INTERNATIONAL
the Southern Cross, november 13 to november 19, 2013
5
Cardinal: John Paul II tried to reform curia By Cindy Wooden
Polish Cardinal Stanislaw dziwisz, who served as personal secretary to Pope John Paul ii, prays at the tomb of the late pontiff in St Peter's basilica. in a new book he defends Bl John Paul ii from charges that he was soft on clerical abuse. (Photo: L’osservatore Romano/CnS)
B
LESSED John Paul II’s 2004 meeting with and praise of the founder of the Legionaries of Christ—who later was banished to a life of penance because of sexual abuse—was a mistake, said the late pope’s longtime secretary. “The Holy Father should not have received that individual,” said Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, who served as personal secretary to the pope for 39 years. In a new book, Ho Vissuto con un Santo, (“I Lived with a Saint”), released in early November, Cardinal Dziwisz said the meeting was just one example of a serious lack of communication in the Roman curia, which Pope John Paul tried, largely without success, to reform. Although rumours had been circulating for years that the Legionaries’ founder, Fr Marcial Maciel Degollado, had sexually abused seminarians, Cardinal Dziwisz said: “When the Holy Father met him, he knew nothing, absolutely nothing. For him, he was still the founder of a
great religious order and that’s it. No one had told him anything, not even about the rumours going around.” The cardinal continued: “Unfortunately, it was the consequence of a still extremely bureaucratic structure” where important information was not always shared. A similar lack of communication, he said, led to retired Pope Benedict XVI lifting the excommunication of traditionalist Bishop Richard Williamson in 2009 before finding out the bishop was a Holocaust de-
nier when “it would have been enough to check the Internet” to discover it. After Pope John Paul was elected in 1978—the first non-Italian pope in more than 450 years—he said, “some in the curia called him ‘the Polish pope’, and I don’t think they meant it in a positive way”. The late pope tried to reform the curia, but did not succeed, Cardinal Dziwisz said. “Maybe the curia wasn’t ready to accept a reform that would return it
to an effective function of service to the pope and the bishops, and, therefore, to being an authentic instrument of communion between the Holy See and local churches.” Cardinal Dziwisz, who participated in the conclave that elected Pope Francis in March, said that in their pre-conclave meetings the cardinals discussed the urgent need to reform the curia. Pope Francis “already has made important decisions and launched a series of initiatives that are sure to bring big changes to the curial structure and to relations between the Roman curia and the local churches,” he said. The Polish cardinal also addressed criticisms by victims of clerical sexual abuse and some media, who believe Pope John Paul did not do enough to protect victims and punish guilty priests. In the book, presented as a “conversation” with Italian journalist Gian Franco Svidercoschi, Cardinal Dziwisz said that “from the moment the scandal erupted, especially in the United States, there was perfect agreement between John Paul II and
Rocket hits Vatican embassy By CARoL GLAtz
A
MORTAR round hit the apostolic nunciature in the Syrian capital Damascus, causing limited damage to the building and no casualties. Archbishop Mario Zenari, the Vatican nuncio, told Vatican Radio that if the rocket had been launched just a half-hour later, he would have been saying morning prayers on the terrace near where the mortar struck. “You can imagine what I would have encountered,” he said. He told the radio that he was just getting out of bed at 6:35 “when I heard a big bang, and I immediately threw myself onto the floor, trying to stay away from the windows because we’ve already had the experience that sometimes it’s not just one mortar, but two or three” that land in succession. “It’s not the first time that these rockets, this mortar fire,
have fallen near the nunciature,” he said. The single strike destroyed part of the roof, including the eaves of the building and part of the facade. If the strike had occurred later in the morning, after other employees had arrived at the nunciature, it could have caused injuries because of the falling roof shingles and flying debris, he said. Archbishop Zenari said they had no idea who launched the strike, but that it was “pretty powerful”. Sometimes the mortar lands where it was targeted; other times the rockets land where they do “by mistake”, he said. “I have to say, unfortunately, that these things happen every day” and few areas in the city are spared, he said. For example, a Franciscan monastery in Aleppo was damaged on November 2 by mortars and the Christian quarter in Damascus sees mortar fire
“with a certain frequency”. One densely inhabited suburb near the capital, he said, has been hit by 2 800 mortar shells since the start of the conflict nearly three years ago as rebels try to oust President Bashar Assad. “Therefore, we’re all in the same boat, in Damascus and in other parts of the country,” the archbishop said. The archbishop said there is growing concern among the country’s Christians. In the beginning of the conflict, the Christian minority was still “respected”, but lately their situation has become “a bit worrying”. However, all Syrians are worried, not just the Christians, he added. Archbishop Zenari said the international community and Syria’s warring sides “have to really double their efforts” to come up with a political solution to the crisis.—CNS
Tiny diocese hopes to grow big By Antonio AnuP GonSALVeS
A
LTHOUGH it is one of the youngest and smallest dioceses in south-east Asia, the apostolic vicariate of Brunei is a steadily thriving Church with growing spiritual activities in its communities. “Our logo is ‘Duc in altum’ (Put out into the deep), and we now have projects to empower and sustain the missionary dimension of the Church,” said Bishop Cornelius Sim, vicarapostolic of Brunei. “We are one of the smallest dioceses in Asia,” he said, adding that with only one bishop and three priests, “we hope to have vocations to the priesthood and religious life”. Brunei is a country of 5 700km2 located entirely on the island of Borneo, which is also home to parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. It is a developed country, and one of the richest in the world. Malay is the official language, but English and Chinese are both widely spoken. The country is an absolute monarchy led by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. About two-thirds of the population is Muslim, and Brunei was recently noted for its adoption of Sharia law, though it is being applied only to Muslims. Around 10% of the population is atheist, 13% is Buddhist, and a small number have indige-
nous beliefs. Christians, half of whom are Catholic, constitute 10% of Brunei's population. Fr Arin Sugit, the bishop's assistant at Our Lady of the Assumption cathedral in the nation's capital of Bandar Seri Begawan, explained that a majority of the Catholic population, some 70%, are migrant workers from the Philippines. Another 20% are migrants from other countries such as Indonesia, India, and Malaysia, as well as countries such as South Africa, and the remaining 10% are indigenous Bruneians. “It’s fortunate to have a substantial Filipino congregation that makes our Church very lively,” reflected Bishop Sim. “They bring their faith, with popular pious devotions, and they enrich us and our faith very much.”
F
ather Sugit added: “We have lots of vibrant faith activities in our parish, and the faith is steadily growing; but of course it’s a slow process.” Fr Sugit was ordained in 2008. The apostolic vicariate's two other priests are Fr Paul Shie, pastor of St John's in Kuala Belait, who was ordained in 1999; and Fr Robert Leong, pastor of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Seria, who was ordained in 2003. Bishop Sim and his three
priests serve the roughly 20 000 Catholics who live in Brunei. Catholics can freely practise their faith within the church compounds and at home, but public displays of the faith are restrained. Fr Sugit said that at Our Lady of the Assumption, 5 000 to 6 000 people attend Mass each Sunday. While the faith was first preached in Brunei by Franciscan missionaries in 1587, it has only been its own local Church since 1997. Prior to that, Bruneian Catholics were served by the diocese of Miri, in Malaysia. It was for that diocese that Bishop Sim had been ordained a priest in 1989. When Pope John Paul II established the apostolic prefecture of Brunei in 1997, then-Fr Sim was appointed prefect. Apostolic prefectures and vicariates are the precursors to dioceses in mission territories. In 2004, John Paul II decided to elevate the apostolic prefecture to a vicariate, which resulted in Fr Sim being consecrated a bishop. As the Church there grows, it may eventually be raised to a diocese. Bishop Sim optimistically noted: “It’s a humble beginning, and we have to move on to enrich our faith-based communities.”—CNA
Retirement Home, Rivonia, Johannesburg Tel:011 803 1451 www.lourdeshouse.org
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in confronting the problem” and in deciding to transfer the cases from local dioceses to the congregation. “I find it insulting—I repeat, insulting,” Cardinal Dziwisz said, “that some people continue to put John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger—first as congregation prefect, then as pope—in opposition on this question, attributing to one or the other a desire to cover up this horrible plague.” Cardinal Dziwisz not only served as the pope’s personal secretary throughout his almost 27-year pontificate, but was his secretary in Krakow, had been a student of the then-Fr Karol Wojtyla in the seminary and was ordained to the priesthood by him in 1963. “I was convinced he was a saint from the moment Fr Wojtyla was my seminary professor,” he said. “This conviction was reinforced with the passage of time, living alongside him first in Krakow, then at the Vatican.”—CNS
Frail/assisted care in shared or single rooms. Independent care in single/double rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Rates include meals, laundry and 24-hour nursing. Day Care and short stay facilities also available.
READ SA’S CATHOLIC WEEKLY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! read The Southern Cross on-line or on your tablet, exactly as it appears in print. Only r312 a year! Receive the print edition in the post every week in SA for only R416 a year
www.scross.co.za/subscribe or e-mail subscriptions@scross.co.za
Pre-school to Grade 12
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL FOR BOYS AND GIRLS YOUR CHILD CAN:
* be educated in an English-medium Christian school * receive affordable private education * mix with boys and girls in small classes * never need to change schools * enjoy school life in an atmosphere of love, care and mutual respect
Corner: Cussonia Ave & Pretoria Street, Pretoria Tel 012 804 1801 Fax 012 804 8781 Email admissions@cbcpretoria.co.za