, and progress towards this goal is measured by estimating the proportion of women aged 20–24 who were married before age 18. “The current legal framework concerning marriage in South Africa permits child marriages—in violation of the international and regional laws binding on South Africa,” Fr Muyebe said. “In order for South Africa to comply with its constitutional, regional and internal mandates, the government is required to ensure that its current legal framework prohibits and criminalises child marriages.” J&P appeals to those with information about incidents of child marriages in their areas to e-mail tchepape@sacbc.org.za

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Church tackles child marriages in South Africa HE Justice and Peace Commission (J&P) of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has joined forces with United Nations Women to end child marriages. “Child marriage is a human rights violation that has affected more than 650 million girls and women. It is estimated that every year 15 million girls around the world are married before the age of 18,” said J&P director Fr Stan Muyebe OP. J&P and United Nations Women will hold consultative processes aimed at identifying risk areas, and strategies to address the problem. “Despite efforts by government, the practice of child and forced marriage is not completely eradicated in South Africa,” Fr Muyebe said. “This prevails especially in remote rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape.” In South Africa, a child is a person who is under the age of 18 years. Child marriage, therefore, is a marriage concluded when one or both of the parties to a marriage are under the age of 18. State statistics show that in 2010, some 785 girls and 57 boys were minors at the time of concluding a marriage. By 2013, the numbers had declined to 79 girls and nine boys. But, Fr Muyebe said, these statistics do not tell the full story. “They do not account for unregistered marriages in customary settings or other circumstances in which marriage and registration are not monitored or recognised,” he noted. “Therefore, it is likely that child marriages are more prevalent in South Africa than actually documented by Statistics South Africa,” he said. Fr Muyebe said that the reported incidents of child marriages manifest and perpetuate gender inequality and poverty. There are cases where poor families marry off their daughters for money. In other in-

Marist Brothers Linmeyer in the south of Johannesburg hosted its Open Day with a programme offering academic, cultural and sporting activities.

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St Teresa’s Junior Primary School in Craighall Park, Johannesburg, participated in international Rare Diseases Day. By voluntarily buying a sticker for R10 to assist in fundraising, girls were allowed to dress up their hair on the day as they pleased. Pupils Daniela Ferreira (left) and Caitlin Lees show their chosen hairstyles.

The Southern Cross, April 3 to April 9, 2019

CHURCH

How Divine Renovation works in parishes A new model on how to transform parishes so as to bring back those who leave and keep those who are in the pews in the Church is spreading in South Africa, as TOM MiLES explains.

N his book Divine Renovation, Fr James Mallon proposes a theology and model for how Catholic parishes could move from simply maintaining themselves to becoming missionary communities of disciples of Jesus Christ. Divine Renovation is based on Fr Mallon’s successes and failures as a parish priest in Canada since 2000, the year when his bishop was crazy enough to put him in charge of a parish. Since 2010 Fr Mallon’s learning intensified and he has since been appointed to the local diocesan team to focus on rolling out the Divine Renovation model across the parishes of the archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth in Nova Scotia. This, however, is how he spends only 50% of his time; the other half he is supporting the Divine Renovation Institution in rolling the model across the world. Divine Renovation conferences are happening across the world. Such conferences were held in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town in 2018. Because of these conferences, several parishes across our country have already embarked on the process of bringing communities from maintenance to mission, according of to the Divine Renovations model. The goal here is that the resources which are now available at Catholic bookshops will guide many more parishes to use them in some way, so as to more effectively go out into the world to become missionary disciples. So why is this so important to me and what is the fuss all about?

After all, most of our churches are full—or are they? I ask this question because it appears at the outset that our churches are indeed full. However, if we really look at where we were and where we are now—and if we are honest with ourselves—there are many leaving our Church, and they are doing so in droves. There is still lots of elbow room in our pews and I guess that we did not build our churches with the intention of having empty pews or large gaps which ought to be filled.

To bring the people back Among the proponents of Divine Renovation, the intention is not to debate the reasons why people are leaving the Church. Rather, we seek to work with all those already in the pews to become better missionary disciples, and in doing so equip them to bring those who are away from Christ or those who do not yet know Christ into a meaningful relationship with our Lord, and ultimately to church. One question I often ask is how many of us know someone who is a Catholic who no longer engages in their faith, or no longer goes to church. 90% of those I ask know at least one person who no longer sees Jesus as important in their lives. If there are 100 parishioners who know at least one person, that means that there are at least another 100 out there who no longer engage or have a relationship with Jesus. There are those who will debate my numbers and the sample used in this analysis, but what we cannot deny is that there are more people leaving our Church than those who are being converted or baptised. The reality is that there are parishes under threat of closing. Someone once wrote about a thing called a Holy Discontent and asked the question: What is it that keeps you awake at night; what is it that you feel passionate about that you cannot allow this to continue? Well, my “Holy Discontent” is that

we are leaking people, and it appears that very little is being done to curb or stop the leak. There are great initiatives, and we do have a great leader in Pope Francis, but this alone is not going to save churches from closing and more and more people becoming disillusioned. I am firmly of the belief that all parishes could be healthier, and all leaders can be better. The question is how much longer we will be so inwardly focused while the brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, father and mothers, sons and daughters of those sitting in the pews are leaving. Again, ask the next Catholic you see if they know someone who has left the Church. I don’t think it is a question of if they do know someone rather than how many they know. So, what are some parishes doing about this? Well, let me present the story of the Redemptorist parish of the Most Holy Redeemer in Bergvliet, Cape Town.

A parish experience It officially launched its Divine Renovation campaign in December and weeks later, the parish is still buzzing over the excitement. The parish combined its regular two Masses into one special Mass. All who attended the Mass on arrival received a warm welcome and a name tag. This was in keeping with their theme for the day, which was taken from Isaiah 43:1: “I have called you by name and you are mine.” It was the first step in the parish “Game Plan”, one of the key steps in the Divine Renovation process, which Fr Mallon explains in his book and also dealt with in his talks at the conferences in South Africa last August. Holy Redeemer’s then-parish priest, Fr Gerard McCabe CSsR, gave a homily about God calling us by name to become (more) missional. During Mass, the core group, which is steering the movement of Divine Renovation in the parish, were presented to the congregation and commissioned by Fr McCabe. The congregation greeted each other by name during the Sign of Peace, creating an opportunity to

The Divine Renovation host team at Holy Redeemer parish in Bergvliet, Cape Town—one of several churches throughout South Africa which are introducing the programme of parish renewal developed by Fr James Mallon. The Canadian priest was in South Africa last year to present Divine Renovation conferences. really meet and know fellow parishioners. At Holy Communion each person received the Body and Blood of Christ by name. To many parishioners this was the highlight of the day. Those not receiving Communion were also encouraged to come forward for a blessing from the ministers—and this too was received by name. Fr McCabe has been succeeded as parish priest by Fr Anthony Padua, who has embraced the Divine Renovation programme. At the beginning of the first Mass of the catechetical year, congregants were given the opportunity to greet each other and introduce themselves to someone they hadn’t met before. This created quite a buzz throughout the church. As had been the case previously, the morning ended with refreshments in the parish hall where new and old faces could mingle and enjoy the company of each other. Many parishioners have commented that they feel a sense of be-

The ‘Game Plan”, point by point D

IVINE Renovation is based on what Fr James Mallon calls “The Game Plan”. It has seven key ingredients:

The most trusted leaders within the parish are invited to pastor the Connect Groups and the parish leadership team prioritises investing in these leaders.

1. Invitational Church

5. Ministry

The starting point is to become an “invitational Church”, which is not a programme but both an attitude towards those outside the Church and a parish culture. The parish measures “success” not by the number that show up but by the number of invitations that are made by parishioners, recognising that the responsibility of the parish lies in the invitation being made, not the response.

Any parishioner can take part in ministry. The intention is that every parishioner is involved in at least one ministry. Connect Group leaders help identify parishioners’ gifts and talents and encourage and support their current ministry or joining one if they haven’t done so.

2. Alpha

Parishioners are also invited to get involved in Discipleship Groups that are focused on learning content, such as catechesis and Bible studies. Fr Mallon explains that “unlike Connect Groups, they are temporary, meeting only to do a particular programme with no expectation beyond that”. Parishioners are free to choose any programme approved by the parish and are expected to engage in one faith development programme each year.

Fr Mallon describes the Alpha programme as the “pump” in introducing people to the life of discipleship. “At Alpha, people hear the Gospel in a fresh way, they often encounter Jesus, experience the Holy Spirit and are welcomed into an experience of Christian community like no other,” Fr Mallon wrote in his Divine Renovation Guide Book. “We have found that Alpha is the best first step for people who have been away from church or have had little to no experience of the Christian faith.” Alpha is used not only to initiate the journey of discipleship but also to develop lay leaders. It also forms part of the RCIA process and is an element of the marriage preparation for couples.

3. Alpha team Following Alpha, guests are invited to come back as members of the team on the next Alpha. The aim is to have 50% of first-time team members on every Alpha and to move those who have al-

6. Discipleship Groups

ready served on the Alpha team to other ministries, thereby creating a continuous leadership pipeline. No one can serve on Alpha for more than two years, creating space for new leaders to grow.

4. Connect Groups “Connect Groups” are small to midsize groups (around 20-30 people) that retain the key ingredients of Alpha such as eating a meal together, praise and worship, a talk by a member of the Connect Group, and prayer for one another. The groups, each led by four leaders, meet fortnightly in the homes of parishioners and their primary focus is to build community. This is how the parish ensures that all parishioners are known individually, loved, nurtured and taken care of. Members of connect groups are expected to have attended Alpha before joining the group.

7. Worship “It is our conviction that it is only when the fullness of the Christian life is being lived with some kind of involvement in these other aspects that the Eucharist has its proper place as the ‘source and the summit of the Christian life’, as the Second Vatican Council said,” according to Fr Mallon. “When we are evangelised and in a discipleship process, seeing, experiencing and serving community, worship, especially the Mass, will come to life.” • Source: Alpha South Africa

longing at Holy Redeemer. It is a wonderful revival of parish community life at Holy Redeemer, injecting a new welcoming spirit, a new energy into the parish, and an excitement looking forward to what God has planned. I am encouraged and stirred up by what Holy Redeemer in Bergvliet has started. I believe it is the spark that will lead to many parishes and parishioners around the country burning with the Spirit of invitation, and of sharing of the Gospel with the hundreds of people still outside the Church. I look forward to sharing stories from missionary disciples from other parishes around the country as we embark on this journey. I believe this is the beginning of an immense outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our parishes and into the world—a true Divine Renovation in our country. n Tom Miles is the head of regional development at Alpha Africa, based in Johannesburg. For more information on Divine Renovation, he can be contacted at tom.miles@alpha.org or 083 447-6170.

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The Southern Cross, April 3 to April 9, 2019

CHURCH

Why the Church must engage with politics As South Africa prepares for the national and provincial elections on May 8, Fr VALENTiNE iHEANACHO MSP reflects on the Church’s role in politics.

essential elements: l respect for and promotion of the fundamental rights of the person; l development of the spiritual and temporal goods of the society; l the peace and security of the society (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1925). “Religion,” Pope Benedict XVI told British political leaders in 2010, “is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation.”

HE question of the place of the Catholic Church in temporal affairs—the relationship between religion and politics or between the altar and the throne—is complex. From the outset of Christianity, when Christ told his listeners to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s (Mk 12:17), the role and place of the Church in the temporal government of men and women has, at best, been thorny and divisive. There are those who maintain that religion ought to keep to its strict domain; that is, within the sacred and not meddle with mundane affairs like politics and state affairs. This group may find a strong supporter in St Jerome who, in the 5th century, was critical of the romance between the Church and the Roman Empire. In his estimation, “the Church by its connection with Christian princes gained in power and riches, but lost in virtues.” In the same century, St Augustine in his City of God developed another concept of the relationship between Church and state. It saw the two powers as both distinct and mutually dependent at the same time. Irrespective of their mutual dependence, the spiritual is placed above the temporal since it has the ultimate aim of leading humanity to salvation. The relationship between Church and state has not always been rosy. At one time, it is one of domination. At another time, it is one of collaboration, and yet as the situation may demand, their relationship is marked by rivalry and tension.

A Christian empire The early Christians were sceptical about any temporal establishment or earthly kingdom. Although biblical texts such as 1 Peter 2:17 exhorted early Christians to “Honour everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honour the emperor”, the firstcentury Christians had a foreshortened view of history, with their attention focused on the imminent second coming of Christ. They were much more excited about the prospect of a future reign of Christ than about mere temporal affairs. With the passage of time, they began to make some adjustments in their expectation of the imminent end of the world. A major shift came when Christianity first became tolerated under Constantine in AD 313, and eventually attained the status of a state religion in 380 under Theo-

A leaven in society

The separation of state and Church does not mean that the Church cannot speak on matters relating to politics, as Fr Valentine iheanacho MSP explains in his article. dosius the Great. do not want the laity to usurp the With Constantine, what is rights of clerics, similarly we must known in historical parlance as see to it that clerics do not claim Caesaropapism began. Its emer- the rights of the laity. gence was “an inevitable by-prod“And so we forbid all clerics to uct of the socio-religious and extend their privileges to the prejpolitical system created to govern udice of secular authority, under the Roman Empire by Constantine the pretext of the liberty of the the Great”, according to Matthew Church. D Bunson, writing in the 2004 En“On the contrary, they should cyclopedia of Catholic History. be content with the written law This imperial control of the and the previously approved cusChurch would contoms, so that what is tinue in the Eastern Caesar’s will be rendered Orthodox Church to Caesar and what is The Church is until the fall of ConGod’s to God, in accord stantinople in 1453. not a political with the objectively In the West, the right order which is party, nor is she proper to each” (Constimovement of the imperial capital from committed to tutioIn42). Rome to Constantinothe course of time, ple in 330 left the pope any culture or that objectively right in Rome as the main order envisaged by Infigure in the ancient to any political, nocent III and the role city. This allowed him of the Church in politics economic or became to take on both reliclearer. gious and political reOne evidence of this social system sponsibilities. is the position assumed For the first time, as by the Second Vatican far as historians can tell, the popes Council. It bears recalling that, could function in both capacities with the French Revolution of which got heightened with the 1789, the loss of the Papal States in collapse and disintegration of the 1870, and the totalitarian regimes western part of the Roman Empire that held sway in Europe in much in the late 5th century. of the 20th century, the Church The popes as temporal rulers sought to protect her own. had their rivals with the emerThis brought about a “Fortress gence of the Carolingian kings. Catholicism” which saw the The greatest of those kings was Church closed in on itself against Charlemagne who saw himself as a “hostile” secular world. the new Constantine conscripting Church opens up the Church into his service for a united Holy Roman Empire. To some extent, that fortress The freedom of the Church mentality already experienced from fiefdom and imperial control some cracks in 1891 with the pubwas obtained with the determined lication of Pope Leo XIII’s social efforts of the popes during the encyclical Rerum Novarum, the Gregorian reforms in the 12th cen- magna carta in Catholic social teachings. tury. The Second Vatican Council’s When that was achieved, Pope Innocent III at the Fourth Lateran optimistic view of the world Council of 1215 set the boundaries opened up possibilities for the between the state and the Church, Church’s creative and active presbetween temporal and spiritual ence in the contemporary society. In both papal and other magispowers. These boundaries were formu- terial documents, one finds a body lated in this manner: “Just as we of teachings that is constantly

woven in unity, but only different in styles and issues addressed on account of different situations and times. The Catholic Social Teachings have the goals of l interpreting realities in every nation, l determining their conformity with or divergence from the Gospel teachings on people and their vocation, l acting as a guide to Christians in their attitudes towards sociocultural, economic and political activities in civil society, and l enabling the Church to play her prophetic role in the condemnation of evils and injustices wherever they may exist, and equally to help the Church show her preferential love for the poor. “The Church,” said Pope John Paul II “is an expert in humanity, and this leads her necessarily to extend her religious mission to the various fields, in which men and women expend their efforts in search of the always relative happiness” (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 41). Since the Church both proclaims human rights and also promotes them, all that affects the human person also has an effect on the Church. For this reason, the Church is often seen as “meddling” in politics and in the affairs of the state. But it only reminds the state to protect and guarantee the rights of citizens. The Church itself has not always been faithful itself in upholding this ideal. For instance, one recalls with regret the close association between the official Church and some dictatorial and oppressive governments in countries such as the Philippines, Chile, the former Zaire, Brazil and others in most of the 20th century. This sad reality of Church leaders dining with dictators notwithstanding, it still remains the expectation that the Church partners with the state so that all may live peacefully in a well-ordered society. Such a society based on the common good presupposes three

The Church’s contribution to the “national conversation” is not always appreciated. On occasion, it makes political leaders jittery. Two famous examples stand out. Napoleon Bonaparte advised his Roman emissary: “Deal with the pope as if he had two hundred thousand men at his command.” Much later on, Joseph Stalin wondered aloud to the French Prime Minister Pierre Laval, “How many divisions has the pope?” Similar question may still be asked in political and diplomatic quarters, particularly those who may consider themselves in competition with the Church. Vatican II’s document on “The Church in the Modern World” (Gaudium et Spes) opens with these words: “The joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the men of our time…are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well.” It is in being present to human beings and accompanying them in their daily lives and endeavours that the Church defines her role in temporal affairs. The Church is not a political party, nor is she “committed to any culture or to any political, economic or social system” (Gaudium et Spes, 42). Not being a political party does not make the Church apolitical. On a wide range of issues, especially those that impinge on morality, the Church may act as a pressure group of some sort. In doing so, it defines its secular allies and enemies on the basis of spiritual power. The state as a political entity and the Church are quite independent of each other in their respective fields. While the state has two main functions—establishment and protection of the legal order, and the promotion of the general welfare—the Church “serves as a sign and safeguard of the transcendence of the human person”. To be able to impact positively on civil affairs, the Church tasks the faithful, “to cultivate a properly informed conscience [in order] to shoulder their responsibilities under the guidance of Christian wisdom and with eager attention to the teaching authority of the Church” (Gaudium et Spes, 43). It may be right to say that the answer to Stalin’s question is found in the active participation of the faithful in the national life of their various countries. n Fr Valentine Iheanacho is a priest of the Missionary Society of St Paul and serves at St Joseph’s church in Ficksburg, Free State.

“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, April 3 to April 9, 2019

Fr John Melhuish MHM

ILL Hill Missionary priest Fr John Melhuish of Rustenburg died in a car crash on March 23 at the age of 69. Fr Melhuish died in the accident some 2km away from his parish, St Alphonsus church in Bethanie, Rustenburg diocese. He was driving back to his parish from one of the outstations where he had gone for pastoral work. On the way, he picked up Mill Hill Missionary student Elvis Chamboli from another outstation. As they were driving, a car from behind overtook them. The driver miscalculated the speed of the oncoming vehicle and, trying to get back, the car turned around to face the direction in which they were travelling. This led to a fatal collision. Mr Chamboli escaped with a broken arm and some internal injuries. Born on August 4, 1949, at Eastbourne, England, Fr Melhuish attended the Benedictine Ampleforth College, completing his schooling in 1968. From there he went to St

Joseph’s College, Mill Hill, London, where he studied philosophy and theology. He took the perpetual oath at Mill Hill on May 4, 1974, and was ordained a priest in Seaford on June 15, 1975. In that same year, Fr Melhuish was appointed to Kisii in western Kenya, and worked there for almost 30 years. His service included teaching

and pastoral ministry as well as being vocations director. He started a catechetical formation centre in the diocese of Homa Bay. In 2005 he was withdrawn from Kenya and appointed to Rustenburg where he learnt to speak the Tswana language. Fr Melhuish, who was known as the “High Priest” because of is unusual height, worked there in a variety of ways, especially in the training of catechists and the formation of lay leaders. He was also a consultor to the society representative. In 2017 he followed a sabbatical course at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem, and spent another part of that sabbatical in China. He then returned to Rustenburg and was appointed to Bethanie parish, where he also got involved in an apostolate to prisoners. A memorial Mass was held at St Alphonsus church in Bethanie, and Fr Melhuish’s Requiem Mass, followed by burial, was at St Joseph’s church in Phokeng, Rustenburg.

We must be catholic, and not just Catholic Continued from page 7 make connections—not create a sort of apartheid within Christianity. A perspective of “us” and “them”, a broken Church divided and an island of its own. As a collective Christian community, we should stand together in prayer, celebration and solidarity against the wrongs

within the Christian Churches, be they sex abuse scandals or abuse of powers by the hierarchy, and ecumenically work together to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. So, there is and should be salvation within any Christian faith professing the worship of one God in Trinity, while anything

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: April 10: Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg on the 20th anniversary of his episcopalian ordination

contrary to that is a false truth. As the songwriter said: “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord…And they’ll know we are Christian by our love.” Not by our division, nor our hypocrisy as a Christian community, but by our love, our unity and our faith in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Liturgical Calendar Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday April 7, 5th Sunday of Lent Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126, Philippians 3:8-14, John 8:1-11

Reflection for Lent

Monday April 8

Let me love beyond a bad Winter Beyond the tsunamis of rickety emotions Let me love beyond my rages, And an ancient pride that endangers. Let me love beyond my need for justice, beyond the collisions of my own pain and sorrows. Let me love beyond my greed to be right, therefore even, and especially, if I am right. Let me love beyond personal disappointments, beyond the thorns which tear at the very flesh of my soul. Let me love beyond a poor temperament, beyond an irritability that sometimes threatens to drown me. Let me love beyond an anxiety and determined terror, that my own mind wages against me. Let me love beyond my personal preferences, my need for control, my leanings towards alone. Let me love through the wars that play out between us, in nervous and uncomfortable silence. Let me love beyond the temptations I give into, and a too thick skin I sometimes use as shelter. Let me love hope into the life of another, without any knowledge that I've even done so. Lastly, let me live after the love that pushes back against all forms of darkness. Because the grandest valley of light, lies beyond even the smallest act of true love

John 8:12-20

Bernadette Richards

Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, Psalm 23, Tuesday April 9 Numbers 21:4-9, Psalm 102:2-3, 16-21, John 8:21-30 Wednesday April 10 Daniel 3:14-20, 24-25, 28 (14-20, 91-92, 95), Psalm: Daniel 3:29-34 (52-56), John 8:31-42

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THANKS

THANKS TO ST JUDe for prayers answered.

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PArISH NOTICeS

NeW PArISH NOTICeS MOST WeLCOMe: if any parish notices listed are no longer valid, call us on 021 465-5007 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: A Holy Hour Prayer for Priests is held on the second Saturday of every month at the Villa Maria shrine from 16:00 to 17:00. The shrine is at 1 Kloof Nek Road in Tamboerskloof. The group prays for priests in the archdiocese, and elsewhere by request. 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 083 412-4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel SCP on 078 739-2988. 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 031309-3496 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 the Blessed Sacrament at St Peter’s parish every Tuesday from 8:00 to 16:45, followed by Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 17:30.

PrAYerS

MAY ALL I DO today begin with you, O Lord. Plant dreams and hopes within my soul, revive my tired spirit: be with me today. May all i do today continue with your help, O Lord. Be at my side and walk with me: be my support today. May all i do today reach far and wide, O Lord. My thoughts, my work, my life: make them blessings for your kingdom; let them go beyond today. O God, today is new unlike any other day, for God makes

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 857. ACROSS: 2 The Apostle, 8 Supplication, 10 Mitre, 11 Not sane, 12 Iffish, 13 Primer, 16 Collect, 18 Virus, 19 A child is born, 20 Hasty words. DOWN: 1 Insomniacs, 3 Helpers, 4 Arcane, 5 Octet, 6 Thomas Merton, 7 Spiteful acts, 9 Represents, 14 Revised, 15 Studio, 17 Emily.

Thursday April 11, St Stanislaus Genesis 17:3-9, Psalm 105:4-9, John 8:51-59 Jeremiah 20:10-13, Psalm 18:2-7, John 10:31-42 Saturday April 13, Pope St Martin I Ezekiel 37:21-28, Responsorial psalm Jeremiah 31:10-13, John 11:45-56 Sunday April 14, Palm Sunday Isaiah 50:4-7, Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24,

St Stanislaus

St Martin i

each day different. Today God's everyday grace falls on my soul like abundant seed, though i may hardly see it. Today is one of those days Jesus promised to be with me, a companion on my journey, and my life today, if i trust him, has consequences unseen. My life has a purpose. i have a mission. i am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. God has not created me for naught. Therefore i will trust him. Whatever, wherever i am, i can never be thrown away. God does nothing in vain. He knows what he is about. John Henry Newman

O VIrGIN Mother, in the depths of your heart you pondered the life of the Son you brought into the world. Give us your vision of Jesus and ask the Father to open our hearts, that we may always see His presence in our lives, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, bring us into the joy and peace of the kingdom, where Jesus is Lord forever and ever. Amen. THANKS be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, For all the benefits thou hast won for me, For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, May i know thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, And follow thee more nearly, For ever and ever.

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the

Palm Sunday: April 14 Readings: Luke 19:28-40, Isaiah 50:4-7, Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24, Philippians 2:611, Luke 22:14-23:56

EXT Sunday, we enter the solemn drama of Holy Week, as the end of our Lenten journey is now rather more than a dot on the horizon. It being Palm Sunday, we shall have a rich abundance of readings: Luke’s account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem; then the third of the “Songs of the Suffering Servant” from Isaiah of Babylon (we shall hear the other three in the course of this week). This is followed (inevitably) by Psalm 22, which the Church has always used for its meditation on the death of Jesus, then Paul’s hymn to Christ, on his selfemptying, “obedient even to death on a cross”. You will do well to read all of these, and pray with them, over the next few days, to get the most out of Sunday’s liturgy; but perhaps the reading to which we should give the most attention is the Gospel, Luke’s version of the story of Jesus’ Passion, death and burial. What I propose to do here is to single out a few elements of the story that are only in Luke, so that you can listen prayerfully when it is read to you on Sunday. Luke is a great artist, and what I propose to do for you is simply point to a few details that are only in Luke; you can listen out for them while the story is being read, to feed your prayer. It is Luke alone who mentions the detail that “Satan had entered Judas Iscar-

S outher n C ross

iot”. That gives a very different feel to the narrative from the outset. And it is only Luke who names the two disciples (Peter and John) who are told to prepare the Passover meal; Luke alone stresses that Jesus has “longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffered”, and Luke underlines that it is indeed a Passover by having a cup before the meal as well as after (unlike Mark and Matthew). And Luke echoes Paul’s account of the Last Supper with Jesus’ words “for my memory”. It is only Luke who tells us of the quarrel at the meal about “who seems to be biggest”, and he includes, you may notice, a mini-discourse that in some ways anticipates what you find in John’s Last Supper discourse. Then only Luke has the gentle rebuke of “Simon, Simon, Satan sought to sift you”; and once they get to the Mount of Olives, he does not have Jesus separate out Peter, James and John; instead, all the disciples remain together, and are told to “pray not to enter into temptation”. Interestingly, he also omits the very strong words that Mark uses to describe Jesus’ emotions, and (charitably) attributes the snoring of the disciples to “grief”; in addition, he only reports one prayer on Jesus’ part, not three. When the arresting party turns up, it is

Conrad

“Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all affirm the right of individual ownership and private property, but there are moral limits imposed on absolute private ownership of wealth and property. Each tradition affirms that we are not individuals alone but exist in community—a community that makes claims on us,” the billionaire’s father wrote. “The notion that ‘It is all mine’ is a violation of these teachings and traditions,” he said. Society’s claim on individual wealth “is rooted in the recognition of society’s direct and indirect, investment in the individual’s success. In other words, we didn’t get there on our own,” Bill Gates Sr said. Nobody gets there on his own and so, once there, he needs to recognise that what he has accumulated is the result not just of his own work but also of the infrastructure of the whole society within which he lives. Accordingly, what he has accumulated is not fully his, as if his own hard work alone had brought this about.

eyond that, there’s something else which US philosopher Benjamin Hales calls “the veil of opulence” which lets us naively believe that each of us deserves everything we get. Not so, says Hales. A lot of blind luck is involved in determining who gets to possess what: “The veil of opulence,” he says, “insists that people imagine that resources and opportunities and talents are freely

Sunday Reflections

Luke alone who has Jesus say, “Judas—is it with a kiss that you betray the Son of Man?”, and who has Jesus heal the ear of the High Priest’s slave, when one of Jesus’ party has chopped it off. It is only in Luke that we read the graphic detail that “the Lord turned and looked at Peter” just after he had denied him for the third time, which makes Peter burst into tears. In the trial before Pilate, we hear the (patently false) accusation that “we found this one perverting our race and stopping people paying taxes to Caesar and saying he was ‘Messiah’.” And in Luke’s account you will notice that Pilate finds Jesus “Not Guilty” no less than three times. It is also only in Luke that you will find that strange incident where Pilate sends Jesus to Herod, on the grounds that he is a “Galilean”. This has the unexpected effect that Pilate and Herod become friends, and you feel that is all rather sinister. When Jesus dies, we see the “crowd of the people” (the ones who had stood outside the Temple at the very beginning of the Gospel, when Zachariah was having a vision of the angel Gabriel), who are implicitly on Jesus’ side. Only in Luke are there three sets of mockery. Now one of these attacks is from one of

But where are the others? OST of us have been raised to believe that we have the right to possess whatever comes to us honestly, either through our own work or through legitimate inheritance. No matter how large that wealth might be, it’s ours, as long as we didn’t cheat anyone along the way. By and large, this belief has been enshrined in the laws of democratic countries and we generally believe that it is morally sanctioned by Christianity. That’s partially true, but a lot needs to be nuanced here. This is not really the view of our Christian scriptures, nor of the social teachings of the Catholic Church. Not everything we acquire honestly through our own hard work is simply ours to have. We’re not islands and we don’t walk through life alone, as if being solicitous for others is something that’s morally optional. The French poet and essayist Charles Péguy (1873-1914) once suggested that when we come to the gates of heaven we will all be asked: “Mais ou sont les autres?” (“But where are the others?”). That question issues forth both from our humanity and our faith. Bill Gates Sr, writing in Sojourners magazine some 15 years ago, challenges not only his famous son but the rest of us too with these words: “Society has an enormous claim upon the fortunes of the wealthy. This is rooted not only in most religious traditions but also in an honest accounting of society’s substantial investment in creating fertile ground for wealth-creation.

Nicholas King SJ

See through Luke’s eyes

the two thieves who are crucified; but the other thief does something quite unexpected, as I shall shortly relate. It is Luke alone who gives a scientific account of the darkness over the whole earth, calling it an “eclipse of the sun”, and Luke for whom Jesus’ dying words are, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”, rather than, “Why have you abandoned me?” There are one or two other differences as well, the centurion who “glorified God”, for example, and the crowds “beating their breasts”; it is Luke who finds that Jesus is not entirely alone, but “all those known to him” were present; and only Luke who has the brave women resting on the Sabbath after they have purchased their spices and myrrh. But perhaps the most extraordinary difference is what that “other thief” does; he rebukes his fellow for insulting Jesus, and turns to him, saying, “Jesus—remember me when you come into your kingdom.” This provokes the regal response from the dying Messiah: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” We shall do well to pray over these words in the coming week.

Southern Crossword #857

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

available to all, that such goods are widely abundant, that there is no element of randomness or chance that may negatively impact those who struggle to succeed but sadly fail through no fault of their own. “It turns a blind eye to the adversity that some people, let’s face it, are born into. By insisting that we consider public policy from the perspective of the most-advantaged, the veil of opulence obscures the vagaries of brute luck,” Hales wrote in The New York Times. “But wait, you may be thinking, what of merit? What of all those who have laboured and toiled and pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to make their lives better for themselves and their families? This is an important question indeed. Many people work hard for their money and deserve to keep what they earn. “An answer is offered by both doctrines of fairness. The veil of opulence assumes that the playing field is level, that all gains are fairly gotten, that there is no cosmic adversity. In doing so, it is partial to the fortunate,” Hales said, concluding: “It is an illusion of prosperity to believe that each of us deserves everything we get.” Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching would summarise it this way: God intended the earth and everything in it for the sake of all human beings. Thus, in justice, created goods should flow fairly to all. All other rights are subordinated to this principle. We do have a right to private ownership and no one may ever deny us this right, but that right is subordinated to the common good, to the fact that goods are intended for everyone. Wealth and possessions must be understood as ours to steward rather than to possess absolutely. Finally, perhaps most challenging of all, no person may have surplus if others do not have the basic necessities. In any accumulation of wealth and possessions, we have to perennially face the question: “Mais ou sont les autres?”

ACROSS

2. Title of St Paul (3,7) 8. I put SPCA lion up for earnest prayer (12) 10. Change the timer for the bishop (5) 11. Clearly crazy (3,4) 12. Not certain if returning swimmer joins up (6) 13. School book that’s basic (6) 16. Gather it’s liturgical prayer (7) 18. Infection for you or your computer (5) 19. Nativity reference in Isaiah 9 (1,5,2,4) 20. You may regret you said them hurriedly (5,5)

DOWN

1. Sleepless ones at the allnight vigil (10) 3. Assistants (7) 4. Marcan extracts hold what is mysterious (6) 5. There are eight in it (5) 6. Celebrated American Trappist writer (6,6) 7. Malicious deeds (8,4) 9. Acts on behalf of someone (10) 14. Improved version of the Bible (7) 15. Where the artist paints? (6) 17. Popular name for the girl (5) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

NE day the zookeeper noticed that the monkey was reading two books—the Bible and Darwin's The Origin of Species. In surprise he asked the ape: “Why are you reading both those books?” “Well,” said the monkey, “I just wanted to know if I was my brother’s keeper or my keeper’s brother.”

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