200520FREE by The Southern Cross

The

S outher n C ross

May 20 to May 26, 2020

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 5187

Bishops speak out on Covid-19 crisis

Pages 2-3

www.scross.co.za

R12 (incl VAT RSA)

A visit to Nazareth, Holy Family’s home

Centenary Jubilee Year

Schooling: Lessons from lockdown

Page 10

Page 9

Open churches? ‘Keep faith and be patient’ BY ERIN CARELSE

TTENDING church is of great importance for Christian people because it is an expression, experience, and witness of faith—but we cannot tempt the Lord and common sense by opening churches too soon, according to the spokesman for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). With lockdown set to be eased even further—at least to Level 3—voices calling for the reopening of churches have become louder. “I think it’s a bit hasty to be opening churches, because it’s through human contact in all its form that this pandemic is spread,” said SACBC spokesman Archbishop William Slattery, retired of Pretoria. He noted that it is important to observe the lawful restrictions laid down by the government in trying to contain this virus, “It is important to go to church, yes, and we are getting a lot of hits on the streaming of Masses on Sunday because we Catholics require and are receiving Communion spiritually,” Archbishop Slattery told The Southern Cross. “But streamed Masses are different to attending a Mass and receiving Holy Communion, because Jesus says, ‘Take and eat”,” he acknowledged. “Faith largely depends on community. God formed a community in the desert, and Jesus from the beginning set up a community of apostles and told us to be one,” Archbishop Slattery noted. “We need to express that physically as well as spiritually. But, on the other hand, we are bound by the national law which is necessary for conserving health by keeping ourselves isolated and maintaining social distancing. “These are actually acts of religion because they are acts of charity and caring. So in a lot of ways, we can express that we are Catholics

even though we cannot go to church,” he said. Churches in many other countries are opening for Mass, under strict conditions. In Australia, for example, churches may admit only up to ten people. “If we had to introduce that, it would be quite difficult because our congregations are generally quite large,” Archbishop Slattery noted. “Our people are really missing going to church, and so they would come back in large numbers,” he predicted. “I don’t think churches can go ahead and say, ‘Look we trust in the Lord, all back to church tomorrow.’ We cannot do things like that,” the archbishop said. “We simply have to observe the ordinary laws of humanity and of nature and everything else like Jesus did. We cannot expect a miracle by having 400 people in church, some of whom may have the virus, and everyone goes home and in perfect health. That’s not how it works,” he added. He noted that many who attend Mass are elderly—and these are the most vulnerable to Covid-19. “We really are suffering with our people. We, the priests and bishops, are missing them and we would love to have them back. But at the same time, and out of love for them, we realise the danger and say: ‘Wait a little longer’,” the archbishop said. “Continue your prayers and pray for one another. The great witness of being Catholic is having charity and love for each other,” Archbishop Slattery said. Relaxation of lockdown in both Botswana and Eswatini has permitted the restricted reopening of churches. The Catholic dioceses in those countries, which are part of the SACBC, are currently studying the possibility of reopening churches.

The reputed footprint of Jesus, left in stone at his Ascension, in the mosque of the Ascension—originally a Crusader chapel—on the Mount of Olives. This year the feast of the Ascension is on May 21, but the solemnity is transferred in Southern Africa and other regions to Sunday, May 24. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

Stolen items recovered S BY ERIN CARELSE

OME of the items stolen from St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town last month have been recovered after a young man tried to sell them to a Protestant minister in Khayelitsha. The minister, who may not be named, was handing out food parcels when a man approached him with an offer to sell religious items. When he took a closer look, he recognised that these were items stolen from the cathedral and told the young man so. At that, the man abandoned his loot and ran away, leaving the minister with the items. “The minister insisted that I come to Khayelitsha and collect these items since he did not want to have them in his house,” said Fr Rohan Smuts, administrator of St Mary’s cathedral. “I indicated that since it was an active police case, the investigating officer would be contacting him to arrange for the collection of the stolen items and to take his statement,” said Fr Smuts. But this turned out to be a taxing mission.

“The police contacted the minister but failed to show up at the agreed time and place. The next day, when the police still hadn’t met up with him and taken his statement, he drove into Cape Town and dropped off the items at the Central Police Station.” The next morning, two detectives arrived at the presbytery in Vredehoek to inform Fr Smuts that “they were in possession of some items and wanted an inventory of all the items that were stolen” in the cathedral burglary, Fr Smuts said. Frs Luigi Benigni and Smuts were asked to come to the police station to identify the items and take possession of them, but when they arrived, the station had been closed down for fumigation and cleaning due to a positive Covid-19 case. The next day, one of the investigating officers called to apologise for the inconvenience caused and promised to call back next week to arrange a time. This did not materialise. “When I had not heard anything back, I sent a WhatsApp message to the detective in charge of our case expressing our displeasure Continued on page 3

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The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

LOCAL

‘Lockdown has revealed our societal challenges’ BY ERIN CARELSE

N a new pastoral letter, the archbishop of Johannesburg said that the strict regime of “stay at home” during the lockdown has revealed—or perhaps brought into the open—some of South Africa’s more serious societal challenges. Coronavirus has turned the whole world upside down and virtually brought it to a grinding halt, said Archbishop Buti Tlhagale. “The affliction of Covid-19 forced the hand of the authorities to declare a National State of Disaster. As a result, the already sickly economy ground to a halt,” the archbishop noted. Industry stopped functioning, businesses closed, and people’s lives were thrown into disarray, he said. The archbishop pointed out that many employers did not have enough money to pay employees and some businesses would fold. “Many simply lost their jobs, thus bringing hardship, disappointment and unhappiness to many families. Those who have lost their

Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg, in a new pastoral letter, said the national lockdown has revealed the extent of many of South Africa’s underlying problems.

jobs join the 29% who are already unemployed. The scourge of unemployment leads to homelessness, poverty and a plethora of other social ills,” Archbishop Tlhagale said. In regard to violence against women during the lockdown, he observed that the lockdown has shown South Africa to be still a deeply patri-

archal and violent society. “Christianity teaches the equality of man and woman. Many men who exchange marriage vows of equality, of belonging together, of becoming one person, do not appear to believe in what they say,” he said. “‘Stay at home’ in a restricted space for an unusually long period

Catholic school broken into BY ERIN CARELSE

CATHOLIC school in Cape Town was broken into while schools are closed due to the national lockdown. The principal of St Mary’s Primary School in Gardens, Cape Town, discovered the burglary after checking the CCTV footage. The four men and one woman in the footage are still at large. This burglary came after St Mary’s cathedral, just down the road, was broken into and vandalised last month. Principal Fiona Sellar made the shocking discovery of the burglary of St Mary’s—one of South Africa’s oldest schools, founded by the Dominican Sisters in 1863—when she did her daily monitoring of the footage. “Every day, I monitor the footage of the school with an app on my iPad to make sure every-

thing is fine. That’s how I came across the burglary,” she said. The thieves gained access to the property by breaking burglar bars and removing the window pane at the back of the hall. The CCTV footage shows the thieves walking down the passage to the other, checking all classrooms to see which were open. They eventually saw, through the window of one of the Grade 3 classes, toilet paper that students had brought for class use. According to Ms Sellar, it took them about 30 minutes or more to break down the door, which they eventually managed to do. Items stolen from the classroom include a projector, an interactive whiteboard system, and all of the toilet paper, wet wipes and hand sanitisers. The thieves also stole a projector and an interactive whiteboard system from the hall.

The school was connected by alarm to an armed response service, but it seems there was a problem with the signal between the control room and the school. The alarm at the school was still activated when Ms Sellar went to inspect the premises. The failure of the sensors to pick up movement and the subsequent experience of service from the alarm company have highlighted a set of problem areas, as Ms Sellar explained. Police have taken fingerprints and requested the CCTV footage to assist them with investigations. St Mary’s Primary School over the past 150 years has changed considerably, from an exclusive private school for girls to a co-educational state-funded primary school, serving the needs of the wider community.

S outher n C ross

Jubilee Year Camino to Santiagode Compostela

The

Official 7-Day Camino From Lugo to Santiago de Compostela

September 2021 With spiritual director Fr Chris Townsend

To book or for info contact Gail at

info@fowlertours.co.za or call 076 352-3809

www.fowlertours.co.za/camino

of time appears to create an opportunity for some men to become violent towards women.” If only a fraction of the resources mounted against Covid-19 were dedicated to uprooting violence against women, the change in the attitude of both men and women would be remarkable, Archbishop Tlhagale said. Even during the lockdown, there have been instances of break-ins and looting, he noted, but what has been most unusual is the vandalising and setting alight of more than 200 schools across the country. “In some cases equipment has been stolen. In other cases, the schools were set alight without any break-ins. Wanton destruction of property appears to be the South African way of expressing deepseated grievances and of rebelling against society,” the archbishop said. “Covid-19 and its ‘stay at home’ restriction offer an ‘excuse’ and an opportunity to commit crime. But the burning of schools is done by young men who appear frustrated,

angry and alienated,” he said. Some health workers have lost their lives after being infected by the patients they served in hospitals and this no doubt has had a devastating effect on their families, said the archbishop. “Many knew of the danger but continued to help others to recover from their illness. Doctors and nurses take care of the sick because it is their job. True. But there is something more. In carrying out their duties, they also make the infirmity of others their own. Theirs is a beautiful act of self-giving,” he said. When religious gatherings are allowed, which is expected to be at Level 1, “Christian believers will link the victims of Covid-19 and their families with the painful crucifixion of Jesus Christ”, Archbishop Tlhagale said. “We will celebrate our liturgies in solidarity with the dead, not in their anonymity, but as deceased persons whose hope is brought to fruition in the Resurrection of Christ the Redeemer of humankind.”

SA bishops laud dedication of nation’s nurses in Covid-19 fight STAFF REPORTER

HE bishops of Southern Africa have hailed the work of nurses, especially during the Covid-19 crisis. The nurses at the “frontline” of the response against the virus “have shown us an example of heroism and self-sacrifice”, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference said in a statement signed by Archbishop William Slattery, retired of Pretoria. With the numbers of Covid-19 infections rising daily, their work in screening and treating patients is a vocation that involves dedication to the common good, the bishops said. “Besides providing treatment to those infected, nurses have provided much-needed support to the dying and those who have lost loved ones because of the disease,” they noted. “Our nurses are more than nurses. As President Cyril Ramaphosa said so well:

they are community-builders, mentors, counsellors, and educators who provide psychosocial support beyond the medical domain. “Without our nurses, particularly those in underserved parts of the country, South Africa’s fight against Covid-19 would be lost,” the bishops said. They called on the government and others to ensure nurses and other frontline health workers, especially those in marginalised and remote communities, “have adequate access to the means to protect themselves against the disease— today, tomorrow and in the days after”. Many hundreds of healthcare workers across South Africa have tested positive for Covid-19, and several have died, including nurses. “We mourn these unsung heroes whilst keeping them, their families and their colleagues at the frontline, in our prayers,” the bishops said.

Author explains Catholic terms STAFF REPORTER

ATHOLIC terminology can be difficult to understand even for cradle Catholics, so an Eastern Cape author and publisher has produced a glossary of 200 Catholic words and phrases. In his new book Do You Speak Catholic? Frank Nunan defines words such as “aspergillum” or “mozetta”, in alphabetical order, in one illustrated resource. Mr Nunan is the founder of SA Catholic Online Books. Do You Speak Catholic? has an imprimatur and nihil obstat from Bishop Vincent Zungu of Port Elizabeth, who also wrote the foreword. The idea for the book has its roots in New Zealand, where Mr Nunan heard two presentations, titled “Sacred Spaces” and “Sacred Vessels and Vestments”, by Fr Lio Pator of St Mary’s in Northcote, Auckland. In these presentations Fr Pater “named and explained the various parts of the church and the vestments and vessels used in the liturgy”, Mr Nunan said. “He graciously gave me these presentations and I later presented them, adapted, to our congregation [in St Francis Bay], where they were very well received,” the author explained. “One day I came across a small pamphlet on the Internet with pictures and definitions of

some words used in the liturgy, aimed at children. Remembering the presentations, I thought that it could make a great little book,” Mr Nunan said. “The project grew and grew from an initial 40-odd words to the nearly 200 now in the book. I would wake up at 3am, with new words running around my head.” Bishop Zungu was pleased with the result. In the foreword, he wrote that he thinks the book will help deepen readers’ Catholic identity, giving them “a sense of appreciation of our heritage” and enhance their participation in the Eucharist. “This book is a valuable re-

source for candidates who are preparing to be received into the Church, for catechumens, sponsors and catechists who are involved in RCIA, for altar servers, lay ministers—sacristans, proclaimers and Communion-givers who assist us to worship in truth and in spirit, and for those who are in the initial stages of formation and training: postulants, novices and young seminarians.” Do You Speak Catholic? is dedicated to the late Fr Paul Fahy, who served the Eastern Cape community for 50 years. More than 160 full-colour illustrations accompany the 200 Catholic words and phrases. By arrangement with Fr Joe Falkiner OP, all purchasers of the book will also receive a free eBook version of his book An Introduction to the Sunday Readings for Year A. The book is available at R175 (plus p&p) from SA Catholic Online Books at www.sacatholic online.org/index.php/speakcatholic, and 40% of the profits from the book will go to three causes: the Eastern Cape Sick Priests’ Fund, the Covid-19 outreach projects in Mr Nunan’s parish, and Radio Veritas. Parishes, schools, and other organisations or institutions receive a 10% discount on orders of ten or more copies. Bulk orders will also be delivered free of charge within South Africa.

The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

LOCAL

Nazareth Care loses three to DHC to host online concert Covid-19 despite protocols T BY ERIN CARELSE

HE retirement home for priests and nuns at Nazareth House in Cape Town was affected by an outbreak of Covid-19 at two Nazareth Care facilities in the city. Even with good protocols and proactive measures by management during lockdown, two residents in Nazareth Care’s dementia care facility, The Villa, passed away, and one at The Main House, for the elderly. The first resident had been terminally ill, and as a precaution was tested for Covid-19. The test results came back positive, said Wayne Devy, Nazareth Care Africa’s CEO. “On hearing this unfortunate news, management immediately stepped into action by restricting the movement of all residents and staff within the facility, to enable a full deep-clean and sanitisation. The following day, a professional decontamination company sanitised the entire facility,” he said. A full investigation was carried out by management to ascertain which members of staff had been in contact with the deceased resident. All staff members who were in con-

tact with the deceased resident were immediately tested for Covid-19 and placed into quarantine. To isolate the spread of the virus, management further tested the remaining 23 residents. “The test results confirmed that four of the residents, including the deceased resident, had tested positive for Covid-19. The remaining three residents who tested positive have been placed in an isolation wing at the facility. One of these residents has subsequently passed on,” Mr Devy explained. The Villa has 76 staff who attend to residents, 47 of whom have been tested. Of those, 13 tested positive and were immediately placed in quarantine outside the facility. On May 5, at The Main House, a resident who was also terminally ill passed away. The post-mortem tested her positive for Covid-19. Mr Devy explained that the resident had shown no virus symptoms. “As this is a different unit, isolated from The Villa, the origin and/or transfer of the virus within this facility is of major concern. The same procedure regarding decontamination and isolation, as previ-

ously followed by management in The Villa, was implemented immediately within this,” he said. Mr Devy said that limitations to testing capacity are a challenge for Nazareth Care. The limited “availability of swabs for testing and the delay in receiving the results are detrimental to the speed of responding to the outbreak and the investigation itself. This has been most frustrating and has raised the level of anxiety and fear for all staff and residents’ families alike,” he said. Nazareth Care will be working with the Department of Social Development to deploy and provide counselling and psychosocial support for staff and family members. “We are doing everything in our power to keep our residents and our staff safe. We understand that such news is most concerning for family members of all residents, and we again confirm our commitment to transparency,” Mr Devy said. “We send our heartfelt condolences to the deceased residents’ families. We will continue to serve and care for our residents, as we remain stronger together.”

St Mary’s cathedral stolen items found Continued from page 1 that nothing had materialised since some of the stolen items had been returned,” Fr Smuts said. “I had as yet not completed the insurance claim form as I did not want to claim for anything that may have been found. Within a minute I got a response that my message had been forwarded to the commanding officer and that I should have a response to my query,” he said. Eventually the two priests were able to access the evidence room. “We were presented with two silver candelabra, that were situated next to the tabernacle, and four cardboard boxes of various metals,” Fr Smuts said. “Upon inspection, we discovered a further two silver candelabra in pieces, as well as four gold-plated candelabra, also in pieces,” he said. Also recovered were a ciborium

Priests at St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town, which was burgled and vandalised, were delighted to recover a significant number of the stolen objects, including several from the tabernacle chapel. that was in the tabernacle, a chalice and paten set, a paten dish, and the large sanctuary lamp. All these items, including the tabernacle that was broken into various pieces, will need to be fixed and restored by various artisans. The stolen microphones, and the pyx and lunette in the tabernacle, have not been recovered.

Winter Living Theology lecture series postponed STAFF REPORTER

HE Winter Living Theology (WLT) 2020 series of lectures has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as have the planned visits by two US-based academics. Fr Carlos Alvarez Mendoza OP was scheduled to deliver the WLT lectures on “Suffering, resistance and hope in an era of violence”. He currently can no longer travel to South Africa, Eswatini and Botswana. “However, Fr Alvarez has communicated his willingness to come in 2021 should the prevailing conditions change and travel be allowed,” said Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, director of the Jesuit Institute, which organises the annual WLT. “By cancelling WLT, we, in turn, will have to cancel bookings made around the country, which will result in loss for some of our Churchrun institutions,” Fr Pollitt said. “This is a sad and harsh reality for us all, as we know that many of our institutions are fighting for survival.” The Jesuit Institute also had to postpone the visits of Fr Bryan Massingale in July and Prof Massimo Faggioli in early August, in light of the predictions made by

the South African government about the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. Both scheduled speakers have also been banned from travel by their institutions of employment, Fr Pollitt said. Prof Faggioli has already expressed his willingness to come when conditions allow. “This is a time of challenge and has stretched us to think and work in different ways,” Fr Pollitt said. “We will continue to endeavour to do what we can to offer resources to the Church in South Africa and engage in ways that we can change to meet the needs in our difficult context. “The future is unpredictable and so we cannot make any plans now. We will, however, communicate any new endeavours as soon as things stabilise and become possible again,” he added. “We know that this is a very difficult time for all God’s people who cannot gather for worship, for priests, parishes, bishops and dioceses,” Fr Pollitt said. “As we find other ways of living and worshipping together in our diaspora, please be assured of our prayerful support.”

Frs Smuts and Benigni expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the countless individuals who reached out to them, offering their prayers and financial support. “When news of the recovery of the stolen items was making the rounds, someone aptly said: ‘This is what happens when you have a praying community,’” Fr Smuts said.

HE Piano Passion Project is organising a thanksgiving concert inspired by jazz musician Darius Brubeck in aid of the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban on May 27. The online concert will feature 18 pianists from South Africa, and others from Britain, the United States and the Netherlands. Links to the concert will be sent out at 18:00 that day. Tickets are R80 each and available on Webtickets (www.webtickets. co.za), with the option for patrons to donate more. The event forms part of the weekly UKZN Centre for Jazz and Popular Music and iSupport Creative Business’ Music Unlocked Sessions. Many Piano Passion Project performers have previously worked with the Denis Hurley Centre and want to give back to the organisation in its time of financial need. Darius Brubeck, son of jazz legend Dave Brubeck, taught music at the University of Natal from 1983 to 2006. He recently survived a Covid-19 infection in London, with doctors giving him a 50/50 chance of survival. The concert will be two hours

Pianist Neil Gonsalves will be among those performing at an online thanksgiving concert. long, with pianists presenting a set of around five minutes each. n For further information contact to Thulile Zama at zamaat1@ukzn.ac.za

Bishops urge patience STAFF REPORTER

HE bishops of Southern Africa have acknowledged that people are feeling stressed by the lockdown but have urged them to be patient. “We are concerned in a particular way for our many brothers and sisters who are experiencing stress at this time of lockdown. To defeat the pandemic and protect our neighbours we are physically cut off from consolation, companionship and joy,” the bishops said in a message signed by Archbishop William Slattery, retired of Pretoria. “We all go through times of distress in life: funerals, divorce, poor relationships, poverty, insecurity, financial breakdown, poor housing and hopelessness,” the bishops noted. Normally we deal with these by calling on family and friends, engaging in distractions such as shopping, praying in churches, receiving the Eucharist and so on. “Isolated we feel our humanity is diminished. Deprived of social con-

nections, we find [ourselves] feeling helpless and incapacitated,” the bishops said. “One may feel of ‘no use’.” But, the bishops said, we are “valuable in the very sight of God, our Father, valuable for ourselves. He has no one else unique like each one of us.” They noted that “the agony of waiting” weighs heavily upon us. Our modern lifestyle does not appreciate waiting, but there are signs that waiting and hoping produce great fruits, the bishops said. “The children of Abraham waited 40 years in the desert to enter the Promised Land. Jesus lived hidden from the world as a carpenter in Nazareth for 30 years. Mary Magdalene waited outside the tomb, and the disciples in the upper room. What came from this waiting in the time of God was the transformation of life,” the bishops said. They added: “The parishes are lonely for you, you are missed. We will meet again; he is risen, he is beside us.”

The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

INTERNATIONAL

No evidence St John Paul covered up abuse BY CAROL GLATZ

HE postulator and the commission involved in investigating the life of St John Paul II for sainthood found no evidence that the pope knowingly neglected or covered up abuse scandals, the postulator said. Mgr Slawomir Oder, the promoter of the cause, told reporters in Rome during an online meeting that he and investigators saw nothing “that could possibly be claimed as being a shadow of guilt in regard to John Paul II”. However, Mgr Oder also explained that the investigators did not have direct access to the relevant Vatican archives but had to send the topics they wanted to explore and questions to the Secretariat of State. The Polish monsignor had been asked whether it would have been better to have been more careful or to have waited longer before beginning the pope’s sainthood cause, given what has come to light concerning past abuses by the late Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, and formerCardinal Theodore McCarrick. Mgr Oder told the reporter that

Pope John Paul II is seen at the Vatican in 2011. The postulator for the sainthood cause of Pope John Paul II said he and the commission found no evidence the pope knowingly neglected or covered up abuse scandals. (Photo: Max Rossi, Reuters/CNS) during the sainthood process “all questions were faced, even the ones you are talking about” related to abuse. “Extensive research was carried

out in the Vatican archives,” he said, speaking in Italian. The historical commission, which is part of the tribunal that hears from witnesses and examines documents and facts about a sainthood candidate’s life, is in charge of investigating different subjects and accessing archives directly, Mgr Oder said. However, the Vatican archives they needed to access were—and still are—closed, he noted. Materials related to each pontificate are restricted, with access usually granted only 75 years after the end of the pontificate. It was possible, instead, “to draw up questions pertinent to the subject” of abuse and then the “research of the documents was carried out by people authorised by the Secretariat of State, experts”, Mgr Oder said. Those heading the Secretariat of State during the diocesan phase of investigation, which began in 2005 and ended in 2007, were Cardinal Angelo Sodano, followed by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. A panel of reviewers at the Congregation for Saints’ Causes voted unanimously in 2009 that Pope John Paul had lived a life of heroic Christian virtue.— CNS

Tough times but Vatican not going bankrupt

LTHOUGH the Vatican is facing difficult years ahead due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, its budget is not facing a massive default, said the prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy. Jesuit Father Juan Antonio Guerrero, the prefect, denied reports claiming that an internal analysis given to Pope Francis places the Vatican’s annual deficit at risk of growing 175%. “The Vatican is not in danger of default,” Fr Guerrero said. “That

doesn’t mean that we are not naming the crisis for what it is. We’re certainly facing difficult years” ahead. The Italian newspaper Il Messaggero published what it claimed was an internal analysis given to the pope during a recent meeting with the heads of the Roman curia. The documents highlighted scenarios from best- to worst-case should revenues continue to decline drastically. The article also stated that Pope Francis advised curial heads to be frugal, freeze the hiring of new employees, eliminate superfluous costs and

not make new trips or organise new conferences. When asked about the pope’s meeting, Fr Guerrero said the Vatican is determined “to find a way to ensure our mission” and determine “what is and what is not essential”. However, “our economy cannot be completely measured merely in terms of deficit or cost”. “We are not a business, we are not a company,” he explained. “Our objective is not to make a profit. Our bottom line is in view of mission.”— CNS

Vatican workers in protective gear sanitise various surfaces inside St Peter’s basilica at the Vatican ahead of the resumption of Masses during the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo: Vatican Media/CNS)

Vatican workers sanitise St Peter’s basilica BY CAROL GLATZ

N preparation for the May 18 resumption of public liturgies in Italy and a morning Mass with Pope Francis at the tomb of St John Paul II, Vatican workers cleaned and sanitised the inside of St Peter’s basilica. Vatican workers will also sanitise the other major basilicas in Rome: St John Lateran, St Mary Major and St Paul Outside the Walls, according to a communique from the Vatican press office. Andrea Arcangeli, vice-director of the sanitation department for Vatican City State, said that they were using detergent on the floors and a bleach-based solution sprayed onto surfaces. Evidence suggests Covid-19 may survive for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials, but that it can be easily destroyed by chemical disinfectants. Mr Arcangeli said they will be able to reduce the viral and bacterial load on the surfaces, but it will

never reach “zero”, which would require the kind of sterilisation practised in operating rooms. St Peter’s basilica has been closed to tourists and visitors since March 10. The Vatican has held a number of private, livestreamed services from the basilica in the presence of a reduced number of faithful and a pool of photographers. Pope Francis offered his morning Mass on May 18 at the tomb of St John Paul II in the basilica in memory of the 100th anniversary of his birth. The Vatican has not given a date for when the basilica will be opened again to the public. The process of sanitising all of Rome’s parish churches began on May 13. Following a request from the vicariate of Rome, the city of Rome called on the Italian army and the city sanitation department to sanitise all of Rome’s parish churches in preparation for the resumption of public liturgies.—CNS

Radio host influences priest’s climate change actions in Nigerian parish BY VALENTINE IWENWANNE

ST ANTHONYS CHILD and YOUTH CARE CENTRE Keeping Children safe within families

HEN Fr Innocent Mba was transferred to Holy Cross church in Eha-Amufu several years ago, the parish premises was in a state of abandon. Rubbish covered the grounds, and parishioners cut trees and burned bushes. Fr Mba started teaching his parishioners about conservation, having learned about climate change on Ekene Odigwe’s “Climate Time” radio programme, which focuses on raising awareness to reduce the societal impacts of climate change in Nigeria. “When I heard Ekene talk about climate change over the radio, it attracted me because it’s a programme that resonates with my interest in tree planting and conservation of farmlands, and also discourages bush burning,” Fr Mba said. Mr Odigwe is a young Catholic and a popular radio presenter on Radio Nigeria, Nigeria’s first national public radio station that reaches up to 3 million listeners across 11 states. He’s also one of Nigeria’s leading

Ekene Odigwe in Radio Nigeria’s studio in Enugu, where he broadcasts his “Climate Time” radio programme, which focuses on reducing the societal impacts of climate change in Nigeria. (Photo: Valentine Iwenwanne/CNS) young climate champions. Every Monday, for 30 minutes, Mr Odigwe discusses the climate, weather and how people can take care of their environment. Some of the programmes also focus on how materials like plastic can be properly managed. Mr Odigwe said he did not even know

Advocates seek debt relief for poor nations

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that Fr Mba had started projects based on the programme until their conversation went off air. “Sometimes he sends in a text message at the end of the programme requesting clarification on the topic discussed on air,” Mr Odigwe said. Fr Mba is not just listening to Mr Ekene’s programme for leisure. Behind his parish hall, he has converted about 97m2 of land into a rice farm. He said the value of the rice harvested could reach up to (R185 000). “The rice farm creates labour and brings in money for the development of the parish structures. The proceeds are also invested in our school,” Fr Mba said. “But beyond these, [it] also serves as a tool for evangelisation, as it draws more parishioners to God,” he said. “When I came in 2017, we used to have only eight people who attended morning Mass, but the participation has risen up to about 80, while we also have an exponential increase of 150 communicants to about 400 during Sunday Mass.”—CNS

DVOCATES for debt relief for the world’s poorest countries are calling on international policymakers to cancel debt payments and expand debt relief for developing nations to bolster healthcare and protect vulnerable people and workers during the coronavirus pandemic. The request from more than 100 organisations, including more than two dozen Catholic religious congregations, came in a letter to the International Monetary Fund, representatives of 20 industrial and emerging economies, or G-20 nations, and US President Donald Trump. It comes at the opening of the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization.

Family members carry the coffin of a 51year-old Covid-19 victim at a cemetery in Cape Town. Advocates are calling for the cancellation of debt payments for poorer nations. (Photo: Sumaya Hisham/CNS) The global pandemic response will be the major item of business during the meeting,

which was rescheduled to take place online. Eric LeCompte, executive director Jubilee USA, an alliance of faith-based development and advocacy groups that drafted the letter, said that action on cancelling the debt would allow poor countries to devote more resources to respond to the pandemic. The G-20 nations agreed to suspend debt payments owed to them by 76 of the world’s poorest countries. The agreement covers payments through 2020. Debt cancellation and the suspension of payments was one of four policies the advocates said were necessary to prevent a serious financial crisis from engulfing the world economy, Mr LeCompte said.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

Pope Benedict: John Paul’s life of mercy, not rigidity

BY JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

HE continuity between Popes John Paul II and Pope Francis is rooted in the message of God’s divine mercy for all men and women, retired Pope Benedict XVI said in a letter commemorating his predecessor’s birth. Throughout his life, Pope John Paul sought to spread the message that “God’s mercy is intended for every individual”, Pope Benedict said in a letter to Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the former archbishop of Krakow and longtime secretary to Pope John Paul II. “John Paul II is not the moral rigorist” some people have portrayed him as being, the retired pope wrote. Instead, “with the centrality of divine mercy, he gives us the opportunity to accept the moral requirement for man, even if we can never fully meet it”. The retired pope’s letter, including with an English translation, was released by the Polish bishops’ conference to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pope John Paul on May 18. Written in German, Pope Benedict’s letter recalled his predecessor’s humble beginnings and youth, the death of his mother, brother and father, and the difficulties Poland lived through after World War I and, especially, during World War II. The young Karol Wojtyla, the retired pope said, “not only studied theology in books but also through his experience of the difficult situa-

Pope Francis, St John Paul II and retired Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict wrote a letter commemorating his predecessor on the centenary of St John Paul II's birth. (Photo: Paul Haring/Joe Rimkus/CNS) tion that he and his country found themselves in. This is somewhat characteristic of his whole life and work.” After his election as pope in 1978, Pope Benedict continued, St John Paul found himself leading a Church that was “in a dramatic situation” in which the deliberations of the Second Vatican Council spilled over “to the public as a dispute over the faith itself”. Furthermore, Pope Benedict said that the dispute led to a “feeling that nothing was any longer certain”, particularly in the implementation of liturgical reforms, which made it seem “that the liturgy could be created of itself”. “At that time, sociologists compared the Church’s situation to the situation of the Soviet Union under

the rule of Gorbachev, during which the powerful structure of the Soviet state collapsed under the process of its reform,” he recalled. Nevertheless, from the start of his papacy, St John Paul “aroused new enthusiasm for Christ and his Church”, especially in his words to Catholics during his inaugural Mass: “Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors for Christ!” “This call and tone would characterise his entire pontificate and made him a liberating restorer of the Church,” Pope Benedict wrote. “This was conditioned by the fact that the new pope came from a country where the council’s reception had been positive: one of a joyful renewal of everything rather than an attitude of doubt and uncertainty in all.”— CNS

Laudato Si’ anniversary year begins

BY JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

HE Vatican announced that it will commemorate the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment with a year-long series of initiatives dedicated to the safeguarding of and care for the Earth. In a statement released by the Vatican, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced a “Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year” from May 24, 2020, to May 24, 2021, which will emphasise “ecological conversion in action”. As the world continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the dicastery said, the encyclical’s message is “just as prophetic today as it was in 2015”. “Truly, Covid-19 has made clear how deeply we are all interconnected and interdependent. As we begin to envision a post-Covid world, we need above all an integral approach as everything is closely in-

terrelated and today’s problems call for a vision capable of taking into account every aspect of the global crisis,” the statement said. Among the events set to take place throughout the year are prayer services and webinars dedicated to environmental care, education and the economy. The dicastery also detailed the rollout of a “seven-year journey towards integral ecology” for families, dioceses, schools, universities, hospitals, businesses, farms and religious orders. The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said that amid the current pandemic, “Laudato Si’ can indeed provide the moral and spiritual compass for the journey to create a more caring, fraternal, peaceful and sustainable world”. “We have, in fact, a unique opportunity to transform the present groaning and travail into the birth pangs of a new way of living together, bonded together in love,

compassion and solidarity and a more harmonious relationship with the natural world, our common home,” the dicastery’s statement said. “As Pope Francis reminds us,” it said, “all of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.” Recalling the fifth anniversary of his encyclical after reciting the Regina Coeli prayer, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the message of “Laudato Si’ will encourage people to take upon themselves the shared responsibility of caring for the Earth”. “In these times of pandemic, in which we are more aware of the importance of caring for our common home, I hope that all our common reflection and commitment will help to create and strengthen constructive behaviours for the care of creation,” the pope said.— CNS

A child stands next to Covid-19 graffiti in Nairobi, Kenya. Young Catholic Africans have called for governments to consider the environment when planning Covid-19 recovery. (Photo: Thomas Mukoya, Reuters/CNS)

Keep environment focus during virus recovery BY FREDRICK NZWILI

HE head of an African network for young Catholics warned against prioritising economic interests over social and environmental concerns as nations work to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Allen Ottaro, executive director of Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa, spoke to CNS during Laudato Si’ Week, from May 16-24 to mark the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on “Care of our common home”. “As countries look to the post Covid-19 recovery phase and restarting economies, there is a huge risk that economic considerations will be placed ahead of environmental considerations and ultimately, this could lead to much higher levels of pollution and carbon emissions than before the pandemic,” Mr Ottaro said. “However, there is also an opportunity to take a different trajectory and ensure our economies in a green way, an eco-friendly way.” Mr Ottaro said the pandemic has not stopped the global climate crisis, and its effects were making it diffi-

cult to respond to the disease. He said the current pandemic had underlined how the health of people and that of the planet are interconnected. “It is a grim reminder of the everincreasing risks that arise from the destruction of biodiversity, making contact between humans and wildlife more frequent and therefore increasing the chances of diseases moving from wildlife to humans,” he said. Mr Ottaro suggested implementing regular car-free days in major cities and creating better infrastructure for non-motorised transport like cycling and walking to further help reduce carbon emissions. He also highlighted strengthening local production and manufacturing as key to reducing emissions related to large-scale industrial complexes and transportation. He said people growing their own food would help build resilience against supply shocks resulting from restricted movement. “The world has an opportunity to shape the future as we emerge from this crisis, and everyone can contribute to shaping it,” said Mr Ottaro.—CNS

Australia entrusted to Mary

ATHOLIC bishops in Australia will entrust the country to the care of Mary, Help of Christians, on her feast day, May 24. Mary, Help of Christians has been the official patroness of Australia since 1844. This year, her feast coincides with the feast of the Ascension, so the bishops agreed the entrustment also could take place on May 25. On March 11, Pope Francis entrusted the world and Italy to Mary during the pandemic. On Easter, April 12, bishops of Latin America

and the Caribbean entrusted their nations to Our Lady of Guadalupe. On May 1, bishops in the US and Canada reconsecrated their nations to Mary. Other countries throughout the world have done the same. In a message issued as “A word of encouragement to the Catholic people of Australia”, the bishops urged the faithful to continue to adhere to government and medical advice and said Catholic leaders were working with authorities on when and how to reopen churches.—CNS

Priest: Zoom is a way to comfort suffering BY LISE ALVES

HEN a family friend died in Spain, which was on lockdown because of Covid-19, Spanish priest Father Luis Miguel Modino celebrated the wake and connected family members using Zoom. But Fr Modino lives in Manaus, Brazil. He said that 20 people, quarantined in six different locations throughout Gijon, Spain, connected to the Mass. “The woman who died was a friend of the family, so I offered relatives the possibility of saying their goodbyes now, instead of waiting for weeks until the restrictions are lifted,” Fr Modino said. “It was a celebration in which everyone had the opportunity to pray; where there was the possibility to see, to participate, to thank God for the life of someone who left and together pray to the God of mercy to receive her

The video conferencing app Zoom allowed family locked down in different places to participate in a wake. by his side,” he added. Fr Modino said he sees videoconferencing as a new opportunity to render comfort, which “should always be one of the fundamental missions of all ordained ministers”. “It is a temporary solution for these trying times,” he said, noting that the deceased woman’s daughter and son thanked him. “I think sharing their memo-

ries brought them comfort,” he added. The priest said he sees this type of “goodbye” as a real possibility for the Amazon region, since, according to the latest worldwide reports, the pandemic is likely to last a while. “Not being able to say goodbye to a loved one holds the same sentiment as if someone had disappeared in a river and the body had not been recovered. There are no goodbyes,” Fr Modino said, trying to explain the feeling of people quarantined. “I think a video wake could bring comfort at this very distressing time,” he said, adding that he has discussed the possibility with a few other priests in the archdiocese. “The forms are secondary, but we must not forget that everything that helps to comfort suffering, whether in the body or in the soul, is of God.”—CNS

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The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

The

LEADER PAGE

S outher n C ross Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Reopening churches

ATHOLICS are longing to be united again in the Mass and to receive the Eucharist. And so the voices for churches to be reopened will grow louder as the stages of lockdown decrease. Indeed, the reopening of churches would be of great benefit to this newspaper and its staff, all of whom are making great sacrifices to keep our national Catholic weekly afloat, since the return of public Masses would also restore our points of sales. Prudence and charity, however, mitigate against the reopening of churches for Mass just yet. Firstly, all public gatherings that bring together random groups of people represent a public health risk. While there will come a point when we will have to live with that risk, we have not reached it yet. Secondly, as Archbishop William Slattery points out in our frontpage article this week, charity demands that we have a personal obligation to protect other people from the risk of infection. This applies especially to the elderly, who make up a big part of our congregations but are also the category most at risk from Covid-19 infection and its worst consequences. Nobody who advocates caution in the reopening of churches is happy to do so. This is counsel borne with a heavy heart. And even when our churches are eventually allowed to reopen, the Mass will be subject to restrictions. And these will require planning. The government will doubtless impose limits on the number of worshippers, reducing the permitted capacity of churches to a fraction of what they can hold. For parishes that have several priests to celebrate multiple Masses a day, as well as the human and material resources to disinfect churches after every Mass, this may be no more than a major challenge. But in parishes served by a single priest, and perhaps less resourced to repeatedly disinfect churches, there will be a limit to the number of Masses that can be offered. Even if such parishes include Communion services, the demand for places at Mass may outstrip the supply. Before the reopening of churches can even be considered,

systems of providing the faithful with fair admission to Mass need to be worked out. Such systems would have to take into account that not everybody has access to digital means of communication. The logistics have to be planned before the government greenlights the return to worship. Even then, the manner in which we celebrate Mass will not be the same as it was before the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, it is nothing new that the Church takes extraordinary measures during this time of pandemic, as our article on page 11 illustrates. So we will have to adapt. Some of the likely regulations were already in place during the short period of restrictions before lockdown. Holy water fonts will remain dry, the Sign of Peace will exclude the shaking of hands (or may be omitted altogether), Communion on the tongue or from the chalice will not be possible. The not universally loved practice of holding hands during the Lord’s Prayer will also be ruled out. Radical directives might even exclude congregational singing because of the risk of errant fluids being spread through ill-fitting facemasks. Priests might also be instructed to wear facemasks, along with the congregation. This would raise the question of how the mandatory wearing of facemasks will be handled during the priest’s consecration of the Eucharist and the congregation’s reception of Communion. These logistics, too, must be in place before churches can reopen. And they will need to be clearly and openly communicated to the faithful, many of whom will raise their objections. The bishops will need to take care that in their communication they do better than some members of government who issued arbitrary directives without explaining why they thought these were necessary (if, indeed, they were necessary at all). The faithful, especially those of more critical mind, will have to invest trust in the directives issued. Whatever they are, these restrictions will not be a sign of deficient faith, nor of ideological design. They will be the result of people dealing with a situation none of us have dealt with before and nobody can predict.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Let us show our gratitude to God and our fellows O not many of us fall short in cleansed? Where are the other I think too of the lovely refrain to D expressing gratitude to Our nine? Has no one returned to give the hymn “For the Beauty of the Lord and our fellow men for our praise to God except this for- Earth”: “Christ our God, to thee we many blessings? Jesus experienced this, when after healing ten lepers, only one returned to give him thanks—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked: “Were not all ten

Laity is indeed represented

AY I ask that we focus on the topic under debate, not on the people engaging therein. In that regard it was wrong of me in my letter of April 29 to point out that there were no black names among the leadership of We Are All Church SA. The point I was making was that before demands are made to be heard by those at the top, it should be demonstrated that all members of the Church are being equally engaged with. The reference to apartheid was simply to point out this lacuna! Secondly, there exist, I believe, in every diocese, structures of consultation which enable parishioners to participate in the life and ministry of the Church. Those structures are designed to be representative of all members of the diocese, and they meet regularly at various levels leading up to the Diocesan Pastoral Council, which here in Durban meets twice a year. So there is in effect regular consultation between the laity, the religious, the clergy, and the bishop and his consultors. Let that be the context against which we engage in the matter in hand. First, where WAACSA comes from. The “Founding Principles” of the International Movement We Are Church (IMWAC), the mother body to which WAACSA was affiliated, are stated in the invitation letter, which, I believe, was issued before the launch of WAACSA. “To join IMWAC, we must be willing to accept the five points of their ‘Manifesto of the People of God’, namely: • The building of a Church of brothers and sisters that recognises the equality of all the baptised, including the inclusion of the People of God in the election of bishops in their local churches; • Equal rights for men and women, including the admission of women to all Church ministries; • Free choice of either a celibate or married life for all those who dedicate themselves to the service

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eigner?” (Luke 17:16-19). What better words than those of the great psalmists, particularly David, as in: “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (Psalm 103). Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately. Letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

of the Church; • A positive attitude toward sexuality, and a recognition of personal conscience in decision-making; • A message of joy and not condemnation, including dialogue, freedom of speech and thought. No anathemas and no exclusion as a means of solving problems, especially as this applies to theologians.” The current objectives of WAACSA as per its mission statement are (I quote): • To promote open dialogue about contemporary theological and pastoral issues and concerns, especially those that arise from lay perspectives; • To support primacy of conscience and the need for questioning and dialogue; • To promote a culture within our Church communities which will enable women and men equally to play a more active part and take up appropriate leadership roles in the Church’s mission; • To promote a more inclusive Church and help Church communities to become “a place for all”, where people who feel marginalised for whatever reason might be welcomed and loved; • To study the Gospel message to discern how to live it in our own times and contexts; • To continually deepen our own personal encounters with Jesus Christ, in community with others. A careful reading of the above suggests that some principles remain much the same in substance. The language has perhaps been toned down. For example, “equal rights for men and women, including admission to all Church ministries” has been toned down to “appropriate leadership roles”. Further, the demand for the

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raise this our sacrifice of praise.” Finally, a special thanks to the Southern Cross editor and staff for keeping our paper going and worthwhile reading. Peter Onesta, Johannesburg

laity to have a say in the election of bishops has been omitted. A most notable change is the inclusion of the name of Jesus Christ and the mention of the Gospel. But there’s still nothing about the magisterium, Church teaching or tradition as necessary guiding principles in the formulation of dogma and praxis. I believe most bishops keep fairly close to the people they serve through the existing structures, and so far we are not hearing calls for the kinds of things that we are accused of not listening to. The structures of consultation are certainly in place—from the Parish Pastoral Council to the Deanery Pastoral Council to the Diocesan Pastoral Council, not to mention others like finance boards or committees, or building committees, on which laity have a place. Having stated the above, I hereby respectfully give notice that I will be withdrawing from this discussion as long as participants are not protected from personal attack. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, Durban

Take heart on synodal Church

HANK you, Mervyn Pollitt, for your effort to let We Are All Church SA have more of a voice in KwaZulu-Natal (March 25). Take heart for, as The Southern Cross reported on March 18, the next synod of bishops, announced for October 2022, will be on the synodal Church. In that report, Cindy Wooden of the Catholic News Service elaborated on what this means, and WAACSA has been calling for just that, synodality, for a long time already. I know several people who have attended Mr Pollitt’s meetings in the past, and I know about WAACSA unfortunately being “squashed” in the Durban archdiocese. As a joke I like to add: the CEO of a medical scheme promised me, in a dream, to provide the participants from KwaZulu-Natal in the 2022 synod with free hearing aids. Marie-Chantal Peeters, Pietermaritzburg

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The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

PERSPECTIVES Mphuthumi Towards an income for all Ntabeni I HEAR everyone say, with much hope, that the Covid-19 virus will change how the world operates. When I hear that, I keep quiet because I don’t want to seem pessimistic. But I believe that the selfish hegemony of capitalism in our economic affairs will make it very difficult to make any real structural changes, as it always has. I doubt much will change, even though, with 18th-century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, I do believe that we’re innately good by nature. To paraphrase Thomas Hobbes, for many people, life in capitalist nature is nasty, brutal and short. I find that baffling, since our adopted Anglo-American financial systems are purportedly driven by the theological (Protestant) work values and ethics. But this is not the place nor time to argue that. Suffice to say, from where we are now that we would serve the demand of “not letting a crisis go to waste” best if history looks back at our coronavirus era as a watershed moment that ushered in and made standard the Universal Basic Income (UBI), or Basic Income Grant. After all, we look back at the murderously brutal epochs of pandemics like the Black Death and cholera as times that brought us better public hygiene by making plumbing and water reticulation standard in human settlement. Of course, we still struggle to fulfil these demands for public hygiene facilities in informal areas, but we’re all agreed that they must be standard everywhere. So, the UBI proposal is to give each adult member of the society minimal means to look after their basic life needs through monthly cash, tax-funded transfers, with no strings attached. This provides them with the means to participate in the economy, which they also boost through creating demand for manufactured goods, produce and so on. Though seemingly utopian, if you look into research and history you discover that the proposal has an array of practical

benefits to recommend it, and it has had an impressive list of supporters, not least the Catholic Church. These supporters range from libertarian economists like Milton Friedman to civil rights campaigners such as Rev Martin Luther King Jr. It doesn’t take a genius to guess which side St Thomas Aquinas would be on. In his Summa Theologica, written from 1265–74, he said: “Man ought to possess external things, not as his own, but as common, so that, to wit, he is ready to communicate them to others in their need.” This is basically where the Church takes her ideology of the universal destination of things that says, yes, we hold property, but we should hold it as if it is not completely ours and dispense with it that way, too.

A move towards income grants Currently we’re noticing that even countries that are normally opposed to the idea of UBI are moving closer to it in practice. These are mostly strident proponents of free-market economics which are generally vehemently opposed to what

A man searches through a dumpster in Sidon, Lebanon. The Covid-19 pandemic is an opportunity to roll out Universal Basic Income around the world, writes Mphuthumi Ntabeni. (Photo: Ali Hashisho, Reuters/CNS)

The Public Square

they see as socialist freebies for the lazy. So it was wonderfully surprising to hear welfare-resistant countries like the United States being among the first to offer $1200 to its unemployed adults citizens. Many countries have UBI in some form or the other. These include nations as diverse as Cyprus, France, Brazil, Canada, China, Kenya, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. All range on an average of $1000 (about R19 000). The less said about South Africa’s R350 unemployment grant the better, especially when you consider that our UIF is limited and serves less than 30% of our unemployed at any given moment. Pope Francis, in his letter to popular movements in April, got to nitty-gritty of the challenges UBI is supposed to tackle. “I know that you have been excluded from the benefits of globalisation. You do not enjoy the superficial pleasures that anaesthetise so many consciences, yet you always suffer from the harm they produce,” the pope said. “The ills that afflict everyone hit you twice as hard. Many of you live from day to day, without any type of legal guarantee to protect you. Street vendors, recyclers, carnies, small farmers, construction workers, dressmakers, the different kinds of caregivers: you who are informal, working on your own or in the grassroots economy, you have no steady income to get you through this hard time—and the lockdowns are becoming unbearable. “This may be the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks you carry out. It would ensure and concretely achieve the ideal, at once so human and so Christian, of no worker without rights,” the pope said. History will record our response to the conditions the Holy Father outlined.

Be a slave to sin or a disciple for good Lionel Fynn T HE Resurrection of Christ means that I can no longer be a slave of sin. In dying Christ destroyed death— the final wages of sin. In rising he restored life. Yet the inclination to sin—concupiscence, for example—remains. The Resurrection gives me the power to fight this temptation, day after day, and through the Holy Spirit within me, I find the courage to know and pursue the good instead. Thus the choice becomes basic: be a slave to sin or a disciple of good. A disciple is one who freely chooses to follow a master. In one way or another, the master has convinced the disciple that his way of life is worth living. Should the disciple change his mind and find the way of life of the master to be faulty, he can choose to stop following him. Thereby the disciple retains his free will. A slave is someone who is forced to serve a master. He may not like the master’s way of life, yet he has no choice but to please the master, even against his own will. He does not have the freedom to leave as long as his master has need of him. Thus the slave forfeits his free will. Christ’s Resurrection not only encourages me but also gives me the power to constantly fight the inclination to sin, opening me up to the good spirit which moves within me. It gives me the grace to find the good in everything, even my current situation of lockdown. The blow to world economies and the reduction in industry which the forced

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Point of Reflection

Unusually clear water is seen in the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, during the Covid-19 lockdown because of less pollution.There is a challenge in that for us, argues Lionel Fynn. (Photo: Manuel Silvestri, Reuters/CNS) lockdown brought is disastrous. At the same time, the environmental restoration which this same lockdown brought is significant.

A benefit of lockdown In China, the drop in airborne pollutants has had a beneficial impact, with carbon dioxide emissions dropping by 13,5% in January/February. That decrease made the air become a bit cleaner and the environment more friendly for both plants and animals. A good example can be seen in the two giant pandas in Hong Kong zoo who recently successfully mated after 13 years. The damage which our environment faces is largely due to the human agency of

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economy and industry. These give rise to pollution, global warming, ozone layer depletion, acid rain, natural resources depletion, overpopulation, waste disposal, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and so on. The gradual increase of these phenomena as a result of our economy and industry can lead to a point in the future where the environment on planet Earth becomes unlivable. Al Jazeera journalist Nick Clark has warned: “We will sleepwalk into another global crisis more malevolent by far than the coronavirus.” The pause which the lockdown brings allows me to reflect on the reality that these phenomena can be reversed, that the current status quo may be working against me in the long-run, and most importantly that I have the power to change it. Thus I am challenged to face an important question: once the lockdown is over, will I continue in the economy and industry which is slowly killing the planet, or will I be brave enough to redefine myself and become part of a new and promising world order? In other words: Am I a slave of the current status quo or a disciple of a good world order?

A man applies disinfectant in a US church ahead of the resumption of public Masses. (Photo: Rick Musacchio, Tennessee Register/CNS)

Fr S’milo Mngadi

Point of Debate

What next for Church in pandemic

HE Church must have taken note of the experts’ current position on the coronavirus pandemic, as encapsulated by Prof Shabir Madhi of the Wits University’s vaccinology department:: l About two-thirds of the South African population will be infected with Covid-19, and about a third will be symptomatic. Among these, about 10% will need to be hospitalised while roughly 5% (mainly, the elderly and other immune-challenged persons) will die of the disease. l This pandemic active lifespan will be about three years. l A vaccine will be first available no sooner than in six months, and it will reach the wider community much later for “wealth is health”. l Lockdowns will not be sustainable for too long. The unemployment rate will skyrocket and health services like the immunisation of children and the constant supply of chronic medication will be heavily compromised with multiple fatal ramifications. Cabin fever and instances of suicide, domestic violence, depression, among other effects, are already having adverse societal effects. l The best way to traverse this quagmire is through best-hygiene practices: social distancing, handwashing, surface-cleaning, constant screening and PPEs. In brief, the solution lies in personal responsibility rather than enforcement and lockdown.

Consequences for the Church What does this mean for us, as the Church? Weeks ago, we prophetically “locked down” our churches following not just the government regulations but the expert advice backing it. Now that the expert advice has developed from lockdown to personal responsibility, how can we be prophetic? How can we, as a moral compass, assist this new cause to “save lives and preserve livelihoods” through inculcating the value of personal responsibility in our people? Hitherto, the Church has been “on maintenance mode” regarding Covid-19, and rightly so. But is the next step now not “Divine Renovation: From Maintenance to Mission”, our fundamental ecclesial vocation, so well expressed by Fr James Mallon? Is silent adherence to government regulations prophetic while the health experts are giving a different counsel, frightening as that counsel seems? Are we discerning new but genuine—faithful to Scripture and Tradition—ways of being Church (for example, sacraments, worship, fellowship, witness, ministry) while also strictly following the guidance of the health experts? Is the model devised by the government and Church of the hardest-hit Italy—the seat of our primal see—not a pointer of what we could consider, obviously with relevant contextual adaptations? The governments and the churches of our neighbours with whom we share the bishops’ conference—Botswana and Eswatini—have resolved to permit public worship at various dates this month, with proper restrictions as advised by the health experts. Other countries, such as Burkina Faso, Senegal and Ghana, are doing the same (Agenzia Fides, May 13). It is commendable that the South African Council of Churches (of which the SACBC is a member) is consulting and seeking counsel around these matters, as The Southern Cross reported last week. Indeed, ecumenical and interfaith effort is the way to go. Denominational and faith narcissism can only be self-destructive for “a house divided in itself cannot stand” (Mark 3:25). n Fr S’milo Mngadi is a priest of the diocese of Mariannhill.

Extra for Subscribers: The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

SHRINES

The world’s Top 50 Marian shrines GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER is counting down the world’s Top 50 Marian shrines. This week, we visit places 50-37.

47. Our Lady of Nourieh, Lebanon As we will see again in this series, Our Lady often takes care of those stricken at sea. This is also the root for the devotion at Our Lady of Nourieh (or Light) in Hamat, Lebanon. Tradition has it that in the 4th century, two sailors in peril were praying to the Blessed Virgin for help when she appeared to them in the form of a light, guiding them safely to the shore of Cape Theoprosopon in northern Lebanon. In gratitude, the sailors carved a cave into the cliff and dedicated it to the Virgin, calling it Our Lady of Light. A Greek Orthodox monastery was built there in the 17th century. An icon of the Theotokos (Mother of God) has been credited with glowing with light to guide wayward ships.

ROUND the world there are countless shrines dedicated to Our Lady. Some of them have their roots in apparitions or reports of miracles, others draw crowds of pilgrims as places especially built to foster Marian devotion, such as the shrine in the archdiocese of Johannesburg doubtless will. This series of Top 50 Marian shrines (expanded from our previous series of 40 and featuring a new #1) includes mainly the former category—apparitions and miracles—and ranks them in an approximate order of popularity and importance. To whittle down the hundreds of Marian shrines to just 50 means that worthy sites may be omitted to accommodate another worthy site. Making these choices is, by definition, a subjective exercise. As is, of course, ranking them in any order of importance and popularity, though the closer we come to the #1, the more measurable the devotion to these shrines become. It must be stressed that the apparitions mentioned in these articles are subjects of private devotion. No Catholic is required to accept any of them as authentic or have a devotion to them, even those that are approved by the Holy See as “worthy of belief”. Some of them aren’t approved, most famously Medjugorje, though a recent Vatican commission suggested that the initial apparitions could be accepted. Likewise, the apparitions of Garabandal in Spain have been explicitly rejected by the local bishop with the backing of the Vatican. While we include Medjugorje in this series as a place that enjoys some official tolerance, we exclude Garabandal and other places that have no Church acceptance. Other shrines have not been approved by the Vatican yet, but, unlike Medjugorje or Garabandal, the local bishops have permitted veneration. This is the case with Ngome in KwaZulu-Natal, where successive bishops of Eshowe have permitted and encouraged devotion to Our Lady through the visions of Sr Reinolda May. Some of the legends and reports of Marian apparitions seem implausible, and some certainly are just that: myths. Yet for others, there are no rational explanations. You, the reader, may decide what you feel is true and what isn’t. Whatever views one might have of some or all Marian shrines, even when the source of the devotion may seem implausible, all of these places are sanctified by the sincere prayers of the faithful. While most shrines featured are Catholic, a few Orthodox and Coptic sites will also be represented. A recurring theme is the Black Madonna. These are statues or icons in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is depicted with dark skin, sometimes deliberately by way of inculturating Our Lady, more often due to discolouration. There are up to 500 Black Madonnas in Europe alone! These 50 descriptions of Marian shrines offer just thumbnails of the various sites. Some shrines deserve to be investigated further. If one shrine or the other grabs your attention, why not read up on them, on the Internet or in the library? So over the next five weeks, here are the world’s Top 50 Marian shrines.

Our Lady of China in Dong Lu (Photo: Yuyencia) when 10 000 hostile soldiers attacked the Christian village of Dong Lu, in Hebei province. Just then, the Virgin Mary, dressed in white, appeared in the sky. The soldiers shot their guns at the image in the sky, but it would not disappear. Then a vision of St Michael on a flaming horse charged at the soldiers—who beat a hasty retreat, never to return. In gratitude, the local priest, Fr Wu, commissioned a painting of the Madonna and Child, dressed in the clothes of the pagan empress. That image is now known as Our Lady, Queen of China. Dong Lu’s new church became a place of pilgrimage in 1924 while the bishops of the country consecrated the Chinese people to Our Lady. The church was destroyed by Japanese bombs in 1941 and rebuilt only in 1992. The image of Our Lady, Queen of China returned to Dong Lu in 1995, with 30 000 witnessing a solar miracle. A year later the Chinese regime banned pilgrimages to Dong Lu and confiscated the image. It still hasn’t been returned. Hopefully the recent accord between China and the Vatican will facilitate the return of the image—and pilgrims—to Dong Lu.

Notre-Dame-du-Cap (Photo: Saffron Blaze/www.mackenzie.co)

46. Notre-Dame-du-Cap, Canada In the 1870s, Fr Luc Desilets of the parish of Cap-de-laMadeleine in Trois-Rivières in Canada’s Quebec region decided to replace the old church, which had been built as a field church in 1720. Trouble was that, with the St Lawrence River cutting off supply routes and bridges still scarce, it was difficult to get building materials to the site. That problem was solved when during the otherwise mild winter of 1879, an ice bridge formed over the river— just long enough to get all the materials on-site. This was the answer to the parish’s fervent prayers to Our Lady, so the ice bridge was attributed to her intervention. The new church was finished in 1888, but the older chapel—in which parishioners had prayed for her intercession—was preserved. And that chapel became a site of pilgrimage. In 1902, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate assumed guardianship of the shrine, installing a Way of the Rosary with 15 stations representing one of the traditional mysteries. The present basilica was inaugurated in 1964. The church from 1988 was demolished a year earlier to create a plaza in front of what is now Canada’s national shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Our Lady of Laus recreated at the spot of the apparition

48. Our Lady of Laus, France In 1664, the 17-year-old Benoîte Rencurel was praying the rosary while watching her sheep when she had an apparition of the 3rd-century French martyr St Maurice, warning her that covetous people were going to take her flock of sheep. So she should go to the nearby Valley of Kilns in the French Alps where she would find the Virgin Mary. And so it turned out. Over the course of four months, Mary repeatedly appeared to Benoîte, instructing her to have a chapel of Eucharistic adoration built in the local village of Laus, where the Virgin promised to appear often. And again, so it turned out to be, with Marian apparitions in the church of Laus reported until 1718. It remained a place of pilgrimage; among the later pilgrims was Eugène de Mazenod, founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The apparitions of Our Lady of Laus were finally recognised by the Vatican in 2008. Notre-Dame d’Afrique in Algiers (Photo: Kie1193/wikipedia)

50. Notre-Dame d’Afrique, Algeria Few sites in this series will feature on the mere grounds that they are dedicated to Our Lady, but Notre-Dame d’Afrique— Our Lady of Africa—seems the right place to start our journey, since it calls us to prayer for Africa, for Our Lady’s protection, and for peace between Christians and Muslims. The basilica, which overlooks the Bay of Algiers from a cliff, was inaugurated in 1872 by Archbishop (later Cardinal) Charles Lavigerie, who also founded the Society of Missionaries of Africa. Bombing in World War II blew out its 46 stained glass windows, and an earthquake in 2003 did great damage to the building, which was not repaired for several years.

45. Our Lady of Lezajsk, Poland In 1578, a pious woodcutter named Thomas Michalek saw a bright light in the forest: it was the Virgin Mary who told him that she had chosen this particular spot in the southeast of Poland for the construction of a church. Thomas was scared, and failed to heed the apparition’s request to alert the authorities to her request—with good reason, as it would turn out. So the Virgin reappeared and repeated the request. This time Thomas obeyed—and was not believed. Indeed, the local priest took legal action against him. After the death of the priest, his successor built a small chapel on the site of the apparition, which soon attracted pilgrims. In 1606 the local bishop built a larger church. The devotion was approved in 1724.

44. Kykkos Monastery, Cyprus

49. Our Lady of China, Dong Lu The history of China’s national shrine goes back to the antiforeign and anti-Christian Boxer Rebellion of 1899-1901,

Our Lady of Consolation at Lezajsk

Our Lady of Nourieh

Originally founded in the 11th century in the mountains of Cyprus, the Orthodox Kykkos Monastery has been repeatedly burnt down and rebuilt. The centrepiece here is the miraculous icon of the Panagia, as the Orthodox call Our Lady, which legend says was painted by St Luke himself—something which will be a recurring theme in this series. The icon came to Cyprus via Emperor Alexios I Komnenos,

SHRINES

Extra for Subscribers: The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

The edicule of Mary’s Tomb Kykkos Monastery in thanksgiving for the miraculous healing of his daughter by the hermit Isaiah. The emperor also funded the construction of the monastery to house the icon. The first president of the Republic of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III, served as a novice at the monastery in 1926. When he hid there during Cyprus’ civil war in 1974, opposition forces shelled the monastery, causing damage to the building.

41. Mary’s Tomb, Jerusalem In the crypt of the fifth-century church of the Assumption, opposite the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, is the tomb of the Blessed Virgin, from where she was assumed into heaven. The crypt is owned by the Greek Orthodox Church, which shares it with the Armenian, Syriac, Coptic and Ethiopian Churches—but not with the Catholic Church. Remarkably, Muslims, who revere Mary, are also represented. Mary’s tomb itself is housed in an edicule, or enclosed shrine. The pilgrim can touch the stone bench on which Mary’s body rested through holes in a wall. Many churches stood above the crypt and were destroyed, but none of the various Muslim rulers destroyed the crypt because it is the tomb of Maryam, mother of the prophet Isa. To reach the crypt, one descends the 47 broad steps of the remains of a Crusader church.

Our Lady of Piat its design. The church was dedicated on the feast of Mary’s Nativity, September 8, 547. The monastery, frequently remodelled over the centuries, was damaged by Muslim fundamentalists in the Syrian civil war. Before that, it was one of the most popular shrines in the Middle East.

38. Our Lady of Piat, Philippines Church of Our Lady of Šiluva

43. Our Lady of Šiluva, Lithuania In 1608, a group of children in Lithuania was tending sheep when suddenly they saw a beautiful lady holding a baby. She was weeping at the exact place where a Catholic church had previously stood. The next day the children brought some adults to the spot. They all saw the lady as well, even the Calvinist minister. A new church was built over the old one which the lady had wept over, and that church was soon replaced by a bigger one to accommodate all the pilgrims who came. Pilgrims kiss the rock on which the Virgin wept, beneath the altar of a chapel in the basilica of the Nativity of Mary. Our Lady of Šiluva is the patroness of lapsed Catholics and of those who pray for them.

Our Lady of Banneux (Photo: Julien Warnand, EPA/CNS)

The 16th-century Catholic image of Our Lady in Piat, in the Cagayan province of the Philippines, has been credited with a series of miracles, including the healing of mortally ill and psychiatrically tormented people, guiding a ship in distress to safety, giving relief in times of flood and drought, and— spectacularly—saving a man from the jaws of a crocodile. The image of Our Lady of Piat was brought to the Philippines from Macau in 1604. The number of favours gained after prayers before it was so large that the icon soon attracted a zealous following. To this day, pilgrims come in their thousands to pray at the minor basilica of Our Lady of Piat.

40. Our Lady of Banneux, Belgium In 1933, the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared eight times to 12-year-old Mariette Beco at Banneux, near Liège in Belgium. Declaring herself the “Virgin of the Poor”, the “lady in white” told the girl: “I come to relieve suffering. Believe in me and I will believe in you.” Although Mariette received a lot of ridicule, her visions also attracted veneration, with a chapel built the same year. The small spring which the Virgin said was miraculous now attracts pilgrims looking for healing. In 1949 Pope Pius XII approved the apparition. Mariette lived a long life, dying at the age of 90 in 2011, having withdrawn from public life soon after the apparitions. “I was no more than a postman who delivers the mail. Once this has been done, the postman is of no importance anymore,” she said in 2008.

Ta’ Pinu church in Gozo (Photo: Mojpe/Wikipedia)

37. Ta’ Pinu, Malta The destroyed church of La Vang

42. Our Lady of La Vang, Vietnam In 1798, Vietnamese Emperor Canh Thinh attempted to suppress Catholicism, forcing the faithful to go into hiding in the jungle. While in hiding, the community gathered every night at a tree to pray the rosary. One night, Our Lady appeared to them in the branches, wearing traditional Vietnamese dress and holding a child in her arms, with two angels beside her. She offered comfort and told them to boil leaves from the trees to cure illness. In 1802 the Catholics returned to their villages, passing on the story of the apparition. The story spread and many people came to pray at the site, called La Vang. In 1820, a chapel was built but it was destroyed in the 1830-85 persecutions. In 1886 construction of a new chapel began; it was consecrated to Our Lady Help of Christians in 1901. La Vang became Vietnam’s national Marian shrine in 1961, but was destroyed in 1972 during the last years of the Vietnam war. Although not officially recognised by the Vatican, Pope John Paul II recognised the importance of Our Lady of La Vang in 1998, and expressed his desire that the shrine be rebuilt.

Our Lady of Saidnaya (Photo: Bernard Gagnon/Wikipedia)

39. Our Lady of Saidnaya Monastery, Syria Our Lady of Saidnaya, a Greek-Orthodox monastery, about 27km from Damascus, is one of the oldest monasteries in the world, believed to have been founded by Byzantine emperor Justinian I in 547 AD. With its icon of Mary attributed to St Luke (a recurring theme in this series), it is an important pilgrimage site for both Christians and Muslims. According to tradition, the monastery was built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I after he had two visions of Mary. One indicated the site of the church the Blessed Virgin asked to be built, the other gave instructions regarding

In 1575 a representative of the pope turned up on Gozo Island, which is part of Malta, and ordered the demolition of several run-down churches. One of those was the chapel of the Gentile, named after a local family. But as a worker was about to deliver the first blow in the demolition, he broke his arm. That was seen as a sign that the chapel must be retained. Two decades later the church was renamed the church of Ta’ Pinu (meaning, of Philip). It was rebuilt in the 1610s. Fast forward to 1883, when a peasant woman named Karmni Grima heard a female voice coming from the Ta’ Pinu chapel, calling her to enter. Inside she was asked to say three Hail Marys. For two years Grima kept this encounter secret. When she told her friend Francesco Portelli about it, he confirmed that he too had heard that female voice at around the same time, telling him to honour the “Wound of Christ”. Portelli too had kept the encounter secret. Shortly after that conversation, Grima’s mother was miraculously healed after praying for the intercession of the “Madonna ta’ Pinu”. Pilgrimages to the chapel began very soon after. Eventually, in 1922, the old church was demolished to make way for a more suitable church, which was completed in 1932. Pope John Paul II visited it in 1990; Benedict XVI in 2010.

n More great Marian shrines in next week’s Southern Cross subscribers’ supplement.

The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

MINISTRY

Caring for seafarers in corona times The Covid-19 restrictions have also limited the work of the Apostleship of the Sea, which provides pastoral care to seafarers. But its port chaplains remain committed to their ministry, as GREG WATTS reports.

HE global Covid-19 crisis has meant that in South Africa, Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea) port chaplains are not being allowed to visit ships. “At the moment we are not able to get access to any of the ports as our work is deemed ‘non-essential’,” said Nicholas Barends, the charity’s national director and a port chaplain in Cape Town. “The Mission to Seafarers in Cape Town’s harbour has been closed since the last week of March, and we do not have any access to seafarers at the moment,” he said. “I was told that the seafarers are not being allowed shore leave and only authorised port officials are allowed entry on board vessels,” Mr Barends explained. Fellow Cape Town port chaplain Fr Rico Talisic commented on the situation of ministry to fishers. “At this moment of national lockdown, there is no way of visiting the fishers. But I have contact

Nicholas Barends, national director of the Apostleship of the Sea. with some of them who are on the dock,” he explained. “Every day I send messages to them, asking how they are, giving them updates of what is going on here in Cape Town, and asking them to be careful and stay safe.” Fr Talisic has been providing fishers with data and simcards. “With the communication I have with them, I learned there is nothing to worry about—except that many of them have no more cellphone data to continue their communication with family and friends, and to have access to the outside world beyond the port.” In Durban it’s a similar story, said port chaplain Fr Herman Giraldo.

“From the moment the lockdown started in South Africa, no chaplains were allowed to enter the port. Even the mission has been closed until the lockdown is lifted.”

Helping seafarers Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Stella Maris port chaplains would be offering a range of practical help and pastoral care to seafarers, such as providing warm clothing, arranging transport to local shops, or lending a listening ear to a seafarer experiencing personal problems or concerns about pay and conditions on board ship. Elsewhere, the Stella Maris port chaplain in Seychelles—which, at

Fr Herman Giraldo, port chaplain in Durban, whose mission is closed under lockdown. the time of writing, has recorded and go out only once or twice a just 11 Covid-19 cases and no day. But seafarers can’t even do deaths—said a number of vessels that. It’s very tough for them,” the priest said. have been placed in quarantine. “I know of a number of seafarers “In the Seychelles the situation is bad for the seafarers and their who are in isolation on a ship. We families, and even the community, are working with shipping compadue to lockdown imposed by the nies to help them communicate government and the health de- with their families back home.” The Covid-19 pandemic is partment,” Alfred Napier said. “The semi-industrial fishers likely to have a huge impact on cannot go on with their activities the mental health of some seafarto provide fish to the community ers, he suggested. “Seafaring life is generally very and for exports.” The Philippines accounts for isolating. But when you know you approximately a third of the have family back home that are fighting the virus, that’s very stressworld’s 1,5 million seafarers. Manila port chaplain and Stella ful on seafarers. They are so far Maris regional coordinator Fr away and can do nothing,” Fr Lavers said. Paulo Prigol and his “In some cases, family team are accommodator friends have died from ing 120 seafarers in three We are not the virus. The seafarers feel seafarers’ centres during lockdown, providing able to get helpless. They can’t leave work. Sometimes they them with daily meals. The centres, which access to any have to work longer than established contract, are cleaned daily with of the ports as their because they can’t get disinfectant, each have a gym, cable TV, and a our work is home,” he noted. “And families back good Internet service deemed ‘non home get stressed when with free WiFi. they hear a seafarer is in “As of now, food supessential’ quarantine or in hospiply is available and we tal. This is a very stressful are allowed to go to the supermarket once or twice a week time for seafarers,” Fr Lavers only. The local government units added. “You also have seafarers at have issued identification cards for home who can’t go to work to each centre,” Fr Prigol said. He added that in the local cul- earn money for their families. If ture, a seafarer’s family is perceived seafaring is your life and only as being “well-off”. Consequently means of income, it’s a very diffiit is widely thought that there is cult situation.” Martin Foley, European reno need to help them. “But this is not true, because gional coordinator and chief execthe family breadwinner is no utive officer of Stella Maris in longer able to provide for them,” Britain, said that despite the restrictions placed on the ministry’s’ the priest explained. “It is often said that seafarers are activities by the Covid-19 pan‘one-day millionaires’. This crisis is demic, “Stella Maris chaplains all proving how true it is. They are left around the world remain active, without a basic source of income finding ever-more creative ways to and the little savings they have are support seafarers, fishers and their families”. going to be depleted very soon.” “We will remain here for them Hard on seafarers as the world emerges from the In Britain, Southampton port pandemic and the true impact is chaplain Fr John Lavers said that felt,” Mr Foley said. “The world may have changed lockdown can be especially hard forever but our commitment to for ship crews. “If you’re a seafarer, you work service remains unchanged.” on a ship for months at a time. But n For more information on the Aposnow you can’t get off it. People say tleship of the Sea in South Africa, see it’s hard having to stay indoors www.apostleshipofthesea.org.za

1 Plein Street, Sidwell, Port Elizabeth

The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

ISSUES

Pope on fake news: Don’t fall for lies St Dominic’s in Boksburg held a Zoom assembly to announce the 2020 prefects in the primary school. Grade 7 girls were asked to join the announcement in their school uniforms.

Lessons learned in lockdown limbo Lockdown forced schools with the means to do so to switch to remote learning. As the local Church marks Catholic Schools Week, MARK POTTERTON sees promise for the future in that.

S soon as it became clear that the Covid-19 pandemic would impact on schooling, we at Sacred Heart College in Johannesburg began talking about how we would continue school using the online platforms available to us. In the high school and in Grade 6, the teachers were familiar with Google Classroom, so that’s the technology they went with. In the preschool they had used a platform called Seesaw. In the end the preschool mainly used WhatsApp—and did so very creatively, sending videos and photos of what children were doing. In the primary school, studypacks and workbooks were sent home and teachers made use of email and WhatsApp. We decided from the start that we would make it personal and include weekly phone calls to the parents. Engagement with parents on a popular platform like WhatsApp was very effective. It was easy and familiar. In reviewing our programme one teacher said: “I really got to know our parents and our families. We have become so close.” A parent gave this feedback: “Thank you for handling the class’ transition to online study so effectively. What could have easily been ‘remote’ schooling was a very connected and vibrant experience for Tim.” The teachers took up the challenge to go online with enthusiasm. Some of them made use YouTube videos to enhance the students’ learning experience, while others convened groups on Google meet.

A student’s feedback One primary school student had this to say about what he was learning: “I am finding that learning and working with schoolwork at home is completely different to what it was at first glance. “I find it a big change to be working with technology throughout the entire day and seeing my classmates’ written down statements and questions that are asking and answering things related to school, yet I’m not actually seeing them in front of me.” The remote-learning experience gave this student better insight into his own interests: “I am particularly interested in biology and would certainly like to learn more about that.

I started being interested in biology in Grade 5 when we were talking about human evolution and how there was one type of ape that did evolve to be a human and another that did not. “If there is any chance, I certainly would like to learn more about biology when school comes back.”

Successes and challenges We noted that the take-up of all the activities offered was not consistent in the senior primary school. Not all the students engaged with all the activities. Another big challenge for us is that some of the parents are essential workers and have not been able to be at home with their children. This means that they’ve had to engage with their children after working hours. Another challenge was that not everyone had enough airtime and bandwidth for WiFi at home. This was an obstacle particularly where our material was data-dense. Some teachers noted that it was hard to “stop working”, as they were engaging with children and their parents most of the day. Some teachers were even contacted long after the normal working hours. Another teacher said: “This has been a wonderful experience; I have learnt so much and I have done what I thought I never would do.” She went on to say: “I really do worry about my children who struggle in class though, I am not sure that this is the best way for them to learn.” So, while we were going fullsteam on our digital approach in the main school, our Three2Six Refugee Support Project wasn’t that lucky. The project serves out-of-school refugee children on three campuses, and doesn’t have the same access to technology. This speaks loudly to the digital divide in our country and how children with little access to technology don’t benefit. On the positive side, our Three2Six teachers did send messages and some work home—but this was limited. We also did a radio broadcast on Radio Veritas. Another challenge was ensuring that the food programme we offered in Three2Six continued during these tough times. We were fortunate to get food vouchers to families. Providing high-quality online resources to the entire Catholic education network does hold some promise. If we share what well-resourced schools have and pool these resources, we’ll have the power to create a truly powerful learning platform that all Catholic schools could benefit from. n Mark Potterton is primary school principal at Sacred Heart College.

On May 24, the global Church observes World Communications Day. This year, Pope Francis urges us to be wise to destructive fake news and gossip, and rather tell constructive stories that nourish life.

ITH fake news becoming ever-more sophisticated, people need the wisdom, courage and patience to discern and embrace constructive stories, Pope Francis urges us. “We need stories that reveal who we truly are, also in the untold heroism of everyday life,” the Holy Father says in his message for Pope Francis greets journalists after the final session of the Synod of World Communications Day Bishops for the Amazon at the Vatican last October. In his message 2020. for World Communications Day on May 24, the pope has called on the World Communications Day faithful to reject destructive fake news and gossip and look instead for will be celebrated on May 24 at constructive stories. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) the Vatican and throughout the world—albeit in most places under conditions of restrictions. with false promises and uses the the human heart and its beauty, The message for 2020 is based power of storytelling “for pur- the Holy Spirit is free to write in on the theme, “‘That you may tell poses of exploitation”. our hearts, reviving our memory your children and grandchildren’: “How many stories serve to lull of what we are in God’s eyes”. Life becomes history.” us, convincing us that to be happy “When we remember the love The passage, drawn from the we continually need to gain, pos- that created and saved us, when Book of Exodus, highlights the im- sess and consume. We may not we make love a part of our daily portance of sharing “knowledge of even realise how greedy we have stories, when we weave the tapesthe Lord” and meaningful memo- become for chatter and gossip, or try of our days with mercy, we are ries, stories and experiences, so how much violence and falsehood turning another page,” Pope Franthat they may transform people’s we are consuming,” Pope Francis cis advises. lives, Pope Francis says. says. “We no longer remain tied to Jesus, who is “the quintessen“Instead of constructive stories, regrets and sadness, bound to an tial storyteller—the Word”, spoke which serve to strengthen social unhealthy memory that burdens of God “not with abstract con- ties and the cultural fabric,” he our hearts.” cepts, but with parables, brief sto- says, “we find destructive and With God, “we can reweave the ries taken from everyday life” so provocative stories that wear down fabric of life, mending its rips and that “the story becomes and break the fragile tears”, and realise that “no one is part of the life of those threads binding us to- an extra on the world stage, and who listen to it, and it gether as a society.” everyone’s story is open to possiWhen changes them”, the Such stories piece ble change”, the pope says. Holy Father explains in falsiﬁcation is together scraps of “un“Even when we tell of evil, we his message. verified information” can learn to leave room for reincreasingly and repeat “banal and demption; in the midst of evil, we “God has become personally woven into deceptively persuasive can also recognise the working of our humanity, and so sophisticated, arguments”, sending goodness and give it space.” has given us a new way we need the out “strident and hateThe pope encourages people to of weaving our stories,” ful messages” which ask Mary to “teach us to recognise wisdom to he says. serve only to strip oth- the good thread that runs through “Stories influence our ers of their dignity, the history” and to loosen “the tanwelcome lives, whether in the pope notes. gled knots in our life that paralyse form of fairytales, nov- beautiful and At a time “when fal- our memory”. els, films, songs, news— sification is increasHe prays that she will inspire even if we do not always true stories ingly sophisticated, trust in people and “help us build realise it.” People often reaching exponential stories of peace, stories that point decide “what is right or levels—as in deep to the future. And show us the wrong based on characters and fake—we need wisdom to be able way to live them together.” stories we have made our own”. to welcome and create beautiful, Prayers for journalists So many stories throughout true and good stories,” Pope Franhistory share a common thread in cis says. Earlier this month, Pope Franwhich heroes, including everyday “We need courage to reject cis offered his early morning Mass heroes, follow a dream and “con- false and evil stories. We need pa- for journalists and members of front difficult situations and com- tience and discernment to redis- the media who, despite the risks, bat evil, driven by a force that cover stories that help us not to work tirelessly to inform the pubmakes them courageous—the lose the thread amid today’s many lic of the ongoing pandemic. “Let us pray today for the men force of love”, Pope Francis says. troubles. We need stories that reThese kinds of stories can give veal who we truly are, also in the and women who work in the communications media,” the people both the example and rea- untold heroism of everyday life.” pope said on May 6 at the start of sons “to heroically face the chalFind the good news his livestreamed Mass in the lenges of life”, to grow, be A good story stands the test of chapel of his residence, the enriched and to discover themtime, too, because it nourishes Domus Sanctae Marthae. selves better. and renews life. “In this time of pandemic, they Stories of false promises The Scriptures and the stories take many risks and there is much However, the pope warns, “our of the saints are just some of work. May the Lord help them in story has been threatened” by the those good stories, the pope says. their work of always transmitting As they always “shed light on the truth,” he said.—CNS temptation of evil that entices

The

S outher n C ross

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The Southern cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

PILGRIMAGE

A visit to Jesus’ hometown This week we begin a virtual pilgrimage to the Holy Land, guided by GüNTHer SiMMerMAcHer and based on his book The Holy Land Trek. In the first part, we visit Nazareth, the place where the story of the Lord’s Incarnation begins.

AZARETH is where the story of salvation begins, by way of young Mary’s submission to God’s will that she bear the Messiah: “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). One can imagine the scene in many ways. No doubt the girl was scared; angelic apparitions were exceedingly rare even then, and the Archangel Gabriel’s request was, mildly put, quite peculiar. Mary must have pondered the unreality of it all, and then the profound consequences of Gabriel’s proposal: being an unmarried but betrothed teenage girl with child was not going to earn her a good reputation at a time when adultery was a capital offence. And yet, something persuaded her. Mary wasn’t the simple country girl many imagine her to be. Her cousin, Elizabeth, was married to a priest, and to her Mary would recite the theologically sophisticated Magnificat: “He has come to the help of his servant Israel, for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.” These are not the words of a naive child. We don’t know much about Mary’s parents, Anne and Joachim, but they probably were urban dwellers originally from Jerusalem, where tradition holds Mary was born, at a time when Jews were well-versed in theology. So God chose Mary precisely because she was bright. How could she not be if she was going to be entrusted with raising the Son of God? And as a smart girl she would have questioned and deliberated before giving her assent. Her “Yes” to God was an informed act of faith, investing a trust in God which we are called to imitate every day. And this we celebrate in Nazareth’s basilica of the Annunciation.

The home of Mary Behind the modern church’s lower-level altar is the grotto which tradition identifies as the dwelling place of Mary. When the pilgrim Egeria visited Nazareth in about 380 AD, she saw no church; she was shown only “a big and very splendid cave”. It is unclear when the first church was built over the grotto. In 570, the Piacenza Pilgrim reported in his travelogue that a church in the town displayed Our Lady’s clothes, which “are a cause of frequent miracles”. He also claimed to have seen “the book in which the Lord wrote

From left: The facade of the basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth • A stained-glass window in the crypt of St Joseph’s church depicts the marriage of Mary and Joseph • The wellhouse in Nazareth where the town’s only well was located. Inset in text: A relief of St Joseph and the child Jesus, displayed in Nazareth. (All photos: Günther Simmermacher) his ABC”, and the bench in the synagogue on which Jesus had supposedly sat. “Christians can lift the bench and move it about,” he reported, adding with anti-Semitic glee that “the Jews are completely unable to move it, and cannot drag it outside”. From that we learn that our friend from Piacenza was a raconteur of the politically incorrect school, but not whether there was a church at the site of the Annunciation. The more sober seventh-century pilgrim Arculf reported having seen two large churches in Nazareth.

A series of churches When the Crusaders conquered the Holy Land in 1099, they saw the construction of a church on the site of the Annunciation as a priority. By 1106 there was a church, which the pilgrim Daniel of Kiev described as “a large, high church with three altars”. T h a t church was even larger than the present basilica. An earthquake destroyed it in 1170. In quick time, the Crusaders built a new and even bigger church. After the Muslim reconquest of 1187 the church fell into gradual neglect. Initially, the Christians were allowed to remain in the church, but by 1363 the monks were expelled. For many generations it was too dangerous for pilgrims to come to Nazareth. When the Franciscans were allowed to buy back the church and to settle in Nazareth in 1620, the church was wrecked. The Franciscans built a new church in 1730. It was that structure which the US author Mark Twain visited during his journey to the Holy Land in 1867. In his very funny and occasionally teasingly irreverent travelogue The Innocents Abroad he wrote: “We went down a flight of 15 steps below the ground level, and stood in a small chapel tricked out

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with tapestry hangings, silver lamps, and oil paintings. A spot marked by a cross, in the marble floor, under the altar, was exhibited as the place made forever holy by the feet of the Virgin when she stood up to receive the message of the angel. So simple, so unpretending a locality, to be the scene of so mighty an event!” By 1955 the church was in a poor condition. It was demolished to allow for the construction of the present church, a magnificent twostorey structure which was finished in 1969, five years after being dedicated by Pope Paul VI during his January 1964 pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Its design is intended to evoke the Aramaic meaning of the name Nazareth: watchtower. It can be described as two churches within one: the modern upper level, through which light filters from the 40m-high cupola, is the parish church for the local Catholics, m o s t l y Palestinians. T h e c r y p t level includes t h e grotto and the remains of the Byzantine and Crusader churches; that altar is usually used for Mass by pilgrims. The Annunciation is pictured in dozens of mosaics from different countries along the walls of the church’s courtyard, including one from the Vatican featuring Pope Paul VI administering a papal blessing. Opposite a side entrance is the South African mosaic, flanked by those from Guatemala and Vietnam. Featuring a protea, it was financed by the late Fr Fergus Barrett OFM, and brought to Nazareth by tour operator Val Tangney (her adventure is recounted in The Holy Land Trek).

metaphor for the small role which St Joseph plays in the narrative of the Holy Family. For all the Gospels tell us of St Joseph, he might as well have been mute; there is no quote attributed to him at all. Of course, Joseph was the head of the family, and custom required that his wife and children, even a budding Redeemer, would defer to him. He surely was a loving father, and he taught Jesus his craft. With Mary, the pious Joseph instructed Jesus in the Jewish precepts and practices. In Mary’s time, there was only one source of water in the little hamlet of Nazareth. Located some 400m from Mary’s grotto, the village’s women would come to the well several times a day to draw water for various household purposes. If necessary, they would take their children with them, or send them to fetch water. Today this is commemorated at the Greek Orthodox St Gabriel’s church, built in 1781 over the ruins of a Crusader church, in the crypt of which one can draw water from the spring of the well, albeit through a standard tap. The nearby wellhouse marks the spot of the actual well—the place where Mary and Jesus actually stood. In Nazareth we may treat the identification of holy sites with a measure of confidence. The town has had an unbroken Christian presence since the beginning of Christianity. Surely in Jesus’ hometown, of all places, it would have been impossible to assign the location of holy sites randomly or erroneously. Even if we choose to exercise scepticism about such things, we can definitively locate the historical Jesus at the well, simply because it was the town’s only source of water at the time.

The big neighbour Nazareth probably was also a source of labour for the projects in the neighbouring Greco-Roman metropolis of Sepphoris, a building project of Herod Antipas, son

of the notorious Herod and tetrarch of the Galilee in Jesus’ time (we know him from the Passion account, and as the man who ordered the execution of John the Baptist). Despite its Hellenic culture, Sepphoris probably was an observant Jewish city, as suggested by the absence of pig bones in excavated rubbish dumps from the first century and the profusion of stoneware, which Jews tended to prefer over pottery for reasons of ritual purity. Many historians believe that Joseph and Jesus did much of their work in Sepphoris, which they probably knew as Autocratoris, the name Herod Antipas had come up with for the city. In fact, some scholars speculate that Jesus might even have seen theatre productions in the city, and that this influenced him. For example, when Jesus admonishes the Pharisees with the words, “Do not imitate the hypocrites” (Mt 6:5), he uses a contemporary term for actors.

Not carpenters The image of Joseph and Jesus as carpenters may be based on a cultural mistranslation: the Greek text of the Gospels refers to Jesus as a tekton, which can be translated broadly as a craftsman or builder, but not directly as “carpenter”. Nazareth is and was not blessed with an abundance of trees. Buildings in the village and in Sepphoris were mostly made of stone. Not so in Europe, where forests were abundant and most houses were made of wood. So in the experience of the European translators of the New Testament, a builder worked with wood, and so the tekton in the Greek Gospel texts became a carpenter. Whatever his occupation was, Jesus worked as an artisan before embarking on his public ministry. But before we come to the places of Jesus’ ministry, we must go south to Judaea, as Mary did after that strange visit by the angel. And we’ll follow her to the home of her cousin Elizabeth next week.

St Joseph in Nazareth Adjacent to the church of the Annunciation is St Joseph’s church, built in 1914. It is a modest but endearing church, and so serves as a

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Pilgrims pray in front of the grotto where the angel appeared to Mary— the place where the first two lines of the Hail Mary originated—in the lower basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

The Southern Cross, May 20 to May 26, 2020

YOUR CLASSIFIEDS

Church’s pandemic creativity BY CAROL GLATZ

HE Catholic Church’s acceptance of a ban on gathering for public worship and following other painful Covid-19 restrictions reflects its long-held understanding that faith, service and science are not at war with one another. The Church has centuries of experience with the do’s and don’ts during a pandemic—and has often been at the forefront of endorsing public health measures. One of the most important early sets of public health guidelines for quarantine was published by Cardinal Girolamo Gastaldi in 1684. His nearly 1 000-page folio became “the principal manual for plague response”, wrote Anthony Majanlahti, a Canadian historian and author. The manual’s “counsel seems very familiar in today’s Rome: Protect the gates; maintain quarantine; keep watch over your people. Also, close sites of popular aggregation, from taverns to churches,” Mr Majanlahti wrote in an online essay last month. Cardinal Gastaldi’s expertise was based on his experience during the 1656 plague when he ran Rome’s lazarettos, hospitals where people were separated for isolation, quarantine and recovery. But whatever circumstances Church leaders found themselves in during plagues and pandemics, many still found a way to minister with creativity, courage and care, prudently following safety prac-

The Porta Angelica, a gate near the Vatican that was demolished in 1888, is pictured in Cardinal Girolamo Gastaldi’s 1684 manual with guidelines for responding to a plague. (Photo: Yale Law School/CNS) tices, journalist and writer Marco Rapetti Arrigoni said.

e noted that in Milan during the plague of 1576-77, St Charles Borromeo had votive columns and altars built at crossroads so quarantined residents could venerate the cross atop the column and participate in eucharistic celebrations from their windows. The saint assigned priests to neighbourhoods. When a resident signalled the desire for confession, the priest would set up his portable leather stool outside the penitent’s closed door to hear it. Different utensils were used over history to administer the Eucharist while assuring social distancing, including long pincers or

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 916. ACROSS: 5 Skim, 7 High priest, 8 Zeus, 10 Unburden, 11 Uplift, 12 Exotic, 14 Prayed, 16 Matter, 17 Deceiver, 19 Arts, 21 Conference, 22 Seth. DOWN: 1 Ahaz, 2 Chastity, 3 Proust, 5 Pebble, 5 Star, 6 Impediment, 9 Experience, 13 Outraged, 15 Divine, 16 Marvel, 18 Etch, 20 Slew.

During this week we congratulate: May 24: Bishop Edward Adams, retired of Oudtshoorn, on his 86th birthday

Liturgical Calendar Year A – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday May 24, Ascension of Our Lord Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 47:2-3, 6-9, Ephesians 1:17-23, Matthew 28:16-20 Monday May 25, St Bede the Venerable, St Gregory VII, St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi Acts 19:1-8, Psalm 68:2-7, John 16:29-33 Tuesday May 26, St Philip Neri Acts 20:17-27, Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21, John 17:1-11 Wednesday May 27, St Augustine of Canterbury Acts 20:28-38, Psalm 68:29-30, 33-36, John17:11-19 Thursday May 28 Acts 22:30; 23:6-11, Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11, John 17:20-26 Friday May 29, Bl Joseph Gerard, St Paul VI Acts 25:13-21, Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20, John 21:15-19

St Bede the Venerable

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DEATHS

a flat spoon, and a fistula or strawlike tube for consecrated wine. Vinegar or a candle flame was used to disinfect the utensils and the minister’s fingers. The biggest mistakes communities made, Mr Rapetti Arrigoni said, were minimising the seriousness of the disease when cases first emerged, and inaction or a poor response by authorities. There were also big risks in relaxing restrictions too quickly, he said, as in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany when it was hit by the plague in 1630. Public officials’ plan for a “soft” quarantine wasn’t implemented until January 1631—more than a year after the first signs of disease were seen in 1629. Also, numerous people were exempt from quarantine, particularly merchants and other professionals, to prevent the powerful Florentine economy from collapsing. The plan resulted in the epidemic lasting another two years, Mr Rapetti Arrigoni said. Even today, the Catholic Church and other religions have a critical role in caring for those hit by disease and in helping end epidemics, said Katherine Marshall, a senior fellow at Georgetown University in the US. When trusted by their communities, religious leaders are vital for disseminating important health protocols, correcting false information, being role models and influencing people’s behaviour, she said—CNS

Our bishops’ anniversaries

O’CONNOR—Virginia. Passed away peacefully on May 6. Sincere condolences to her husband Patrick (former director of The Southern Cross), son Fr Hugh O’Connor and family. From the board of directors, editor and staff of The Southern Cross.

IN MEMORIAM

POTHIER—Bernard. Gone but not forgotten, still so badly missed. Remembered with great love by Margaret, Mike and Siobhain, Nicholas and Heide, Rosanne and Tiernan, his six grandchildren and extended family. May he watch over The Southern Cross, the paper he loved, and intercede for all those suffering because of the coronavirus pandemic.

POTHIER—Bernard. Died May 24, 2011. Nine years later still missed and fondly remembered by the staff of The Southern Cross and colleagues on the board of directors.

WINDVOGEL—Magdalene (née Ackerman). In loving memory of my sister who was called home on May 24, 2013. Years may have passed but you are always in my thoughts and constantly in my prayers.

Lovingly remembered by your sister Catherine (Cathy) and children.

PRAYERS

MIRACULOUS PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT: Holy Spirit, you who makes me see everything and shows me the way to reach my ideal, you who gives me the divine gift to forgive and forget all the wrong that is done to me, and you who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything, and affirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. To that end and submitting to God's holy will, I ask from you (mention favour). Amen.

NOVENA TO ST JUDE THADDEUS: Glorious Apostle, St Jude Thaddeus, true relative of Jesus and Mary, I greet you through the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through this heart I praise and thank God for all the graces he has bestowed upon you. Humbly prostrate before you, I implore you, through this heart, to look down upon me with compassion. Despise not my poor prayers;

let not my trust be confounded. God has granted you the privilege of aiding mankind in the most desperate cases. Come to my aid that I may praise the mercy of God. All my life I will be grateful to you and will be your faithful devotee until I can thank you in heaven. Amen. In return I promised to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. CL.

PERSONAL

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FROM OUR VAULTS 39 Years Ago: May 24, 1981

Pope John Paul II shot Pope John Paul II required a lengthy operation after being shot by Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Agca. Agca had escaped from jail while being held in connection with the murder of a Turkish newspaper editor. The pontiff was being driven around St Peter’s Square when Agca shot him. “The pope fell into the arms of an aide, his white cassock stained with blood,” The Southern Cross report states. Pilgrims Anne Odre, 60, from the United States, and Rose Hall, 21, from Jamaica, were injured by stray bullets.

Not the first attempt to kill the pope The assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II on May 13 was not the first. During his visit to Pakistan in February 1981, a bomb went off on a cricket field in Karachi shortly before the pope’s arrival, killing the attacker and a bystander.

No one is safe in the 1980s

Pentecost Saturday May 30 Acts 28:16-20, 30-31, Psalm11:4-5, 7, John 21:20-25 Sunday May 31, Pentecost Acts 2:1-11, Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34, 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13, John 20:19-23

In his editorial, Fr Donald de Beer writes that in the 1980s, no public figure is safe from assassination unless they remain indoors, meeting only screened visitors. “And we do not see our chief shepherd restricting his ministry in that way. So he may well be shot again, and this time killed.” (The assassination attempt on Pope John Paul was preceded by an attempt on US President Ronald Reagan in March, and the murder of John Lennon in December 1980.)

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Editor: Günther Simmermacher (editor@scross.co.za), Business Manager: Pamela Davids (admin@scross.co.za), Advisory Editor: Michael Shackleton, Local News: Erin Carelse (e.carelse@scross.co.za) Editorial: Claire Allen (c.allen@scross.co.za), Mary Leveson (m.leveson@scross.co.za), Advertising: Yolanda Timm (advertising@scross.co.za), Subscriptions: Michelle Perry (subscriptions@scross.co.za), Accounts: Desirée Chanquin (accounts@scross.co.za), Directors: R Shields (Chair), Bishop S Sipuka, S Duval, E Jackson, B Jordan, Sr H Makoro CPS, C Mathieson, G Stubbs

Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, staff or directors of The Southern Cross.

The Southern Cross is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa. Printed by Paarl Coldset (Pty) Ltd, 10 Freedom Way, Milnerton. Published by the proprietors, The Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd, at the company’s registered office, 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001.

the

Pentecost: May 31 Readings: Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104, 1, 24, 2931, 34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23 EXT Sunday the Easter season comes to its abrupt end with the solemnity of Pentecost, the Church’s birthday, when we revert to ordinary life and our dayjob of preaching the Gospel. And what can the readings for the Solemnity say to us today? The first reading, as always on this feast, is the story of that first event, with the “sound of a mighty wind”, and the “divided tongues as it were of fire; and it sat on each one of them”. And notice the effect: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” This has then a further consequence, that “they spoke in different languages, as the Spirit gave them to utter”. Now Luke gives us a list of the places which the Gospel reached on that first Sunday of its existence: “Parthia and Media and Elam, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia” (what today might be called the “Middle East”); next we move west to “Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia”, these last in what today is Turkey; then we cross the Mediterranean to “Egypt and the bits of Libya around Cyrene” (so this is Africa), then once more across the sea to “Rome”, and back east to “Crete and

S outher n C ross

Arabia”. And each of these hears the “great deeds of God in our own tongues”. That is what the Church does, and has never ceased to do, down to the present day, giving God’s good news in all the languages of the inhabited world. That is something to celebrate. There is celebration also in the psalm for the feast, as the singer gives a song of thanks for what God has achieved: “Bless the Lord, my soul; Lord my God, how great you are.” And he goes on: “How many are your works, the earth is full of your creatures.” Then he reflects on the effect of God’s “wind” or “breath” or “spirit”: “You take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust.” And then again: “You send your spirit and they are created—you renew the face of the earth”. The great picture here (and one that we need to remember in the coming year) is that with which the psalm ends: “May the Lord’s glory be forever, may the Lord rejoice in his works…As for me, I shall rejoice in the Lord.” The second reading has Paul (writing to a very divided Church in Corinth) telling them what the Spirit does. In the first place, the Spirit enables us to say (what we must all re-

doing something wrong, or that he is at the wrong place, or that this community is not worth this suffering. To the contrary: The pain is understood to be calling him to a deeper fidelity at the very heart of his mission and vocation. Until this moment, only words were asked of him, now he is being asked to back them up in reality; he needs to swallow hard to do it. “What shall I say, save me from this hour?” Do we have the wisdom and the generosity to say those words when, inside our own commitments, we are challenged to endure searing interior anguish? When Jesus asks himself this question, what he is facing is a near-perfect mirror for situations we will all find ourselves in sometimes.

Conrad

n almost every commitment we make, if we are faithful, an hour will come when we are suffering interior anguish (and often times exterior misunderstanding as well) and are faced with a tough decision: Is this pain and misunderstanding (and even my own immaturity as I stand inside it) an indication that I’m in the wrong place, should leave, and find someone or some other community that wants me? Or, inside this interior anguish, exterior misunderstanding, and personal immaturity, am I called to say: “What shall I say, save me from this hour? This is what I’m called to! I was born for this!” I think the question is critical because often anguishing pain can shake our commitments and tempt us to walk away

‘He wants to know why we aren’t in lockdown.’

Church Chuckles

be kept out by state-of-the-art technology; nor, on the other hand, is it possible to forget Good Friday: “He showed them his [wounded] hands and his sides.” But equally Resurrection joy has its place: “The disciples rejoiced on seeing the Lord.” Then we hear Jesus’ characteristic prayer/wish of “shalom”—“Peace be with you”. And Easter also means that we have a job to do: “As the Father has sent me, so I too am sending you.” Then comes the “Pentecost moment”, which enables us to do that job: “Having said this, he breathed on them, and said to them: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” Now we discover what the gift of the Spirit means for the infant Church: “Whoever’s sins you let go, they are let go; whoever’s sins you hold fast, they are held fast.” This great feast, the end of Lent and Easter, and the beginning of our “ordinary time”, holds in it all the elements of Easter; for, make no mistake about it, Easter is to be the mood in which we live our ordinary time of mission and evangelisation.

Southern Crossword #916

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

from them. Marriages, consecrated religious vocations, commitments to work for justice, commitments to our Church communities, and commitments to family and friends, can be abandoned in the belief that nobody is called to live inside such anguish, desolation, and misunderstanding. Indeed, today the presence of pain, desolation and misunderstanding is generally taken as a sign to abandon a commitment and find someone else or some other group that will affirm us rather than as an indication that now—just now, in this hour, inside this particular pain and misunderstanding—we have a chance to bring a lifegiving grace into this commitment. I have seen people leave marriages, leave family, leave priesthood, leave religious life, leave their Church community, leave long-cherished friendships, and leave commitments to work for justice and peace because, at a point, they experienced a lot of pain and misunderstanding. And, in many of those cases, I also saw that it was, in fact, a good thing. The situation they were in was not lifegiving for them or for others. They needed to be saved from that “hour”. In some cases, though, the opposite was true. They were in excruciating pain, but that pain was an invitation to a deeper, more life-giving place inside their commitment. They left, just when they should have stayed. Granted, discernment is difficult. It’s not always for lack of generosity that people walk away from a commitment. Some of the most generous and unselfish people I know have left a marriage or the priesthood or religious life or their churches. But I write this because, today, so much trusted psychological and spiritual literature does not sufficiently highlight the challenge to, like Jesus, stand inside excruciating pain and humiliating misunderstanding. Instead of walking away to someone or some group that offers us the acceptance and understanding we crave, we instead accept that it is more life-giving to say: “What shall I say, save me from this hour?”

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Sunday Reflections

cite, several times a day): “Jesus is Lord.” Some of the divisions in Corinth came from the fact that they were all over-impressed by their own spiritual gifts, and failed to realise that all these “divisions of gifts” came with “the same Spirit…the same Lord… the same God who works everything in everything”. And that any gift is given as “the revelation of the Spirit to build up” (building-up the Church is a very important idea in this letter); then Paul develops his idea of the “one body, many parts”, all making up Christ’s body. The reading ends with a sentence that should be engraved on our hearts during this post-Easter time: “For all of us were in one Spirit baptised into one body, whatever our cultural and religious (Jews or Greeks) or social (slave or free) standing—and we have all been given to drink of the one Spirit.” We should be greatly heartened by this. The Gospel is an entirely suitable one for the feast; it brings the Easter part of John’s Gospel almost to its end, with the doors locked “for fear of the Judeans”, late in the day on that first Easter Sunday. Jesus “came and stood in the middle of them”. He cannot

Facing our toughest hours ISCERNMENT isn’t an easy thing. Take this dilemma: When we find ourselves in a situation that’s causing us deep interior anguish, do we walk away, assuming that the presence of such pain is an indication that this isn’t the right place for us, that something’s terminally wrong here? Or, like Jesus, do we accept to stay, saying to ourselves, our loved ones, and our God: “What shall I say, save me from this hour?” At the very moment that Jesus was facing a humiliating death by crucifixion, the Gospel of John hints that he was offered an opportunity to escape. A delegation of Greeks, through the apostle Philip, offer Jesus an invitation to leave with them, to go to a group that would receive him and his message. So Jesus has a choice: Endure anguish, humiliation, and death inside his own community, or abandon that community for one that will accept him. What does he do? He asks himself this question: “What shall I say, save me from this hour?” Although this is phrased as a question, it’s an answer. He is choosing to stay, to face the anguish, humiliation, and pain because he sees it as the precise fidelity he is called to within the very dynamic of the love he is preaching. He came to earth to incarnate and teach what real love is and now, when the cost of that is humiliation and interior anguish, he knows and accepts that this is what’s now being asked of him. The pain is not telling him that he’s

Nicholas King SJ

The gift of the Spirit

500 jokes ordered by themes, with 60 cartoons by Conrad!

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ACROSS

5. Creamless kind of milk (4) 7. Important cleric who questioned Jesus (4,6) 8. Top god on Mt Olympus (4) 10. Dump the load of your sins (8) 11. Elevator to raise your spirits (6) 12. Cite ox for being foreign (6) 14. You did it at the prie-dieu (6) 16. A case not of the spirit (6) 17. Satan as a deluder (8) 19. Creative activities (4) 21. Convention of the bishops (10) 22. Another son of Eve (Gn 4) (4) Solutions on page 11

DOWN

1. Son of Jotham (2 Kg 15) (4) 2. A particularly religious virtue (7) 3. French novelist in a stupor (6) 4. Small stone (6) 5. Does it shine on 19 ac? (4) 6. Obstruction in canon law (10) 9. Life’s most eﬀective teacher (10) 13. A toe drug that leaves you infuriated (8) 15. To do with God (6) 16. Miracle to ﬁll you with wonder (6) 18. Engrave inside the sketches (4) 20. Slay in the past (4)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

FTER lockdown, a South African goes to the local beach and just sits there on a dune, looking at the sea as a gentle breeze blows and the setting sun creates a spectacular canvas of pink, orange, purple and red in the sky. Soon after, God arrives and sits down next to our friend. For a while they sit in silence and look at the sun setting into the sea. After a while our friend turns to God and says: “Good evening, God. But what are you doing here in South Africa, chilling on a beach at sunset.” God responds: “My child, I’m in my home office.”

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