The
S outhern C ross
February 19 to February 25, 2014
Reg No. 1920/002058/06
No 4862
20 years democracy: Bishops look at SA today
Page 9
www.scross.co.za
R7,00 (incl VAT RSA)
Philomena, leadership books reviewed
The true Catholic school ethos
Page 7
Page 10
Priest: SA traded justice for peace STAFF REPORTER
I Holy Rosary High School in Edenvale, Johannesburg, has launched “Ride for a Purpose”, an outreach and community event aimed at raising awareness of domestic violence. The event is spearheaded by Holy Rosary debutante and Grade 10 pupil Amy Driver (sitting on the motorbike), to commemorate her aunt who was stabbed to death by her husband in 2010. The event will culminate on March 30 in a motorbike rally from Holy Rosary School to Hartebeespoort Dam. The Jes Foord Foundation, which was founded by a rape survivor, will benefit from this initiative. For more information, contact Shareen Driver on 073 130-2176 or shareen@reds-expo.co.za. Seen here with members of the “Old Hogs” motorbike group are (standing from left) Shellsea Branquinho, Kim Watson, Zarina Cooper, Kelsey Maskell, and Bianca-Jade Sutton with members David Cohen, Amy Driver and Gabriel Ferreira in front.
Final chance to see two popes canonised T HE Southern Cross/Radio Veritas pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi to see the canonisation of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII is now fully booked, with only waitinglist places available—but there is one more way to stand a chance of witnessing this unique historical event. Radio Veritas is holding a draw for a winning ticket for two people to join the pilgrimage, which will take place from April 25 to May 4. It will be led by Fr Emil Blaser OP, station director of Radio Veritas, with Claire Mathieson, news editor of The Southern Cross. “For only R350 a ticket, the winner will receive two places on the pilgrimage—flights (from Johannesburg), hotels, breakfast and dinner, even the insurance—to the value of more than R55 000,” Fr Blaser said. The draw is a crucial fundraising campaign for South Africa’s only Catholic radio station, which is facing continuous financial pressures. “The draw is a very good way of supporting
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Radio Veritas and at the same time standing a chance to win something really unique,” Fr Blaser said. He added that the draw is, of course, open to nonlisteners of the radio station, which broadcasts in Gauteng on 576 AM. To enter, SMS your name to 35710 and a memFr Emil Blaser ber of the team will call back with banking details and further information, or go to www.radioveritas.co.za or call Lydia at 083 601-6177 or Julia at 082 871-8360 The draw will be held in late March. To be added to the waiting list, please contact Gail at Fowler Tours: 076 352-3809 or email info@fowlertours.co.za. To view the itinerary go to www.fowler tourssa.co.za/canonisation-pilgrimage
N peace-building, justice is often the first casualty, and more times than not truth is a casualty. These were the words of Fr Sean O’Leary M.Afr, director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI), who presented the tenth annual Denis Hurley Lecture in Durban on February 14. The DHPI is an associate body of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Fr O’Leary said political leadership in the anti-apartheid struggle prioritised political justice over criminal justice. He said the mentality was to forgive all past crimes—offering immunity from prosecution—provided that both sides agree to change the rules to assure political justice for the living. Referring to Nelson Mandela’s time on Robben Island, where the leader of the African National Congress realised the only way forward for South Africa was together, Fr O’Leary said that it was clear that the price for peace would be high. “Justice and much of the truth would have to be sacrificed for the quest for genuine, lasting peace,” the Missionary of Africa told the gathered crowd. “The fact that the perpetrators of so much horror were allowed to walk free was the price that the majority of people in South Africa paid for peace. Here amnesty and justice was traded for peace, irrespective of how the victims and survivors felt,” Fr O’Leary said. He said the rest of Africa had seen this too often. In Mozambique and South Sudan, independence and peace were traded in return for a promise not to pursue criminal justice. Referring to Kenya’s violent 2008 presidential election, Fr O’Leary said it was “common knowledge” that opposition leader Raila Odinga had defeated incumbent Mwai Kibaki. Mr Odinga’s agreement after negotiations to accept the vice-presidency “is another example of justice being sacrificed for something more important—the end of violence and the prospect of peace for the people of Kenya”, Fr O’Leary explained. Fr O’Leary said Zimbabwe was yet another case where justice has been put aside in order to sustain peace; Robert Mugabe has remained president despite losing the March 2008 elections to Morgan Tsvangirai, who had to settle for prime minister to avoid a
full-blown civil war. The price of peace is high and the poorest and those that have suffered the most are those that will pay the highest price for peace, Fr O’Leary said.
T
he DHPI director referred to South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) where victims often did not find the truth. “When the truth was established, it often led to a call for justice...but individual justice was not an option open to the TRC. This at times was a hard pill to swallow for the victims. In fact, many felt victimised a second time by the TRC process. It was those who had suffered the most under the scourge of apartheid that paid the biggest price for the lasting peace that is the new South Africa today,” Fr O’Leary said. He said that democracy is a fine principle, “but so is peace, and sometimes the people will accept a solution which puts peace above a literal interpretation of democracy”. Accordingly, words like truth, peace, reconciliation and justice are being redefined on the continent, said Fr O’Leary. “In Africa, retributive justice gives way to restorative justice, and often the guilty do not acknowledge their responsibility for the violence they have caused, individually, institutionally nor even symbolically,” Fr O’Leary said. “Economic and socio-political amends or restitution is rarely made to those who had suffered loss of persons, property or human dignity,” he added. In most western countries the dominant justice paradigm is retributive justice. A crime has been committed, so a guilty party must be identified and punished, Fr O’Leary explained, adding that a key component to this form of justice was the role of the state. On the other hand, “restorative justice aims to heal broken relationships, to repair the damage done by the crime, and to bring harmony as widely as possible. The key actors are the victims and the perpetrators,” he said. “Africa in particular of late has chosen the restorative justice model. It is strong in traditional cultures and faith communities, and has communal roots. It focuses on the victim, the offender and the community. “What the DHPI has learnt from experience in trying to build peace in Africa, for over ten years, is not that there needs to be a trade-off between peace and justice but rather a trade-off between different forms of justice in the quest for lasting peace.”
Southern Cross to Fatima • Lourdes • Avila with Bishop João Rodrigues & Günther Simmermacher Join The Southern Cross and the Diocese of Tzaneen on a Pilgrimage of Prayer for the Sainthood Cause of Benedict Daswa to places of Our Lady in France, Spain & Portugal!
25 September to 6 October 2014 FOR FULL ITINERARY OR TO BOOK phone Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923 info@fowlertours.co.za www.fowlertours.co.za
Fatima | Avila & Alba de Tormes (St Teresa) | Madrid | Zaragossa (Our Lady of the Pillar) | Lourdes | Nevers (St Bernadette) | Tours | Lisieux (St Thérèse) | Paris with Notre Dame and Rue de Bac (Miraculous Medal) | and more...