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Centenary Jubilee Year

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From the Cape Flats to pope’s open door Due to Covid-19, it was an empty church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Thokoza, Johannesburg archdiocese, when Sr Fortunata Makwaba made her first vows as a Franciscan Servants of the Holy Child of Jesus (or Holy Childhood) Sister. Born Vanessa Reanetse Makwaba, she hails from Thokoza and was an active member of the Sodality of the Children of Mary and the parish’s youth choir, under the guidance of Fr Bernard Tente Sompane SCJ. She credits her mother, Susan Makwaba, for who she has become. Sr Fortunata is currently stationed in Mbongolwane in the diocese of Eshowe.

Bishop Mvemve dies at 79 STAFF REPORTER

ISHOP Zithulele Patrick Mvemve, former head of Klerksdorp diocese and auxiliary in Johannesburg, died on July 6 at the age of 78—days after the death of his sister. Born on May 31, 1941, in Evaton, he was educated at St Martin de Porres High School in Soweto. After formation at St Peter’s Seminary in Hammanskraal, Pretoria, he was ordained to the priesthood for the diocese of Johannesburg on June 29, 1969. He entered parish ministry, in which he became a known opponent of apartheid. In 1980, Fr Mvemve was detained, along with Frs Michael Mkhize and Remigius Makobane, and reportedly “roughly interrogated” by the apartheid security police. Later that decade, as a bishop, he would be involved in international meetings to discuss political pressure on the apartheid regime and negotiate its peaceful end. Bishop Mvemve became the auxiliary bishop of Johannesburg on June 29, 1986— the anniversary of his ordination.

Bishop Mvemve seen in February at the centenary celebration of St Hubert’s parish in Alexandra, Johannesburg. He died on Monday. (Photo: Sheldon Reddiar). He also acted as the diocese’s vicar-general until he was appointed to Klerksdorp in March 1994 to succeed the retiring Bishop Daniel Verstraete (who at 95 is still alive), thus becoming the diocese’s second bishop. In Klerksdorp Bishop Mvemve increased Continued on page 2

The

BY ERIN CARELSE

EORGE Johannes grew up in a Cape Flats ghetto where doors were closed to him—now the pope has told Mr Johannes that his door is always open. And if not for the Covid-19 crisis, we might have had a papal visit to South Africa. For Mr Johannes, South Africa’s ambassador to the Holy See, receiving a papal knighthood from Pope Francis in June was a great moment. The ambassador was bestowed with the prestigious Knighthood of the Order of Pope Pius IX. “My name is written into papal history, and no one can erase it,” Mr Johannes told The Southern Cross in an interview from Rome. “That for me is wonderful. It feels like a miracle for me because I never thought anything like this would ever happen to me when I was walking the streets of Cape Town.” Pope Pius IX, the longest-reigning pope in history after St Peter, established the order in the 1800s. The order, according to the ambassador, is awarded to people who have made special contributions to the life of the papacy. “Pope Francis is very interested in African matters, and he sees South Africa as one of the strategic countries in sub-Saharan Africa,” Mr Johannes noted. “If it hadn’t been for the Covid-19 pandemic, we might have had a visit from the pope,” he said, “We’ve been working now for over a year to persuade him to go, but his programme has kept him busy, and he has travelled a lot. So now we’ll have to wait and see.”

Ambassador George Johannes presents his credentials to Pope Francis in 2017. In June the pope conferred a papal knighthood on the South African ambassador to the Vatican. The ambassador’s papal knighthood comes with benefits: he now has much closer contact with Pope Francis. “I have always had a very good rapport with Pope Francis personally, and he has told me his door is wide open. I can just walk through, if needs be, and I have used this opportunity to ask him to help us even more in South Africa,” he said. “I’m also able to move freely up and down in the Vatican, and I work very closely with the secretary of state and with all the institutions to ensure that South Africa’s name is written into history,” Mr Johannes said. The previous ambassador to Switzerland said he has been engaged in a lot of activities to ensure that South Africa is firmly at centre stage in the Vatican—and it has not gone unnoticed. Continued on page 3

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2 The Southern cross, July 8 to July 14, 2020

LOCAL

Warning: SA is losing corruption battle By ERIN cARELSE

OUTH Africa is losing the battle against corruption, especially at a time when all attention is focused on Covid-19, several voices have warned recently. Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who heads the Commission of Enquiry into State Capture, has pinpointed that within political parties, action against corruption is undermined by loyalties and strategic considerations. Shamila Batohi, national director of Public Prosecutions, told Parliament on June 30: “At the

moment, we are not winning the battle [against corruption] yet.” She warned: “Unless government deals with [understaffing of prosecutors and investigators] in a serious way, we are not going to win this fight.” Reflecting on these testimonies by two of the country’s top anti-corruption leaders, Mike Pothier of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) noted that this “is not just a matter of ethics and public morality; neither is it a question of a few odd bribes here and there to avoid a traffic fine or to win a municipal tender. It is stuff that threatens to wreck our economy entirely.”

At a July 1 CPLO webinar on Eskom, COSATU parliamentary officer Matthew Parks itemised how corruption has brought the utility to the brink of collapse. It has been looted, he said, by its coal suppliers, its own staff, its outside contractors and parts of its management. If it fails, it will take the whole economy with it. There have been “fairly rare pieces of good news” recently, Mr Pothier noted, such as the arrests of some executives of the Venda Building Society (VBS). However, he warned, “the country’s attention is occupied by the Covid-19 crisis, and there is a real

danger that this will allow corruption to thrive in the background”. “We may be worried, understandably, about the economic effects of the virus, but unless we continue to insist that the governing party takes corruption seriously, we will not win the battle,” Mr Pothier said, adding: “When we emerge from the virus, there may not be an economy worth reviving.” He said .Judge Zondo’s analysis shows a way forward: the power of political party hierarchies must be reduced, so public representatives can do their work without fear of retribution from a self-serving leadership.

“Only some form of electoral reform can achieve this, and it is a fortunate irony that the Constitutional Court, on which Judge Zondo sits, has recently opened the way for this in its judgment allowing independent candidates to stand for Parliament. But it is not going to be easy,” Mr Pothier noted. He said two senior ANC officebearers in Limpopo implicated in “VBS crookery” have been reinstated by the ANC’s National Executive Committee. “The excuse? Being implicated in a forensic report is not the same as being found guilty in court...”

Salesians offer technology coding course for underserved youth By ERIN cARELSE

HE Salesians’ Life Choices Academy is offering students who have matriculated an opportunity to start a career in technology with a one-year coding course. No experience is required for the course which promises to boost personal and professional skills and give participants a headstart among the pack of jobseekers. The successful applicants will be trained in web development and programming over six months at Life Choices in Lansdowne, Cape Town. During this period, they cover theory from Mondays to Fridays from 8:00to 17:00. Students are taught coding languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Python as well as

personal professionalism. This will be followed by paid internships in local businesses for a further six-month period. Candice Amon, Life Choices’ personal, professional and development manager, said she believes that providing these future-based skills can help young people from poor communities to access jobs. “We believe that the human spirit is remarkably resilient—no matter who our parents are, where we live, or what kinds of connections, abilities, and opportunities life may have offered us,” she said. “Even in circumstances where the odds seem hopelessly stacked against us—there is endless potential waiting to be freed,” Ms Amon said. The bootcamp course will begin on August 31 with applications clos-

ing on August 21. Applicants must be 18-25 years old, South African citizens or holding a South African permit that allows them to study; and have finished matric with an English mark above 60% (good marks in maths or math lit preferable). The course is valued at R50 000, but participants are obliged to start paying back costs only once they have found a permanent job. Preference is given to young people from underserved communities. The Life Choices Academy LCA falls under the umbrella of the Cape Town-based youth development organisation, Salesian Life Choices. The NPO works to give youth from the Cape Flats a fair chance in life. n To apply, got to www.lifechoices academy.com or Whatsapp 067 0337946.

Mgr Paul Nadal celebrated Sunday Mass at Garden Grove retirement centre in Durban. Mgr Nadal, a long-serving vicar-general in the archdiocese of Durban under the late Archbishop Denis Hurley, recently celebrated his 88th birthday. (Photo: Hilda McNally)

Bishop Patrick Mvemve dies at 79

More than 70% of Grade 7 and matric learners have returned to school at Marist Brothers Linmeyer in Johannesburg. All students and teachers were screened at various stations, temperatures were taken, stickers confirming medical checks were given, and masks were handed out. Newly returned Grade 12s Believe Ntini (left) and Gabriella Pereira enjoy themselves hamming it up.

Continued from page 1 the number of priests serving the faithful, implemented Small Christian Communities to encourage self-ministering, and promoted the idea of a self-reliant Church. Bishop Mvemve served as vicepresident of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) and on the standing committee of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). In the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference he occupied

several liaison roles. In 2010, Bishop Mvemve led The Southern Cross’ pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Cairo and Oberammergau. He resigned as bishop of Klerksdorp on April 26, 2013, and was succeeded by Bishop Victor Phalana. In retirement, Bishop Mvemve lived in Johannesburg, the city where he asked to be buried. Funeral arrangements for him were yet to be confirmed before publication.

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The Southern Cross, July 8 to July 14, 2020

Schools commit to eradicating racism BY ERIN CARELSE

EVERAL Catholic schools have issued statements acknowledging racial problems and committing to change. These include Holy Rosary School and De La Salle Holy Cross College in Johannesburg, and Springfield Convent School in Cape Town. Past and present pupils from schools around South Africa have taken to social media to expose racism they experienced at school. The confessions were posted on social media after the matric class of the Anglican Bishops Diocesan School in Rondebosch, Cape Town, staged a protest to demand an end to both racism and homophobia at the school, amid global Black Lives Matter protests.

Holy Rosary School Edenvale-based Holy Rosary School received testimonies over the past few weeks from students. Acknowledging these, the school expressed deep regret that it had failed to provide a safe space where all its students feel deep belonging. “We are committed to providing an environment in which all the students in our care feel worthy, valued and loved,” head of school Jacinta Lucas said in a statement.

“The board of governors and the school management apologise unreservedly for the pain caused and for the school’s failure to protect these students, both past and present,” the statement said. It conceded that the pace of transformation at Holy Rosary School has been too slow. “We have come to realise that this journey of transformation is one that we cannot undertake alone and that we need expert guidance. We have appointed L&N Advisors, who are social justice practitioners with much experience in assisting schools with their transformation journeys,” the statement said. “As management we commit to providing both our teachers and students with the critical tools that they need to meaningfully practise racial literacy so that we can truly say that we are an anti-racist school.” Holy Rosary is committed to ensuring policies that hold people accountable. This will include reviews to ensure none of its policies are inadvertently discriminatory or insensitive. A transformation and diversity committee will also be reconstituted. “Initially we want to establish a transformation working group to lead the process of change over the next 12 months,” Ms Lucas said.

“This group will become the custodians of the transformation process and will hold the school accountable to the timelines and processes that will be set. We will ensure that every stakeholder section from our school community will be represented on this group to support us with the implementation process and the various review processes that must take place,” she said.

De La Salle College The principal at De La Salle Holy Cross College, Debbie Harris, expressed deep sadness when she and her colleagues discovered, through social media, present and past students sharing the hurt and pain they had experienced as a result of racism and discrimination at the college. “It is clear that we have fallen well short of one of our Lasallian Holy Cross core principles, namely ‘to uphold and respect the dignity of all persons’. We are sincerely and deeply sorry for failing our school community past and present in this way,” Ms Harris said. The college has taken action to ensure that it does everything necessary to be true to its calling to uphold the dignity of every person. De La Salle has committed itself to addressing the concerns raised and will work with “external experts in

this area to implement a productive and sustainable strategy to facilitate behavioural and structural change while continuing to evaluate and monitor this process”. “Our first step was to reach out to everyone who posted their concerns on social media and to acknowledge their experiences. Then, we have arranged to hold independently mediated forums to hear and understand the concerns that have been raised,” Ms Harris said. “We then had our first Zoom dialogue session, entitled ‘It’s time to listen’, hosted by facilitators from the organisation Mandate Molefi,” she explained. The board of governors, management and staff, guided by the independent consultants, will collaborate to assess and analyse the situation at the college with the aim of developing an ongoing strategy to repair the shortcomings in the school’s environment, and to foster learning solutions that work to respect and support all students.

Springfield Convent School Penny Mullan, head of school at Springfield Convent School, noted in a statement that “two pandemics are spreading throughout the world: coronavirus and bigotry”. The latter has “affected and con-

sumed more lives than the former”, she observed. “Eradicating the world of coronavirus is in the hands of a few scientists, but eradicating the world, and our school, of the endemic racism, discrimination and bigotry, requires the efforts of all.” Ms Mullan’s statement came after reading reports from Springfielders, past and present, of hurtful, disparaging and discriminatory experiences at school. “Your anger is justifiable, and your voices are heard,” she said. The school has taken responsibility for ensuring authentic acceptance and respect for all. “Achieving authentic diversity at our school is a conscious and ongoing process. We are committed to dismantling racism and all acts of unfair discrimination within our institution,” Ms Mullan said. “Pupils and teachers must be taught to recognise prejudice and will be encouraged to use their voices to call out injustices, both big and small.” She called on parents “to accept their responsibility in supporting their daughters, as well as the school, on this path to building a community that abhors racism and strives for inclusivity”.

From the Cape Flats all the way to Pope Francis’ open door Continued from page 1 Mr Johannes has been particularly active on Justice & Peace issues in Rome, including the peace mediation initiated by the Vatican in Mozambique and initiatives in South Sudan. He said he works closely with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and its Ghanaian head, Cardinal Peter Turkson. Mr Johannes also had seminars and was instrumental in teaching leadership to students at the Jesuit Pontifical Gregorian University. He liaises closely with Caritas and non-governmental organisations operating from the Vatican too. “Of course now we are liaising

even more intensely, because we want to make sure that what the apostolic nuncio to Southern Africa, Archbishop Peter Wells, has set up in terms of feeding schemes and so on continues, especially for the very poor,” the ambassador explained. The veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle noted that the social policy of Pope Francis, and the social programme of the Church, is similar to some of the Freedom Charter ideals. “The Vatican does a lot of work for the poor, for the people on the peripheries, and they support schools, hospitals, clinics, orphanages, old age homes, and the social needs of people irrespective of race, colour and creed,” he noted.

The certificate of Ambassador George Johannes’ papal knighthood. Mr Johannes grew up in a big Catholic family in Elsies River in Cape Town. “We didn’t have much growing up, but we never went to bed starving,” he recalled.

His brother is Deacon Arthur Johannes, a lawyer. Young George Johannes attended Holy Cross School in Parow and matriculated from Trafalgar High School before going into exile. He hopes that the honour of the papal knighthood will give hope to many young people. “I want this to be a message to young people who are very frustrated, who are going through turmoil and trauma in their lives, and who don’t have jobs and so on: that all is not lost and that there is always hope. They have to change their own lives and get up and be determined to overcome their difficulties,” Mr Johannes said.

“When I was a youngster, I didn’t have much of a youth. Apartheid chased us out of the country, but that’s when I decided that I would rather dedicate my life to making life easier for the next generation. I spent most of my young life in the struggle and I was very happy during that time, especially to be working with giants of our struggle who are role models and idols,” he added. Mr Johannes said during apartheid, the Vatican had no diplomatic relations with South Africa. These were established only in 1994. “Now I’m a part of that history too, and this is why I treasure this privilege which I have had to showcase South Africa,” he said.

Family centre invites response on Church plans STAFF REPORTER

FAMILY organisation is inviting Catholics to take part in a survey on family and pastoral plans. The Bethelehem-based Sekwele Centre for Family Studies (www.sekwele.org) said the survey is anonymous and takes about ten minutes to complete. “The centre is interested in the

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extent to which parishioners have knowledge of pastoral plans and involvement of family in these plans,” said Sekwele Centre

for Family Studies director Imelda Diouf. To this extent we have developed a short, anonymous survey to gather information. The findings of the survey will be made available through networks of the Church. n Go to https://forms.gle/ dC26kTCETYKYt5gy8 or CLICK HERE to begin the Family and Pastoral Plan Survey.

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The Southern Cross, July 8 to July 14, 2020

INTERNATIONAL

Schoenstatt founder charges ‘old hat’

OCUMENTS uncovered from the recently opened archives of the pontificate of Pope Pius XII revealed allegations of sexual abuse and abuse of power against the founder of the Schoenstatt movement, Fr Joseph Kentenich. Reports of the apostolic visitation made in the early 1950s written by Dutch Jesuit Father Sebastiaan Tromp were published by German scholar Alexandra von Teuffenbach after she wrote a letter regarding her discovery to German newspaper Die Tagespost and Italian journalist Sandro Magister. Fr Juan Pablo Catoggio, superior of the Schoenstatt movement, in a statement acknowledged Fr Tromp’s visitation and the accusations against Fr Kentenich, “which led to the 14-year-long exile of the founder” to Wisconsin in the US. However, he stressed, it had been found that Fr Kentenich had committed no crime. Ms von Teuffenbach, a former professor of Church history at Rome’s Pontifical Regina Apostolorum University, said the testimonies, letters and conversations Fr Tromp had with members of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, as well as Fr Kentenich, revealed “a situation of complete subjugation of the nuns, concealed in a certain way by a sort of family structure applied to the work”. “Kentenich was the ‘father’, the founder with absolute power, often equated with God,” Ms von Teuffenbach wrote to Mr Magister. “So much so that in many expressions and prayers it is not clear whether these are addressed to God the Father or to the founder himself.”

The behaviour of the founder of Schoenstatt, she added, is “a striking example of what Pope Francis probably means when he speaks of clericalism, with the father and founder of the work who sets himself up as the proprietor of the nuns, in soul and body”. Ms von Teuffenbach also praised Fr Tromp, as well as the Roman curia under Pope Pius XII, noting that that the documents revealed an “assiduous and meticulous search for the truth” during the investigation. The Schoenstatt movement was founded in Germany in 1914 by Fr Kentenich as a way “to help renew the Church and society in the spirit of the Gospel” and is present in over 100 countries around the world, including South Africa, the movement’s website states. It includes priests, nuns and lay members. The process of beatification of Fr Kentenich was opened seven years after his death in 1968. Fr Catoggio said that the allegations against the founder "were discussed and clarified during the process of beatification opened in 1975” and that all documents regarding the allegations were “made available to the competent Church authorities”. “If doubt regarding the moral integrity of the Schoenstatt founder would have remained, his exile would not have finished and the Vatican would have not published a nihil obstat [no objection] to open his process of beatification,” he said. Fr Eduardo Aguirre, postulator of the cause of canonisation, told Zenit Español that “even though these accusations are about information known for well over half a century,

Fr Joseph Kentenich, founder of the Schoenstatt movement. (Photo: KNA/CNS) today they are presented as if they were new, and as if because of this they have the strength to question the moral reputation of the father and founder of the Schoenstatt Movement”. He said the allegations had not been made public because the “processes of beatification and canonisation must be carried out under secrecy”. “No formal accusation was made of alleged crimes against Fr Kentenich. Therefore, the Holy Office did not carry out any trial against him and there was no sentence or punishment,” Fr Aguirre said. Ms von Teuffenbach said that her intention in making the details of the visitation known was not meant to “hurt Schoenstatt, because they do many good things”. “I hope that this does not do damage for Schoenstatt, but rather is a path so that Schoenstatt can have a new beginning, not by venerating a person of this kind, but by doing positive things,” she said. Nevertheless, Ms von Teuffenbach said, the revelation of allegations against Fr Kentenich should mean that “it is not possible to beatify a person who, more than just sexual abuse, committed abuse of power”.— CNS

A Palestinian demonstrator returns a teargas canister during a protest near the Jewish settlement of Beit El on July 1, 2020. The demonstrators were protesting against Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank. (Photo: Mohamad Torokman, Reuters)

Vatican’s top diplomat meets with Israeli ambassadors BY CAROL GLATZ

ARDINAL Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, met with the US and Israeli ambassadors to the Vatican to express concern that “possible unilateral actions” on their part would further jeopardise peace in the region. “The Holy See reiterates that the state of Israel and the state of Palestine have the right to exist and to live in peace and security, within internationally recognised borders,” said a statement from the Vatican press office. “It thus appeals to the parties to do everything possible to reopen the process of direct negotiation, on the basis of the relevant Resolutions of the UN, and aided by measures that can reestablish reciprocal confidence,” the statement said. Though the Vatican did not specify which “unilateral actions” caused its concern, the Vatican recognises the sovereignty of both the state of Israel and the state of Palestine and

their rights to exist in peace and security. Israel has said it plans to unilaterally annex parts of the West Bank, which is part of Palestinian territory, as part of a peace plan put forward by the US administration. However, Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said that international law is very clear that “annexation is illegal. Period. Any annexation. Whether it is 30% of the West Bank, or 5%”. It would have “a disastrous impact on human rights” throughout the Middle East, she added. The Vatican statement quoted Pope Francis’ 2014 plea for peace, saying it hoped the two sides would have the courage to sit down together and “say yes to encounter and no to conflict; yes to dialogue and no to violence; yes to negotiations and no to hostilities; yes to respect for agreements and no to acts of provocation; yes to sincerity and no to duplicity”.—CNS

Pope Francis sends condolences to Pope Benedict for brother’s death Concert honouring JPII now online BY CAROL GLATZ

OPE Francis has sent retired Pope Benedict XVI his prayers and condolences for the death of his younger brother, Mgr Georg Ratzinger. The monsignor, a musician and the retired pope’s elder brother, died in Regensburg, Germany, on July 1 at the age of 96. In a letter Pope Francis told his predecessor he was praying for his brother, hoping he would be rewarded in heaven for being among the “faithful servants of the Gospel”. “And I am also praying for you, Your Holiness”, asking that God and the Blessed Virgin sustain you with “Christian hope and tender divine consolation”. The two brothers attended the seminary together after World War II and were ordained to the priesthood together in 1951. Although priestly ministry took them in different directions, they continued to be close

Retired Pope Benedict XVI with his brother, Mgr Georg Ratzinger. Mgr Ratzinger, 96, died on July 1. (Photo: L’Osservatore Romano//CNS) and to spend holidays together, including at the Vatican and the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. When Mgr Ratzinger was named an honorary citizen of Castel Gandolfo in 2008, Pope Benedict told the crowd: “From the beginning of my

life, my brother was always not just a companion, but also a trustworthy guide.” Mgr Ratzinger had been hospitalised for a while, and Pope Benedict, 93, flew to Regensburg on June 18 to be with his ailing brother for a few days.—CNS

CONCERT honouring the centennial of St John Paul II’s birth is now available on-

line. The concert, featuring some of the United States and Poland’s top classical music artists, was held in June and is now online. The concert features introductory remarks from Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan, president of Poland’s bishops’ conference, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. The performances can be seen at https://jp2concert.com. The total running time is two hours and 47 minutes. The musical programme begins with pianist Szymon Nehring, in a church courtyard, playing a solo piano rendition of “Etude in C# Minor, No. 25, Op. 9”, written by one of Poland’s musical treasures, Fredric Chopin. The programme, a combination

of sacred and classical music, includes Metropolitan Opera soloist Angel Joy Blue’s rendition of Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria”, two other Metropolitan Opera soloists, MaryAnn McCormick and Lisette Oropesa, performing Mozart’s “Panis Angelicus” and “Laudate Dominum”, Metropolitan Operafeatured performer Latonia Moore singing the “Ave Maria” from Verdi’s opera Otello, and Brandie Sutton’s performance of the “Lamb of God” to the accompaniment of David Sneed, who has performed with such artists as Aretha Franklin, Wynton Marsalis, Jessye Norman, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross. The concert also features the world premiere of the arias from the opera Hiob by Krzesimir Debski, which was based on a play by Karol Wojtyla, who later became Pope John Paul II.—CNS

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INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, July 8 to July 14, 2020

Pope commends UN for global ceasefire resolution BY COURTNEY MARES

OPE Francis applauded the United Nations Security Council for its recent resolution calling for an immediate global ceasefire amid the coronavirus pandemic. “The call for a global and immediate ceasefire, which would allow the peace and security necessary to provide the urgently needed humanitarian assistance, is commendable,” the pope said after his Angelus prayer. “I hope that this decision will be implemented effectively and promptly for the good of many people who are suffering. May this Security Council resolution become a courageous first step towards a peaceful future,” he said. The ceasefire resolution applies to conflicts in Yemen, Syria, Libya, South Sudan, and Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Associated Press. It demands “a durable humanitarian pause for at least 90 consecutive days” to ensure that medical and humanitarian aid will reach those in need as the coron-

avirus continues to spread. The 15 countries that make up the Security Council passed the resolution on July 1 after months of disagreement between China and the United States over whether the text would include references to either the World Health Organisation or “transparency”. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres first called for a global ceasefire on March 23 with Pope Francis echoing this appeal the following week. Mr Guterres said that a global ceasefire would “help create corridors for life-saving aid” and “bring hope to places among the most vulnerable to Covid-19”. He pointed out that refugee camps and people with existing health conditions are most at risk of suffering “devastating losses”. Pope Francis said: “Conflicts are not resolved through war.” He added that conflicts must be overcome through “dialogue and a constructive search for peace”. The pope said in his Angelus address that Jesus offers “the weary and

oppressed” much more than “psychological solace or a lavish handout”. “The joy that Jesus gives us. It is unique. It is the joy that he himself has,” he said. “The world exalts those who are rich and powerful, no matter by what means, and at times tramples upon the human being and his or her dignity. And we see this every day, the poor who are trampled underfoot,” Pope Francis said. “And it is a message for the Church, called to live works of mercy and to evangelise the poor, to be meek and humble. This is how the Lord wants his Church, that is, us, to be.” He said that Jesus placed himself among “those who labour and are burdened” because he was “meek and humble of heart”. “May Mary, the humblest and highest of creatures, implore from God wisdom of the heart for us that we may discern its signs in our lives and be sharers in those mysteries which, hidden from the proud, are revealed to the humble,” the pope said.—CNA

‘Church must rebuild trust amid abuse crisis’

HE Church can only rebuild trust in its handling of clerical abuse by “taking responsibility for clarifying all crimes and omissions”, the primate of Poland said. In a statement Archbishop Wojciech Polak noted the steps that the Polish bishops have taken in response to a burgeoning abuse crisis in the country. “I am convinced that only by standing in truth and taking responsibility for clarifying all crimes and omissions, we will rebuild our credibility and trust in the Church in Poland,” he said. His comments came a week after more than 600 people took out a full-page advertisement in the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica urging the pope to intervene in the growing abuse crisis in the country. The Church in Poland has faced intense scrutiny of its handling of

abuse allegations in the wake of a documentary film, Tell No One, which has been viewed almost 24 million times on YouTube since its release last year. Archbishop Polak said that the Polish bishops’ safeguarding guidelines complied with the norms of the Holy See and Polish law, and had earned praise from Archbishop Charles Scicluna, one of the leading figures in the battle against clerical abuse. Theprimate of poland noted that he personally had reported a fellow bishop, Edward Janiak of Kalisz, to the Vatican under the law promulgated by the pope in June 2019 in the motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi. He said that he had taken the step after viewing the documentary film Hide and Seek, by brothers Marek and Tomasz Sekielski. In the follow-up to Tell No One, they alleged that Bishop

Janiak had failed to take action against a priest accused of abuse. The bishop has denied the allegations. “After watching the film, I could not remain silent or stay inactive in the face of the presented facts,” Archbishop Polak said. Last month Pope Francis appointed an apostolic administrator to take charge of Bishop Janiak’s diocese while an investigation into the bishop’s actions is carried out. Archbishop Polak acknowledged that, despite progress in combating abuse, confidence in Church authorities had been shaken by the crisis. “We must honestly admit that the law in force in the Church is not respected everywhere, and not all victims receive the help they need. Ensuring the safety of children and young people in the Church is still a challenge for us,” the archbishop said. —CNA

As DRC turns 60, cardinal says country has failed BY FREDRICK NZWILI

S the Democratic Republic of Congo celebrated 60 years of independence from Belgium, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa said the “great dreams” of the people had been shuttered by successive regimes. “We have known successive autocratic regimes that have come to power like the colonialist without any concern for the will of the people, and this continues today: by force, war or fraud,” Cardinal Ambongo said in a homily. He did, however, remind people to celebrate. The cardinal said citizens were much poorer to the point of being classified by some as the most miserable on earth. The exploitation of mineral resources has occurred in broad daylight, with the population not benefiting, he said. In a visible policy of occupation, according to

Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa. (Photo: Remo Casilli, Reuters /CNS)

the cardinal, nine neighbouring countries had a presence in DRC, either as armies or as migrants. He highlighted the violation of the country’s territory and a Balkanisation agenda, pointing at the insecurity and rebel forces in the east of the country. “We must recognise this. After 60 years of independence, we have

shamefully failed. We have not been able to make Congo a more beautiful country than before,” said Cardinal Ambongo. “Each of us will have to account before God what he had done with his talents for this beautiful country,” he said. “We must get out of this mentality as we often hear in the city: that the president or the government will come to do this or that.” The latest worry, according to the cardinal, is growing mistrust and rivalry within the governing coalition that risks pushing the country back into chaos. The government is completely paralysed, and service to the people has been sacrificed, Cardinal Ambongo said. Instead of working together around common programmes, the members no longer trust each other, he said. “As long as this coalition is there, there is nothing to hope for from our rulers,” the cardinal said.—CNS

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Composer Ennio Morricone receives the Gold Medal of the Pontificate from Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi in April 2019. The composer died on Monday at the age of 91.

Composer died with ‘comfort of faith’

NNIO Morricone, the Oscarwinning Italian composer honoured by Pope Francis, died on July 6 at 91 “with the comfort of faith”, his lawyer, Giorgio Assumma, announced. Mr Morricone died in a Rome hospital after he was admitted days earlier with a fractured femur. A Rome native, he composed more than 100 classical works and 400 movie and television soundtracks. Mr Morricone is perhaps best known in the Catholic world for creating the soundtrack to The Mission, the 1986 movie depicting Spanish Jesuits’ efforts to protect indigenous people from enslavement in 18thcentury South America. He achieved international fame in the 1960s with his work on a trilogy of Westerns—A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly—directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood. Mr Morricone also wrote the scores for global hits such as Once Upon A Time In America, The Untouchables, and Cinema Paradiso. He won an honorary Academy Award in 2007, and an Oscar for Best Original Score for The Hateful Eight in 2016. Mr Morricone wrote the score for Karol: A Man Who Became Pope, portraying the early life of St John Paul II, in 2006.

Pope Francis awarded the composer the Gold Medal of the Pontificate last year, in honour of his “extraordinary artistic work in the sphere of music, universal language of peace, solidarity and spirituality”. The award was presented by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, in Rome’s Sant’Agnese in Agone church in Piazza Navona. In an interview with the National Catholic Register in 2013, Mr Morricone discussed the relationship between his faith and art. “I do not think about my faith when I write a piece of music. I think of the music that I have to write— music is an abstract art. But of course, when I have to write a religious piece, certainly my faith contributes to it.” He composed a Mass marking the 200th anniversary of the restoration of the Society of Jesus in 2015, dedicating it to Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope. The composer and his wife met Pope Francis before the premiere of the “Missa Papae Francisci”. Recalling that he cried when he met the pope, Mr Morricone said: “Don’t get the idea that I burst into tears at every opportunity; those were the only two times I have ever cried—when I first watched The Mission and when I met the pope.”— CNA

Bishops call for EU support of persecuted Christians in Nigeria BY COURTNEY MARES

HE president of the European bishops’ commission has promised persecuted Christians in Nigeria that he will advocate for increased support from the European Union. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, who leads the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, wrote a letter to the Nigerian bishops stating that the commission will advocate for EU assistance and cooperation with the Nigerian authorities to combat violence and persecution. The cardinal expressed solidarity with Nigerian Christian communities, who, he wrote, are “living a situation of continuous attacks by terrorists, insurgents and militias, that in some cases reach levels of

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genuine criminal persecution”, according to a European commission statement. An estimated 6 000 Nigerian Christians have been killed since 2015, mostly by Boko Haram and militant Fulani herders, the European commission reported. More than 600 Christians have been killed so far in 2020, according to an International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law report. Christians have been beheaded and set on fire, farms set ablaze, and priests and seminarians have been targeted for kidnapping and ransom. A Boko Haram attack on a village in the north-eastern Nigerian state of Borno left at least 81 people dead on June 9. The attack was the latest by an ongoing Islamist group against the country’s Christian population. —CNA

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The Southern Cross, July 8 to July 14, 2020

The

LEADER PAGE

S outher n C ross Editor: Günther Simmermacher

This is our future

HIS week we bring very bad news and some good news to the attention of our faithful readers. The good news first: There will be a Southern Cross in the future, with an exciting plan to vitalise this venerable publication as it approaches its 100th birthday. The bad news is that this will be accomplished with no full-time staff. As of July 31, all staff members of this newspaper will be retrenched, from the editor to the general assistant. That is 130 years of combined service going out of the door. Like so many other businesses and institutions, the coronavirus crisis and the resultant crashing economy have wrought havoc with our capacity to continue operation as before. The loss of income from sales in the churches—our main point-ofsale—has crippled The Southern Cross’ finances. Our financial reserves are exhausted, and with churches still not reopening, or doing so under heavy restrictions, there is no immediate prospect of assured income which might allow us to retain our staff. The Southern Cross’ staff is loyal, to the newspaper and the Church, and they made great sacrifices to keep the newspaper going for what will be four months of lockdown. The staff has struggled with a formidable spirit through these difficult months, even when influential voices explicitly withdrew their support just when we needed it most. Such ill-timed opposition—cruelly coming at a moment when our staff members were worried about the future, for themselves and for the newspaper they love— was offset by the signs of support offered by many others. It was energising when the bishops’ conference issued a message of support, signed by its president, Bishop Sithembele Sipuka. Encouragement was offered by so many readers and friends: moral support in the form of personal messages, calls and letters, and financial patronage from so many people who want their Southern Cross to survive. There may be many who are indifferent to The Southern Cross, and a few who are hostile to it—but especially during the past few months, we felt the depth of love which so many people have for this newspaper.

We have seen an uptake in subscriptions, and our free digital edition has introduced this newspaper to many who had never known it before. Clearly, the local Church still needs The Southern Cross. All this has sustained the staff over the past few months. As we clear our desks, we take with us the memory of much goodwill which will soothe many painful wounds. And until the end, we shall pray for a funding miracle by which we may return to these desks. The wonderful generosity of many readers has assured that The Southern Cross has survived so far, and that it will not be lost when the staff leaves. Three retrenched staff members will continue to bring out a weekly Southern Cross, in digital format, while working on a freelance basis, at substantial financial sacrifice. Subscribers will continue to receive their digital Southern Cross on Wednesdays, and the Catholic community on Sundays for free until the end of September. At that point, The Southern Cross will relaunch as a monthly magazine (subscriptions will be converted accordingly). Our website (www.scross.co.za) will continue to serve as a hub for news. Of course, this is a mammoth task. It will require funding, so we ask our generous readers to keep supporting The Southern Cross. Obviously, we are also praying for large-scale funding to enable us to run this publication with fulltime staff and financial security. We are also hoping that volunteers may come forward to offer their services to lighten the enormous workload assumed by the freelancers. The Southern Cross as we knew it—the weekly newspaper that served the Catholic community week for week for almost a hundred years—will be no more. Indeed, discussions were already underway, before the coronavirus changed everything, to turn the newspaper into a magazine. That was a project for 2021. Circumstances—and, we believe, the Holy Spirit—have accelerated that plan. The relaunched Southern Cross magazine will need the energetic cooperation of our Catholic community, our parishes, our priests and our bishops. In the interim, pray for us, the staff of The Southern Cross, that the future will be brighter than it may seem right now.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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

Coronavirus has exposed deep challenges in SA I T is so sad! The arrival of the pandemic exposed a number of social challenges in our country. We have seen during this time how unequal a society we are, with long queues of people from poorer communities living in squalor waiting for food handouts. With the country’s economic activity coming to a halt, much focus and attention was given to bolster the health system which was in no position to handle the effects of the virus. In fact, it exposed a number of gaps in the system. The recent reopening of the education system also showed how the poor and vulnerable remain on the periphery of society, with inadequate infrastructure and support to continue their learning during the lockdown. Many households have been disrupted by the drastic measures imposed during the lockdown with detrimental effect. It is so sad!

We need to read conservatives too

OUR book reviews on June 1 included one of Wounded Shepherd: Pope Francis and His Struggle to Convert the Catholic Church, written by Austen Ivereigh. This English journalist defends in his book Pope Francis’ progressive reforms, which are contested by a number of conservative Catholics. To counterbalance Mr Ivereigh’s book, I recommended that people read authors who defend the conservative viewpoint, such as Marcantonio Colonna, Philip Lawler and George Neumayr. Austin Ruse, president of the Center for Family and Human Rights, does not have a high opinion of Mr Ivereigh. In Crisis Magazine he wrote last year that Mr Ivereigh had called certain conservative Catholics “racists, anti-Semites and sedevacantists” on Twitter. “In another tweet,” Mr Ruse wrote, “Austen compared faithful

These situations prevailed even before the coronavirus entered our shores. More recently, we have seen an increase in racial tension and gender-based violence, and again, it is so sad because people have been crying out for action to be taken in a country whose racial divide is deep-rooted. Furthermore, we remain the epicentre for gender-based abuse. While the Church is not able to solve the country’s problems, there are some social issues that require the its voice, education and support. The Church’s faithful are not immune from these social issues and the it needs to take a more prominent role. 1. The Church needs to once again become an active participant in social and environmental matters. She needs to add her voice as a religious body that life matters. 2. In the past, the Church always played an influential role in our country, and she needs to re-

build her credibility as a voice of the people. 3. Within the Church community, education is critical. People need to become more aware and involved in social matters, and the Church can provide a platform to inform and educate. 4. As an informed and educated Christian community, the laity can assist the clergy in a support infrastructure to help those who feel vulnerable, alone and exposed, giving them access to a safe and secure Christian resource. As stated by Bishop Sithembele Sipuka: “Society changed and the Church needed to respond to those changing needs differently and effectively...that the Catholic Church needed to review its stance and purpose so that she could once again become an important and influential voice in the area of social justice, family and environmental matters in Southern Africa.” Dennis Jackson, Johannesburg

Catholics—specifically the Pachamama Dunkers—to ISIS head-choppers.” JH Goossens, Pretoria

gratulations are due to the bishops for making such a far-sighted appointment when there are increasing calls for women to be appointed to roles of leadership in the Catholic Church. But two pages later I was disappointed to read that the bishops appointed a priest to the position of coordinating secretary of their department for formation, life and apostolate of the laity. I don’t wish to question the suitability of Fr Nkosingiphile Cyril Ngubane, and I wish him very well in his new position. But the question is why this position can’t be occupied by a layperson who by his or her experience has a better understanding of the needs of the laity than a priest. Is there a requirement that the coordinating secretary must be a priest? If so, isn’t it high time to change that rule? My criticism apart, I wish Sr Tshifhiwa and Fr Nkosingiphile the very best in their new positions. Paul Collins, Johannesburg

Yes and no to new appointment

WAS pleased to read in your front-page article (July 1) that Sr Tshifhiwa Munzhedzi OP has been appointed associate secretary-general of the bishops’ conference, and that its day-to-day operations are now run by two women. Your article by Erin Carelse says that this may be a world-first. ConOpinions expressed in The Southern Cross 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 editor@scross.co.za

Contact Vocation Coordinator on 072 989 2286 nardvocprom1855@gmail.com Facebook: Franciscan Nardini Sisters of the Holy Family

The Southern Cross, July 8 to July 14, 2020

PERSPECTIVES

Addressing GBV starts at home T Imelda Diouf HE Covid-19 magnifier has certainly presented, in no uncertain terms, the violent facts of South Africa. The gruesome details, the horrifying images, the dates and the names of women, children and the unborn child are now part of the lockdown hall of shame. And despite knowledge of femicide, rape, domestic violence, assault and gender-based violence statistics, each news flash still shocks us into disbelief. We are shamed and saddened. On bended knees we apologise to the women of our country, pray aloud, preach and exhort from every platform at our disposal. Dialogues, dedicated funds and strategies follow. Specialised training for law enforcement officers and victim empowerment programmes are tweaked, rebranded and relaunched. We march for justice. We promise to fight the scourge and educate men. We pray for peace. In our search for justice and peace we recommend, as stated in the new Pastoral Plan of the Catholic Church of Southern Africa, that “stopping all gender-based violence and confronting injustice in our homes requires a focus on changing the way people feel and what they do”. This is the behaviour change or transformation of society for which we search. Behaviour change, however, is the difficult part: dealing with injustice and criminality within families. Violence carried out in our homes is

based on perpetrators and victims sharing the same physical, financial and emotional spaces.

Break the cycles of violence

The removal of a perpetrator or victim is usually only a temporary measure, a short-term action. All too often cycles of trauma, abuse and neglect are multigenerational. Children observe patterns of behaviour that are then normalised and repeated. And so the cycle of abuse continues in families. The bonds of love build, and the ties of dysfunction break. In the public space the name of love is easier to state than the name of dysfunction, especially when we have to point the finger inwards. There are many points of entry to solving the problem of gender based vio-

Women ask questions at an anti-GBV protest outside parliament in Cape Town last year.

The Family Brief

lence—laws, arrests, compliance, incarceration, counselling, education, safe homes—and these are all important actions. Yet the long-term goal is to ensure that victims are safe in homes and communities. The long-term goal is to ensure that perpetrators are part of functioning families. Perpetrators are part of our homes and part of our communities. After all, they are our fathers, husbands, uncles, brothers, sons and boyfriends! Government and non-governmental services provided to victims and perpetrators need to be managed on the same continuum of support, rather than silo approaches and short-term actions. And a focus on changing the way people feel and what they do, is the process of building resilience and transforming families from within. Be prepared to name the dysfunctionality within families and community structures. Get rid of fighting talk. Start with rebuilding talk. We must be willing to transform families and homes if we have any chance of ending gender-based violence.

Why we must face up to our death Raymond Perrier

HIS month marks my birthday— which strangely puts me to thinking about death. Of course, the prevailing impact of Covid-19 means that we are all much more conscious of the question of illness and death. Living in South Africa we are never so far away from the issue of mortality: between HIV/Aids, TB, road accidents, violent crime and just the general poor health of so many people around us. But this pandemic has forced people across the world to face up to the old line that the only thing in life you cannot avoid is death. Covid makes it more top-of-mind given the sheer number of people dying: the worldwide statistic for deaths has now passed half a million. While, at time of writing (Tuesday), South Africa has recorded “only” 3 300 deaths from Covid, this is generally regarded as an underestimate. In any case, it will have increased by the time you read this. Because I have so many loved ones in the UK, I am especially aware of the impact of the pandemic there. The official death toll in Britain is 44 000; but when they compare deaths in this period to a “normal year”, the estimate is that there have been more than 55 000 “excess deaths”. The vast majority of those have been among the elderly and so I am especially conscious of how vulnerable my own parents are: either side of 80 years old and diabetic. They have been following all the rules of social distancing and isolation and, thanks be to God, are healthy and safe. But I have noticed that my father recently has been taking small steps that show he is thinking about his own death: sending me photos that might be useful “for some future purpose” (perhaps a requiem card?). He has also been filling me in on gaps in the family history—some surprising examples of divorce in a traditional Catholic family—and letting me know where to find key documents, “in case you need to get to them”. This is not maudlin: it is realistic. He is likely to die in the next few years, and since he is a very organised person, he wants to make sure that all is organised. Preparing for death is something that we should all do. But it is something many people are afraid to do. That is also why we are so reluctant to talk about death, as if by not thinking about it, it somehow will go away. But when we do confront our own mortality, it can be a great release. At the virtual National Arts Festival there have been a series of really insight-

Faith and Society

For the sake of those we leave behind, we should prepare for our death. Raymond Perrier gives some advice on how we should go about it. (Photo: Aron Visuals) ful conversations with pairs of people under the title “Death and Birth in My Life”. The creator, Mats Staub, uses these individual experiences and local contexts to raise some bigger existential questions—just as the Gospels do and a good preacher should do. Thanks to this being online, we get to see the participants up-close—not just when speaking but also when listening to the other person’s experience. (All NAF online performances remain available on their website until July 16; and performances from the Fringe Festival until July 31.)

Death is the goal Of course, as people of faith, we should definitely not be afraid of facing death—indeed we should see it as the goal towards which our lives are oriented. Older readers might recall as children being told to “pray for a good death”. I don’t know whether the late Paddy Kearney continued with that childhood prayer, but, having spent some time recently working through his archive (as preparation for writing his biography), I can see that he was certainly someone not afraid to face his own mortality. After all, he had catalogued his archive clearly in preparation for someone else to read. He made notes on how he wanted his funeral to be, and he encouraged those of us around him to plan for his succession. It is the greatest mark of humility to

imagine a world without myself—and as they say, the graveyards are full of people who thought themselves indispensable! And it is never too young to face these questions. Last week a friend of mine died at the age of 33 of Covid-related complications in Johannesburg. A man full of life found his time cut short. Even if we do not care for ourselves, we should certainly prepare for our death for the benefit of those around us. The shock of dealing with the death of a close friend or relative is only compounded by discovering that they did not leave a will or clear instructions about what their final wishes were. So, as we globally face our mortality, can I urge you to check the following: • That you have a will which is up-todate, written and witnessed, making sure that you have catered for those you care for but also leaving something to the Church or a charity of your choice: and that someone knows where the will is! • That you have left clear instructions for your funeral: burial or cremation, type of service, even the choice of hymns or flowers. • That your financial affairs are clear and decipherable by someone else. • That you have left your passwords somewhere safe but retrievable for your executor. • That you have reconciled with anyone you need to—for your sake but also for theirs. • And, of course, that you are using the services and the sacraments of the Church to help you prepare for what God has been leading us towards throughout our lives Take comfort from the funeral words: “Life has changed, it has not ended.” And these are words that can also help us cope with some of the inevitable changes in our world as we move to the “new normal”. One such are the changes to The Southern Cross which we read about in this week’s editorial. Rather than seeing the distressing news of the staff’s retrenchment as the death knell, let’s instead congratulate the board on facing up to the economic reality that we all face, and committing to work with the team to show that, as people of faith in the face of death, we still see life—in the case of The Southern Cross, reviving as a magazine.

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Is predestination in the Bible? The Church rejects any suggestion of the “predestination” doctrine, and yet I seem to detect such suggestion in Scripture. “My Father, who has given them to me” (John 10:29) and “as many as were ordained to eternal life” (Acts 13:48) are just two instances. Could you comment, please.

HE first Eucharistic Prayer in the Roman Missal contains the petition: “Save us from final damnation and count us among those you have chosen.” These words plainly express that the Church does believe in predestination because our redemption is wholly dependent on God’s generous will and not on us. This does not lead to the conclusion that those not so chosen are automatically predestined to final damnation. Such an idea would contradict St Paul’s teaching that God wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4). Historically, the problem of the doctrine of predestination is how our infinite God can create a finite human freedom of choice that is wholly dependent on him and yet still be free to do good or evil. Some theologians inferred that if only an elite group of believers were predestined to eternal bliss because God wills it so, then those not admitted to eternal bliss must logically be predestined to hell because God wills them to be damned. As long ago as the year 855, the Council of Valence rejected that view and made this statement: “In regard to evil men, we believe that God foreknew their malice, because it is from them, but that he did not predestine it, because it is not from him. We believe that God, who sees all things, foreknew and predestined that their evil deserved the punishment which followed, because he is just.” In other words, the human free choice to do evil is the reason why souls are excluded from the divine presence. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way: “God predestines no one to hell; for this, a wilful turning away from God (mortal sin) is necessary and persistence in it until the end” (1027). So, some kind of perseverance in moral evil is the reason why some people are not saved but rejected by God. God does value our moral lives yet he knows ahead of time (and he lives in eternity, not time) how we shall respond morally to the graces he gives us. Divine foreknowledge does not predetermine our free moral acts. It is the faith of the Church that our eternal redemption is God’s free gift to us. To accept or reject that gift depends on our free will.

n Send your queries to opendoor@scross.co.za. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

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The Southern Cross, July 8 to July 14, 2020

REFLECTION

Let God show how to be a father To address gender-based violence, we may turn to God for a model of positive masculinity, FR S’MILO MNGADI suggests.

are challenged to keep daily contact with their families. In Luke 11–12, we read: “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” Fathers are challenged to provide not only good nutrition for their families but also good lessons and examples that would not bring them harm.

When the People of God look to address toxic masculinity, the parable of the Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Luke provides a good example of fatherhood, argues Fr S’milo Mngadi.

T took me a long time to realise that in our missal, there is no feast dedicated to God the Father, not even a votive Mass. I browsed through the Internet for any popular devotion to him. All I could found was a few odd prayers and a litany that was labelled “for private use”. One could argue that, after all, Christian (Catholic) worship, prayer and devotion is to God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit with the communion of saints. This is true. However, for all those mentioned in this description, except God the Father, there are namespecific liturgies and devotions. The full rendition of the maxim “lex orandi, lex credendi” is, in fact, “lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi” (as we pray, so we believe, so we live). It means that how we worship reflects what we pray and believe—and it determines how we will live. It emphasises that being Catholic is fully encapsulated in worship, belief and life (including its moral obligations). Lack of specific liturgies of and devotions to God the Father might be compromising our sense of communion with him. More importantly, it might make us forget the model of life that he is to fathers (and other male figures) and the moral obligations emanating from it. No one is father as God is the Father.

A toxic masculinity In South Africa, we are currently experiencing an upsurge in the cases of femicide and infanticide at the hands of men. The media glare is exposing what is, in fact, a daily reality for many women and children in our communities, albeit not immediately fatal. Maintained toxic masculinities

The father of the prodigal

are generally pointed out as the main cause. Notwithstanding the exotic, pre-colonial, utopian arguments trying to prove the contrary, customary traditions like ilobolo do perpetuate men’s superiority and render women and children as, somehow, commodities (which can be “purchased” and, consequently, “used”). Some have proposed that the “father” image of God may be a contributing factor as well. I disagree. Rather, it is presenting this image of our lex credendi without its lex orandi expression that may lead people to totally miss its consequent lex vivendi. The image of God as the Father does not, in itself, cause toxic masculinities. It is leaving this image to anyone’s free interpretation that may result in or, even, cause toxic masculinities.

The Southern Cross is our region’s only Catholic weekly, and so it is crucial in bringing Catholic news and thought to the People of God. Without it an important Catholic voice will be lost.

Now the image of God as the Father was generally Jesus’ innovation. We have the exceptions in the Hebrew scriptures like Deuteronomy 1:29-31; Psalm 103:13; Proverbs 3:11-12; Isaiah 63:16; Isaiah 64:8; Malachi 2:10. The latter though still betrays the transcendental and national covenantal character of the Old Testament. Jesus, on the other hand, presents an intimate and a “possibleto-emulate” image of God as Father. A few examples might prove useful in addressing the question of toxic masculinities in the context of the family. Please note that the patriarchal Gospel presentation style (sadly) includes “wives” as children of the man. When teaching about prayer in Luke 11:1-13, Jesus reveals to us a number of positive images of God the Father.

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The Lord’s Prayer itself presents the “father” as the one who is to be held in awe. Many children identify with this. However, this “father” is also expected to provide (daily bread), to let go of responsibly-acknowledged faults (forgiveness), to guide (leading not into temptation) and to help his loved ones out of a messy situation (deliverance from evil). In Luke 11:7 we read: “And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’” The fathers are expected to spend time especially at night with their families and to ensure their security (the bolted door). This is a challenge especially to “absent” fathers. Even those “absent” due to work commitments

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In the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), the father is presented as having qualities hardly associated with masculinity in our region. The father allows the young son to have his part of the estate. This represents the image of a father who allows his family members to have self-determination, to pursue their own dreams and to follow their destiny. This is a very important challenge because in most femicide and familicide cases, a break-up is often cited as a trigger. The father recognises the son from afar, is compassionate, reaches out to him and shows him affection. These positive and lifegiving qualities are an antidote to toxic masculinity. He goes out to explain himself to the elder son who challenges his decision. These qualities of outreach and dialogue are contrary to the popular, toxic notion that the man always has the final word. Celebrating these and many other qualities we believe about God the Father (lex credendi) in our liturgies and popular devotions (lex orandi) as well as teaching them through preaching and catechesis (lex docendi) will go a long way in inspiring our men to live like him who is the Positive Masculine par excellence (lex vivendi). This could be one of our contributions as the Church to curb toxic masculinities in our communities, as appropriating these qualities of God the Father will nurture positive masculinities. For indeed, no one is father as God is Father.

n Fr S’milo Mngadi is a priest of the diocese of Mariannhill. This article was originally published on Imbisa’s website at www.imbisa.africa.

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SAINT

How France recalls Maid of Orléans A century after her canonisation, St Joan of Arc has been claimed by ultra rightwingers as well as by LGBT activists, as cLeMence cireAu explains.

HIS year, the Church celebrates the 100th anniversary of the canonisation of St Joan of Arc, a 15th-century peasant who is one of the most enduring female symbols in Western culture. For several decades, she was associated with the French nationalist right. However, her image now transcends political and cultural divisions. In Orléans, south of Paris, Joan of Arc is hailed as the liberator of the city. Statues, hotels, a church, a house, a high school, and shops are named after her. A square is named after Domrémy, her birthplace. St Joan was born around 1412. At the age of 13, she repeatedly heard voices that gave her the mission to liberate France from the English invader in the Hundred Years’ War. Introduced to the court of the Dauphin Charles VII, the teen was sent in 1428 to the siege of Orléans with a supply battalion, where her arrival brought a new energy. She took the initiative of writing a letter to the British ordering them to leave Orléans. A week after her arrival, the British lifted the siege. She then persuaded the dauphin to go to Rheims, in Burgundy territory, to be crowned king of France. Wounded while trying to liberate Paris, Joan of Arc continued to fight locally, but without as much success. In 1430, she was captured by the Burgundians at Compiègne

A 1903 engraving of Joan of Arc by Albert Lynch in the Figaro Illustre magazine, with the saint’s original signature overlaid. and was sold to the British for 10 000 pounds. They took Joan to Rouen and “entrusted” her to Bishop Pierre Cauchon of Beauvais, a collaborator with the English. In what was a political trial, the English condemned her for “heresy”, and burned at the stake on May 30,1431. She was only 19.

Making of a ‘lay saint’ Joan of Arc has been subject to numerous political reclamations since the 15th century. But at the end of the 19th century, she took on a mythical dimension. France’s socio-political evolution paved the way for the myth of “a lay saint”, someone not seen as a political figure. It was in this context that Bishop Félix Dupanloup of Orléans filed a request for canonisation before Pope Pius IX in 1869. Shortly thereafter, France was defeated by Prussia and lost the border region of Alsace-Lorraine,

which included Joan’s birthplace of Domrémy, in north-eastern France. “The elite then used her image as a heroic and martyred figure: Joan, the good [daughter of] Lorraine, symbol of national unification and patron saint of the lost provinces,” explained Olivier Bouzy, a medieval historian and scientific director of the Joan of Arc Centre in Orléans. “ She became the patron saint of the invaded, the one who resisted, a national heroine.” She then became the object of friction between Catholics and French Republicans. “Quite paradoxically, she served as a link for the French, who could still unite around her, as long as they didn’t express what she embodied for everyone. It’s the period when she’s been written about the most: nearly one book a day between 1890 and 1920,” said Mr Bouzy. In 1905, the law of separation of Church and state caused a rupture of diplomatic ties with the Vatican. Although a step was taken with Joan of Arc’s beatification in 1909, she was not canonised until May 1920. The French Republic then decided to devote a festival to her as well, on the second Sunday of May. In 1922, she became a secondary patron saint of France, after the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Claimed by left and right Since the end of the 19th century, both the left and the right wings have been appropriating the figure of Joan of Arc. The left sees in her a daughter of the people burned by the Church and abandoned by the king. The right sees her as a saint, defender of the monarchy. During World War II, the Vichy government—the regime of unoccupied France that supported Nazi

A monument from 1855 depicts St Joan of Arc on horseback in the French city of Orléans, which the teenage warrior helped liberate from english forces in 1428. Betrayed and sold out, she was later executed for “heresy”—wearing men’s clothing—by the english in 1431. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher) Germany—turned her into a figure against the British and the socalled “Judeo-Masonic” plot. But General Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the opposition to Nazi occupation, recalled her courage and adopted the Cross of Lorraine as a symbol of the French Resistance. It was not until the late 1980s that the nationalist right, led by the National Front, confiscated her image as a symbol. Every May 1, Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the National Front, organised his own celebration of Joan of Arc. His cry “Jeanne, au secours!” (Joan, help!) under a golden statue of Mary in Paris made such an impression that it prevented any other use of her image for many years. However, Mr Bouzy said, since

1999 he has seen “a new impetus, thanks to the impressive regenerative power of the myth” and the willingness of politicians of all stripes to retake Joan of Arc as a symbol. He even sees a renewed interest among French Catholics. “Moderate French Catholics distanced themselves from her in the second half of the 20th century because they did not want to be associated with the extreme right,” said Mr Bouzy. The historian said Joan of Arc now has a variety of cultural meanings. She has become a feminist symbol: in the Anglo-Saxon world, she’s an LGBT figure, while in Japan she’s a manga heroine. “Her image now carries a wide range of messages,” said Mr Bouzy.—CNS

How Joan of Arc was burnt for avoiding rape BY Günther SiMMerMAcher

T a time when gender-based and sexual violence against women, in South Africa and elsewhere, is being described as a pandemic, St Joan of Arc may serve as a patron saint. Betrayed and sold-out to the English after her martial and political heroics, she was subjected to a politically-motivated Church trial which condemned her to death for “heresy”. Her crime against the faith? Wearing long trousers. Starting at Rouen, the seat of the English occupation, on January 9, 1431, the point of the show trial was to eliminate a popular political enemy, preferably while also causing embarrassment to her supporters. A heresy conviction would meet both objectives. There was no evidence of any kind on which to charge Joan, but that didn’t stop the English and their Burgundian collaborators. Joan was not allowed a lawyer, and the bench of judges was stacked in the prosecution’s favour. Even the French vice-inquisitor objected to the obvious miscarriage of justice that had been set in motion; reportedly he changed his tune when he was given the choice between keeping his ethics or his life.

As a Church trial, it broke virtually every legal rule. This was a kangaroo court, and yet the illiterate Joan, armed with the truth and holiness, evaded all the sophisticated theological traps set to catch her in a heresy—any heresy. When the focus on the apparitions she claimed to have had and various crimes she was accused of didn’t work, the court caught her on a point of garments, based on Deuteronomy 22:5 (“A woman shall not wear a man’s apparel, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment”).

Protection from rapists While imprisoned (irregularly in the keep guarded by men, not by nuns, as was her right), Joan wore male soldier’s clothing, including hosen (trousers), specifically to protect herself from soldiers who had attempted to rape her. She refused to hand over these garments because she feared that the court would confiscate them, thus leaving her vulnerable to rapists among the guards. Joan was right to be afraid. When she was eventually forced to wear women’s dress, she reported that “a great English lord” had entered her cell and tried to rape her. When her male clothing were returned to Joan—it is not clear whether this was by

her request or by force when other attire was taken from her—she resumed waring them in her cell. That gave her accusers an opening: she was “relapsing into heresy” for cross-dressing. And with Joan having committed the “heresy” of wearing men’s clothing repeatedly, the court now could impose the sentence of capital punishment. But had Joan been given a lawyer, he might have pointed out that the Church also taught, as per St Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica, that cross-dressing could be allowed in some circumstances—for example to prevent being raped. That threat had been ever-present for Joan, on her travels and on the battlefield. But when there was no such threat, Joan was happy to wear women’s clothes. Joan’s short hair was also held against her, though that hairstyle probably owed to practical reasons on the battlefield. Found guilty and condemned to death for wearing men’s clothes to protect herself from rape, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on Rouen’s marketplace on May 30, 1431. A posthumous papal retrial in 1455 cleared Joan of heresy. She was canonised in 1920, and given the circumstances of her death, she could be invoked in our prayers relating to gender-based violence.

St Joan of Arc depicted in female dress in the church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre in Paris. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

A HOLY PILGRIMAGE TO OUR LADY

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HOLY LAND

From left: The church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. The two towers represent the “tents” for Moses and Elijah • The snow-capped Mount Hermon in northern Galilee, seen from Mount Tabor in central Galilee • A Roman-era aqueduct at Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea (All photos: Günther Simmermacher)

Where Jesus deposed Pan In part 7 of our virtual pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we go with GünTHER SiMMERMACHER to four different sites we find in the Gospel.

OME 40km north of the Sea of Galilee, along the Golan Heights and at the foot of the snow-capped Mount Hermon, is the area of Caesarea Philippi, now a nature reserve with a quite lovely waterfall and many enticing remnants of a varied history. It would seem incongruous that Jesus would have taken his disciples on a retreat to an area that not only glorified the Roman occupation but also served as the location of a big pagan temple. It seems probable that Jesus was trying to get out of reach of Herod Antipas, who had executed John the Baptist but had no jurisdiction in northern Galilee. But for Jesus’ purposes, the choice of the place seems wonderfully symbolic. The place was widely known as Caesarea Paneas, after the nearby temple to the Greek pagan deity Pan. As the god of nature, Pan’s portfolio covers all of creation. More specifically, Pan is also the god of shepherds and flocks. And it was at this pagan location that Jesus revealed to the disciples the nature of his mission. Having asked the disciples who the public thought he is (John the Baptist, Elijah, some other prophet brought back to life), Jesus asks them: “But you; who do you say I am?” Peter passes the test: “The Christ of God.” And then Jesus swears the disciples to silence, hints at his gruesome death, and tries to explain the mechanics of salvation, probably leaving his friends utterly confused (Lk 9:18-27). In Matthew’s Gospel it is at this point that Jesus entrusts the leadership of the Church to Peter. Pan, god of nature and of shepherds, is now obsolete, because there is a greater Shepherd who by rising again will show himself to be the Master of all nature. But the symbolism doesn’t end there: Paneas is also the region of the two largest springs of the Jordan, the Banias and Dan. So it is at the springs of the life-giving river,

the one in which he was baptised by his cousin John, that Jesus reveals his mission as the source of the new life. The springs of the holy river serve as a physical metaphor for “the fountain of living water” (cf Is 12:3). The Gospel places the transfiguration of the Lord straight after the Caesarea Philippi episode. Tradition places that event on Mount Tabor, in central Galilee, not far from Nazareth.

Transformation of pilgrims A Holy Land pilgrimage is a transforming experience. This is not necessarily evident externally, but few pilgrims return home unchanged, without having their perspective on life and faith altered in ways that may not be immediately apparent even to themselves. For others, it is an experience so life-changing that family and friends may at once observe a difference. The transfiguration of Christ provides a suitable metaphor for this, and the splendid basilica atop Mount Tabor, which overlooks the Jezreel (or Esdraelon) plains, serves as a reminder of the pilgrim’s own spiritual recalibration. Some scholars argue that the transfiguration took place not on Mount Tabor, but on Mount Hermon—disregarding the fact that Mount Hermon is high and for much of the year snow-covered. Early Christian documents are quite clear about the location of the transfiguration: on Mount Tabor. On the other hand, some archaeologists suggest that in Jesus’ time the summit of Mount Tabor was settled, a proposition that might swing things back to Mount Hermon. Cyril of Jerusalem, the great Doctor of the Church, settled the issue in 348 AD when he decided on Mount Tabor. The road to the top of the 586 metres-high Mount Tabor snakes and winds by way of a succession of hairpin bends. Because of the sharp curves and narrow roads, tour buses cannot reach the summit, so pilgrims must pile into taxis. The splendid church on Mount Tabor is built in the Roman-Syrian style architecture of the Byzantine age, but it is, in Holy Land terms, young—even as it incorporates remnants from the Byzantine and

The two altars of the church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. The upper altar, representing the transfigured Lord, is rarely used. The apse in the crypt goes back to the Byzantine age, and its altar to Crusader times. Crusader structures. One such remnant is the apse to which one descends 14 steps to have Mass; it is part of the crypt of the old Byzantine church. The altar is from the Crusader period, and its vaulted ceiling is decorated with a series of mosaics with the recurring theme of three angels who preside over Christ’s birth, the Lamb of God, the Eucharist and the Resurrection. The Piacenza Pilgrim of 570 reported seeing three basilicas on Mount Tabor. Presumably he meant the three large chapels dedicated to Christ, Moses and Elijah respectively, which form part of the modern Catholic church. The Moses chapel is covered by the north tower (to the left of the entrance), and Elijah’s chapel, with its original Byzantine mosaic floor, by the south tower. Obviously they represent the three tents which Peter proposed to erect. The church was inaugurated in 1924. Like several great churches in the Holy Land, it was designed by the Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi (1884-1960).

Nain: Place of resurrection Pilgrims visiting Mount Tabor usually bypass the nearby village

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of Nain, where Jesus raised the son of the widow (Lk 7:11-17). There is not much to see in this Arab village of 1 600 residents, other than an unprepossessing Franciscan church. It was built in 1880 over the ruins of a Crusader church which at one time had been used as a mosque. But the village had been a site for pilgrimage already in Byzantine times. When the church was rebuilt in the 19th century, the Franciscans received great help from the local Muslim leader. That interfaith kindness endured into recent times. Before the church was restored by the Franciscans lately, it was lovingly looked after by the Muslim family in whose backyard it stood. Nearby tombs cut into a mountain have been found; it might have been during a procession to these tombs that Jesus raised the widow’s son. And what a dramatic act of charity this was! As a widow without a son, the woman was going to be a social and economic outcast. By raising her son, Jesus rescued that woman from penury—and, indirectly, condemned a social injustice.

Pilate’s headquarters We have discussed one Caesarea in this article already. The more important place by that name was Caesarea Maritima, on the Mediterranean coast. Jesus never went there (nor did he ever go to Tiberias, another pagan city), but it is an important location in the New Testament nonetheless. Firstly, it was where Pontius Pilate had his headquarters—and archaeology in Caesarea has provided a physical link to that man. Excavations at the amphitheatre in 1961 revealed two inscriptions: “Tiberivm” and the

incomplete “tivs Pilatus”. It probably recorded the dedication of a temple to the Roman Emperor Tiberius, and might have read: “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judaea, made and dedicated the Tiberieum to the Divine Augustus.” Replicas of the inscriptions can be seen on the gates to the amphitheatre; the originals are in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Another impressive relic found at Caesarea is that of a metre-long foot in marble; the rest of the enormous statue which the foot belonged to has been lost. Located on the west coast, between present-day Tel Aviv and Haifa, Caesarea was built from 2531 BC by the Roman vassal, King Herod, who dedicated it to Caesar Augustus. Herod was a thoroughly unpleasant man, in the way one who is reputed to have ordered a genocidal massacre of infants tends to be—but he was also a brilliant urban engineer. Some of what Herod built in Caesarea is still standing: the amphitheatre, which is being used even today (though the antiquity effect is spoiled by conspicuous seat numbering), the hippodrome, and the remarkable aqueduct that runs along the Mediterranean shore. Herod’s harbour does not exist anymore. Only remnants can be seen; its breakwaters are 5m below the surface. In 2006, an underwater museum was opened: donning a wetsuit and flippers, visitors can dive from one excavated marvel to the next. While Jesus never came to Caesarea, both St Peter and St Paul were there, under very different circumstances. In Caesarea, Peter converted the Roman centurion Cornelius, the first non-Jew to become a follower of Christ. This was a pivotal event, since for the first time, uncircumcised non-Jews could become what soon would be called Christians. Cornelius’ conversion signalled nothing less than a new route in the course of history. With this burst of pragmatism (inspired by Paul, rather than Peter, who needed a dream to be persuaded), a small Jewish sect would branch out, implementing the mandate of Christ to truly evangelise the nations. St Paul came to Caesarea at least three times. During his missionary journey he stayed there as a guest of Philip the Evangelist, who lived there with his four daughters (Acts 9:30). Soon Paul would return, this time as a prisoner of the Jewish authorities. Over two years of detention, successive trials could find no guilt, so Paul was shipped off to Rome—where he eventually would be executed. n These are edited extracts from Günther Simmermacher’s The Holy Land Trek, available from books@scross.co.za. Next week: Jesus and the Samaritans.

The Southern Cross, July 8 to July 14, 2020

Who was St Bonaventure?

n July 15, we celebrate the feast day of St Bonaventure, who is called the “Seraphic Doctor” of the Church. He is known for his leadership of the Franciscans and his great intellectual contributions to theology and philosophy. St Bonaventure was born in Bagnorea in Tuscany, Italy. He is widely believed to have been born in the year 1221, although some accounts say 1217. Sources recount that in his youth, St Bonaventure was cured of a dangerous illness by the intercession of St Francis of Assisi. He went on to join the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor in 1243. After making his vows, St Bonaventure was sent to complete his studies in Paris. While in Paris, he became good friends with St Thomas Aquinas, with whom he received a doctorate. He also developed a friendship with St Louis, King of France. In 1257, St Bonaventure was chosen to serve as the superior of the Friars Minor. In this position, which he filled for 17 years, he brought peace and order. His impact was so great that today he is sometimes referred to as the second founder of the Franciscans. Taking on the position after a period of extraordinary expansion for the order, St Bonaventure worked to preserve a spirit of unity. He calmed the threat of internal dissension that arose over differences in interpreting the message of St Francis of Assisi.

St Bonaventure, the “Seraphic Doctor”. Central to this work was his understanding that the study of philosophy and theology did not oppose the call to poverty that was so central to Franciscan spirituality. St Bonaventure proposed a unified and collected text regulating the daily life of the Friars Minor. The text was accepted and ratified in 1260 by the general chapter of the order in Narbonne. Wishing to present an authentic image of the life and teaching of their founder, he zealously collected documents about St Francis of Assisi and heard testimonies of those who had actually known him. From this information, he compiled a biography of the saint that was adopted as his official biography by the general chapter of the Friars Minor in 1263. St Bonaventure also wrote numerous mystical and ascetical treatises, most famously, The Soul’s

Journey into God. In 1273, he was appointed by Pope Gregory X as cardinal and bishop of Albano. The pope also asked him to help prepare the Second Ecumenical Council of Lyons, an ecclesial event aimed at reestablishing communion between the Latin and Greek Churches. St Bonaventure worked to prepare the council, but never saw its completion. He died on July 15, 1274, while the council was still in session. He was canonised in 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV. In his general audience on March 3, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the life of St Bonaventure. He called to mind the great works of literature, art, philosophy and theology that were inspired by the Christian faith during the time period in which the saint lived. “Among the great Christian figures who contributed to the composition of this harmony between faith and culture Bonaventure stands out, a man of action and contemplation, of profound piety and prudent government,” Pope Benedict said. The pope called on the faithful to take note of “the central role that Christ always played in Bonaventure’s life and teaching”, and to imitate the way in which “the whole of his thinking was profoundly Christocentric”.— CNA

St Bonaventure’s prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows O most holy virgin, mother of our Lord Jesus Christ: By the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and the death of your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that, being disengaged from all undue affections for the passing joys of this earth, I may long for the eternal Jerusalem, and that henceforth all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed toward this one most desirable object. Honour, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate mother of God. Amen

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PRAYERS

FATHER, you have given all peoples one common origin. It is your will that they be gathered together as one family in yourself. Fill the hearts of mankind with the fire of your love and with the desire to ensure justice for all. By sharing the good things you give us, may we secure an

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equality for all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. May there be an end to division, strife and war. May there be a dawning of a truly human society built on love and peace. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

O HOLY VIRGIN, in the midst of your days of glory, do not forget the sorrows of this earth. Cast a merciful glance upon those who are suffering, struggling against difficulties, with their lips constant pressed against life’s bitter cup. Have pity on those who love each other and are separated. Have pity on our rebellious hearts. Have pity on our weak faith. Have pity on those we love. Have pity on those who weep, on those who pray, on those who fear. Grant hope and peace to all. Amen.

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Liturgical Calendar Year A – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday July 12, 15th Sunday of the Year Isaiah 55:10-11, Psalm 65:10-14, Romans 8:18-23, Matthew 13:1-23 Monday July 13, St Henry Isaiah 1:10-17, Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23, Matthew 10:34--11:1 Tuesday July 14, St Camillus de Lellis Isaiah 7:1-9, Psalm 48:2-8, Matthew 11:20-24

New bishop for Cape Town Bishop Francis Hennemann has been appointed vicar apostolic of the Western Vicariate to succeed Bishop Bernard O’Reilly, who resigned last year. By chance, German-born Bishop Hennemann—a charismatic figure with a long flowing beard—was in Cape Town when the appointment was announced. Born in 1882 and ordained in 1907, he was made a bishop in the Cameroons in 1914. He came to South Africa in 1922, taking over the Central Prefecture (Karoo and the southern Cape).

Holy Cross Sisters 50 years in SA The Holy Cross Sisters are celebrating 50 years in South Africa, having arrived from Switzerland in 1883 at the request of Abbot Franz Pfanner. In 1933, there are 374 Sisters in 45 houses, running 61 schools.

The ‘loudspeaker of the Church’ Pope Pius XI told Catholic journalists that the Catholic press is “the loudspeaker of the Church”.

St Henry

SEXUAL DEMONS AND CHILD ABUSE

Editorial: The decline of humanity In his editorial, Fr John Colgan writes that there is no “warrant in the assumption that the human race began its career in a state of barbarism and gradually fought its way to civilisation. It is more reasonable and more in accordance with facts to say that the human race started its career in a state of natural perfection and that afterwards the downward trend began.”

Wednesday July 15, St Bonaventure Isaiah 10:5-7, 13-16, Psalm 94:5-10, 1415, Matthew 11:25-27 Thursday July 16, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19, Psalm 102:1321, Matthew 11:28-30 or Zechariah 2:1011 (14-17), Responsorial psalm Luke 1:46-55, Matthew 12:46-50 Friday July 17 Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8, Responsorial pslam Isaiah 38:10-12, 16, Matthew 12:1-8 Saturday July 18 Micah 2:1-5, Psalm 10:1-4, 7-8, 14, Matthew 12:14-21 Sunday July 19, 16th Sunday of the Year Wisdom 12:13, 16-19, Psalm 86:5-6, 910, 15-16, Romans 8:26-27, Matthew 13:24-43

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16th Sunday: July 19 Readings: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19, Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16a, Romans 8:26-27, Matthew 13:24-43 HAT is God like? There is a fearful being deep inside us that sullenly insists that “God is out to get me”; but the biblical God, as next Sunday’s readings remind us, is not at all like that; he is always profoundly merciful, whatever we may have done. The first reading was written for Jews in Alexandria, Egypt, a bit fearful that their religion was rather “old-fashioned” for the modern world. Against this, the author insists that the God of Israel “cares for everybody; because you did not give an unjust judgment”. It is true that God is powerful, but, the author sings: “Your strength is the source of justice; and the fact that you are master of all means that you spare all.” He continues: “You taught your people through deeds like this, that the just person must be a lover of human beings; and you gave your people reason to hope that you would allow them to repent of their sins.” This is not a God who is determined to make us pay for our iniquities. The author of our psalm for next Sunday does not need to be told about this, “For you, Lord, are good and forgiving, and rich in steadfast love for all who call upon you”, as he begs him, “Pay attention, Lord, to my

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God’s mercy prevails prayer; listen to my cry for help.” It is not, you understand, that God has lost all his power, for “all nations that you made shall come and worship before your face, and glorify your name”. But much more important than the power is the mercy of God: “You, Lord, are a God of mercy and compassion, slow to anger and rich in steadfast love and truth.” That is the God we have, not one determined to punish us for our inadequacies. That is the God whom Paul knows, as we can hear in the second reading, where Paul is trying to get the Roman Christians to grasp what it is that God has done for us in Christ. This is a God who is on our side: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” And it is not because we have done anything good, but because “we do not know how to pray as we ought; no—instead the Spirit intercedes with unspeakable groanings”. That last expression implies, first, that it is something that we cannot do for ourselves, and, second, that the Spirit (God, that is to say) is on our side. Which is all we need to know. So what is this God of ours really like? Jesus used to get this across by telling stories,

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lationship because of duty? Is anything deep happening? Well, compare this with your sister who is (conveniently) living across the country and comes home once a year to visit your mother. When she visits, both she and your mother are wonderfully animated, they embrace enthusiastically, shed some tears upon seeing each other, and seemingly talk about things beyond the weather, their favourite sports teams, and their own tiredness. And you could kill them both! It seems that in this once-a-year meeting they have something that you, who visits daily, do not have. But is this true? Is what is happening between your sister and your mother in fact deeper than what is occurring each day when you visit your mother? Absolutely not. What they have is, no doubt, more emotional and affective, but it is, at the end of day, not particularly deep.

hen your mother dies, you will know your mother better than anyone else knows her and you will be much closer to her than your sister. Why? Because through all those days when you visited her and seemed to talk about nothing beyond the weather, some deeper things were happening under the surface. When your sister visited your mother, things were happening on the surface (though emotionally and affectively the surface can look wonderfully more intriguing than what lies beneath it). That is why

Sunday Reflections

sometimes in enchanting pictures we call “parables”. In today’s Gospel there are three such parables and then an explanation of one of them. The three parables are, first the wheat and the darnel, second the mustard-seed, and third the story of the baker-woman. They also seem to share the identical insight, that God is very much in charge, but totally committed to the wellbeing of the human race. In the first story, that of the “sowing of the tares”, Jesus depicts God as engaged in the perennial risk of the act of sowing; the nature of the risk is expressed in the shape of an “enemy”, who, to the horror of the farmworkers, has sowed weeds in the midst of the crop. The farmer’s slaves want to adopt a radical solution, and pull up the weeds; but the landowner recognises there are dangers here, and counsels patience: “Wait till harvesttime.” We notice that the weeds are still going to be burnt; but God takes things very gently indeed. Then the second parable illustrates the power of God: a tiny seed grows into “a tree so that the birds of the air come and pitch their tents in its branches”. There is a gentle but unmistakable power here.

Deeper things under the surface Fr Ron I Rolheiser OMI MAGINE this. You are the dutiful daughter or son and your mother is widowed and living in an assisted-living facility. You happen to be living close by while your sister is living across the country, thousands of kilometres away. So the weight falls on you to be the one to help take care of your mother. You dutifully visit her each day. Every afternoon, en route home from work, you stop and spend an hour with her as she has her early dinner. And you do this faithfully, five times a week, year after year. As you spend this hour each day with your mother, year after year, how many times each year will you have a truly stimulating and deep conversation with your mother? Once? Twice? Never? What are you talking about each day? Trivial things: the weather, your favourite sports team, what your kids are doing, the latest show on television, her aches and pains, and the mundane details of your own life. Occasionally you might even doze off for a while as she eats her early dinner. In a good year, perhaps once or twice, the conversation will take on some depth and the two of you will share more deeply about something of importance; but, save for that rare occasion, you will simply be filling in the time each day with superficial conversation. But—and this is the question—are those daily visits with your mother in fact superficial, merely functionary, because your conversations aren’t deep? Are you simply going through the motions of intimate re-

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The third parable compares God to a baker-woman (or possibly the leaven she uses); and, once again, the point is God’s gentle power, and the silent irresistibility with which the yeast leavens the dough. This is a merciful God. Then our reading ends with an explanation of the first of these parables, preceded by a quotation from the psalms. As far as the explanation goes, we discover that the parable is an account of Jesus’ mission: “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed is the sons of the kingdom, the weeds are the sons of the Evil One.” And eventually the Son of Man, we discover, “will send forth his angels; and from his kingdom they will gather all stumblingblocks and all those who do iniquity, and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. This is a God who is prepared to wait, not hastily punish; and the upshot should give us relief: “The just are going to shine out like the sun in the kingdom of their father.”

Southern Crossword #923

Final Reflection

honeymoons look better than marriage. What your sister had with your mother is what novices experience in prayer and what couples experience on a honeymoon. What you had with your mother is what people experience in prayer and relationships when they are faithful over a long period of time. At a certain level of intimacy in all our relationships, including our relationship with God in prayer, the emotions and the affectivity (wonderful as they are) will become less and less important and simple presence, just being together, will become paramount. Previous to that, the important things were happening on the surface and emotions and affectivity were important; now deep bonding is happening beneath the surface and emotions and affectivity recede in importance. At a certain depth of relationship just being present to each other is what is important. Too often, both popular psychology and popular spirituality do not really grasp this and consequently confuse the novice for the proficient, the honeymoon for the wedding, and the surface for the depth. In all of our relationships, we cannot make promises as to how we will always feel, but we can make promises to always be faithful, to show up, to be there, even if we are only talking about the weather, our favourite sports team, the latest television programme, or our own tiredness. And it is okay occasionally to fall asleep while there because, as Thérèse of Lisieux once said: “A little child is equally pleasing to its parents, awake or asleep, probably more asleep!” That also holds true for prayer. God does not mind us occasionally napping while at prayer because we are there and that is enough. The great Spanish doctor of the soul John of the Cross tells us that as we travel deeper into any relationship—be it with God in prayer, with each other in intimacy, or with the community at large in service—eventually the surface will be less emotive and less affective and the deeper things will begin to happen under the surface.

ACROSS

DOWN

1. It gives the cleric a lower rank (8) 2. Hinduism’s good or bad luck (5) 4. Badly if not devilishly (6) 5. Why the parish is now in debt (12) 6. Maniac holds nothing yet is unconscious (2,1,4) 7. The necessity of Eden (4) 8. The bright altar server will do it (5,1,6) 12. The teaching that remains the same (8) 14. Surely, the hot wind of Pentecost could not cause it (7) 16. The prophet after Zephaniah (6) 18. He walked with God (Gn 5) (5) 19. Put in the Christmas Solutions on page 11 paper (4)

1. Embankment that keeps Dutch parish dry (4) 3. Religious observance (8) 9. This saint, I added, likes a drink (7) 10. Avoid (5) 11. Educate and perhaps reprimand (5,1,6) 13. The fellow who is not even out (3,3) 15. Smooth, ﬂowing song to ogle at (6) 17. Speech at the Holy Father’s residence (5,7) 20. Changed grade with anger (5) 21. Logo and seen in Venice (7) 23. That epic arouses pity (8) 24. The Sunday before Trinity (4)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

HE priest was delighted when the new couple in the parish asked him to perform their wedding. “Congratulations,” he said, “and luckily our marriage preparation course is starting next week, so let’s sign you up.” “Oh, we don’t need any of that,” the bride said airily. “We know all there is to know about marriage.” “Indeed,” the groom agreed. “We’ve both been married twice before.”

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