140514

The

S outhern C ross

May 14 to May 20, 2014

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4873

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Prof Al Gini: Why we need trust so much

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Canonisation pilgrimage in photos

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The conversion to the faith of a racist thug

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Crisis of children, families gets worse

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

T

HINGS are getting worse for South African women, children and families, according to the expert on family issues at the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO).

This notion is acknowledged by the decision of Southern Africa’s bishops to adopt a family focus over the next three years.

“The fact that news of babies being raped no longer makes front page headlines is beyond belief,” said Lois Law of the CPLO, an office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC).

As the world observes the 20th anniversary of the United Nations’ International Year of the Family on May 15, it makes sense that Church and secular efforts are combined.

“Church resources are underused. They are a good place to start to build respect and integrity simply because churches are everywhere around the country, and could contribute to programmes and family discipline,” Ms Law told The Southern Cross.

In a country where only 30% of children live with both parents, the Church and state need to address the fluid nature of the family.

“It is very significant that the Church is focusing on the family,” said Ms Law, the CPLO’s researcher on child rights issues.

Toni Rowland of the SACBC Family Life Desk said the UN anniversary has highlighted practical needs of families. The bishops 20142016 focus highlights other more spiritual issues too. “An integrated vision for family life and support for families at all levels must continue and it will need all hands on deck.”

Ms Law said the South African family could be mother-headed with absent fathers, childheaded, or headed by grandparents. And in the area where both parents are present, abuse and neglect can be common.

“Increasingly we see children living in abusive [homes] where violence is common. Children see their fathers beat their mothers and it becomes accepted as the norm, carrying on to the next generation,” Ms Law said.

The researcher cited alcohol and poverty as major issues.

“High-density living presents enormous challenges, and unemployment leads to men staying in an environment where they don’t feel respected. Violence is a play of power,” she said.

“It’s a negative picture; one that has a history of stemming from when families were broken up in apartheid. Our society bears the scars of apartheid in other areas too. We have many more informal settlements and clinics under-resourced and are on average situated

With

The

7km away from the average person. This is problematic for women, children and the elderly trying to get support.”

B

ut abuse and family issues also transcend race and class. “We keep thinking it can’t get worse but it does; in all areas of society. We have become increasingly aware that women and children are abused by people they know; in familiar environments,” Ms Law said.

Mrs Rowland said the UN event is an important opportunity for strengthening families. The Family Life Desk has developed resources for parishes and dioceses.

“It is commonly accepted that people on the whole are not well informed and formed in Church teaching around marriage and family life. A concerted effort should be made to provide this formation by preaching, promoting the marriage and family movements and using the available resources offered by the desk.”

Mrs Rowland said there had been a concerted effort on the part of dioceses and parishes to establish a resource, a family desk at each level for spiritual and practical support.

Ms Law said this was key: “We need to empower families and provide support for them at all levels. The change will start within the family but we need resources and capacity building.”

While the government’s White Paper on family is considered a “good document”, it has taken six years to get to this level. This is a “great deal of time—intervention in families and for children has a very particular time frame before children become adults”, Ms Law said.

She said proper implementation of the White Paper needs support from all governmental departments. The degradation of the family is one of the greatest challenges facing the country, the researcher said, and therefore needs departments to work together. Similarly, the Church must be involved.

The archdiocese of Durban has also encouraged Catholics to wear their beliefs and prayers on their wrists in the form of a green wristband.

The new green band symbolises life “since the family is a living organism, which nourishes life, promotes life and protects life,” said Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban.

The new green band features the words “Jesus + Mary + Joseph + Bless my Family”, a simple prayer that South Africans are called to make every day as the country calls on the Holy Family to bless and protect families.

The bands cost R7 each, excluding postage.

For more information or to place an order, contact stjosephdbn@iafrica.com or 031 303 1890.

Caroline Felix, a parishioner of St Francis in Salt River, Cape Town, after a Mass to celebrate her 100th birthday. The centenary celebration service was held at Holy Cross in Nile Street, District Six, and was officiated by Fr Ralph De Hahn (pictured) and Fr Mark Pothier.

Prayer for pope’s Holy Land visit

T

HE priest who is organising Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Jordan has written a special prayer for the occasion with the aim of allowing the world to participate.

“This prayer takes into consideration the whole pilgrimage of His Holiness to the Holy Land,” said Fr Rifat Bader.

With this prayer he noted, Catholics from the whole world will be able to prepare for and to accompany the Pope during his May 24-26 visit to Jordan, Palestine and Israel.

The priest also voiced his hopes that the prayer he wrote will be an act of personal and communitarian devotion, asking that the pilgrimage help the Christians of the world to live in peace, particularly in the Middle East.

He invited all to recite the prayer during the month of May along with praying of the Rosary, and to share the prayer in parishes and at religious events.

This is the full text of the prayer:

Heavenly Father, you never tire of being compassionate and loving.

The successor of St Peter, His Holiness Pope Francis, plans to visit the Holy Land sanctified by your Son’s birth, baptism, teaching, death and resurrection. Be with him, sanctify and bless him, spread the mantle of your kindness over every stage of his pilgrimage among us,

that we may see in him a believing pilgrim, a wise teacher, and a humble leader.

Lord Jesus Christ, as you prayed for the unity of your Church, saying, “May they all be one”, make the meeting in Jerusalem between the Holy Father and the Ecumenical Patriarch an incentive to increase our efforts for the unity of your children.

Make the encounter of the pope with the political authorities fruitful for justice and peace; protect all the residents of this land and the adherents of the religions of the Middle East, so that they may be in harmony, dialogue and cooperation for the achievement of full citizenship.

Good Shepherd, whose image Pope Francis carries on his pectoral cross, walking in the spirit of humility with which you have graced him: deepen within us the awareness of our Christian identity, that as true disciples we may bear witness to your Good News and your resurrection in our churches, our society, and all the world, especially by serving the sick, the poor and the refugees.

Bless, Lord Most Holy, this fourth papal visit to our Holy Land, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Joseph, all the saints of the Holy Land, and the two new saints, John Paul II and John XXIII, Amen.

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The Southern Cross, May 14 to May 20, 2014

LOCAL

Cursillo spreads to Uganda STAFF REPORTER

T

HE Cursillo, a short course in Christianity, has started to spread across the continent with the launch of the programme in Uganda by a South African delegation.

The Spanish word (pronounced cur-see-yo) means short course and is described as an “encounter with Christ in a small community of Church so that his love and grace can be brought to every aspect of life”. The Church movement was founded in Spain in 1949 by Eduardo Bonnin and was hailed by Popes Paul VI and John Paul II. The movement in South Africa began with discussions at a bishops’ conference in 2007, with the first Cursillo weekend held in 2009. Subsequently, ten weekends have been presented in Johannesburg, with close to 200 pilgrims participating in the experience, and more than 230 in 14 weekends in Durban.

The South African success was the key to launching the programme in Uganda and a team of South African and international trainers travelled to the country.

The missionary team, comprising Rob Paul and Myron Quarsingh, from Durban North; Allyson King; Nomsa Malindisa; Farida Clark; Lorna van Doorene and Michelle Bagley from Florida, were joined by Dan Moore from Ireland and Mgr Paul Bear and Francis Napoli from Gibraltar.

The group travelled from Johannesburg to Entebbe and on to Tororo to a Benedictine convent next to the archbishop’s residence.

That was to be their home for the next 13 days and where the first two Cursillos were to be held.

“My trip to Uganda for the launch of Cursillo was one of loads of blessings and humility,” said Ms King. “The people of Uganda are very warm, welcoming and hospitable. I was going to share God’s love with them but instead I was shown God’s love by the people from the Pearl of Africa,” she told The Southern Cross.

“What struck me was their immense love of God and Our Lady. I was impressed by how they were so eager to experience a Cursillo and very eagerly and willingly came,

even though some had to travel from a distance away.”

Ms King said the three Cursillos were a resounding success, with the final Mass presided over by Archbishop Emiritus Denis Kiwanuka Lote of Tororo and new Archbishop Emmanuel Obbo.

The testimonies at the closing ceremony were substantial, with many of the participants describing their personal encounter with Jesus Christ during the Cursillo.

“They were overflowing with joy and gladness,” said Ms King.

“In the midst of their material poverty, they have a beautiful faith, which touched the team deeply.

This is what Cursillos in Christianity are all about! The Church living together and loving our Lord together! This is the Church we are proud to be a part of,” she said.

Cursillo offers an encounter with Jesus through all the rich beauty of his Church and her sacraments. All Catholics are encouraged to experience the three-day weekend. n More info on attending a weekend in South Africa can be found at www.cursillosa.co.za

Church to aid Durban whoonga addicts STAFF REPORTER

O

NE of the most troubling social problems in the Durban area is a group of about 400 drug addicts who have been gathering in or near Albert Park in the inner city, to get their regular “fix” of whoonga, a drug with appalling side effects, made up of rat poison and anti-retrovirals used for Aids treatment.

One of the worst effects of whoonga is that it causes severe stomach cramps which can only be relieved by further use of the drug.

This provides short-term relief, followed rapidly by even worse pain.

When municipal officials recently visited these drug addicts and interviewed them, they discovered to their surprise that they were largely from local communities, whereas it had been thought they were foreign nationals. Another surprise was that the great majority were keen to be rehabilitated, but had no idea how to go about this.

As a result, a new municipal programme has begun, with the name Qalakabusha (let’s make a new start), including seven major aspects: outreach and reception, screening and psycho-social services, addiction treatment and reha-

Fr Stephen Tully (far right), administrator of Emmanuel cathedral, is working encouraging a group of whoonga addicts from Albert Park in Durban, who are commencing a multifaceted rehabilitation programme with the help of the Denis Hurley Centre. (Photo: Jean-Marie Ntamubano) bilitation, skills development, assistance with identity documents, reunification and reintegration, and the provision of accommodation in shelters and halfway houses.

The Denis Hurley Centre is acting as one of the reception centres, initially at the Surat Hindu Building where the DHC is located prior to the completion of construction on the new building alongside Emmanuel cathedral.

The Hurley Centre will also assist through its social outreach projects,

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providing assistance with food, clothing, showers, medical treatment, job readiness training, help with identity documents, and efforts to reunite people with their families and communities, as well as spiritual counselling through an ecumenical team of clergy.

Fr Stephen Tully, administrator of Emmanuel cathedral, said that assisting with the whoonga crisis is exactly the sort of assistance the Denis Hurley Centre would like to provide.

Denis Hurley Centre representatives met recently with KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu (left). He is seen with (from left) DHC project coordinator Paddy Kearney; Nondumiso Shangase, trustee representing the Emmanuel cathedral parish pastoral council; and DHC patron Bishop Rubin Phillip, Anglican bishop of the Natal diocese.

Hurley Centre meets KZN head STAFF REPORTER

R

EPRESENTATIVES of the Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) in Durban recently met with Premier Senzo Mchunu at the KwaZuluNatal legislature in Pietermaritzburg, to discuss an application for a major funding grant from the provincial government to complete the construction of the centre.

The DHC was represented by patron Bishop Rubin Phillip, Anglican bishop of the Natal diocese; Nondumiso Shangase, trustee representing the Emmanuel cathedral parish pastoral council; Costa Criticos, project manager; and Paddy Kearney, project coordinator. Mr Mchunu was accompanied by his chief of staff, Richard Radebe.

After a PowerPoint presentation about the DHC, the premier said he had recently been reminded about the extent of poverty in the province, through his visits to many areas as part of the celebration of 20 years of democracy. He was particularly concerned by the number of people who appear to be “slipping through the cracks” and don’t seem to be getting help from any source. It was necessary, he said, for the provincial government to work in partnership with organisations like the Hurley Centre to ensure that poor and vulnerable groups are helped.

Mr Mchunu said that the provincial priorities after the elections was reviewing their strategy on

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HIV/Aids to see why it is not more effective; fighting poverty by local economic development and social grants; and coming to the assistance of such vulnerable groups as those living on commercial farms, those living in slums and those who still have to use the bucket system.

His challenge to the Hurley Centre was to do more research on what happens to those whom they assist, for example with short-term employment; to identify the root causes of problems they are tackling; and to do more networking with others also working on these issues.

He gave a positive response to the request for a major funding grant and said he hoped to soon get a firm commitment.

In thanking the premier for his 90-minute meeting with the DHC, Bishop Phillip said there is a great need for more programmes promoting self-help and self-reliance, and that the Church is well placed to help people take control of their lives, and referred to the “across the board support” which the Denis Hurley Centre enjoys.

He strongly endorsed the idea of partnerships that the premier had put forward, and invited the premier to address the KZN Church Leaders’ Group on this topic.

In a closing prayer the bishop referred to the fact that it was “a miracle that the premier had been able to meet with us at such a time”.

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The Southern Cross, May 14 to May 20, 2014

LOCAL New head for Jo’burg school

CWD director reflects on first year

D

W

OMINICAN Convent School in Belgravia, Johannesburg, has welcomed new headmaster Graham Howarth at the beginning of the second school term.

“His many years of experience include school leadership as deputy headmaster of Benoni High School, executive principal of Damelin Braamfontein and Randburg, and Graham Howarth headmaster of St Peter’s College in Sunninghill,” said the school’s Renata Haywood.

“Also, his passion for education stands him in good stead and makes him the ideal leader to guide the Dominican Convent School forward,” she said.

Mr Howarth said he aims to continue with the vision and mission of the founding members of the Dominican Convent School.

He said it was equally important that the school provide Dominican students with “an education that will prove relevant in a modern age and one that will become the springboard for both personal and professional success after school”.

BY MICHAIL RASSOOL

ITH faith, a sense of service and moral courage, lay Redemptorist Malcolm Salida took over the reins of CWD a year ago, on the strength of his proven track record in business and the acumen to meet the welfare organisation’s problems face-to-face.

Mr Salida, who also serves on the board of the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company, which publishes The Southern Cross, said he took the post in the knowledge that it would be a complex situation. He knew it would require facing the challenge of attempting to turn the fortunes of the organisation around, at a time when the NGO funder landscape looked particularly bleak.

Moreover, he took on the task under the scrutiny of an entire archdiocese, the wider Catholic audience, as well as NGOs and partners.

Realising that the former heady days of ongoing access to a ready source of investment capital—leading to continual expansion of services and operations intended to benefit and empower the most vulnerable in society—were a thing of the past, Mr Salida’s first task was to wade through the tangled financial and administrative systems that had accumulated over several years.

This was a huge undertaking

CWD director Malcolm Salida (centre) with a delegation from Edmund Rice schools in Australia, who recently visited several Cape Town NGOs, including CWD and its programmes. (Photo: Randall Adams) with ramifications that included the tightening up of systems, retrenchments, renegotiating of employment contracts, and the scaling down of operations, he said.

In the interests of sustainability, CWD’s approach is changing, Mr Salida added. New systems, controls and procedures continue to be put in place, minimising—or eliminating completely—the risk of any inappropriate or extravagant use of funds.

“Working to improve the lives of

the poor is never easy,” said Felicity Harrison, chair of the CWD board.

“Doing this in an environment such as ours where inequalities are increasing, the global recession is still affecting funding, and many people are facing greater challenges than before, has added to an already daunting prospect,” she said.

“Add to this the recent largescale restructuring of the organisation—executed with the express intent of better serving the commu-

More Fatima statues donated, even to Indian Ocean islands

nity—and the challenges rise exponentially. This is what CWD has faced in the past 12 months. This required teamwork and perseverance. This is what CWD has done,” she said.

According to Ms Harrison, Mr Salida has done a “brilliant job”, having implemented organisational changes in agreement with the board, emphasising that staff and board work as a team to ensure the organisation gives quality professional services to its beneficiaries.

The exit of the entire previous leadership team of CWD, coupled with the financial challenges facing the organisation, has required Mr Salida to resuscitate the organisation almost singlehandedly, with the support and guidance of a reconstituted board as well as CWD’s staff.

“Openness and transparency with our funders and donors throughout remained paramount, as we rebuilt the organisation,” states Mr Salida.

Putting CWD’s beneficiaries first in all decisions over the past year, he said, was an overriding concern underpinned by prayer and faith, in which God’s hand was at work at a time of major uncertainties, a time that has also seen some true generosity materialise from donors.

“God’s providence is supreme and our main sustenance,” Mr Salida said.

MONK?

YES!

STAFF REPORTER

T

WENTY-FOUR more statues of Our Lady of Fatima are making their way to Southern Africa— and even to Indian Ocean islands.

The statues are donated to parishes by a retired Portuguese businessman, who asks not to be named, to promote devotion to Our Lady of Fatima and the prayer of the rosary.

Over the past two years the businessman has donated more than 100 of the hand-painted statues from Fatima after his offer was published in The Southern Cross.

This month statues are going to parishes in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Klerksdorp, Polokwane, Vredenburg, Witbank, plus to Francistown in Botswana and Windhoek in Namibia. Moreover, statues have been donated to churches in Mauritius, Reunion and Madagascar.

The delicate statues, available in sizes of 75cm and 55cm in height, are suitable only for indoor use, and cannot be used in outdoor sites such as grottos. The donor asks that the statues be positioned in a prominent place in the main sanctuary.

Parishes must commit to reciting the rosary, as a community and in prayer groups, on the night of the 12th to the 13th of each month, if possible with Benediction, singing, candles, white flowers, and petitions.

Prayers should be offered for the hungry, sick and unemployed, for an end to crime, abortion, rape, drug abuse, domestic violence and gangsterism, and for lapsed Catholics to return to the Church.

The businessman has invited parishes that have received statues to give him feedback on how their devotion is going, and would be grateful to receive photos of the donated

More than one hundred statues of Our Lady of Fatima have been donated by a retired Portuguese businessman statues in the churches.

He has also offered to donate statues for Catholic school chapels.

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 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.

The statue must be displayed prominently 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) and information on how the school intends to display the statue. n The donor can be contacted at jjvcamara@gmail.com

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The Southern Cross, May 14 to May 20, 2014

INTERNATIONAL

Pope’s trip to Jordan River will be ‘Franciscan’

BY DALE GAVLAK

W

HEN Pope Francis visits the site on the Jordan River where St John the Baptist baptised Jesus, he will meet with people suffering, spiritually as well as physically.

“It will be a humanitarian meeting,” said Fr Rifat Bader, who directs the Catholic Centre for Studies and Media in Amman, the Jordanian capital. “It’s not liturgical because we will have not only Christians there, but also Muslims and Christians who are suffering.”

Fr Bader said that, along the river, Pope Francis will “host the most important groups in Christ’s heart, in the Church’s heart, in Jordan’s heart and the pope’s heart—orphans, children with cancer, the handicapped and refugees”. They will gather inside a yet-unfinished Catholic church near the site, one of 13 new churches and monasteries built for pilgrims.

“When he sits with these people, the pope feels happy, yet suffers with them. He shares in these sufferings,” Fr Bader said.

Orphans from the St Vincent de Paul centre cared for by Franciscan sisters will sing “Make Me A Channel of Your Peace”, the song of St Francis, his pope’s namesake.

“It will be very human, impressive and touching. Everything will be Franciscan at the Jordan River,” he added, with a twinkle in his eye.

Earlier in the day, Pope Francis will hold talks with his hosts, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania.

The pope’s visit comes at the invitation of the king, a moderate

Arab Muslim leader who is keen to promote religious tolerance and coexistence between Muslims and Christians at home and abroad.

The pope’s visit to Jordan seeks to foster better relations with the Muslim community as well as to encourage Arab Christians, the descendants of first-century forbearers in their historic faith.

An outdoor Mass at an Amman sports stadium for about 20 000 people will be held before the journey to the Baptism site.

The baptismal site in Jordan is called Bethany Beyond the Jordan.

Just a few metres across the narrow river is a baptismal site in the territory of the Israel-occupied West Bank, named Qasr el-Yahud.

P

ope Francis’ May 24 visit will make him the fourth modern pope to visit Jordan. Pope Paul VI first travelled to Jordan and Israel in 1964. St John Paul II made his jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2000, while Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2009.

Jordan is eager to promote the Baptism site as a prime draw from among more than two dozen biblical landmarks in a burgeoning religious tourism market. These include Mount Nebo, where Moses overlooked the Holy Land; Lot’s Cave; Elijah’s Hill; and Madaba, where the world’s oldest mosaic map with Jerusalem at its centre is located.

The Baptism site first officially opened its doors to about 1 000 visitors in 2002 and now receives about a quarter of a million guests annually. Government and religious officials believe the building of nearby, but off-site churches and

monasteries will expand the numbers and permit pilgrims longer, overnight stays, which were impossible in the past.

“We will not have a Disneyland type of development,” said Dia Madani, director of the Baptism Site Commission.

Jordan has largely maintained the beauty of the area’s natural environment of leafy trees, long reeds and tall grass.

“You walk along the paths tread by the prophets, like John the Baptist, Elijah, Elisha and Joshua, and you begin to experience the spiritual dimension of this place,” Mr Madani told journalists.

He said the government hopes the new churches will revive an area where “there is no Christian community”.

“We have found the remains of churches, monks’ caves, and baptismal pools from centuries ago, but we want to try to recreate this type of vibrant spiritual life as it was before,” Mr Madani said.

“We believe these paths of Jesus and the prophets should be cherished by every Christian in the world,” said Jordan’s tourism minister Nidal Katamine. “Everyone senses they are closer to God in this place.”

Fr Bader said the pope’s visit would be a remarkable blessing.

“The pope is a man of surprises.

When you follow his general weekly audience, he has a new surprise, and I believe he will do the same thing here in Jordan,” he said. “It’s a short visit, but I think this daylong trip will add a new spirit to our society, not only for Christians, but also for the whole society.”—CNS

THE BEAUTY OF LIFE IN THE WOMB

The Jordanian baptismal site Bethany Beyond the Jordan is seen from the Qasr el-Yahud baptismal site in the occupied West Bank, across the river in which John baptised his cousin Jesus. Pope Francis will visit the Jordanian site on May 24. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

Stats show Church growth

BY CAROL GLATZ

T

HE number of Catholics in the world and the number of priests, permanent deacons and religious men all increased in 2012, while the number of women in religious orders continued to decline, according to Vatican statistics.

The number of candidates for the priesthood also showed its first global downturn in recent years.

The statistics come from a recently published Statistical Yearbook of the Church, which reported worldwide church figures as of December 31, 2012.

By the end of 2012, the worldwide Catholic population had reached 1,228 billion, an increase of 14 million or 1,14%, slightly outpacing the global population growth rate, which, as of 2013, was estimated at 1,09%.

Catholics as a percentage of the global population remained essentially unchanged from the previous year at around 17,5%.

However, the latest Vatican statistical yearbook estimated that there were about 4,8 million Catholics that were not included in its survey because they were in countries that could not provide an accurate report to the Vatican, mainly China and North Korea.

According to the yearbook, the percentage of Catholics as part of the general population is highest in the Americas where they make up 63,2% of the continent’s population. Asia has the lowest proportion, with 3,2%.

During the 2012 calendar year, there were 16,4 million baptisms of both infants and adults, according to the statistical yearbook.

It said the number of bishops of the world stayed essentially the same at 5 133.

The total number of priests— diocesan and religious order— around the world grew from 413 418 to 414 313, with a modest increase in Africa, a larger rise in Asia, and slight decreases in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Asia saw a 13,7% growth in the number of priests between 2007 and the end of 2012.

The number of permanent deacons reported—42 104—was an increase of more than 1 100 over the previous year and a 17% increase since 2007. The vast majority— more than 97%—of the world’s permanent deacons live in the Americas or in Europe.

The number of religious brothers showed 0,4% growth worldwide.

The number of religious brothers totalled 55 314 at the end of 2012.

Slight growth was seen everywhere except the Americas.

The number of women in religious orders continued its downward trend. The total of 702 529 temporarily and permanently professed sisters and nuns in 2012 was a 1,5% decrease from the previous year and a 5,9% decrease since 2007.

The number of candidates for the priesthood—both diocesan seminarians and members of religious orders—who had reached the level of philosophy and theology studies showed its first downturn since 2003. The number of candidates dropped slightly to 120 051 men at the end of 2012 as compared to 120 616 at end of 2011.

Increases were reported in the traditionally vocations-rich continents of Africa and Asia, although the increases were modest; Africa reported 245 more candidates than in 2011 and Asia reported 179 more men in their final years of study for ordination.—CNS

Irish pro-life fight goes on

BY MICHAEL KELLY

P

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RO-LIFE campaigners in Ireland vowed to work for the repeal of a controversial abortion law introduced in 2013.

An estimated 15 000 members of the Pro-Life Campaign (PLC) came to Dublin to participate in this month’s National Vigil for Life.

Ahead of local and European elections set for May 23, speakers encouraged supporters not to back politicians that supported the laws which, for the first time in Ireland, permit abortion in certain circumstances.

Caroline Simons, PLC legal consultant, said she was “massively encouraged by turnout at vigil”.

“We realise it’s going to be a difficult road back, but we are massively

encouraged that so many people are ready to get on board at this stage to help turn things around,” she said.

The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill was signed in to law July 30 after tense parliamentary debates during which several legislators resigned. However, while enacted, the government has yet to provide guidelines on the law meaning that no abortions have yet taken place.

When the guidelines are issued, the law will permit abortions when there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother, including when a woman says the continuation of the pregnancy leads to suicidal thoughts.

It would also provide for jail terms of up to 14 years for those performing abortions in circumstances other than permitted by the law.—CNS

The Southern Cross, May 14 to May 20, 2014

INTERNATIONAL

5

Church must educate on sex abuse, says Vatican body

BY FRANCIS X ROCCA

T

HE new papal commission for protecting minors from clerical sex abuse will recommend stricter standards for accountability of abusers and those who fail to protect children, and will fight widespread denial of the problem within the Church, said Cardinal Sean O’Malley, archbishop of Boston.

“In some people’s minds, ‘Oh, this is an American problem, it’s an Irish problem, it’s a German problem,’” the cardinal told reporters.

“Well, it’s a human problem, and the Church needs to face it everywhere in the world. And so a lot of our recommendations are going to have to be around education, because there is so much ignorance around this topic, so much denial.”

Reading a statement on behalf of the entire eight-member panel, he said the commission planned to draft statutes for approval by Pope Francis to clarify the body’s “nature, structure, activity and the goals”.

“The commission will not deal with individual cases of abuse, but we can make recommendations regarding policies for assuring accountability and best practice,” the statement said.

Later, in response to a reporter’s question, the cardinal said such policies were necessary to fill gaps in Church law.

“Our concern is to make sure that there are clear and effective protocols to deal with situations where superiors of the Church have

Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins, the lone clerical abuse survivor nominated by Pope Francis to sit on the new Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, and Cardinal Sean O’Malley during their first briefing at the Holy See press office at the Vatican. (Photo: Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters/CNS) not fulfilled their obligations to protect children,” he said. “There are, theoretically I guess, canons that could apply here, but obviously they have not been sufficient.”

He added: “Our concern about accountability is accountability for everyone in the Church, regardless of what their status is.”

A

sked about a recent directive from the Italian bishops’ conference stating that bishops have no legal obligation to report accusations of sex abuse to the police or other civil authorities, Cardinal O’Malley said: “Obviously, accountability should not be dependent upon legal obligations in the coun-

try when we have a moral obligation.”

The commission announced its plans to nominate additional members for appointment by the pope.

Cardinal O’Malley said preserving the commission’s independence required a strong presence of lay volunteers, and that sitting members hoped to be joined by more victimsurvivors. So far, the only survivor on the commission is Marie Collins, Irish founder of an organisation to help sex abuse victims.

The cardinal said adding geographical diversity to the commission—currently made up of six Europeans, a North American and a South American—was also a priority, largely to ensure that awareness of sex abuse extends to all parts of the church.

Ms Collins seconded the cardinal’s emphasis on education, recalling a 2012 symposium on sex abuse at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, where she said she had been “shocked” by the “sincerity of some bishops who felt the problem did not exist in their country”.

Asked to comment on remarks

by Pope Francis, in a March interview, that the Church had done “perhaps more than anyone” to solve the problem of sex abuse, Ms Collins said she had “found difficulty” with the pope’s words but was now “looking forward”.

“In many countries, there are improvements,” she said. “What the Holy Father said is true, but it is not universal.”—CNS

Irish reopen embassy as relations thaw

BY ANDREA GAGLIARDuCCI

A

FTER years of tension between the Holy See and Ireland, news of the appointment of a new ambassador to the Vatican and of Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s invitation to Pope Francis to visit the country may be a sign that relations are returning to normal.

In January, Ireland’s government announced the reopening of its embassy to the Holy See in Rome, which had been closed in November of 2011 due to what was claimed to be economic reasons.

The decision to close the embassy at the time, and thus not have a resident diplomat, came after years of friction between the Holy See and Ireland especially with regard to local sex abuse scandals.

This month Emma Madigan, who previously served as assistant chief of protocol at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, was announced as the country's new Vatican ambassador.

According to the Irish Times, Mr Kenny said he told Pope Francis that his papacy had brought about

“an extraordinary difference to the perception of the Catholic Church”, and that in Ireland now there is “a clearer and healthier relationship between Church and state”.

“The Church has moved to deal with the many problems of the legacy, the scars of the sex abuse crisis,” Mr Kenny said.

“The pope has made it clear that he expects the future of the Church not to be based solely on these issues but rather on poverty and human rights, social justice and social equality,” he said.—CNA

Pope on how to be a Christian

BY CAROL GLATZ

C

HRISTIANITY is not a school of ideas or a collection of beautiful temples and lovely art; it is a living people who follow Jesus and give witness to him every day, Pope Francis said.

“Am I a Christian giving witness to Jesus or am I a simple numerary of this sect,” unable to let the Holy Spirit “drive me forward in my Christian vocation?” he asked in his homily at Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives. “A Christian who doesn’t give witness is unfathomable,” he said.

“We are not a religion of ideas, of pure theology, of beautiful things and commandments.

No, we are a people who follow Jesus Christ and give witness—that is, want to give witness to Jesus Christ—and this witness sometimes ends up being giving one’s life,” he said.

The Church becomes sterile when it closes up inside itself, when “it believes itself to be, let’s say, a ‘school of religion’ with lots of beautiful ideas, with many beautiful temples, with many fine museums, with many gorgeous things”.

Christians who don’t give to others the new life they’ve been given by Christ remain “sterile”, he said.

But people need the help of the Holy Spirit, especially in difficult moments, when faced with hard choices or when tempted by the many things “we have to say, ‘no’ to”, he said.

Pray to the Holy Spirit who “makes us strong in order to take the path of witness”.— CNS

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New recruits of the Vatican's Swiss Guard march in front of the tower of the Institute for Works of Religion (or Vatican Bank) during the swearingin ceremony at the Vatican. (Photo: Tony Gentile, Reuters)

Kasper: Mercy without justice ‘cheap grace’

BY BETH GRIFFIN

M

ERCY, the “most central attribute of God”, has been criminally neglected as a topic in the Church, according to German Cardinal Walter Kasper, a theologian and retired president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Addressing the Jesuit-run Fordham University, Cardinal Kasper said that God’s mercy is a mirror of his love to people coming from a dark 20th century with two world wars that destroyed millions of humans, into a new century that began with the 9/11 attacks.

Humans are the mediators of God’s mercy, he said.

“Mercy is not contraposed to justice. Mercy is the maximum we can do. Justice is the minimum,” Cardinal Kasper said.

Mercy opens people’s eyes to situations where they can engage the rules of justice. “There is no choice between justice and mercy. It would be very cheap mercy, which is not also justice,” he said.

For example, those who oppose public support for welfare programmes reject mercy, he said.

Mercy is a creative activity and God’s faithfulness to his love, Cardinal Kasper said. It is expressed in the way God gives a new chance to humans and does not “let them fall into a hole with no way out”.

Although God wants salvation

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for every person, God respects the freedom of human beings and does not impose salvation, the cardinal said. “We can go astray and miss the final goal of existence, yet we have reason to hope God may reach the heart of every person,” he said.

He stressed the importance of praying for the souls of all people, even those thought to be beyond redemption.

“We are responsible not only for ourselves, but for others, by prayers, deeds and missionary work,” he said. Their salvation depends on the prayers and good works of others.

Cardinal Kasper said atonement for sins is misunderstood as a punishment, when it is actually an opportunity to mature in the love of God and cleanse the soul. “There is no culture without sacrifice because culture needs to be oriented to higher values.”

He said it is inconsistent for the Church to teach that every sin can be forgiven, yet withhold access to Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics who seek absolution. “We have to interpret the word of Jesus in the context of God’s mercy,” he said. “Sacraments are signs of God’s grace and mercy.”

Cardinal Kasper said when he raised the issue with the consistory of cardinals preparing for the Synod on the Family in October, Pope Francis was in favour of discussing it at the synod.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, May 14 to May 20, 2014

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Respect for others’ views needed

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Correcting the past

T

HE Catholic Church has made promising strides in correcting the many serious errors it committed, on various levels, in handling the incidence of sexual abuse of minors by Church personnel.

When the scandal first broke, it didn’t help that many Church officials failed to reserve their first concern for the survivors of clerical abuse, instead blaming the media for “persecuting” the Church (even if there might have been an element of glee in press coverage).

It didn’t help either that Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, the public face of the cover-up scandal in the United States, was given a prestigious appointment in his Vatican exile.

Even now, the Church sometimes doesn’t understand that the anger of so many people was not only with the predator priests, but also and especially with those senior Church officials whose failures made much of the abuse possible; those who cared more for the Church’s reputation than about the safety of young people or the welfare of those who had been abused.

The painful truth is that the scandal was of the Church’s own making. The vehement criticism it received was wholly merited.

The lessons of all these failures clearly have been learnt, at least by most in the hierarchy.

Pope Francis, like Pope Benedict XVI before him, has given a fervent apology for the harm caused by sexual abuse within the Church. Though both popes have neglected to fully acknowledge the scandal of the cover-ups and mishandling of allegations, their solidarity doubtless resides with the survivors of abuse.

Pope Francis has set up the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to make sure these failures will not occur again.

Addressing the media this month, commission chairman Cardinal Sean O’Malley—Cardinal Law’s successor as archbishop of Boston—placed a special emphasis on the Church’s accountability to all its members, and on the eradication of a culture of denial which created so many of the problems in the first place.

Time will tell whether the commission’s commendable objectives will be accomplished, and whether the Church will indeed become the safest possible place for children.

Much has already been done to

meet the vision of the Church as a safe place for children. Most pastoral regions, including Southern Africa, have implemented precise protocols on how to deal with allegations of abuse in harmony with the law and in the interests of justice.

All these creditable efforts notwithstanding, it will take time to regain the trust of the public, Catholic or not, especially of those who are not aware of the progress the Church has made.

We must also be prepared for those who have an anti-Catholic agenda using the abuse scandal as a means of attacking the Church.

So it proved earlier this month when a United Nations committee which monitors adherence to an international anti-torture treaty interrogated the Holy See’s representative, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, on the Church’s handling of the abuse crisis, saying that sexual abuse is a form of torture.

Sexual abuse unquestionably can be described as a torture, but clerical abuse falls outside the remit of the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, which addresses state-sponsored torture. In that context, raising the question of sexual abuse within the Church is relevant only if the Holy See is mandating or approving such abuse, which self-evidently is not the case.

Since the committee against torture also questioned the Vatican about its opposition to abortion, one may well question whether the UN committee was pursuing a particular agenda.

If so, then this would coincide with a general tendency among anti-Catholic secularists to deprive the Church of its assertion of moral authority, partly by reference to the past mishandling of abuse.

Can those who invoke the scandal in the prosecution of a secularist agenda be said to be acting from genuine concern for the survivors of abuse?

In its communication, the Church cannot do more than to follow Cardinal O’Malley’s good example: to stand on the side of the survivors of abuse, be completely forthright and contrite about past errors, and with patience and humility emphasise the Holy See’s determined efforts to correct these.

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I

N recent times, there have appeared a few letters, many of which may be attributed to one source, where the spirit of compassion and charity is sadly lacking.

At one time the comments section of The Southern Cross’ website became so heated and lacking in civility that the editor, rightly in my opinion, discontinued it. Is it not possible to disagree with fellow Catholics without condemning them to eternal damnation?

Not one of your correspondents may lay claim to being infallible, and yet their viewpoints are put forward as just that, not to be questioned!

Popes as saints

I

N her article “Ten notable popes who became saints” (April 23), Emily Antenucci states that “no pope who reigned between 1294 and 1903 is recognised as a saint”. But we have recently celebrated the feast of Pope St Pius V, on April 28, the feast having been moved to April 28 from April 30, to make way for the feast of Mary Mother of Africa.

This pope was a Dominican named Michele Ghislieri, who ruled from January 7, 1566 to May 1, 1572 and was canonised by Pope Clement XI on May 22, 1712.

Jenny Knobel, Cape Town

Columnist shows political bias

E

MBEDDED journalism is something that seems to be becoming quite a phenomenon in South Africa. It would seem The Southern Cross is not exempt from this.

A columnist now for quite some time, Mphuthumi Ntabeni’s true colours are finally revealed in the footnote to his latest column, “The erosion of values in SA politics” (April 30), which states that he is “the leading election candidate for the United Democratic Movement in the Western Cape”. This surely explains the completely partisan approach to the article. It explains too his thinking in the past.

Given this wholly biased approach, it is therefore almost superfluous to comment on the piece.

But that The Southern Cross should give a feature, and every month at that, to this leading politician should demand from all its readers a response.

Could I, as an employee of the African National Congress, also get a column every month please, to subtly share my views, shaped by the organisation I work for, in my, by the way, “private capacity”? Either this or Ntabeni must go.

Wesley Seale, ANC Western Cape, Cape Town

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The issue of homosexuality has already been adequately responded to by Chuck Harrison (April 2) and Gabriella Broccardo (April 9), as has the slur on the name of that holy man, Archbishop Denis Hurley.

Words such as “accursed” when referring to a Southern African bishops’ directive, and the astounding theory that God would condemn to damnation a man innocent of intended sin, is completely unacceptable to me, and to clergy I have consulted.

Here, I would suggest reference to the Catholic Catechism for the definition of a “serious” sin (article n Mphuthumi Ntabeni is a long-standing Southern Cross columnist who has written on a broad range of subjects that are relevant to the Catholic community. We footnoted his recently appointed political office in the interests of full disclosure. The article did not promote his party or any other, and readers could decide for themselves, having been informed of the writer’s political office, whether or not the content of his opinion article constituted propaganda.—Editor

Pilgrimage joy

I

WAS one of the people blessed to be part of the Southern Cross/Radio Veritas canonisation pilgrimage, and as this was my first pilgrimage—and my first trip outside South Africa—I spent months doing research to try to prepare myself for the experience.

I exercised my body and my mind, reading as much as I could about the areas and churches we were going to visit.

I scoured the internet for information, I watched hours of YouTube clips, visited many virtual catacombs, and watched many hours of Masses with Pope Francis— but nothing could possibly prepare one for the hard reality and physicality that is a pilgrimage: the days (literally) in transit, the early wakeup calls, the hills and the stairs.

Yet at the same time, nothing compares to the spiritual elation of touching something made 2 000 years ago, of seeing our Holy Father in the flesh, of experiencing the cool dampness and peaceful darkness of the catacombs. Added to this are shedding tears at masterpieces created by geniuses such as Bernini and Michelangelo, walking in the footsteps of many holy men and women, and sharing all of this with loving and supportive likeminded Catholics from all over South Africa.

As I write this, I am physically exhausted, as most of us are, yet spiritually rejuvenated, awakened and revitalised as all of us are too.

I highly recommend that every Catholic go on a pilgrimage, where they not only share the suffering of our Lord and our saints, but also share their inner God-given peace, and the awesome beauty that is the Catholic Church.

Guinevere Jacobs, Cape Town

White faces issue

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CONCUR with the sad fact raised

by Antoinette Padua (April 2) about the demographic composition of mourners at the funeral of Archbishop Lawrence Henry in Cape Town.

What Abe Alexander in his response (April 23) fails to acknowledge is that the late archbishop served the archdiocese of Cape Town for more than 25 years as bishop and then archbishop. He visited many so-called white parishes in that time, especially at confirmations.

The Catholic fraternity of Cape Town should have flocked to the Good Hope Centre to show their last respects for the deceased as a servant of the Catholic Church, regardless of personal friendship.

Note the respect shown at the fu-

1859). Or perhaps a god has been created who differs from the compassionate, merciful one in whom I have been taught to believe.

By all means let us disagree, let us promote our viewpoints—that is what the letters page is all about.

We should all be able to learn from the sharing of these opinions, not to have them shoved down our throats or to have uncharitable statements about persons no longer in a position to defend themselves.

Charity, please—respect for the other person’s view.

Not one of us has a direct line to God; we all pursue our salvation by searching.

Cecil Cullen, Alberton neral of the late President Nelson Mandela for his service to the world—the majority of those present never even having met Madiba.

By Mr Alexander’s reasoning, only a few Catholics would attend Archbishop Stephen Brislin’s funeral if he were to pass on soon— God forbid—since he was transferred from Kroonstad and therefore never served as a parish priest anywhere in the archdiocese of Cape Town.

May the soul of my true friend and servant to the Church, Archbishop Lawrence Henry, rest in peace.

Dougie Eckard, Somerset West

Use of Aramaic

I

READ with great interest your article on the visit of Holy Land tour guide Rimon Makhlouf to South Africa (April 23).

It is true, as Mr Makhlouf points out, that the Arabic language is used in the Middle East in Christian churches.

Until the 17th century the language of the inhabitants of presentday Lebanon was Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus.

It was only the Mohammedan ascendancy and their cutting off the tongues of some of the Christians that made Arabic the lingua franca of the area. In remote areas Aramaic is still spoken.

Today in South Africa, thousands each week attend the Maronite Catholic churches and missions, where they can hear the words of the consecration in Aramaic.

According to Maronite Catholic Father Michael Chebli, a Lebanese authority and a student of the Bible (in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew), a knowledge of Arabic and Aramaic enables you to know and understand Hebrew.

According to Fr Michael Dou, in his book History of the Maronites, and other scholars, the transfiguration of Jesus took place on the Holy Mountain of the cedars of Lebanon, and not on Mount Tabor. Fr Dou’s reasoning is logical and convincing.

The Bible purely states that it was a high mountain.

It is, of course, not important which mountain it was, but that the transfiguration did take place.

Ken Hanna, Johannesburg

Sign of the cross

O

NCE, long ago, sermons and homilies began and ended with the sign of the cross.

When the practice ceased, I asked a late vicar-general for the reason. His reply: it had been made optional.

May its use soon be restored!

Adrian Kettle, Cape Town 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, May 14 to May 20, 2014

PERSPECTIVES

Do we have ubuntu in our families?

Toni Rowland I AM writing this on the feast of St Joseph the Worker, also international Workers’ Day. The family theme for May—parenting and work-family balance—can apply to all of us, young and old, families with young children, teenagers or no children, but obviously in very different ways.

Padraig Smith of the bishops’ Department of Ecumenism and I recently attended an ecumenical event, the 7th Annual Ubuntu Lecture and Peace and Dialogue Awards Ceremony of the Turquoise Harmony Institute.

This Turkish organisation promotes interreligious dialogue, peace and harmony among the diversity of all peoples. Awards were presented in various categories, such as education, media, arts and sports. But

the highlight of the evening was the thank-you speech by Archbishop Desmond Tutu who received the main honour, the Gulen Peace Award.

In his inimitable and carefully considered way, Archbishop Tutu was able to bring God and religion into a gathering made up to a large extent of secular and political figures, who of course nevertheless are members of different faiths. With reference to our past and our future he concluded: “Wake up South Africa, wake up!”

By the time this column appears we will have woken up to another new dispensation. The election will be over, the rhetoric done with and the work of applying or reapplying ubuntu will be under way again.

What is ubuntu? Have we lost it? Is it dead? Ubuntu is a concept we love to idealise; it is a memory of a traditional lifeview and also the African dream.

In 1994 the first Synod of Bishops for Africa gave us a vision too: the Church as the Family of God. This embraced not just the spiritual aspect, but a model, one based on the qualities of the ideal African family which was already then challenged to retain those qualities of warmth in relationships, acceptance, dialogue, trust, solidarity. In other words, ubuntu qualities.

Times have become tougher for family unity as diversity in family forms and experience grows. But we can’t tackle all aspects in one go. Consider the aspect of work, the theme for this month.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu calls on South Africans We identify with Pope to “wake up”. (Photo: B Mathur, Reuters/CNS)

What SA can learn from US I HAVE just returned from America—four weeks, seven states, lectures in business schools, visits to Church organisations, lots of tourism and lots of shopping.

I even was in a room with one ex-President and one possible future president— both of them named Clinton.

On returning I asked a “born free” friend from Soweto why the US was so enthralling to young South Africans. “In America,” he replied, “nothing is impossible. People try everything—they never want to stop trying and they never want to stop learning.”

Many commentators have noted this characteristic of the country. There is a boundless optimism, an almost unquenchable self-belief in the nation, a sense of “manifest destiny”. It is something I was aware of when I lived there and something that I saw again on these travels.

As South Africa, and as a South African Church, can we learn anything from that dogged determination? Political and public life is starting again now after the elections: we might be tempted to focus not on possibilities but on the closing down of possibilities, to look beyond our borders at the attraction of other countries or nostalgically to times past, or just to bury our heads in the sand (should the ostrich not be the national bird of South Africa?).

Many of the characteristics that drive America’s optimism are ones that we share and which should drive our own optimism.

Both countries have a physical bound-

lessness and natural richness to reinforce the sense that there are no limitations.

Both have a young population, in stark contrast to countries in Europe. Both have infrastructure and institutions that are the envy of continental neighbours and are a constant draw for new immigrants. Both have vibrant media and a rich cultural heritage that is not afraid to absorb and be inspired by the culture of others. Both are nations full of people of strong faith who have learnt to live well (mostly) alongside others who do not share the same religious traditions.

Yet “boundless optimism” is not a phrase often used by South Africans when describing themselves. We are tempted to see a glass half-empty, not half-full; to view young people and immigrants as a source of crime or unemployment rather than as a source of new energy and growth; to fear that we cannot solve our own problems.

I

lived in New York just before the 9/11 bombings. I visited only a few years later when the city was still shell-shocked and nursing its wounds. But on my return now I encountered a city which had regained its self-confidence, was spending money (and in doing so was making money), was rebuilding over the ruins of the World Trade Centre and everywhere else, was re-energising parts of the city for years marred by unemployment, drug abuse, violence and neglect.

Johannesburg, my adopted city, gives us

Americans believe that “nothing is impossible”, just as for those who are with God nothing is impossible. (Photo: Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier)

Family Friendly

Francis who has much to say on the subject of care for the poor. There is also the issue of whether the poor are doing enough to uplift themselves, but even that is not really our issue here.

Every single family unit has a call to ubuntu, a human but also a spiritual task of building up and strengthening its relationships in whatever context they find themselves. That is the way to become a true domestic Church.

Our focus is on parenting and its components as the subject for reflection and sharing with other members. Fathers, mothers, grandparents, fosterparents, godparents, child-parents do it in different ways, inside or outside the home.

Working outside the home so as to provide for the most suitable education often takes precedence in family life. But are materialistic demands and expectations too high, creating a work-family imbalance?

Are we each taking co-responsibility? Are we taking ubuntu into the extended family and community?

Many families, rich or poor, and members of all ages, are doing their best, or are trying to do so.

Around International Family Day on May 15, why not set aside some time away from work and study and everything else and plan to have some fun and your own ubuntu awards celebration? You might be in for a surprise.

Raymond Perrier

Faith and Society

glimpses of this same growing self-confidence, but then is set back by nay-sayers and told-you-so’s.

A recent survey of US students revealed that while they were not the best educated in the world, they were among the most self-confident. That can, of course, be a problem if people don’t know what they don’t know.

But as I worked with people who were studying—many in their later years—I kept encountering a belief that education did matter and that hard work by students, dedication by educators, and tough grading that would hold all parties accountable would produce results. And if it didn’t, a competitive market (and the need to repay huge education loans) would reward the achievers and motivate those who did not.

This is also seen in the way that Americans complain about slow service, poor results, high prices, under-delivery. But when they complain it is not just to whinge but to demand more—from their government officials, from companies, from individual “service operatives” and from themselves.

And they make those demands with a belief that there is a better solution which would benefit everyone involved.

I am not saying that there are not problems in both places, nor that the movement of history in either country is always towards progress and development. But my sense is that the defining characteristic of Americans is that when faced with a problem they believe that there is a solution, if only they work hard, try alternatives, keep at it and rely on themselves. Might we as South Africans be tempted to the opposite?

As a nation we are perhaps struggling to discover (or re-discover) that same drive— the drive that brought and brings people here from across Africa and the world, that extracted mineral wealth and produce from the ground, that kept the oppressed going through years of apartheid, and that carried a “Rainbow Nation” through legendary elections 20 years ago.

As a Church we have an important contribution to make. For the defining characteristic of the Christian, according to the Dominican Timothy Radcliffe, is “hope”.

Not a naïve optimism but a belief that problems have solutions, that challenges are opportunities, that after Good Friday comes Easter Sunday.

My young friend said that “nothing is impossible for Americans”. As he said that, I was reminded that Scripture tells us that for God and for those who are with God nothing is impossible.

7

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Is the Eucharist just a memorial?

Reading articles by “liturgical theologians” on the Eucharist, I am confused, left wondering if my joyful experience of celebrating the Eucharist is unfounded. They remind the celebrant that this is only a “memorial of the Lord”, one of thanksgiving, and certainly not “a dramatic re-enactment of the last supper”.

My conclusion: if this is so, then is transubstantiation, in which we believe, also merely a “memorial”? Please clarify.

Senior Priest

I

N examining the joyful experience of celebrating the sacrament of the Eucharist, let’s first take a look at what St Paul wrote.

In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 he reminds us what Jesus did on the night he was betrayed. He gave thanks, took bread and said: “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me”. Then he took the cup saying: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

Here we find Paul affirming that the ritual of celebrating the Eucharist is done in remembrance of Christ (“The night he was betrayed”/“You proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”).

Christ offered a prayer of thanksgiving to God, and priest and people do the same: “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God”/“It is right and just”. There is no error in referring to the Eucharist as the sacrament in which we remember what Christ did at the last supper or as a memorial of the Lord.

It is not a “dramatic” re-enactment of the last supper because it is not meant to be a performance on stage. It is our coming together with Christ and sharing in his sacrificial death on our behalf in a sacred ritual.

You do not name any liturgical theologians.

In July 2001, before he became Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then prefect of the Congregation for the Faith dismissed the views of some extreme liturgists.

The Eucharist is our celebration of being a Christ-centred community before God. As a community we receive his body and blood, his real presence among us through what the Church calls transubstantiation, which occurs during the sacramental celebration. The divine presence persists permanently after the celebration has ended.

The sacrament of the Eucharist is what we do to recall the last supper, an act of thanksgiving, sacrifice, sacred meal, holy communion.

We may lay stress on one of these realities at times but taken together they present the deep mystery of what it means for us all to be the Body of Christ.

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.

NEW FOR 2014 8 to 18 DEC

ST FRANCIS XAVIER PILgRIMAgE TO INDIA

Another unique and spiritual journey. Visiting Delhi, goa, Chennai, Cochin, Mumbai and to include Our Lady of Velankanni shrine, the Eucharistic Miracle of Chirattakonam; pilgrimage sites such as St Thomas the apostle’s home and shrine.

Organised by Carl Emmanuel and Serge Adande. Spiritual leader Rev Fr Allan Moss.

Cost from R28 057 Tel: (031) 266 7702 Fax: (031) 266 8982 Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net

8

The Southern Cross, May 14 to May 20, 2014

PILGRIMAGE

Vuyo Kahla and Fr Robert Mphiwe of Pretoria shortly before the arrival of Pope Francis at the Vatican.

The Southern Cross and Radio Veritas pilgrims from South Africa and Namibia in front of St Peter’s basilica in the Vatican. They travelled to Italy to witness the canonisation of Ss John Paul II and John XXIII.

Southern Cross news editor Claire Mathieson proudly displays the South African flag in the Vatican awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis at the papal audience.

Pilgrims joined the bishops of Southern Africa for Mass at the church of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. The bishops were making their ad limina visit.

Mass was celebrated daily in different churches. Pilgrims returned home physically tired but spiritually renewed.

576AM in Johannesburg & beyond

www.radioveritas.co.za streaming live

SMS 41809 MASS followed by Mass Intention 41809 VERI followed by comments

PO box 4599, Edenvale, 1610 (t) 011 663-4700 eblaser@radioveritas.co.za

The pilgrims travelled to the Vatican in the early hours of Sunday morning of April 27 to join thousands of people from around the world. Molefi Mosenogi and Sipho Nyalunga were there to witness the historic event.

The pilgrimage had many opportunities for prayer and reflection. Francis De Souza is pictured during Mass at St Alfonso Liguori church in Rome.

Pilgrims Nevenka Visic and Denise Moult wave the Croatian and South African flags at the papal canonisation.

Khabo Zwane (front) and Phyllis Tshivhase are pictured after seening Pope Francis at his weekly audience.

(From left) Anna Moabelo, Malitza Oosthuizen, Vuyo Kahla, Fr Emil Blaser OP, Berry Weterman and Tony Tshivhase are pictured at the papal summer residence Castel Gandolfo.

Gogi Nalaka prays during Mass held in the crypt of St Mary of the Angels in Assisi.

Dominican Pilgrimage jOURNEyS OF

HOLy LAND & ROME

with Fr EMIL BLASER OP 31 Aug - 11 Sep 2014 See all the great sites of the Holy Land and Rome, with papal audience!

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A LIFETIME! Contact gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923

Herman Braam of Bloemfontein and Malcolm Caldwell of Springs, of the Johannesburg diocese, listen to the stories of St Francis during a visit to Greccio—the place where the saint staged the first nativity scene.

Next week don’t miss Claire Mathieson’s

Diary of a Pilgrim

info@fowlertours.co.za

facebook.com/FowlerToursSa

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Send your photos to pics@scross.co.za

LEADERSHIP

The Southern Cross, May 14 to May 20, 2014

It’s a matter of trust Trust makes all functioning relationships possible, as Professor AL GINI of Loyola University in Chicago argues.

‘T

RUST is much more valuable than a written agreement.” I heard these words in the context of a fascinating story told recently by ex-President Bill Clinton, talking at his former university, the Jesuit institution Georgetown in Washington DC. He was helping negotiate the historic peace accord between Israel and Palestine; the two leaders, Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, were hours away from a public signing ceremony at the White House. They had come to an agreement on every point but then noticed that one item—control of a road between the two territories—was not detailed.

They went away to negotiate and came back with a decision that Palestine would control the road. But Mr Clinton was anxious that there was not enough time to change the written documents before they were signed.

“Do not worry,” said Mr Arafat, “I trust Prime Minister Rabin. His word is more valuable to me than any written agreement.”

Trust holds together all forms of social relationships and is the basis of what sociologists call social capital. It is necessary for relationships and interactions at every level.

Trust is the foundational element for all human relationships. At its most elemental, trust is confidence in the character and behaviour of another. Trust is a symbiotic relationship which benefits both parties.

Without it we are uncomfortable, uncertain and unsure of our standing with regard to others.

Trust is a precondition for civility, community and leadership.

In life we have certain basic ways of dealing with others. Courtesy (manners, etiquette) is important. It is a lubricant necessary for living harmoniously with others. We see it— hopefully—in the way that drivers, all of them in a hurry, can share a common road with each other.

Sometimes we need contracts or agreements. These are the formal means to delineate, specify and make arrangements for business or political exchanges; contracts make public the agreement between two parties which is then enforceable by law.

That is why we have “marriage contracts”—not because they create the relationship between the husband and wife but because they make it public so that others can see it.

But more important than either of these is trust because it is the precondition of both. Aristotle maintains that people must be able to trust one another in politics, commerce, community and battle in order to be comfortable in their lives.

Lacking that we fall back on fear, control and power.

Tycoon and prophet of the marketplace Warren Buffett has accurately said: “Trust is like the air we breathe. When it’s present nobody notices; but when it’s absent everybody notices.”

There is no easy answer to the problem of engendering, offering or receiving trust. Yet we cannot live without trust and we should seek the bonds of trust with others even when they fail to reciprocate. We need to extend ourselves; we learn to trust by trusting. Trust releases trust in other people. Not to try to trust is to further isolate ourselves from oth-

ers and diminishes society, the community and the self.

I am convinced that trust is the fundamental ingredient for all forms of social interaction and an absolutely necessary condition for leadership. Trust is a precondition for a civil society, and the basis of community. Simply put, “trust is confidence in the character and behaviour of another in regard to predictability, reliability, dependability, integrity, and regularity”.

Trust allows us to increase the complexity and richness of our lives.

Without trust, our relationships are incoherent and uncoordinated.

Without trust, how could one be able to negotiate the most pedestrian kinds of both consumer and public interactions?

A

lthough much of the popular literature refers to trust as a lubricant, a glue, a medium or an attitude, I believe that these metaphors do not go far enough.

Trust is not an entity, a thing, or a one-time epoxy. Neither static nor inert, trust is a living relationship that we must continue to cultivate through conversations, commitments, and action.

The two politicians described above came from communities that had been fighting each other for almost 50 years. Months of painful negotiation brokered by President Clinton and others had produced not just an agreement; it had created something much more enduring: a relationship of trust.

This came about only because of the time and effort that the two men had put into building a relationship and was publicly symbolised by the warmth of the handshake that they exchanged on the lawn of the White House in 1993.

Trust is an active part of our lives.

FINANCE MANAgER CATHOLIC WELFARE AND DEvELOPMENT

Catholic Welfare and Development (CWD) is a leading and dynamic social development organisation working with vulnerable and marginalised communities in order to improve their chances to develop and sustain selfreliance. An exciting opportunity exists for a suitably qualified individual to join the senior management team, with overall responsibility for financial administration, business planning, budgeting and reporting as well as having a key role to play in the general management of the organisation—including oversight of the HR and payroll function. Reporting to the Director, you’ll also work closely with the CWD Management Board and its various sub-committees.

9

Prof Al Gini of Loyola university believes that trust is fundamental for society to function and an indispensable part of leadership.

Trust is something that we have to reinforce to maintain. Trust is something that we do! It is something that we make, we create, we build, we maintain, we sustain with our promises, our commitments, our emotions, and our sense of integrity.

Trust, like love, doesn’t just happen to us; it is a choice. We don’t just fall in love. We learn and, ultimately, choose to love. So, too, we learn and choose to trust.

Trust is neither a birthright nor a gift that will last forever. It cannot be taken for granted. Like love, trust dies if it is not cared for and renewed.

When a leader, a business associate, or a friend lies to us, fails to honour a commitment, demeans or belittles us, we begin to doubt the quality of the relationship. If they persist in this sort of behaviour, sooner or later the relationship will change. “I can’t live or work with him/her anymore, because I no longer trust him/her!”

Trusting is a decision that opens

the world to us, builds and deepens our relationship with others, and creates new possibilities. Trust involves an enhanced sensibility that allows us to work and coordinate our actions with other people, precisely because we are confident of what we are doing. Without trust, neither civility, conviviality, commerce, morality nor ethics are possible. n Prof Gini is hosting this year’s Winter Living Theology, which has the theme “The Leaders We Deserve?” The three-day course is open to anyone who is concerned about leadership in South Africa today.

There will also be evening workshops in each city.

The Winter Living Theology will take place at the Pauline’s centre in Kensington, Johannesburg, from May 20-22, Glenmore in Durban from May 26-28 and in Cape Town at the Schoenstatt retreat from June 3-5. For more information contact admin@jesuitinstitute.org.za or call 011 482 4237.

37a Somerset Road, Green Point, Cape Town, 8001 Private Bag 8, Cape Mail 8003, South Africa Tel: +27 21 425 2095 Fax: +27 21 425 4295 info@cwd.org.za www.cwd.org.za NPO: 002-836 Section 18A (1)(A) of the Act

yOU’LL HAvE THE FOLLOWINg kEy DELIvERABLES:

Managing and monitoring all finance activities, including but not limited to: • Budget drafting (annual and projected income and expenditure budgets) in conjunction with the Director and obtaining Board approval for same, thereafter ensuing that budgets are implemented and all activities tracked and recorded • Cash flow and cash management • Preparing and communicating monthly and annual financial statements • Coordinating all audit activities, working with lead auditors, ensuring that non-conformances are addressed and closed out • Reconciling all creditor, debtors, cash and donor accounts • Overseeing salaries administration and all third party and statutory returns, as well as completion of all returns • Ensuring that VAT reconciliations are completed every two months and the necessary returns completed • Ensuring that expenditure is managed within budget parameters • Ensuring adherence to all accounting protocols Managing financial inputs and systems for all fund raising activities, including but not limited to: • Providing input into funder budget proposals in conjunction with Programme Managers • Ensuring that no discrepancies occur between finance and narrative sections of proposals, and reports • Implementing all funder required financial controls and ensuring that these are integrated in CWD’s existing finance systems • Ensuring that programmes are advised of financial control requirements and that all spend is requisitioned and allocated correctly.

• Overseeing the preparation of funder financial reports and signing off on same.

• Setting the annual calendar for reports as well as funder audits in conjunction with the Director general management, including but not limited to: • Ensuring that Finance team performance is monitored and managed and concerns addressed timeously with staff • Participating in management forums • Providing input into the development of CWD policy and procedure documents and ensuring adherence to same • Co-managing the HR department in conjunction with the Director • Attending monthly Board and FinComm meetings to present financial reports • Networking and building relationships with funder and partners as well as members of CWD’s Management Board.

To be considered for the role, you’ll need the following: • A CA qualification with a minimum of 4 years post articles work experience OR a financial post graduate degree with a minimum of 6 years work experience.

• To be mature and proactive, able to demonstrate success as a support to senior management of a multi-faceted and network-based entity.

• Proven and well-developed planning and prioritising skills.

• Demonstrated excellence in managing finance, accounting, budgeting, controls and reporting.

• Strong analytical skills and experience interpreting a strategic vision into an operational model • NGO/NPO working experience advantageous • Excellent communication skills in English, both written and verbal • Advanced knowledge of financial systems (e.g. Pastel) as well as MS Office

Should you wish to apply for this challenging role, please submit a letter of application as well as an updated Cv to: amanda.kirk@cwd.org.za.

Applications for the position will close on 23rd May 2014.

Further correspondence will only be entered into with those applicants under consideration for the role. Should you not hear back from us within 10 working days of the closing date, please treat your application as unsuccessful.

10

The Southern Cross, May 14 to May 20, 2014

BOOK REVIEWS

A lavish guided tour of the Vatican THE VATICAN: Secrets and Treasures of the Holy City, by Fr Michael Collins. Penguin/Dorling Kindersley (2014). 320pp.

Reviewed by Günther Simmermacher HE Vatican always fascinates, more so since the election of a pope whose popularity extends beyond the Catholic Church, and the recent canonisation of two popes.

The Vatican is also not well understood, even among most Catholics. So this revised and updated edition of a volume first published in 2008 is timely and welcome.

Fr Michael Collins’ The Vatican: Secrets and Treasures of the Holy City tells much of its story through pictures. These are almost invariably well chosen and of the highest standard. From its lavish cover to the multitude of photos—by my estimate close to 2 000—this is a magnificently curated book.

Its primary appeal is as a picture book—the kind for which coffee ta-

T

bles were invented—but it would be unjust to neglect the text by Fr Collins, an Irish-born Church historian, who tells the story of the Vatican from several angles.

A 39-page overview of the Church’s history and the most significant popes through the ages— and here one may argue about certain inclusions or omissions, and about emphases—sets the scene for Fr Collins’ guided tour of the Vatican and Rome, with makes excursions to places of papal import, such as Viterbo and Castel Gandolfo.

Fr Collins guides the reader through the Vatican Museums, the apostolic palace, the Vatican gardens and the basilica of St John Lateran, the pope’s cathedral as bishop of Rome. He explains in broad strokes their history, significance, architecture and art of these places.

He also includes some Roman sites of Christian interest, such as the Castel Sant’Angelo, a secondcentury pagan mausoleum which became a papal fortress.

In explaining daily life in the

Vatican he gives an insight into the important congregations of the Holy See, the media—though Vatican Radio and L’Osservatore Romano might have merited wider coverage than just two pages—and even the Vatican post office.

Fr Collins gives insight into the daily routine of the pope and introduces those who aid the pontiff in his ministry, outlines the mechanisms of a conclave, explains the structure and role of the Roman curia, and even describes how priests are trained and how saints are recognised.

The text is lean and uncomplicated. It gives sufficiently complete information without engaging in too much detail. Fr Collins, who as former protocol advisor to St John Paul II is a Vatican insider, presents an intricate structure with simplicity, but never patronises the reader.

A few elucidations are, however, a little peculiar. Discussing the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, which deals with missionary territories, Fr Collins writes that

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it is “responsible for territories such as New Zealand”. This is not incorrect, of course, but the good people of the congregation spend a lot more time on issues concerning Africa and Asia than they would on our antipodean friends.

If Fr Collins has any particular opinions on the Roman curia, he does not share them in this book. It is not that kind of book. But after going through this volume, one might well benefit from reading a book such as John Thavis’ outstanding The Vatican Diaries (2013).

An expansive section of The Vatican explores the lives of 12 people who work in the Vatican. These include Pope Francis, a curial prefect, a papal sacristan, a choir boy, assorted artisans and art experts, a papal photographer, and a Swiss Guard. All but one of the featured people are male—and the solitary woman is a nun. Surely Fr Collins could have located a lay woman somewhere; several of them work at Vatican Radio.

A book like this will obviously

appeal to readers who have been to Rome. They will be delighted to revisit familiar places and see those they had no opportunity to see,.

It also serves as a fine tour guide to those who haven’t been to the Eternal City, and it is superb preparation material for those who are planning a visit.

The book includes a glossary and index, so it serves as a very useful reference work.

Selling in South Africa at around R300, this book is a fine investment.

The conversion of a racist thug RACE WITH THE DEVIL: My Journey From Racial Hatred to Rational Love, by Joseph Pearce.

St Benedict Press (2013). 249 pp.

Reviewed by David Gibson AM not writing a biography but a conversion story,” Joseph Pearce explains in his new book, Race With the Devil. His was a Christian conversion in the strict sense that it represented a full turnaround of his life.

A Catholic today, Pearce during his teens became a white supremacist in England, devoting his talents then and in his early 20s to promoting racism. “I was a leading member of the National Front, a white supremacist organisation that demanded the forced removal of all non-whites from the United Kingdom,” he says.

Pearce was imprisoned twice for publishing material “deemed likely to incite racial hatred”. By the time of his second conviction at age 24, however, the seeds of his conversion were germinating “deep inside” him.

Over the course of three years following his prison release, the journey leading to his 1989 reception into the Church slowly unfolded.

While Race With the Devil is not a biography per se, much about it is biographical. Before telling of Pearce’s “purgatorial ascent from racial hatred to rational love”, the book follows his “downward path from childhood innocence into the infernal bowels of a hate-filled youth”.

Inescapably, therefore, the book is about his life: his experiences growing up; people who played roles in his life for better and for worse; his goals at various points in time; his assessments of society; his roles now as husband, father and writer.

What I found of considerable interest in Race With the Devil were Pearce’s attempts to give an accounting of the path he gradually discovered that led him to the Church.

No doubt, there is an element of mystery in every conversion. It is said, after all, that God can write straight with crooked lines.

Pearce affirms that God can

‘I

mould “the most unpromising of clay”.

Given the mystery of God’s presence, it cannot be easy to give an accounting of the factors that prompt a person to turn away from one consuming way of living and thinking, and instead to take up the ways of Christian faith.

Pearce concluded over time that his powers of reason alone did not explain his conversion. “A process of healing coincided with the engagement with reason, a healing process that was not contrary to reason but was necessary to it,” he says.

T

hree occasions described in the book reveal that Pearce virtually was startled to attention by the goodness of individuals who acted selflessly on his behalf, individuals who might have disdained him or ignored his needs.

In such individuals he noticed a “charm of goodness”.

On one occasion a policeman somewhat surprisingly agreed to lend a bit of money to him, which the youthful Pearce promised to repay. Pearce comments: “How different was the heart of this one good man from my own cankered heart, filled with the hatred of my neighbour and the misery it causes.”

His discovery of G K Chester-

ton’s writings came as “an unexpected surprise” for Pearce. “I can still remember the thrill that I received when reading Chesterton’s political philosophy for the first time,” Pearce informs readers.

In Chesterton, a 20th-century British writer and intellectual who himself became a Catholic, Pearce found “a new friend who would become the most powerful influence [under grace]” on his “personal and intellectual development over the following years”.

Pearce was to publish a biography of Chesterton in 1996. A biography of the British Catholic writer Hilaire Belloc, a contemporary of Chesterton’s, also is counted among Pearce’s numerous writing credits, as is a book on the life and Catholic faith of JRR Tolkien.

Conversion stories like Pearce’s do not end with a person’s reception into the Church. Entering the Church concludes one stage of a faith journey while at once marking a new beginning in a journey that, I assume, lasts a lifetime.

Today Pearce is 53. I cannot help but wonder if, perhaps ten or 15 years hence, he might write yet again of his conversion and, in the process, continue to cast light on what “conversion” truly means.

Pearce says: “The journey is not yet over. Life is a perilous quest, and I am still very much on it. I have my dragons to face and my sins to be forgiven.”

His first confession cleansed him of his “numerous past sins”, he says, but it “did not remove” his responsibility “to make amends for all the damage” they caused.

Today, the Church’s sacramental life “is at the very heart of my own life”, Pearce states. He acknowledges, though, that reception into the Church did not mean becoming “a saint overnight”. He then adds: “I am, however, making progress. My soul, like the soul of every one of life’s pilgrims, is a work in progress.”—CNS

Canonisation of Popes

The Year of the Holy Family A3 POSTERS R15 • T-SHIRTS R70 • gOLF SHIRTS R125 • STICkERS R7

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St Anne’s Mission Mphophomeni

CLASSIFIEDS Time to move on canonisation of Hurley I LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

T is just over ten years since Archbishop Denis Hurley was called from this life, no doubt to his eternal home.

With his passing, the Catholic Church in South Africa lost a humble giant. Denis Hurley's life has been well documented in an excellent, must-read biography written by Paddy Kearney, a man who for many years worked very closely with him.

Archbishop Hurley was not only an outspoken opponent of apartheid policies but also expressed his opposition to these in-

human laws through action. It is his opposition to apartheid that he is most remembered for.

He was also a great Catholic Church leader whose vision played a leading role at the Vatican ll deliberations.

His views are clearly set out in the book he wrote about Vatican ll, titled Keeping the Dream Alive.

In the Durban archdiocese, Denis Hurley is remembered as a humble archbishop, respected by all for the wonderful example that he set to both laity and clergy. He was indeed a very de-

Community Calendar

To place your event, call Claire Allen at 021 465 5007 or e-mail c.allen@scross.co.za (publication subject to space)

CAPE TOWN: Helpers of god’s Precious Infants meet the last Saturday of the month except in December, starting with Mass at 9:30 am at the Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town.

Mass is followed by a vigil and procession to Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street. For information contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel Manuel on 083 544 3375.

good Shepherd, Bothasig.

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel. All hours. All welcome.

NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the blessed sacrament at St Peter’s parish. Every Tuesday from 8am to 4:45pm followed by Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 5:30pm.

PIETERMARITZbURg Couples for Christ “behold and Ponder” Couples retreat on May 23, 24 and 25 at FET College, Northdale, cnr Balambra Way and Olympia Way, Pietermaritzburg. Registration fee: R220 per head.

Phone 031 302 1217 or e-mail admin@cfc southafrica.co.za

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 602. ACROSS: 4 Cranmer, 8 Insult, 9 Infidel, 10 Loiter, 11 Exerts, 12 Minister, 18 Reproach, 20 Shapes, 21 Acuter, 22 Scorpio, 23 Doctor, 24 Malachi. DOWN: 1 Diploma, 2 Assigns, 3 Fleets, 4 Runner-up, 5 Nailed, 7 Events, 13 Tarshish, 14 Cantata, 15 Sharers, 16 Thecla, 17 Sparta, 19 Rector.

vout and esteemed leader who led us all by his example.

Surely sufficient time has now passed for the archdiocese of Durban, with the support of the bishops of Southern Africa, to start initiating a cause for Denis Hurley's sainthood.

I therefore, in common with many Catholics in South Africa, call for a start to the process for this great Church leader to be canonised.

Mervyn Pollitt, Waterfall, KZN

Liturgical Calendar Year A Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday, May 18, Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 6:1-7, Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19, 1 Peter 2:49, John 14:1-12 Monday, May, St Crispin of Viterbo Acts 14:5-18, Psalm 115:1-4, 15-16, John 14:2126 Tuesday, May 20, St Bernardine of Siena Acts 14:19-28, Psalm 145:10-13, 21, John 14:2731 Wednesday, May 21 Acts 15:1-6, Psalm 122:1-5, John 15:1-8 Thursday, May 22, St Rita of Cascia Acts 15:7-21, Psalm 96:1-3, 10, John 15:9-11 Friday, May 23 Acts 15:22-31, Psalm 57:8-12, John 15:12-17 Saturday, May 24, Dedication of the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi Revelation 21:1-5, Psalm 95:1-7, John 10:22-30 Sunday, May 25, Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 8:5-8, 14-17, Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20, 1 Peter 3:15-18, John 14:15-21

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: May 23: Bishop Dabula Mpako of Queenstown, on the third anniversary of his episcopal ordination.

May 31: Bishop Patrick Zithulele Mvemve retired of Klerksdorp, on his 73rd birthday.

CLASSIFIEDS

60TH WEDDINg ANNIVERSARY

bLAIR—Vic and Maureen (née Campbell). Married at Emmanuel Cathedral, Durban, May 8, 1954. Congratulations Mom and Dad. May Almighty God be with you always, from your loving children and grandchildren.

CONgRATULATIONS

THOMOLA—John Joale Rt Rev Mgr SCP. Bishop Elect Diocese Mohales Hoek, Lesotho. We congratulate you on your appointment as Bishop, we pray that the good Lord will guide and protect you in your new ministry. May he give the grace and strength to shepherd the flock entrusted to your care with compassion and love of Christ the Priest, who gave his life for the ransom of many. Tend the flock of God that is in your charge, be examples to them and when the chief shepherd appears; you will receive the unfading crown of Glory.

1Pet5;2;3;4. We will always remember you in our daily prayers and Mass.

From your brother servants, Daniel Ambrose Manuel and Victor Pather SCP.

IN MEMORIAM

POTHIER—Bernard. Died May 24, 2011. With us in spirit and still part of our daily lives, he has left us a legacy of goodness, wisdom and faith. Greatly loved and never forgotten by his wife Margaret, children Dominic & Siobhain, Nicholas & Heide, Rosanne & Tiernan, his grandchildren Luke, Jamie, Sam, Jodie, Catherine & Julian, his siblings and extended family.

May he rest in peace.

POTHIER—Bernard. Former director of the

Franciscan way of life?

Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company, manager of the Associates’ Campaign and good friend to all at The Southern Cross. Still fondly remembered by the directors, editor, manager and staff of The Southern Cross.

SEMPER (bLAND)— Tracy. In loving memory of a wonderful daughter, Mother, sister and friend who was called to her heavenly home 7 years ago on May 14, 2007. Always in our hearts and prayers and remembered daily by Ken, Carol, Jennifer, Mathew, Paul extended family and friends.

Rest in peace with Mom and Our Lady and her beloved Son, Jesus.

PERSONAL

AbORTION is murder—Silence on this issue is not golden, it’s yellow! Avoid ‘pro-abortion’ politicians.

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Website: www.scross.co.za 6th Sunday of Easter: May 25 Readings: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17, Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20, 1 Peter 3:15-18, John 14:15-21

T

HE Easter season, now galloping towards its end, just as you were thinking it had hardly started, celebrates the fact that God is in charge.

In the first reading, we are dealing with the aftermath of the death of Stephen, which is in turn the consequence of the appointment of seven “deacons” to wait at table.

The upshot is that all the Christians, except for the Twelve, are “scattered” from Jerusalem, into Samaria. That might feel as though it is the end of it all, but in fact it leads to the Gospel being preached in Samaria also; and at that point we may recall that back in the first chapter of Acts, Jesus had told his disciples that they were to be his “witnesses in Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth”.

So rather than a disaster, this is in fact Stage two of God’s plan, and we learn that all sorts of miracles have taken place in Samaria, “and there was much joy in that city”. And just to make it clear that it is indeed God who is in charge, the Twelve now send Peter and John to check it out; they “prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit”, which had not yet happened to them. And then they “laid

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Know that God is in charge Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit”. God is indeed in charge.

The psalm, a great shout of thanksgiving, has no doubt at all about this, with its invitation to “sing to the glory of God’s name; say to God, ‘How fearful are your works!’” This is followed by an excited invitation to “come and see God’s wonders; he inspires fear among the children of Adam.” Then the poet goes back and recalls the Exodus: “He changed the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot.” Then the tone becomes more personal, for the individual, rather than the whole nation, thanking God: “Come and hear, and I shall recount (all you who fear God) what he has done for my

soul.” God is very much in charge.

For Peter, in our second reading, the focus is very much Christ (though of course that is the same as recognising that it is God who is in charge): “Make holy the Lord Christ in your hearts.” And then we are told that there may be trouble ahead: “Be ready all the time to make your defence to anyone who asks you to give an account of the hope that is in you.” Because God is in charge, they are not to be too upset if they find themselves suffering, “for it is better to suffer when you do good (if the will of God should will it) than when you do evil”.

And we are to take Christ as an example, because he “suffered [as we and Peter’s first readers have suffered] once for sins, the just on behalf of the unjust, that he might lead you to God: he was put to death in the flesh, but was made to live in the Spirit”.

The gospel presents us with a dying Jesus, for its setting is the Last Supper, on the night before his crucifixion, and Jesus is telling them how they are to survive: “If you love me, you are going to keep my commands.”

Road of nature and desire ATURE, desire, and soul—we rarely integrate these well. Yet they are so inextricably linked that how we relate to one deeply colours the others; and, indeed, spirituality itself might be defined as what we each do in terms of integrating these three in our lives.

More recently notable spiritual authors such as Annie Dillard, Kathleen Norris, Bill Plotkin, and Belden Lane have argued persuasively that physical nature profoundly affects the soul, just as how we manage our private desires deeply influences how we treat nature.

Spirituality is naïve when it is divorced from nature and desire. In a book just released, The Road Knows How: A Prairie Pilgrimage through Nature, Desire and Soul, Canadian writer Trevor Herriot joins these voices in calling for a better integration between nature, desire, and soul.

The flow of the book follows its title. Herriot does a walking pilgrimage across part of Canada’s Saskatchewan prairies, a land roamed for centuries by the buffalo, and lets nature and desire speak to his soul as he does this prairie Camino. The result is a remarkable chronicle, a deeply moral book.

As a naturalist, Herriot is involved in various conservation projects, from saving grassland birds to preserving the historic grass upon which the buffalo once roamed. Thus it’s no surprise that one of his central themes is the connection he intuits between nature and spirit.

“I worry about what happens when we separate spirituality from bodily life and

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Final Reflection

culture, both of which are profoundly connected to soil, climate, and the other givens of place,” he writes.

And we should worry too: “These days, we watch truckloads of grain pass by and sense that something in us and in the earth is harmed when food is grown and consumed with little intimacy, care, and respect. The local and slow food movements are showing us that the way we grow, distribute, prepare, and eat food is important for the health of our body-toearth exchanges,” Heriott says.

“The next step may be to realise that the energy that brings pollen to ovary and grows the grain, once it enters our bodies, also needs to be husbanded. The way we respond to our desire to merge, connect, and be fruitful—stirrings felt so deeply, but often so shallowly expressed—determines the quality of our body-to-body exchanges.”

From there it’s a short step to his reflections on sex and desire. Herriot submits that “there is a sadness that comes of misappropriating sexual energy, a kind of functional despair that hums away in the

background for most men if they stop long enough to listen to it”.

In brief, for him, how we treat our bodies, our spouses, and the other gender greatly helps determine how we treat nature. And the reverse is just as true; how we treat nature will help determine how we treat our own bodies, our spouses, our lovers, and the other gender.

“In a world bathed in industrial and impersonal sex, where real connection and tenderness are rare, will we sense also that something in us and in the earth is being harmed from the same absence of intimacy, care, and respect? Will we learn that any given expression of our erotic energies either connects us to or divides us from the world around us and our souls? he asks.

“We are discovering that we must steward the energies captured by nature in the hydrocarbons or in living plants and animals, and thereby improve the ways we receive the fruits of the earth, but we struggle to see the primary responsibility we bear for the small but cumulatively significant explosions of energy we access and transmit as we respond to our own longings to connect, merge, and be fruitful. Learning how to steward the way we bear fruit ourselves as spiritual/sexual beings with a full set of animal desires and angelic ambitions may be more important to the human journey than we fully understand.”

This is not a language that’s easily digested by either the right or the left.

Like Allan Bloom’s book a generation ago, The Closing of the American Mind, Herriot’s book is poised to have equally strong critics on both sides of the religious and ideological spectrum.

Religious conservatives will be upset about some of his views on sexuality, but I fear that many secular liberals will be just as upset by those views as their right-wing counterparts.

The same holds true for some of Herriot’s views on soul, Church, historical Christianity, patriarchy, feminism, gender, homosexuality, and global warming.

Conservative Christians will find themselves stretched in ways that they would prefer to not think about, and strident secularists will find themselves constantly incredulous that someone like Herriot, whom they consider an ally, will speak of soul, spirituality, lust, and chastity in ways that they have long-considered naïve; but holding very complex truths often creates precisely this kind of tension.

The American psychologist James Hillman used to quip: “A symptom suffers most when it doesn’t know where it belongs.” The Road Knows How tells us where many, many of our symptoms belong.

And that has consequences: “I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, to be with you forever.”

Jesus’ death seems the most impossible tragedy, the clearest sign that the universe is totally beyond God’s control, and yet here he is affirming that the Father is in fact running the show, and that they will know this when they receive the Paraclete, who is here mentioned for the first time.

Jesus recognises that they will feel abandoned, but tells them: “I am not going to leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.”

The basic message is what readers of this gospel have known since the very beginning: “On that day, you will recognise that I am in my Father and you are in me, and I am in you”. Then we come back to the commands with which the reading started: “The one who has my commands and who keeps them—that is the one who loves me. But the one who loves me will be loved by my Father; and I shall love that person, and show myself to them.”

God, you see, is in charge.

Southern Crossword #602

ACROSS ACROSS 4. Author of the Book of Common Prayer (7) 8. You could add it to injury (6) 9. Field in which the unbeliever is seen (7) 10. Stand around purposelessly (6) 11. Makes an effort (6) 12. One in the large church could be a clergyman (8) 18. Turn to preach or blame (8) 20. Forms (6) 21. Are cut in a sharper manner (6) 22. Eighth sign of the Zodiac (7) 23. Theological physician?

(6) 24. Last book of the Old Testament (7)

DOWN 1. Certificate (7) 2. Signs as one designates (7) 3. Groups of ships (7) 4. One who ascends takes second place (6-2) 5. Daniel is pinned down (6) 7. Occasions for Steven (6) 13. Jonah fled to here (Jo 1) (8) 14. Kind of musical Mass (7) 15. They hold what they have in common (7) 16. See the clan concealing nun saint (6) 17. Ancient Greek city that had no luxuries (6) 19. Seminary head (6)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

A

PRIEST was invited to attend a house party. Naturally, he was properly dressed, wearing his priest’s collar.

A little boy kept staring at him the entire evening. Finally, the priest asked the little boy what he was staring at.

The little boy pointed to the priest’s neck. He asked the boy: “Do you know why I am wearing that?”

The boy nodded his head, and replied: “It kills fleas and ticks for up to three months.”