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The

S outhern C ross

April 2 to April 8, 2014

Reg no. 1920/002058/06

no 4867

Ukraine Catholics flee annexed Crimea

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Interview with Fr Nicholas King SJ

How can archangels also be saints?

Page 10

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Abuse survivor for commission set up by pope

By Cindy WOOdEn & SARAH McdOnALd

F

OUR women—including a survivor of clerical sex abuse—a cardinal, two Jesuit priests and an Italian lawyer are the first eight members of the new Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Announcing the first members of the commission, which Pope Francis had established in December, the Vatican said they would help define the tasks and competencies of the commission and help identify other potential members.

Commission member Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, who is also one of eight members of the Council of Cardinals advising Pope Francis on the reform of the Roman curia and governance of the Church, said the commission would take a pastoral approach to helping victims and preventing abuse, given that much of the Vatican’s attention thus far had been on implementing policies and legal procedures for investigating allegations of abuse and punishing guilty priests.

The cardinal said the commission would look at programmes to educate pastoral workers in signs of abuse, identify means of psychological testing and other ways of screening candidates for the priesthood, and make recommendations regarding Church officials’ “cooperation with the civil authorities, the reporting of crimes.”

The first eight members of the commission include Marie Collins, who was born in Dublin. In the 1960s, at the age of 13, she was sexually abused by a Catholic priest who was a chaplain at a hospital where she was a patient. The priest was finally brought to justice in 1997.

She said the commission needs to achieve concrete change in order to “show other survivors that the Church is going to get it right”.

Many survivors will be watching the new Vatican commission “with interest, but many will have written it off as merely a PR exercise,” she said. “Survivors will not be satisfied with more words or promises, they need to see real change.”

Ms Collins, who campaigns on behalf of abuse victims, said her priority is “a strong worldwide child protection policy which

With

The

would include sanctions for any member of the Church in a position of authority who ignored these rules.”

She added that too many bishops who have protected abusive priests have been allowed to remain in place undisMarie Collins ciplined.

“I would like to see the way survivors and their families have been treated change. The concentration on often-abusive legalistic responses instead of caring for those hurt, needs to end,” she said.

The cultural attitude within the Church and laws that “categorised child abuse as a moral lapse rather than a criminal offence also have to be tackled,” she said.

Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi SJ said the commission would take “a multipronged approach to promoting youth protection, including: education regarding the exploitation of children; discipline of offenders; civil and canonical duties and responsibilities; and the development of best practices as they have emerged in society at large”.

Jesuit Fathers Hans Zollner and Humberto Yáñez , who also were appointed to the commission, were instrumental in organising the 2012 conference where Ms Collins addressed representatives of bishops’ conferences and religious orders from around the world.

In addition to Ms Collins, the other women on the commission are: Hanna Suchocka, a former professor of law, who served as prime minister of Poland, 1992-93, and Polish ambassador to the Vatican, 2001-13; Catherine Bonnet, a French child psychiatrist specialising in helping victims of incest; and Baroness Sheila Hollins, a mental health specialist who has focused her research on people with learning disabilities.

The eighth member of the commission is Claudio Papale, an Italian who holds degrees in both civil and canon law and works in the disciplinary section of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The office is responsible for investigating allegations against priests.—CNS

A man and boys are seen in front of a statue of Jesus at Sacred Heart church in Green Point during the Cape Town Carnival, which was held during Lent. (Photo: Frank Pople/Fotobros/PhotoKru)

Fatima statues now for schools STAFF REPORTER

H

AVING donated a hundred statues of Our Lady of Fatima from Portugal to parishes in South Africa and five other countries in the region, a Portuguese businessman is now offering to donate statues to Catholic schools.

Portugal-based usinessman José Câmara said he was making the donations to spread the devotion to Our Lady of Fatima and to encourage communal prayer of the rosary.

Mr Câmara said that he had originally planned to donate 12 statues, but demand from parishes had been overwhelming. He now hopes that schools will follow suit.

Schools that apply must give an undertaking that its school body will recite the rosary on the 13th of every month (or on the Friday or Monday around the 13th if that day falls on a weekend), or even once a week.

The school must also undertake to form a committee comprising the principal, the religious education teacher and three senior teachers to take responsibility for ensuring that the devotion is continued. If members of the

committee drop out, they must be replaced.

“This is a serious commitment to Our Lady of Fatima,” Mr Câmara said.

The statue must be displayed in a prominent place in the school’s chapel.

Applications must be made by the principal, preferably co-signed by the school’s chaplain. The application must give some details about the school (size and composition of the student body, number of teachers, name of chaplain and so on) and information on how the school intends to display the statue.

The donor is making up to 100 statues available to schools, and hopes that parishes and schools throughout the region will prepare prayerfully for the centenary of the first apparition to the children Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia at Fatima on May 13, 1917. n To apply for a statue, schools must e-mail jjvcamara@gmail.com

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The Southern Cross, April 2 to April 8, 2014

LOCAL

Springs Catholic wins free pilgrimage STAFF REPORTER

W

HEN the Southern Cross/Radio Veritas canonisation pilgrimage takes off for Rome on April 25, two passengers will be travelling for free.

Athena Caldwell of Springs was the lucky winner of the Radio Veritas raffle draw. Having paid R350 for it, her ticket number was 0152.

The prize covers all costs of the pilgrimage for two passengers. Mrs Caldwell said she would be taking her husband, Mackie, on the tour, which will also include a general papal audience, Mass with all the bishops of Southern Africa, and visits to Assisi, Greccio and Castel Gandolfo.

The pilgrimage will be led by Fr Emil Blaser OP, station director of Radio Veritas, and Claire Mathieson, news editor of The Southern Cross.

The draw took place live on Fr Blaser’s morning show, and before 7:00am all those involved in the competition had converged on the studio.

The night before, the auditors of Ernst and Young had checked every ticket against the bank statement and found that everything was in order.

The competition organisers, Lydia Orsmond, Julia O’Connor and Brenda of Dynamic Organisation Team, were meticulous in recording every entry in an orderly way.

The lucky ticket was drawn by the winner of last year’s Radio Veritas competition, Daphne Matloa, who had come from Centurion for the draw.

“When ticket 0152 was drawn we immediately phoned Athena Caldwell, who was speechless,” said Fr Blaser. “She could not believe her ears. This was a very mov-

ing moment for all in the studio.”

“Also on the telephone from Cape Town was Gail Fowler, of tour operators Fowler Tours, who are very generously sponsoring one of the tickets. She spoke tantalisingly about some of the places which we will visit,” Fr Blaser said.

“While there can be only one lucky winner, Radio Veritas thanks all those who had contributed by buying tickets,” the Dominican said. “One person had bought 30 tickets but in the end did not want to be in the lucky draw. She wished only to support Radio Veritas,” he said.

“Others bought up to ten tickets. People have been really considerate and generous in this fairly tight financial time.”

The draw is an important way for Radio Veritas to raise funds for its operation, Fr Blaser said.

daphne Matloa, last year’s winner of the Radio Veritas pilgrimage competition, draws the lucky ticket for the canonisation pilgrimage. next to her is Fr Emil Blaser OP, with producer Olinda Orlando (left) and competition organiser Lydia Orsmond. The winner was Athena Caldwell of Springs, who won two places on the pilgrimage, one of them sponsored by tour operators Fowler Tours. (Photo: Radio Veritas)

Status of women remains dire STAFF REPORTER

D Members of the Justice and Peace group of Johannesburg’s Rosebank parish attended a retreat at the Padre Pio friary in Pretoria East.

J&P retreat enriches STAFF REPORTER

T

HE Justice and Peace (J&P) group of Immaculate Conception parish in Rosebank, organised a weekend retreat at the Padre Pio Capuchin Franciscan Friary in Rietvlei, Pretoria East.

Fittingly, the J&P weekend was held over the Human Rights Day long weekend in March. “It was a wonderful spiritual experience for all,” said group member Chris Busschau. The Rosebank parishioners were also joined by parishioners from the Braamfontein and Rivonia parishes.

Fr Kees Thönissen OFM Cap led the group in exploring the concepts of justice, peace, spirituality, love and daily Christian life. “In the

course of this journey Fr Thönissen introduced the group to the Franciscan-sponsored Damietta Peace Initiative to illustrate the importance of faith, trust, values and spirituality as the building blocks for projects,” Mr Busschau told The Southern Cross.

Fr Thönissen emphasised that these attributes were especially important when groups with different cultures or attitudes are being brought together.

The retreat’s highlight was a healing service followed by Holy Mass in the chapel.

“The Padre Pio centre provided an ideal setting for the retreat, and the group was enveloped in the hospitality and love of the Padre Pio community,” said Mr Busschau.

OMINICAN Sisters from across the globe, representing the different zones of Dominican Sisters International spent a week and a half in New York at the Commission on the Status of Women. Representing South Africa was Sr Alison Munro OP, director of the Aids office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

The five sisters joined Sr Margaret Mayce, the Dominican Sisters’ fulltime representative at the United Nations.

Different religious congregations have representation in NGOs with United Nations observer status and work towards influencing United Nations work and resolutions.

The Commission on the status of Women (CSW), a commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, was established in 1946.

According to Sr Munro, it is dedicated to promoting gender equality and women’s rights in political, economic, civil and educational fields. “It meets annually to review progress, identify challenges, set global standards and norms and formulate policies,” she told The Southern Cross.

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Sr Munro said frightening facts and concerns were highlighted around the Millennium Development Goals which are to be achieved by 2015.

“There was no Millennium Development Goal to address the challenges raised by violence against women in general, and domestic violence. Sometimes rape in situations of disaster and conflict is perceived to be worse than rape elsewhere: it isn’t. Children are forced by cultural practices, by poverty, by demands of labour situations, even by their own families into early marriages, and female genital mutilation continues to be a concern; it is insufficiently addressed,”she said.

Sr Munro said the commission found that women’s voices go unheeded in various aspects of peace and security processes during conflict and in post-conflict situations.

“Women need to be at the table, sometimes as early warning systems, and beyond. The Security Council of the United Nations is now listening to Syrian women; that idea must go elsewhere as well.”

Education and training is another major concern as there is often insufficient access to educa-

tion for girls, 31 million of whom who are out of school. “The transition from primary to high school is the age to be targeted, and countries need to settle for more than primary education for girls,” she said.

Furthermore, Sr Munro added, the health issues of girls and young women highlight that they bear the brunt of suffering in child birth, maternal health and maternal mortality. It is estimated that up to 45% of first sexual encounters is forced.

Other issues facing women include the rise in HIV infections among women and the more than 21 million domestic workers that live in exploitative labour conditions—work is often not recognised and is mostly unpaid.

Sr Munro said it is clear that the Millennium Development Goals surrounding women will not be reached in 2015. Gender equality, women in conflict situations, violence against women, maternal mortality, women and Aids, and women in natural disasters were just some of the areas that remain unchallenged.

A major concern, said Sr Munro “remains that there is nothing to hold member states accountable for their actions or lack thereof”.

The Southern Cross, April 2 to April 8, 2014

LOCAL

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Life Teen leads teens closer to Jesus Christ STAFF REPORTER

T

HE success of this year’s Youth Ministry Conference has spurred organisers to ensure the event and the Life Teen ministry have a greater reach with 2015’s conference to hold events in both Cape Town and Johannesburg.

The conference, held this year in Cape Town, brought together youth leaders, priests and teachers from the Life Teen ministry.

Themed “Inspired”, organiser Steven Edwards said this is exactly how attendees left. “There was a renewal of passion for leading young people to Christ,” Mr Edwards told The Southern Cross.

The aim of the conference was to provide a place for leaders to gather, be inspired, grow in their personal faith in Christ, share their experiences and be equipped with practical tips to build on what they are doing in their parish already.

Fr Desmond Royappen of St Joseph’s in Morningside, Durban started Life Teen in the country a decade ago. “It was difficult at first to convince people that this was the way to evangelise our teens but it soon spread.

Life Teen leadership conference participants shared their experiences, received training from international youth ministry professionals and received practical tips on encouraging teens in their parishes.

“Our youth are an important investment in our Church and we need to be prepared to invest in their spiritual lives. So often after teens have been confirmed we don’t see them in church, and the reason for this is they have been catechised but not evangelised.

They know what to believe in but have not encountered a personal friendship with the person of Jesus Christ,” Fr Royappen said..

The aim of Life Teen is to lead the teens closer to Christ and have a real love and appreciation for the

Eucharist,” said Fr Royappen.

Mr Edwards said the conference focused on giving leaders inspiration and solutions to the challenges facing youth leaders today.

“Some concerns were how to reach out to teens better and how to engage them more in the Mass. A big element of this year’s conference was the importance of relational ministry when working with teens—that is the building of relationships with the youth so that they know that we care. When the time is right we're able to share

Christ with them.”

Participant Sam Howlett said the conference was an opportunity to meet other adults working with young people, to swap ideas and to encourage each other.

“I think working with teens can be quite overwhelming sometimes because there are just so many outside influences working against what the Church is teaching. So to come to this conference to discuss different ideas and hear stories of how Jesus has just taken over teenagers’ lives is inspiring and

fills me with the fire of the Spirit to carry on,” said Ms Howlett.

Mr Edwards added: “The hope is that the youth leaders and people that attended left with a sense of encouragement; that God is working in their parishes through them and that they're not in this alone. Leaders can rest assured that there are many around the country who are striving to live out their faith and share it with others.”

Cape Town’s youth chaplain, Fr Charles Prince, said that the participants benefited greatly from the training aspect of the conference, especially provided by youth ministry professionals from the United States.

He added the importance of interaction between leaders from throughout South Africa and even from other countries.

Fr Royappen said the Life Teen programme teaches the truth of the Church in a way teens can embrace it. “I have seen the fruit of this programme and it is even forming vocations to the priestly and religious life in many countries.” n Any parish needing assistance to begin Life Teen may contact Fr Royappen on 031 303 1890.

Past pupils called to unite

T

HE newly formed Federation of Past-Pupils of Catholic Schools in Southern Africa (Faecas) is making grounds connecting former Catholic learners and meeting with key Catholic education roleplayers in the country.

The federation’s Polydor Lokombe said the South African arm of the international federation sought to unite former Catholic school-goers, friends and sympathisers of Catholic education around the country “in order for them to serve the Church and society at large through various actions,

Retired Judge Albie Sachs is pictured with Grade 11 learners from Sacred Heart College in Johannesburg at the 10th Annual Bishop Hans Brenninkmeijer Memorial Lecture.

Judge brings hope to learners STAFF REPORTER

T

HE Catholic Institute of Education invited Grade 11 learners from Sacred Heart College to the 10th Annual Bishop Hans Brenninkmeijer Memorial Lecture. Seven Grade 11 learners attended a lecture by Albie Sachs at Constitution Hill, where he had been a judge, appointed to the Court by Nelson Mandela.

Judge Sachs spoke about a recent Constitutional Court decision, the Christian Education Case, which he was responsible for writing.

The case focuses on the balance between the rights of the child and the right of a school to religious observance, said the school’s Naomi Meyer.

“Judge Sachs inspired the Sacred Heart learners in the way he communicated the constitutional principles of the country in an uncomplicated way.” He also shared his insights and hope for the future of the country.”

“As an inspirational South African figure, who has received 14 honorary degrees across four continents, and who was involved in the freedom movement in the 1980s, Judge Sachs explained to the Sacred Heart learners the history of our country and his hopes for its future, ”said Ms Meyer.

Teacher Claire Baker said the Grade 11s recognised how lucky they were to meet and listen to one of the original architects of the constitution of our country.

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programmes and projects of social and economic development.”

Mr Lokombe is looking to grow Faecas. “We want past pupils to strive for excellence and promote holistic social and economic development in the society,” said Mr Lokombe adding that Catholic social teaching did not end at school; acting out this ethos can continue.

The federation is currently consulting with authorities including bishops and other education and training institutions. n For more information visit www.fae cas.org or 084 550 8481.

(From left) Polydor Lokombe and Smith Kiluba of the Federation of Past-Pupils of Catholic Schools in Southern Africa met with Catholic institute of Education director Janice Seland, liaison bishop for education Bishop Joe Sandri of Witbank and CiE board member Brother Michael de Klerk.

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The Southern Cross, April 2 to April 8, 2014

INTERNATIONAL

Bethlehem: Papal visit will revive hope

By JudiTH SudiLOVSKy

P

OPE Francis’ “pilgrimage of prayer” is a revival of hope for the people of Bethlehem, according to Bethlehem mayor Vera Baboun.

“The pope’s coming here represents peace and hope and love,” said Ms Baboun, a Catholic and the first female mayor of Bethlehem, a Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank.

“In a situation of discrimination and hardship, this represents hope for us. Bethlehem needs a revival, not in faith, but a revival of hope,” she said.

“We are in desperate need for anyone who can make peace to do so. We hope the pope will be able to mobilise the peace process and the process of the justice we really need.”

During his three-day visit to the Holy Land May 24-26, the only public papal Mass will be in Bethlehem, on May 25, and Ms Baboun said she is well aware of the responsibility that gives the city.

Though details about the visit are yet to be finalised, the city, which has already played host to three previous popes in modern times, expects to welcome 7 0008 000 worshippers from all over,

and hotels are already reporting they are overbooked.

Bl John Paul II came on a six-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land in March 2000, and Pope Benedict XVI spent a similar amount of time during his visit in May 2009. Unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis, who has called his visit a “pilgrimage of prayer”, will not be travelling to Galilee.

As in the previous papal visits, the papal Mass will be held in Bethlehem’s Nativity Square. The municipality is preparing for the visit in coordination with the Palestinian Authority presidential office, the Palestinian representative to the Vatican and Church officials, said Ms Baboun.

When Ms Baboun sits at her desk, she can look out the window to see the church of the Nativity.

Behind her desk hang two large framed pictures of her meetings with Pope Francis over the past year, once officially as the mayor of Bethlehem and once as a member of a presidential delegation.

During her visit as the mayor of Bethlehem, she presented the pope with a hand-carved Baby Jesus prepared by a master artisan, and she said she was struck by the way Pope Francis listened to her.

Vera Baboun, mayor of Bethlehem, West Bank, talks in her office on the city’s Manger Square about the upcoming papal visit. (Photo: debbie Hill/CnS) “The way he looked at me, the way he listened to me: He is a master in person-to-person [communication],” she said. “He looks at you in a way which says: I am with you.

He gave me a blessing from Rome, and now he is going to come to Bethlehem to keep hope renewed as well as to live the blessing of Beth-

lehem.”

Pope Francis has said his main intention is to commemorate the historic 1964 meeting between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople. Pope Francis is expected to meet the current Orthodox spiritual leader, Ecumenical Patriarch

Bartholomew, in Jerusalem after he visits Bethlehem.

Ms Baboun predicted Pope Francis’ visit to Bethlehem would be more personal than his visit to Jerusalem, which she described as historic.

“The blessing that [Pope Francis] gives the people is very special. The pope represents something very important and significant for the worshippers in Palestine, not only for us as worshippers but for us as Palestinians,” said Ms Baboun.

His role in leading and speaking out for the most unfortunate is “very significant”, she said.

“For me he is leading similar to the Way of the Cross which Jesus led, for everybody. It is not only an expression for us, but for everyone.”

Ms Baboun said she believes the pope will lead by just seeing and listening. His presence in the city will give strength to the people and help them keep steadfast, she said.

When the papal Mass is broadcast from Bethlehem, she said, it will show that the city is still on the map, that the Christians living there are the living stones of the Christian faith in the place of its birth.

“It is a confirmation that we are here,” she said.—CNS

Pope Francis to members of the Where going to Mass could get you killed Mafia: Turn from road to hell

By FRAnCiS X ROCCA

S

URROUNDED by survivors of innocent people killed by the Mafia, Pope Francis made an emotional appeal to Italian gangsters to give up their lives of crime and avoid eternal damnation.

“Men and women of the Mafia, please change your lives, convert, stop doing evil,” the pope said at a prayer vigil.

“I ask on my knees and for your own good. This life you have now, it will not give you pleasure, it will not give you joy, it will not give you happiness,” the pope said.

“The power, the money you have now from so many dirty deals, from so many Mafia crimes, bloodstained money, blood-stained power—you will not be able to take that with you to the other life,” he said.

“There is still time not to end up in hell, which awaits you if you continue on this road,” Pope Francis said. “You had a papa and a mamma. Think of them, weep a little, and convert.”

Every year since 1996, the Italian anti-Mafia group Libera has ob-

People read names of Mafia victims at a papal prayer service in Rome.

(Photo: Paul Haring/CnS) served a day in memory of innocent victims of organised crime. According to the group, the approximately 700 people gathered with Pope Francis in Rome’s church of St Gregory VII this year represented the families of an estimated 15 000 such

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In his greeting, Fr Luigi Ciotti, founder of Libera, denounced the Mafia as the “assassin of hope” and recalled a range of its victims.

The priest mentioned women caught up in human trafficking, people fallen ill owing to illegal disposal of toxic waste and even children, including Domenico Gabriele, an 11-year-old shot to death while playing football in 2009, and Nicola Campolongo, a 3-year old murdered in January, reportedly to avenge an unpaid drug debt.

Fr Ciotti thanked the pope for coming, saying: “We thought we had found a father, we have also found a brother.”

The pope listened for about 45 minutes, head bowed and hands folded in prayer, as members of the congregation stepped up to the lectern and recited, in some cases with breaking voices, the names of people killed by the Mafia.

“Let us pray together to ask the strength to move ahead,” the pope said, “to be not discouraged but to continue to struggle against corruption.”—CNS

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ATHOLICS in a northern Nigerian city are risking their lives to attend Sunday Mass, as their community has fallen prey to violence from radical extremists.

“There were a lot of bomb explosions, but that did not seem to deter people from coming to church,” said Fr John Bakeni at a Mass in St Patrick’s cathedral in Maiduguri.

“It was a very humbling and edifying experience to see so many people at Mass. The place was packed,” he told Aid to the Church in Need in an interview.

Fr Bakeni said more than 2 000 people packed the cathedral, saying to him later that “if the attacks would worsen they would rather die in church than anywhere else”.

The Mass was held during violent attacks on the city, allegedly by radical Islamist group Boko Haram, which included rocket-propelled grenades and attacks on the city's military barracks. Houses were set on fire, and innocent people were killed, locals have reported.

Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sinful”, has declared its animosity for Christian-

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ity and the Church, educational institutions, the Nigerian government, and moderate Muslims.

During the attacks on the city, which have taken place over the course of months, hundreds of people have died. In the days preceding the Mass, the Nigerian military had undertaken a campaign to push back the extremists, killing more than 200 members of Boko Haram.

Fr Bakeni said that despite these attempts, Boko Haram had regrouped and were undertaking more attacks.

The “military are doing their very best, but they lack modern weaponry to counter these guys who are far more sophisticated”.

Boko Haram’s attacks have killed thousands since 2009; according to the BBC, they have killed 500 in 2014 alone. The UN estimates that the attacks have led to more than 470 000 internally displaced persons in Nigeria.

During the Mass, Fr Bakeni said, he told the congregation that there was no need to preach. “I told them: ‘Your presence in such large numbers is a homily in itself.’”

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INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, April 2 to April 8, 2014

5

Priest: Catholics flee Crimea

By JOnATHAn LuXMOORE

M

Chorbishop Simon Faddoul (right) receives an award from Cardinal Bechara Rai, Lebanon’s Maronite patriarch. Chorbishop Faddoul will lead the new Maronite exarchate of West and Central Africa for the Maronites and will serve as a visitor to South Africa. (Photo: Mychel Akl, courtesy of Maronite patriarchate of Bkerke)

New Maronite leader for African countries By dOREEn ABi RAAd

F

ROM Lebanon, where he led the Church’s response to one of history’s biggest humanitarian crises, Maronite Chorbishop Simon Faddoul will carry with him to Africa the motto he took when he was ordained a priest 27 years ago: “Here I am Lord, send me.”

As of April 1, Chorbishop Faddoul will be the first apostolic exarch to the exarchate of West and Central Africa for the Maronites and a visitor to South Africa.

Chorbishop Faddoul was elected president of Caritas Lebanon in January 2010, when the organisation was still grappling with the needs of Iraqi refugees, in addition to serving the poor and needy in Lebanon.

With the Syrian civil war, Lebanon is now the largest per capita recipient of refugees anywhere in the world, according to

the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Chorbishop Faddoul said he never thought of Africa as a place to which God would call him.

There are currently about 50 00070 000 Lebanese in Africa, a presence that has been reduced due to conflicts and regime changes in many African countries. Their presence reflects the historically renowned Lebanese trading tendency that dates back to Phoenician times.

“Wherever they go, they are very successful,” Chorbishop Faddoul said of expatriate Lebanese who seek prosperity outside their homeland.

Approximately 10-12 Maronite parishes are dispersed throughout Africa, including the parish of Our Lady of the Cedars in Woodmead, Johannesburg.—CNS

EMBERS of the Ukrainian Catholic Church are fleeing Crimea to escape threats of arrest and property seizures in the wake of Russia’s annexation of the region, a priest said.

“The situation remains very serious, and we don’t know what will happen—the new government here is portraying us all as nationalists and extremists,” said Fr Mykhailo Milchakovskyi, a parish rector and military chaplain from Kerch, Crimea.

He said officials from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) had called him in for questioning about his community and to ask whether he “recognised the new order”.

Fr Milchakovskyi said that he and his family and at least two-thirds of his parishioners had left Kerch for Ukrainian-controlled territory on the advice of Ukrainian Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych.

He said Fr Mykola Kvych of Sevastopol also fled after being detained and beaten by Russian forces, who accused him of “sponsoring extremism and mass unrest”.

“During ten years in Sevastopol, he never said or did anything

T

HE British government has imposed an immediate ban on the incineration of miscarried and aborted babies after investigative reporters working for the Channel 4 television programme Dispatches found cases of hospitals burning foetuses to generate heat.

The journalists used the Freedom of Information Act to make National Health Service trusts reveal how they had disposed of foetal remains in recent years.

They discovered that thousands of aborted and miscarried babies had been burned as clinical waste with some incinerated

in on-site “waste-to-energy” plants generating power to heat the hospitals.

The Dispatches film, called “Exposing Hospital Heartbreak”, was presented by Amanda Holden, a former Britain’s Got Talent judge and a mother of two who lost a child by miscarriage in 2010 and who gave birth to a stillborn son in 2011.

She said in a statement that she was “absolutely delighted” that the government had acted so swiftly to ban the practice of the incineration of foetuses, which, she said, had caused misery and anguish to many parents.

The film revealed that the re-

By CAROL GLATz

P

OPE Francis has accepted the resignation of a German bishop who was at the centre of controversy over expenditures for his residence and a diocesan centre, and who conceded charges of perjury.

Following a diocesan investigation, the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops studied the audit’s findings and accepted the resignation of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg (pictured).

Auxiliary Bishop Manfred Grothe of Paderborn was appointed to serve as apostolic administrator of Limburg in the meantime.

mains of at least 15 500 foetuses were incinerated by 27 trusts over the last two years alone, without consulting the parents.

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement that its disposal of foetal tissue complied with the recommendations issued by the “Royal College of Nursing, the Human Tissue Authority, SANDS (Stillbirth and neonatal death charity) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists”.

It added that parents of foetuses miscarried after 13 weeks are offered the same kind of support as those of a stillborn child.—CNS

Bishop escapes kidnapping bid By dOREEn ABi RAAd

M

ARONITE Bishop Simon Atallah of Baalbek-Der El-Ahmar has said he was the target of a failed kidnapping attempt.

The incident occurred in the evening when two four-wheeldrive vehicles chased the bishop’s car on a major road in the eastern town of Zahle. However, his driver sped towards an army checkpoint, after which the two vehicles drove away.

Bishop Atallah said the attempt was most likely motivated by a desire for ransom, adding

that the motive behind the attempted abduction was not sectarian.

Bishop Atallah also cited the deteriorating security in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, which borders Syria, expressing concern that the war in Syria could spill over into Lebanon.

“Each and every one of us should work within their community” to put an end to the chaos “as the area is threatened by rockets and car bombs while the borders remain wide open.

We now fear that the war will move to us,” he said.

Cardinal Bechara Rai, Ma-

against Russians,” Fr Milchakovskyi added.

“We’re determined our Church will not close up and abandon its mission, and we hope we’ll be given permits to return. But like others, we’ve had to leave our life and work behind, not knowing when we’ll be back. This is a time of suffering and anxiety,” he said.

“For now, this is just a temporary evacuation until conditions are safer, but with tension and pressure now strong, many of us are afraid of being arrested,” he said.

“People want things to stay as they are, with freedom of religion,

German bishop of ‘Bling’ resigns

British govt bans burning of miscarried foetuses for heat

By SiMOn CALdWELL

A man passes a mural in Moscow showing a map of Crimea in the Russian national colours. (Photo: Artur Bainozarov, Reuters/CnS)

assembly and speech. But if they’re forced to accept Russian passports, they’ll have little choice.”

The Ukrainian Catholic Church, a Byzantine rite, was outlawed under Soviet rule from 1946 to 1989, when many clergy were imprisoned and most Church properties seized by the state or transferred to Russian Orthodox possession.

The Church’s five communities in Crimea traditionally make up around 10% of the peninsula’s 1,96 million inhabitants, 58% of whom are ethnic Russians. Ukrainians make up 24% and mostly Muslim Tartars a further 12%.

Fr Milchakovskyi said that Crimea’s Russian Orthodox Church appeared ready to seize Ukrainian Catholic properties and said all but one Catholic priest and deacon had now left to escape “interest from the FSB and Russian forces”.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian newspapers said two Byzantine Catholic churches and a monastery had been burned in Ivano-Frankivsk, Dora and Kolomyya.

Archbishop Shevchuk has asked priests to dedicate Ukraine to Mary’s protection on April 6, to help calm “hearts filled with anxiety for the future”.—CNS

ronite Catholic patriarch, denounced the “blatant attempt to kidnap” the bishop and has asked Lebanon’s president and other government officials “to end the phenomenon of kidnapping and extortion”.

In addition to an increase in abductions, Lebanon has been hit by a series of car bombs, suicide bombers and clashes between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“The political, economic, social and security chaos in the country should end,” the patriarch said.—CNS

Bishop Tebartzvan Elst would be assigned, “at a suitable moment,” another unspecified assignment, the Vatican said.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the bishops’ conference, said the resignation would “end a period of uncertainty” in the Limburg diocese. He told a Berlin news conference that he believed Bishop Tebartz-van Elst’s case had been handled “fairly and transparently” by the Vatican and German Church.

The bishop, who was appointed

to head Limburg diocese in 2007, has been at the centre of controversy over the remodelling and building project of diocesan property which was estimated to have cost about R450 million, including R225 000 for a bathtub and artworks costing R6,5 million for his residence.

In a separate controversy, the bishop agreed in November to pay a court-ordered fine of 20 000 euros (R300 000) rather than contest charges that he perjured himself.

Hamburg prosecutors had charged him with lying to the court in a libel case he had laid against news magazine Der Spiegel.—CNS

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6

The Southern Cross, April 2 to April 8, 2014

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Our task is to convert the corrupt

A

SERIES of reports issued by the Office of the Public Protector over the past few months has placed on the record the various ways in which taxpayers’ money is misused, to the point of illegality, and in which some public offices and institutions are singularly failing to serve the nation.

South Africans must condemn the misallocation of our money to finance one man’s luxury citadel, the disheartening failure and abdication of responsibility at the SABC, the smelly fisheries deals, and even the mischief at the Independent Electoral Commission.

We must register our protest above the din of mealy-mouthed justification and the cynical smears of public protector Thuli Madonsela by people with no ethical backbone.

South Africans should be angry with those who abuse their power and ransack our national treasury, and with those people who diverted funding intended for service delivery projects to the construction works at the presidential homestead.

At the same time, we must be proud of our democracy where the Chapter 9 institutions, the press and civil society are able to reveal shady dealings in government under the protection of the Constitution.

Not many democracies have the constitutional structures to enforce that kind of transparency and (at least notional) accountability. South Africans must stridently protect this.

On the other hand, we must be concerned that there is so much dishonesty among officials who administer services paid for by taxpayers.

Corruption is commonly defined as the abuse of public office for private gain. It is a human impulse to behave dishonestly in order to obtain financial and other gain.

Our faith tells us that this is due to original sin. Social scientists who do research into crime of all kinds imply the same thing when they observe that crime and corruption are based on human weakness which spans cultures, countries and generations.

In South Africa the question has long ceased to be whether there is corruption in public of-

fice, but how much, of what nature and to what impact.

Corruption pervades and corrodes the entire system, from top to bottom. Countless official and media reports into the civil service have revealed that laws and rules are bent and evaded in many ways by some government employees who readily solicit and accept bribes.

Those who engage in corruption are, it is needless to state, the enemy of the people. But they also do harm to their honest colleagues.

Even one corrupt official can make an entire department seem dishonest, a case of one rotten apple spoiling the barrel.

From the moral point of view it is the individual’s personal integrity that protects organisations from corrupt practices. But temptation and opportunism can be overwhelming, especially in an atmosphere where dishonesty is tolerated and credible role models are not much in evidence.

It is within this culture of impunity that Christians find it a challenging prospect to teach and encourage the observance of the virtues of truthfulness, honesty, personal integrity and respect for the rights of others.

Pope Francis last year offered startling guidance in this when he forthrightly spoke out against corruption.

“Those who take kickbacks have lost their dignity and give their children dirty bread”, he said in November. He compared corruption to drug addiction: “We might start with a small bribe, but it’s like a drug.”

The corrosive effects corruption has on the soul of those who engage in it ought to prompt us to work on their conversion to a life of ethics.

This is a tall order, since the corrupt tend to justify themselves. Pope Francis pointed this out when he was still Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio: “A sinner expects forgiveness. The corrupt, on the contrary, don’t because they don’t feel they have sinned. They have prevailed.”

Cecil John Rhodes once said, cynically and no doubt from vast experience, that every man has his price. This notion did not die with him. That is why we must all work ardently to prove him wrong.

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.

The deep roots of sexual abuse

A

RCHBISHOP William Slattery is to be commended for his exemplary handling of the alleged abuse case in Pretoria (March 5), as is the editor of The Southern Cross for his balanced perspective of the situation (editorial, March 12).

If I may add some thoughts on the wider screen: the rare and isolated abuse case, bad as it might be, might not reflect that negatively on the Church in the long run, but when these take place in recurring clusters one realises that there is something very wrong.

Things didn’t start to go wrong in the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s or ‘80s. Pederasty was severely condemned by St Peter Damian in the 11th cen-

Broader view on homosexuality

F

RANKO Sokolic’s unbelievably uncharitable letter (“The Narrow Way”, March 12) refers.

Mr Sokolic seems blissfully unaware of the fact that same-sex orientation (homosexuality) is not self-chosen but manifests itself in the very earliest years of one’s life, just as heterosexuality does.

Homosexuality could be compared to being left-handed or having red hair. It affects, it is believed, up to 10% of the general population.

To have a same-sex orientation is not to be confused with homosexual genital activity. Mr Sokolic seems to ignore this.

Who would choose such an orientation, being, as it has since earliest times, one of the most persecuted and vilified minorities?

David, in the Old Testament, was an ancestor of Jesus Christ, the son of David. In the first and second Books of Samuel, we read an inspired account of one of the most beautiful love stories, of loyalty and friendship between two people in all of literature—that between David and Jonathan.

At Jonathan’s death, David eulogised him this way: “I grieve for you Jonathan, my brother. Most dear you have been to me. More precious have I held love for you than love of women” (2 Sam 1-26, The African Bible).

Of our attitude towards those of a gay orientation, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “They do not choose their homosexual condition, for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with compassion, respect and sensitivity.

Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided...”

(2358).

I respectfully and humbly urge Mr Sokolic to read and prayerfully meditate on the sections of the Bible

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tury, and by the Church Fathers.

Already active in Greece 500 BC homoerotic relations between male adults and young boys was inspired by the myth that the god Zeus, who took the shape of an eagle, abducted the beautiful young Trojan Ganymede and made him his own.

As the myth spread to Rome the youngster was called a catamitus, or in English catamite.

Over more than two millennia the Zeus-Ganymede myth has traversed through many cultures as evident in paintings, sculptures, literature, theatre, satire, and popular discourse. It also seeped into the imagination of some prelates and priests.

and the catechism from which the above passages are taken.

Chuck Harrison, Pretoria

Absent whites

T

HE archdiocese of Cape Town on its Facebook page is requesting viewers to rate the archdiocese. At first I rated it “poor”.

That was based on the picture I observed at the funeral of the late Archbishop Lawrence Henry. Thousands of faces deeply moved by the passing of someone who had led the Church for so many years. His humour, friendliness, approachability and down-to-earth manner endeared him to many, and especially to those who understood that he carried the weight of enormous responsibility in a joyous and lighthearted manner that belied his sensitivity towards great problems in this Church.

But I need some answers before I change that rating. I was surprised to see so few white faces—by my count 20—among the thousands of black faces in the crowd of mourners.

Someone said it was because those faces chose to attend the Friday Mass and that the others had emigrated.

However, I belong, not by personal choice, to a parish where the majority of the congregation that packs the church on Sundays have white faces. So if only ten of those attended the Requiem Mass, they would have stood out a mile. They could not have emigrated. Maybe it was our parish that filled the cathedral on Friday evening?

If only I can get some logical, sensible reasons for this strange phenomenon I shall be only too happy to review my rating.

Antoinette Padua, Cape Town

Reiterate tributes

O

NE cannot resist, in this tenth anniversary year of Archbishop Denis Hurley’s demise, to reiterate the tributes to his outstanding life, his wide influence, and his hopes for the future of a progressive Church.

A great advocate of Vatican II which still awaits full implementation, he indeed would have made a great pope.

Many will hope that Pope Francis will follow in his footsteps.

Fr Douglas Hutton, Hermanus

Hurley was holy

R

EFERRING to JH Goossens’ letter (March 5), I knew Archbishop Denis Hurley personally, and many clergy are still to learn the charity that such a holy man manifested during his time on earth.

I do not think Archbishop Hurley, for a single moment, wanted to be pope. On the contrary, he was happy to be the shepherd of his local archdiocese of Durban, and he did a fine job of it.

He was never a career cleric, the type which the Holy Father incidentally detests.

Ela Gandhi need not be Catholic to see in a person the humility of Christ as she sensed in Archbishop

Myths, when they become ideologies, seldom perish, and pederasty stealthily latches on to any religion, at any time and in any place hospitable to its presence.

Some religious pederasts may be unfamiliar with the ZeusGanymede myth but if they are into man-boy love, they are already members of the quasi-sacrosanct club. In their view, the silenced catamites must be grateful for the blessings and privileges bestowed on them.

The agenda of the man-boy lobby—a dropping of age-consent of man-boy relationships—does not bode well for the Church or society at large. Strict prevention of abuse is crucial, but so is eradication of the Zeus-Ganymede mentality.

Margaret Mollet, Piketberg, WC Hurley. He was the champion of the poor and oppressed.

We, as Catholics, need to be very careful in quoting Mahatma Gandhi because he is also quoted as having said to a group of Catholics: “I love your God, but I do not like you Christians because you are so unlike your God.” J H Goossens, do not think for the Holy Spirit but rather submit to his will with charity.

Walter Petersen, Durban

Keep breasts out of public view

B

URGIE Ireland’s article on breastfeeding (March 19) offered the interesting viewpoint that it is good and right to breastfeed anywhere, at any time, and that even Pope Francis says it’s okay and good.

I agree that’s its a perfectly natural and good thing to breastfeed babies; it is far better than giving the bottle. But for other people to see a breast-feeding can be disturbing.

A mother at a restaurant table, as the one Ms Ireland refers to, might know the minds of her family sitting around her, but she does not know the minds of the men at nearby tables.

If she wants to be a good mother who always nourishes her baby when it needs, she should bring a shawl or a baby-feeder to cover everything and also helps to shut out all the noises from an eating house that can disturb the baby.

Better still, a mother can time her baby’s feed so that during the two hours at the restaurant she can eat in peace. She could bring a dummy or a little bottle of previously expressed milk, and have it ready when her baby is hungry.

There are also baby rooms in many restaurants where a mother can go in peace to feed her child.

In our porn-laden society, the writer said, nothing is sacred. That’s just about true, so keep breasts covered and they will remain sacred.

Lucy Rubin, Pretoria

Hazards of Pill

A

CCORDING to The Times newspaper of Johannesburg (November 19), the American Academy of Opthalmologists has found that long-term use of the Pill doubles the risk of glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness.

This drug also often acts as an abortifacient as well as a contraceptive, and thus is a worldwide cause of potential chemical abortion.

See the website www.epm.org/ static/uploads/downloads/bcpill.pdf Damian McLeish, Johannesburg Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate.

Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

Letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

The Southern Cross, April 2 to April 8, 2014

PERSPECTIVES Mphuthumi Ntabeni

The rise of satanism in SA Y OU know you have a problem when the politicians start poaching your problems for their political gain.

We’ve heard the minister of Sport and Culture, Fikile Mbalula, calling those who booed President Jacob Zuma after the South Africa vs Brazil football match “satanists”.

It was all downhill from there. At a rally in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, Public Enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba said: “They are not the devil’s brothers. They are not the devil’s relatives. They are the devils themselves.”

It would seem like “satanism” is being blamed for different failings. The ministers, who at least are aware of the deeper sentiments and concerns among township denizens, know they can use the terminology of satanism to cover up for government failures and collapsing values.

On a more serious note, the fear of actual satanism in townships is at a high.

Several cases of teenage deaths at the hands of their peers have been linked to the rituals of satanism. Last year a court in Palm Ridge, Gauteng, sentenced a 15-yearold self-confessed satanic ritual murderer to ten years in prison, two of which were suspended.

The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) is definitely of the opinion that satanic rituals are on the rise in township schools. They say many of them are not reported. Apparently Gauteng is the worst affected province, although there have been several cases reported in the Western Cape, as well as in the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga.

Evidence suggests that where satanism has been reported, there is also evidence of bullying, followed by a sharp surge in violence in the school, or vice versa. This is followed by an increase in the level of absenteeism among pupils.

Sadtu is currently engaged in an awareness campaign that involves prayer and exorcism.

An investigation by the Daily Voice newspaper revealed shocking cases of satanism at local high schools in Cape Town. As a result, the Western Cape Department of Education is engaging school authorities, psychologists, social workers, churches and police to combat the growing problem. “Satanism education” has now been introduced as part of a drastic new programme to combat occult trends.

I

n many cases, clergy and educators say, absent parents are to blame as their neglected children turn to devil worship in search for an identity. Children as young as 13 years old are performing demonic rituals. These include slaughtering cats, cutting their own flesh and drinking human blood.

Paddy Attwell, director of communication of the Western Cape Education Department, has confirmed the authorities

Satanic messages are seen spray-painted on a statue of Christ in Wisconsin. in his column Mphuthumi ntabeni discusses an increase in satanism in South Africa. (Photo: Stephen Olszewski, Catholic Herald)

Plan families God’s way B ELIEVE it or not, a bishops’ conference in Europe reported that many of the laity rejected the Church’s teaching on family planning because the “Rhythm Method” had proved totally unreliable. Believe it or not, the Church “teaching” the Rhythm Method in 2014!

In 2008, in response to a challenge by the then president, Archbishop Buti Tlhagale OMI, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference began working on a document on human life. It was to take the form of a teaching and “learn by doing” document on key life issues.

What resulted, the book God, Love, Life and Sex, is an attempt to give the Church’s teaching on sexuality in a way that gives guidance to all Catholics on the basic values that the Church is trying to promote, nurture and defend, because they are related to the sanctity of human life.

Marriage—where life is supposed to begin and be nurtured—is an institution which the Church has given the status of sacrament. This is to underline the important fact that by their love for each other, their acceptance of children and their life together until death, the couple become an image of God in whom the love of the Father and the Son is personalised in the Holy Spirit.

As such the Holy Trinity is the first and perfect Family, whose image the couple is called to reflect by joyfully accepting the fruits of their love in the form of children.

The aspect of God, Love, Life and Sex which I wish to focus on in this article is the crucial and often misunderstood question of family planning, with particular reference to Natural Family Planning (NFP), as opposed to artificial, chemical and mechanical contraception.

Many of us priests have unfortunately

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A doctor explains natural Family Planning to a patient. (Photo: Gregory Shemitz/CnS) not kept up to date on the tremendous developments that have taken place in the field of NFP. Many still mistakenly think and speak of NFP as if it were the outdated and long discarded Rhythm Method.

The Rhythm Method proved to be completely unreliable: firstly, because it was based on a false premise—that every woman had a regular and unchanging 28 day cycle—and secondly, because it did not take into account emotional and other factors that affect her cycle.

What we have today in NFP is a most accurate scientifically tested and tried method of achieving pregnancy or spacing it. It uses observable phenomena (signs) that occur naturally in the woman’s body and which indicate the different phases of her fertility cycle. Above all, those signs are sure indicators of whether she, and therefore the couple, is fertile or infertile.

The major advantage of NFP is that it involves both spouses in the process, so much so that most NFP couples will say “we” are fertile or infertile, rather than “she”.

In other words, responsibility for having

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are aware of the satanic practices at some schools. He cited two reports of learners being involved in satanism last year, in Ceres in February and Tafelsig, Mitchell’s Plain, in May. The department sent specialised police units to investigate reports of children carrying out satanic rituals. The findings of the investigation have not yet been published. But from the testimony of teachers we know that the first symptoms are pupils wearing dark eyeliner and nail varnish—and drawing on their hands to hide their cuts. Upon investigation it is almost always discovered that most of these kids have serious issues of neglect at home.

These kids are in an emotional state and cut themselves in these so-called satanic rituals to relieve the pain. They also draw graffiti about their love for the devil.

They do research in libraries and on the Internet about Satanic rituals.

As they proceed on the way to satanism, their practices include acts such as breaking into churches to steal religious items for ceremonial purposes; a crucifix or a statue of Mother Mary. There have been reported cases of hosts being stolen from the tabernacles of Catholic or Anglican churches. Part of the profaning ritual would be to urinate or defecate on it, or perform sexual gestures with it.

And then it becomes serious, involving human sacrifice in extreme cases.

Some parents and learners are opting to seek help from their churches and relatives. I am not sure if I’ve missed something, but I have not heard of the Catholic Church being involved in this awareness campaign, or whether it has its own drive.

Strange, since counteracting the devil and satanic acts is the Church’s business.

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier OFM

Talking Frankly

a child or spacing them belongs to both spouses, not just the woman. That joint responsibility in itself changes the nature and depth of the couple’s relationship. They discuss these intimate matters much more freely, openly and candidly!

Another advantage is that it is natural and healthy, as it works with the body’s natural processes It is therefore imperative that NFP become more widely known, that it be taught, learned and promoted by more and more Catholics, from priests down to couples preparing for marriage.

Of course, it goes without saying that more married couples need to begin or to resume practising NFP conscientiously and with the necessary commitment.

With the development and spread of Bl John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body”, more young adults and youth are being introduced to a clearer knowledge and better understanding of the meaning and place of sexuality in a person’s make up, and its proper use in marriage—and in marriage only!

For those older priests who were confused by the whole contraception debate of the 1960s and ’70s, and even the ’80s, this is going to be a major challenge.

Firstly, the challenge is to get up to date about NFP and artificial contraception, why one is acceptable in Catholic magisterial teaching and why one is not.

Secondly, there is the challenge to get to know and understand the essential differences between NFP and contraception, including the fundamental difference in intention.

Continued on page 11

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Open door

How can an angel be a saint?

I am an 82-year old woman and have always wondered how Michael the archangel can be called a saint when only humans can become saints? Before I die, I’d like to know the answer.

Yvonne Samy

T

HE word saint comes from the Latin word sanctus, meaning holy. You will remember that in the Latin Mass the priest recited: “Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus.” Now we say: Holy, holy, holy.

Sanctus also refers to a holy one, starting with God himself who declares in Isaiah 43:3: “For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel” and with Christ, whom the unclean spirit called “the Holy One of God” (Mk 1:24).

God’s holiness is his infinitely transcendent and self-sufficient life as our creator, redeemer and sanctifier. In contrast, human creatures are finite. We are not holy, and cannot be holy unless we can share God’s life in some way. This happens when we are baptised and given supernatural grace, a real sharing in the life of the all-holy God. St Paul explains that God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing so that we should be holy and blameless before him (Eph 1:3).

Your question deals firstly with members of the Church who lived such holy lives on earth that we now venerate them in heaven, living in the presence of Christ their saviour. The word saint is generally reserved for them.

Secondly, you wonder how angels can be called saints when they are not human, were never baptised and thus are not members of the Church. Besides that, they cannot be canonised by the Church because they are not subject to Church rules.

We know from Scripture that angels are God’s messengers, doing his will in their relation to us on earth. They are holy because of their closeness to God whom they faithfully serve. The angel told Zechariah: “I am Gabriel who stand in the presence of God” (Lk 1:19).

Angels do more than stand before God. They stand in the presence of Christ whom God has exalted in his human form, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11).

You see, then, that both we and the angels worship and praise Christ as our Lord. We are united in Christ, so that the angels are also holy ones, saints, and can offer their prayers on our behalf.

The Church honours in particular the three angelic saints named in Scripture: Michael, Raphael and Gabriel.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town,

8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. 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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8

Got married recently? Send us your wedding photos The Southern Cross, April 2 to April 8, 2014

COMMUNITY

and stand to win a prize sponsored by Mariannhill Mission Press. E-mail to weddings@scross.co.za or post to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000

After a Communion service at Sterkfotein Hospital, visiting Jesuit acolyte (left) Jean-Jacques Mpula of the democratic Republic of Congo and (centre) assistant Eucharistic minister James Florens visited parish priest Fr Enoch Shomang (right) of St Mary's in Munsieville on the West Rand.

St Joseph parish in Primrose, Johannesburg, held their annual fiesta to raise funds for the church. Various stalls in the church grounds provided food and entertainment throughout the day. Tamzin Pillay and Bella Roque are pictured at the “curry ‘n rice” stall.

Fr Marian Kulig (pictured right), parish priest of Our Lady Help of Christians in Landsdowne, Cape Town, celebrated his silver jubilee with a special Mass. Fr Kulig was ordained on June 16 1988. Fr Roy Elavungal SdB (left) is pictured with Fr Kulig before the Mass.

A memorial service was held aboard the italian navy supply vessel Etna in honour of the italian prisoners of war that were captured and brought to South Africa. Archbishop Stephen Brislin was a guest of honour. nata Lundin (left) and Rosanna Potgieter (right), daughters of italian war prisoner nicola Scali, are pictured with the zonderwater wreath. Many italians were captured during World War ii and brought as prisoners of war to zonderwater prison in South Africa.

Little Eden’s annual fundraising fete took place at the home of founders domitilla and danny Hyams in Edenvale, Johannesburg, and was well supported with donations of money, service and prayers. Pictured are Little Eden’s marketing and communications officer, nichollette Muthige and general manager of Mamba Strike Force Bevis Rodda, holding a cheque from the company for Little Eden.

Marie Bates, Marjorie Olivier, Liz newberry and Alisande Bradshaw of the Catholic Women’s League in Our Lady of Fatima parish in durban north received their 10 years of service badges. (From left) Fr des nair, diocesan president Eileen Hughes, Marie Bates, branch president Anna Accolla, Marjorie Olivier, Liz newberry and Alisande Bradshaw.

Grade 3 pupils from Holy Rosary Primary School in Edenvale, Johannesburg, collected and donated pet food to the SPCA as part of their “Random Acts of Kindness” programme.

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The institute for Security Studies, in collaboration with the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation, hosted a presentation by dr Jakkie Cilliers (left) on South Africa’s future. in his paper, titled ‘South African Futures 2030’, dr Cilliers identified three scenarios: “Madiba Magic”, in which South Africa develops rapidly; “Bafana Bafana” in which South Africa continues to underachieve and becomes a distinctly second-tier state, and “A nation divided” in which the economy stagnates, crime spirals out of control and inequality remains rife. dr Cilliers is pictured with CPLO director Fr Peter-John Pearson.

FOCUS

The Southern Cross, April 2 to April 8, 2014

9

Corpses, ghost towns and looted churches More than 900 000 South Sudanese have been displaced as violence has broken out in the newly-formed country.

CLAIRE MATHIESON examines the Church’s situation in the conflict in South Sudan.

A

S rebel groups jostle for control in South Sudan, the United Nations has warned that the country might collapse entirely by year end.

Most aid agencies and Church personnel have fled the region along with the civilian population. “Almost all of the Church personnel in the diocese of Malakal, which covers three of the seven states in South Sudan, with an area of close to 240 000 km2, have had to withdraw from the diocese as it became clear that the rebel forces were no longer respecting Church property or her people,” said John Ashworth, a peacebuilder with nearly 30 years experience in the region.

Mr Ashworth, who also works closely with the Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI), has been heavily involved in preparing the country for independence.

The Southern Cross covered the road to independence, with role players and South Africa’s bishops hopeful and positive for the new country.

But since then, the country has become a war zone. “We predicted it could happen, but not to this degree,” Fr Sean O’Leary M.Afr, director of the DHPI, told The Southern Cross at a time when more than 70 000 South Sudanese refugees were seeking asylum in Uganda.

Mr Ashworth said all the civilians who were sheltering in churches had evacuated to relative safety. “Malakal town is now empty of civilians except for those sheltering in the UN compound.” Those who did not leave with the Church either fled to the bush or were killed, the peace worker said.

Comboni Missionary Sister Elena Balatti said by the time she left, the town had become virtually an empty town, devoid of civilians.

Even domestic animals could no longer be seen. “Vultures and dogs were feeding on the corpses. Groups of rebel soldiers were the only ones moving around.”

The town had previously been home to 250 000 people.

And it’s a similar sight in other parts of the country with towns deserted. Those in smaller rural parishes have had to spend many days hiding in the bush.

“All Church property has been looted—including a total of more than 20 vehicles, as well as Church

records, documents, computers, vestments and furniture—and much has been destroyed,” said Mr Ashworth, adding that large areas of the towns have been burned to the ground.

“Priests and sisters managed to save the Blessed Sacrament from several of the churches before they were looted.”

Mr Ashworth tells the story of the retired bishop of Malakal, Bishop Vincent Mojwok Nyiker, who at nearly 80 years old sheltered people of all ethnic groups in his house during the first two attacks on the town.

“But during the third attack he was persuaded to leave as rebels were deliberately targeting his tribe. Assisted by priests and youth, he waded neck deep through a channel of the Nile with bullets smacking into the water around him. They then spent hours on a small island, still under fire, until eventually a small boat took him and his companions to the other side. They then had to walk through the bush for days until the bishop of the neighbouring diocese was able to send a car to rescue them,” said Mr Ashworth. His story is not unique.

“Caritas South Sudan and its international Caritas partners are trying to provide some humanitarian aid from the town of Renk. They are also assisting internally displaced people from the diocese who crossed the River Nile to Awerial in the diocese of Rumbek,” said Mr Ashworth.

The South Sudanese army announced the recapture of Malakal town one month after it had fallen into rebel hands, but tensions are still high.

On the whole, very few international NGOs are still operating in the parts of the diocese which have been affected by rebel attacks, and they are mainly within the UN compounds helping the people sheltering there. “The rebel forces are not respecting humanitarian or Church operations and security remains a major concern.”

Sr Balatti said 1 500 people were rescued from Christ the King church in Malakal. “Remarkably enough, the UN military undertook to reach St Joseph’s cathedral to rescue three elderly people trapped there since the day of the fighting because they were unable to walk.”

During the rescue, Sr Balatti had a chance to see the church buildings which had all been looted. “Even the money hidden on the roof had been discovered. The door of the tabernacle of the cathedral had been broken but not the one at the fathers’ chapel where the Blessed Sacrament had been kept. I managed to take it away,”said Sr Balatti.

The group was taken to the UN compound where more than 20 000 internally displaced people had taken refuge. “We thought we had reached a safer place but at night security personnel gave the warning

Women hug one another in the port of Minkaman, South Sudan, after being displaced by civil unrest. (Photo:Andree a Campeanu, Reuters/CnS) that there was the possibility that the White Army would attack the UN compound,” said Sr Balatti.

F

ather O’Leary said neither Southern Africa’s bishops nor the DHPI will abandon the Church and the people of South Sudan. “We need to do all in our power to support the Church in particular and the people in general on the ground with prayers for peace and find ways to sustain the Church in this moment of near despair.”

The Church in the two countries has had a long-standing relationship with visits of the bishops to Sudan dating back to 1997, including observation delegations during the 2011 referendum on secession and July 2011 when the country became independent.

“DHPI is in daily contact with South Sudan and will discern a plan

of action for the future with local South Sudanese Church authorities.

DHPI will further continue to lobby for international intervention particularly at the level of the African Union,” said Fr O’Leary.

“Too much has been gained over the years to allow violence to plunge this new country of South Sudan into a devastating civil war where in the end no one gains,” he said.

Malakal Catholic Diocesan Justice and Peace have reported that some conflict victims regretted voting for the independence of South Sudan due to the suffering they are undergoing.

Meanwhile the UN has sounded the alarm about South Sudan, warning that the country could collapse before the end of the year and that nearly 900 000 had been displaced since the conflict erupted in mid-December.

Most of the South Sudanese who escaped the violence, which has killed an estimated 10 000 people have settled in western and northern Uganda. A further 60 000 have fled to Ethiopia, 20 000 to Kenya and almost 40 000 to Sudan.

“It is hoped that the sum total of many such small initiatives, being taken by concerned groups both within and outside of South Sudan, will be sufficient to pull this new country back from the abyss,” Fr O’Leary told The Southern Cross.

“The killing and devastation has been beyond belief in a new country that has suffered so much in the past. No one could have predicted the extent of the violence,” the priest said.

“Sadly, churches and Church institutions, such as schools, clinics and hospitals have been particularly targeted. Whole dioceses have been wiped out!”

Pope Francis has appealed for an end to violence in South Sudan, to ensure access to humanitarian aid and for the promotion of peace.

In a letter addressed to Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro of Juba, read at Mass on Sunday morning by Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, who was in South Sudan on a mission to pray with the people there, the pope entreated all parties involved to “tirelessly seek peaceful solutions, enabling the common good to prevail over particular interests”.

Cardinal Turkson also warned against a “globalisation of indifference”.

Fr O’Leary said a South African delegation would travel to South Sudan as soon as it was safe to do so.

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The Southern Cross, April 2 to April 8, 2014

INTERVIEW

Fr Nicholas King: Why I translated the Bible Long-time Southern Cross columnist Fr Nicholas King SJ has published his translation of the entire Bible.

He spoke about the mammoth task with GünTHER SiMMERMACHER.

I

N the years 2000 and 2001 I was fortunate to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land with that most refined of Jesuits, Fr Nicholas King, who then was based in Johannesburg, and who has written the weekly reflections on the Gospel exclusively for The Southern Cross for now more than two decades.

On the first of these pilgrimages, our group stood in the crowded courtyard of Jerusalem’s church of the Holy Sepulchre when Fr King opened his Bible to read a passage on the Resurrection.

The crowds had manoeuvred me to the back of Fr King. As I looked over his shoulder, I saw that he was reading and translating it straight from Koine Greek, the version of the Hellenic language spoken in the first century—and, of course, the language of the Scriptures.

On the same pilgrimage we visited the church of Beatitudes, on the famous mount overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Fr King surprised the group—at least those who had not read his 1995 book Setting the Gospel Free—when he replaced the accustomed phrase “blessed are” in the successive beatitudes with the more cheerful word “Congratulations”.

In Fr King’s view, the Greek source word, Maka,rioi, could be translated as a profound, enduring

way of being happy.

I imagine that translators of Scripture have heated arguments about such things. For me, the revelation was not in the alternative semantic, but in the change in Jesus’ tone which the alternative word facilitated, giving the beatitudes a more muscular and upbeat note.

Fr King’s Bible, a hefty tome, includes notations which explain the context of certain passages—and the reason for replacing the word “blessed” with “congratulations”.

Those who will use that Bible will no doubt be enriched by it.

Fr King currently teaches at Oxford University.

GS: There are many translations of the Bible to choose from. Are they deficient, or why did you translate the whole Bible?

NK: All translations are deficient— including my own, of course. Until I tried doing it myself I used to snarl at the incompetence of some translators. Now I am more hesitant.

Translating the whole Bible, first the New Testament, and then the Old, was a providential accident; it happened because the publisher asked me to do it. The reason for that was that he had seen a translation that I had done—purely for my own interest—of Mark’s gospel, and thought it might go further.

And it did, certainly to my astonishment, and possibly to his.

Your translation includes explications, so this is intended as a study bible. Is this an academic bible or can it be used for normal Scriptural reflection?

All bibles should be study bibles; we should sit reflectively with the text, whether explications are offered or not. I am not at ease with

Fr nicholas King (far left) with Oxford university students in the ancient synagogue in Capernaum in Galilee. Every year the Jesuit takes a group of students to the Holy Land. (Photo: Adam O’Boyle)

your distinction between an “academic” and a “normal” bible, though you might be correct in supposing that we academics are not precisely normal. I hope that anyone would be able to pick up and read this translation.

What is the source material you used?

For the New Testament I used the latest version of the Greek manuscripts on my computer; for the Old Testament likewise I used the latest version of the Greek; but I also had the Hebrew open on my computer so as to see what was going on.

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. Can we be sure that the Greek source texts were faithfully translated from Hebrew?

Both New and Old Testaments were translated from the Greek, which in the case of the Old Testament is known as the “Septuagint”.

This refers to a legend according to which 70 Jewish scholars came together to do the translation and produced 70 identical versions.

However, it is not always realised that our manuscripts of the Septuagint are several centuries older than the existing manuscripts of the Hebrew text, and very often clearly preserve the original reading.

It is also not widely appreciated that we are coming more and more to realise that in the 1st century Jewish readers had, and used simultaneously, several different versions of the scrolls that make up what we now call the Old Testament; the idea that there is only one authoritative text is mistaken, and stems from the invention of printing in the late 15th century.

Certainly the Septuagint translators were faithful workers, and for the most part good scholars, who thought hard about what they were doing. I think that they did a good job.

The original texts include many idiosyncrasies that are not easily translatable, in linguistic and also in cultural terms. What were the problem areas and how did you get around them?

All translations have to deal with the shift between cultures, and the reader will have to judge whether and to what extent I managed that.

The text that I found hardest to translate was the Letter to the Romans. I tell my students that if they think they have understood Romans, they have not been reading it carefully enough.

I was dreading the attempt on the book of Job, because in Hebrew it is practically impossible; but the Greek is surprisingly easy to translate. I suspect that the translator, when he came to a word he did not understand, simply tossed a coin and made an intelligent

Fr nicholas King’s translation of the Bible is open on the pages of the Beatitudes in Matthew’s gospel. Right: The cover of Fr King’s study Bible. guess. Certainly what he wrote makes perfectly good sense.

Many of Jesus’ parables, actions and arguments were culture-specific. Do you think that leads us to sometimes miss the point about what he actually meant?

Inevitably, unless we are careful, we miss the nuances from a culture that is so very remote from our own.

One of the things that I tried to do in the notes was to help the reader to grasp elements that were not immediately accessible; and it was my aim, without getting too heavy, to explain some of the features that are specific to first-century Judaism, and to the Palestine of Jesus’ day. Probably I have not always succeeded.

How long did it take to finish the project? What was the editing process?

As far as I can recall, the translation took me about twelve and a half years. The publisher, Kevin Mayhew, gave me an excellent copy-editor in England, Peter Dainty, who is a Methodist minister and very good at Greek, and very vigorous in making me pay attention to the text and to the structure of the work.

In addition, Yolande Trainor, who was studying at St John Vianney in Pretoria when I was teaching there, read every word of the translation over the years with her Bible study group in Cape Town, and between them they saved me from the worst effects of my carelessness.

You annually take students to the Holy Land. Is that related to the study of Scripture?

It is often said that the Holy Land is a “Fifth Gospel”; and I have very happy memories of pilgrimages

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there under the auspices of The Southern Cross in 2000 and 2001.

Certainly the Scriptures come remarkably alive when one is there, and many things become clear that are not so immediately graspable if you are reading the Bible in Europe.

I have to say, also, that many aspects of the Bible became clear to me during my time in South Africa, for in many ways this country resembles certain aspects of the ancient Near East.

Any favourite places in the Holy Land?

Many people immediately love the Galilee, and they are right to do so, for in certain respects it looks very much as it did in Jesus’ day.

However, probably my favourite is the Old City of Jerusalem; and I have learnt to love the church of the Holy Sepulchre. The secret there is to be prepared to spend a couple of hours at Calvary, and then the crowds are not so intrusive. It is a place made holy by thousands of people’s prayers.

You are fluent in Koine Greek, which was the lingua franca in the times of the New Testament.

So you probably could strike up a conversation with St Paul. But would it help you on the streets of Athens today?

I should be cautious about striking up a conversation with St Paul, who could be at times unpredictably explosive; I can read what he writes, without always being able fully to understand it, but doubt if we could have managed a conversation.

On the streets of Athens today, my studies of Classical and Koine Greek would be absolutely useless, except that I can read the names of the shops. n See www.nicholas-king.co.uk

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The Southern Cross, April 2 to April 8, 2014

CLASSIFIEDS Strathmere Redding

S

TRATHMERE Redding, one of the founding members of Assumption parish in Umkomaas, Mariannhill, died on the beach on March 10 at 84 while fishing, his favourite hobby.

He had been a parishioner of Assumption parish for 57 years, and with his wife of 55 years, Mary, was involved in all areas of church life.

He served as parish council chairman for many years and as a catechist for 30 years. With the parish priest, the late Mgr Umberto Ceselin, the Reddings helped build Assumption parish into a “rainbow nation” parish where IsiZulu, English and Italian hymns are sung at Mass.

The Reddings ensured parishioners could attend Mass from nearby Ilfracombe settlement by providing lifts and assisted parishioners in need by transporting them to collect their pensions, taking them to hospital or assisting them with other needs.

They were also involved in Bible-sharing with the parishioners from Clansthal.

If there was no altar server, Mr Redding could be

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Liturgical Calendar Year A Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday, April 6, 5th Sunday of Lent Ezekiel 37:12-14, Psalm 130:1-8, Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45 or John 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33-45 Monday, April 7, St John Baptist de la Salle Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, Psalm 23:1-6, John 8:1-11 or John 8:12-20* Tuesday, April 8 Numbers 21:4-9, Psalm 102: 2-3, 16-21, John 8:21-30 Wednesday, April 9 Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95, Daniel 3:52-56, John 8:31-42 Thursday, April 10 Genesis 17:3-9, Psalm 105:4-9, John 8:51-59 Friday, April 11, St Stanislaus Jeremiah 20:10-13, Psalm 18:2-7, John 10:31-42 Saturday, April 12 Ezekiel 37:21-28, Jeremiah 31:10-13, John 11:4556 Sunday, April 13, Palm Sunday Matthew 21:1-11, Isaiah 50:4-7, Psalm 22:8-9, 1720, 23-24, Philippians 2:6-11, Matthew 26:14 Matthew 27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54

found assisting the priest at the altar. He could also be relied upon to ensure the upkeep of the church buildings and grounds.

Mr Redding was a faithful eucharistic minister and the times the parish priest was unable to celebrate Mass, he stepped in and held Communion services.

Both Strath and Mary Redding received Bene Merenti papal medals in 1984 and an Apostolic Blessing in 2002 from Pope John Paul II for their faithful service to Assumption parish.

Mr Redding is survived by his wife, Mary, three of their five children, and seven grandchildren.

By Anne Anderson

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • deaths • in memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,25 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

IN MEMORIAM

Cardinal on NFP Continued from page 7 With NFP the intention is to follow nature’s rhythms of fertility and infertility in order to space the births of children.

With contraception there is only one intention, namely to prevent birth altogether, first by preventing ovulation, second by preventing fertilisation, and third by preventing implantation of the fertilised egg to the wall of the womb. Today’s contraceptive pills do all three, thus interfering with three distinct phases in the development of a new human life. The last one is the most serious as it amounts to an early abortion. Hence the description of the pill as abortifacient or causing abortion.

There is no wonder that more and more couples, non-Catholic as well as Catholic, are looking for the right thing to do, namely how to space their children without all the harmful side effects and consequences of artificial contraception. For this reason there is a real and urgent call to every priest, deacon and lay minister engaged in formation to promote NFP among married couples, and especially among those who are preparing for marriage, but also teenagers, even pre-teens. There is no excuse for not speaking out against contraception since we have a perfectly workable and effective alternative.

Besides, our Catholic men and women as well as others have a right to complete and accurate information. And they deserve to get that information from those they can trust, so that they can make healthy decisions both morally and physically.

May Our Lady, the Mother of Human Life in its most perfect form, Jesus Christ, encourage and support you “so that you will do whatever he tells you”.

do you feel called to the Franciscan way of life?

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KALIE—Joseph. in Loving memory of my dear husband Joseph who passed away 7/04/2012. you are not forgotten love. nor will you ever be. As long as life and memory last, we will remember thee. Sadly missed by his wife Cecily and brother Peter.

KALIE—Joseph. Every day in some small way, memories of you come our way. God took you home, it was his will, but in our hearts, you live still. Always remembered by Jolien, Ricky, Candice, Angelia and Junaid.

KALIE—Joseph. in Loving memory of our dear father, father-in-law and grandfather. it’s been two years and we miss you dearly. Fondly remembered by Marion, declan, damion and Stacey-lee. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen POHL—Emmanuel Edward. Born 6/1/1927, passed away March 16, 2013. Greatly missed by his wife Billie, children Emmanuel and Gail, Sharon, Lance and Marilyn and grandchildren.

God be with you. Rest in peace.

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LOVING FATHER bless us, the people of AFRICA, and help us to live in justice, love and peace Mary, Mother of Africa, pray for us For prayer leaflet: sms 083 544 8449

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PRAYERS

HOLY ST JUDE, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you i have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. in return i promise to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. RCP HEAR MY cry, O God, listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth i call to you, i call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than i. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. i long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. (Psalm 61:1-4).

HAVE MERCY on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:112.

FOR YOU created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, i know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when i was made in the secret place, when i was woven together in the depths of the earth. your eyes saw my unformed

body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139.

THANKS

GRATEFUL thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Mother Mary and Ss Joseph, Anthony, Jude and Martin de Porres for prayers answered. RCP. MANY THANKS to St Jude for answering our prayers. Benedict and Sarah.

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MARIANELLA Guest House, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views. Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675, mjsali da@gmail.com SEDGEFIELD: Beautiful self-catering garden holiday flat, sleeps four, two bedrooms, openplan lounge, kitchen, fully equipped. 5min walk to lagoon. Out of season specials. Contact Les or Bernadette 044 343 3242, 082 900 6282.

STELLENBOSCH: Christian Brothers Centre. 14 suites (double/twin beds), some with fridge & microwave, others beside kitchenette & lounge, eco-spirituality library. Countryside vineyard/forest/mountain views/walks; beach 20 minute drive. Affordable.

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PALM SUNDAY: April 13 Readings: Matthew 21:1-11, Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24, Philippians 2:6-11, Matthew 26:14-27:66

L

ENT has been very fertile in Scripture readings, as I hope you agree; and as we get nearer to the end of the journey, the diet becomes very rich indeed, to a point where it is virtually impossible to do justice to it.

So what I propose for this week, as we enter into the holiest week of the Church’s year, is to give you a few points to look out for in the first reading: Matthew’s account of Jesus’ passion, which is what will be read to us on Palm Sunday this year; but it will also be good if you can sit with the other readings: firstly, Matthew’s account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, secondly Isaiah’s “Song of the Suffering Servant”, then that sombre psalm 22 which has so many echoes in the account of Jesus’ death, and finally the wonderful poetry of the second reading, where Paul meditates on the significance of Jesus’ death.

And then come to the gospel. Matthew basically follows pretty well what he found in Mark’s gospel; but here are (at least) five changes he makes that you might like to look out for as you hear it read out on Sunday.

First, notice the way in which Matthew emphasises the role of Judas in Jesus’ death: He stresses, even more than Mark, that Judas

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Witness Jesus’ triumphant entry Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

was “one of the Twelve”. Matthew adds the “thirty pieces of silver”, an allusion to Zechariah 11:12, indicating the contempt in which that prophet was held by the religious establishment.

This is then backed up by an allusion to Jeremiah, Matthew’s favourite prophet. We also notice that Judas twice calls Jesus “Rabbi”, a title that Jesus explicitly forbids in Matthew 23:7-8.

Then at the arrest, Jesus addresses Judas as “my friend”, exactly the same title as the generous owner of the vineyard uses for the obstreperous worker who is demanding his rights (Matthew 20:13).

That leads to the second idea that runs through the story, that it is all a “fulfilment of Scripture”.

This notion is important to Matthew, no-

tably in his first two chapters, as part of his argument that the Jesus-movement is not a betrayal of Judaism, but its high point.

So his Pilate follows a command in Deuteronomy by washing his hands to display his innocence of Jesus’ death, and the Jewish elders respond with “his blood be on ourselves and on our children”, which is also a declaration of innocence.

We may also notice here that Matthew has “my Father” where Mark has “my God”. It is Matthew alone who has Jesus pray in Gethsemane the words of the Lord’s Prayer, “thy will be done”. Similarly, when someone draws a sword in Jesus’ defence, it is Matthew alone who has Jesus rebuke them on the grounds that his Father “will send more than twelve legions of angels”, and that the Scriptures must be fulfilled.

Thirdly, it is only Matthew who gives us the dream of Mrs Pilate: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man,” she tells Pilate; and as we read we remember the five dreams, four sent to Joseph and one to the Magi, that provided God’s guidance in the infancy stories of Matthew’s first two chapters.

Fourthly, Matthew emphasises the relationship between Jesus and his Father, as he

Groaning prayer beyond words ‘W

HEN we no longer know how to pray, the Spirit, in groans too deep for words, prays through us.”

St Paul wrote those words and they contain both a stunning revelation and a wonderful consolation, namely, there is deep prayer happening inside us beyond our conscious awareness and independent of our deliberate efforts.

What is this unconscious prayer? It is our deep innate desire, relentlessly on fire, forever somewhat frustrated, making itself felt through the groaning of our bodies and souls, silently begging the very energies of the universe, not least God himself, to let it come to consummation.

Allow me an analogy. Some years ago, a friend of mine bought a house that had sat empty and abandoned for a number of years. The surface of the driveway was cracked and a bamboo plant, now several feet high, had grown up through the pavement.

My friend cut down the bamboo tree, chopped down deep into its roots to try to destroy them, poured a chemical poison into the root system in hopes of killing whatever was left, packed some gravel over the spot, and paved over the top with a thick layer of concrete.

But the little tree was not so easily thwarted. Two years later, the pavement began to heave as the bamboo plant again began to assert itself. Its powerful life force was still blindly pushing outward and upward, cement blockage notwithstanding.

Life, all life, has powerful inner pressures and is not easily thwarted. It pushes

Conrad

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Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

relentlessly and blindly towards its own ends, irrespective of resistance. Sometimes resistance does kill it.

There are, as the saying goes, storms we cannot weather. But we do weather most of what life throws at us and our deep lifeprinciple remains strong and robust, even as on the surface the frustrations we have experienced and the dreams in us that have been shamed slowly muzzle us into a mute despair, so that our prayer-lives begin to express less and less of what we are actually feeling.

But it is through that very frustration that the Spirit prays—darkly, silently, in groans too deep for words. In our striving, our yearning, our broken dreams, our tears, in the daydreams we escape into, and even in our sexual desire, the Spirit of God prays through us, as does our soul, our life-principle.

Like the life forces innate in that bamboo plant, powerful forces are blindly working inside us too, pushing us outward and upward to eventually throw off whatever cement lies on top of us. This is true, of course, also of our joys. The Spirit also prays through our gratitude, both when we express it consciously and even when we only sense it unconsciously.

We’d love to volunteer for the Offertory Procession—but what’s your cruising speed?

Our deepest prayers are mostly not those we express in our churches and private oratories. Our deepest prayers are spoken in our silent gratitude and silent tears.

The person praising God’s name ecstatically and the person bitterly cursing God’s name in anger are, in different ways, in radically different ways of groaning, both praying.

There are many lessons to be drawn from this.

First, from this we can learn to forgive life a little more for its frustrations, and we can learn to give ourselves permission to be more patient with life and with ourselves.

Who of us does not lament that the pressures and frustrations of life keep us from fully enjoying life’s pleasures, from smelling the flowers, from being more present to family, from celebrating with friends, from peaceful solitude, and from deeper prayer?

So we are forever making resolutions to slow down, to find a quiet space inside our pressured lives in which to pray. But, after failing over and over again, we eventually despair of finding a quiet, contemplative space for prayer in our lives.

Although we need to continue to search for that, we can already live with the consolation that, deep down, our very frustration in not being able to find that quiet space is already a prayer. In the groans of our inadequacy, the Spirit is already praying through our bodies and souls in a way deeper than words.

One of the oldest, classical definitions of prayer defines it this way: Prayer is lifting mind and heart to God. Too often in our efforts to pray formally, both communally and privately, we fail to do that, namely, to actually lift our hearts and minds to God. Why? Because what is really in our hearts and minds, alongside our gratitude and more gracious thoughts, is not something we generally connect with prayer at all. Our frustrations, bitterness, jealousies, lusts, curses, sloth, and quiet despair are usually understood to be the very antithesis of prayer, something to be overcome in order to pray.

But a deeper thing is happening under the surface: Our frustration, longing, lust, jealousy, and escapist daydreams, things we are ashamed to take to prayer, are in fact already lifting our hearts and minds to God in more honest ways that we ever do consciously.

does also in the Sermon on the Mount. He misses out Mark’s Aramaic word “Abba”, but on the whole that may be because he felt that his readers did not want the Aramaic; and at the Last Supper, he changes Mark’s “Kingdom of God” to “Kingdom of my Father”. It is only in Matthew that calling himself “Son of God” is deemed to be blasphemy.

Similarly, the mockery of Jesus on the cross starts with “if you are the Son of God”, which is precisely how the devil had started his temptations, back in chapter 4.

Finally it is only Matthew who “tidies things up”, so that we learn that Peter had a Galilean accent, that the centurion had several companions as witnesses that Jesus was indeed Son of God, that there is the opening of the tombs after Jesus’ death.

Only Matthew has the Judean authorities putting a guard over the tomb to prevent the disciples stealing his body, so that this story is said to be still in circulation.

Listen, next Sunday, to this extraordinary story, and read it several times in the coming week, to see what the Lord is saying to you this year.

Southern Crossword #596

ACROSS 1. Saint named in the Eucharistic Prayer (6) 4. Secure way to save (6) 9. Food for a matador who has sin in spoon mixture (7,6) 10. Disrobe (7) 11. It may be underfoot on Maundy Thursday (5) 12. How birds form a congregation? (5) 14. Complains when beliefs lose 51 (5) 18. Paul sailed from here (Ac 16) (5) 19. Clairvoyant (7) 21. Long ago, a mitre could be seen in this accumulation (13) 22. Emphasise, causing tension (6) 23. Joins in marriage and tune is arranged (6)

DOWN 1. Moses’ successor (6) 2. Slang romanced for one spreading gossip (13) 3. Pose I’m in with dignity (5) 5. Give a title and glorify (7) 6. It’s the instrument of salvation (5,2,6) 7. Lessening your pain from a singe (6) 8. Picked out (5) 13. Habits of the duty men (7) 15. Where you might be on Sunday (2,4) 16. Prate about what’s more suitable (5) 17. Displays of emotion in the passion play (6) 20. Long for (5)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

T

HREE men are travelling on a ship, when they are accosted by the devil.

The devil proposes that if each man drops something into the sea and he cannot find it, he will be that man’s slave. If the devil does find it, however, he will eat that man up.

The first man drops a pure, clear diamond, and immediately gets eaten.

The second drops an expensive watch, trying to impress the devil, and gets eaten.

The third man fills a bottle with water and pours it into the sea yelling: “You think I’m a fool?

Try finding that!”

Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.