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Archbishop turns sod for Jo’burg’s Marian shrine By MAndLA ZiBi

M Fr Stefan Hippler explains to children what is happening during Holy Mass at an annual openair service for the German-speaking Catholic Community in Cape Town at The Glen in Camps Bay. Children Matthias, Sophia, Viviana and Lucy listen attentively to the priest at the Mass, which was followed by the traditional picnic. They will receive their First Commnion in June.

Papal message for nun, 110 O NE of the oldest religious sisters in the world received a message from the pope when she turned 110. Despite her advanced age, Sr Candida Bellotti (pictured right) retains the enthusiasm of a young woman. At age 80, Pope Francis is 30 years her junior. In his message he wrote: “To the Reverend Sister Candida Bellotti, Sister Minister of the Sick, who with gratitude to God is celebrating her 110th birthday, the Holy Father Francis spiritually participates in the joy we all share for this happy occasion and sends warm congratulations and heartfelt wishes.” Sr Bellotti celebrated her birthday with Bishop Benvenuto Italo Castellani of the Italian diocese of Lucca. She resides in the diocese along with the convent’s sisters and the provincial superior, Sr Giuliana Fracasso. In an interview, she said that her vocation was “sown” in a Christian family. “Love, love and love still more, with joy,” is the advice she gives everyone, especially the new generations. She has a special invitation for young people: “Have confidence in the future, and strive to the utmost to accomplish your desires.” Sr Bellotti belongs to the Congregation of San Camillus de Lellis, which this year ob-

The

serves the 150th anniversary of the death of its founder, Bl Maria Domenica Brun Barbantini. The 110-year-old sister was born in Quinzano, in the Italian province of Verona in 1907. Since the 1930s, she has dedicated herself to serving those in need as a professional nurse in various Italian cities. Since 2000 she has been living in Lucca, at her congregation’s mother house. Sr Bellotti ‘s 110th birthday came soon after French Dominican Sister Marie Bernardette died at the same age.—CNA

ORE than 6 000 people witnessed Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg officially launch the building of the archdiocesan Marian shrine and pastoral centre in Magaliesburg. Among the guests was Water and Sanitation minister Nomvula Mokonyane. The archdiocese of Johannesburg has officially declared 2017 to be the year of devotion to Mary, and its Marian Year will run until December 28. R9 million worth of land has been allocated to the project. The money came from donors, including support from laity through their sodalities. However ,more money is needed—about R8 million—to renovate current structures at the site, such as ablution blocks and dormitories. At the sod-turning ceremony, Archbishop Tlhagale said Marian shrines are “an expression of Mary’s presence among us” and pointed out that there are many people “who are not able to partake in [pilgrimages to holy shrines] due to financial constraints, leaving them at a disadvantage and spiritually dry”. Having a shrine in Johannesburg would mean everybody in the archdiocese will “easily experience a tranquil time with Mother Mary in a solemn encounter—only a taxi away”. The archbishop pointed out that Pope Francis has said that shrines should cultivate a sense of God’s beauty through Our Lady and that they must provide an atmosphere for discerning and responding to vocations as a gift to God. Responding to concerns about building a shrine without any apparitions at the place, Archbishop Tlhagale said he “saw it fit” that a permanent monument be erected as a remembrance of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. “We do not necessarily need to erect a shrine only if there have been apparitions. The actions of a pilgrimage are meant to be instructive and transforming in our Christian lives, with a sole purpose of one having an encounter with Christ,” he said. The shrine is a response to the apparent

S outher n C ross &

100 Years Fatima A spiritual journey to Fatima • Lisbon

1 - 10 October 2017

Archbishop Buti Tlhagale incenses the ground at the end of a sod-turning ceremony for the new archdiocesan Marian shrine at Magaliesburg. (Photo: Alexis Callea) loss of Catholics to the aggressive wave of the Pentecostal, Evangelical and Charismatic movements, he said. It seeks to reinvigorate our lukewarm Catholic faith; to rekindle the faith of lapsed Catholics and to invite back those who have abandoned the Catholic Church. “Social media is abuzz, with people confident that this project will flourish. In certain parishes, more collections have been taken up, showing the utmost support that priests have towards this project. There is also a sense of urgency from enthusiastic people that we should get everybody on board so that we are able to realise this dream, which will be a spiritual home to all of us,” said Lebo wa Majahe, a journalist connected with the archdiocese. The shrine centre will include conference and seminar rooms, as well as accommodation and dining facilities. n More at www.motherofmercy.co.za

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The Southern Cross, March 8 to March 14, 2017

LOCAL

Churches condemn xenophobic violence By MAndLA ZiBi

HE bishops’ Justice and Peace Commission (J&P) and the South African Council of Churches have strongly condemned the recent violence against foreign nationals in Pretoria and Johannesburg, saying that no grievance justifies these attacks. In a statement by chairman Bishop Abel Gabuza of Kimberley, J&P said communities should explore avenues to raise their concerns about foreign nationals instead of resorting to violence. “We cannot stress it enough that, even in cases of extreme dissatisfaction with law enforcement and alleged crimes perpetrated by some foreign nationals, community members should not take the law into their hands,” he said. Bishop Gabuza urged all Africans in the diaspora to “work actively and closely with the South African police” to root out the criminal element among foreign nationals, especially those involved in drugs and prostitution. “We call on the government to strengthen border controls. We also call on the intelligence community to devise more effective ways to detect and counter xenophobic violence before it flares up,” the statement said. In the context of slow economic growth and increased economic inequalities in South Africa, the bishop said there is also a need to address the fierce competition for limited resources, public services and economic opportunities between foreigners

and the unemployed poor in South Africa. “If this is not comprehensively addressed, especially in townships and informal settlements, it will continue to generate an environment that increases the risk of xenophobic attacks.”

he community protests leading to violent attacks, arson, looting and intimidation of foreign nationals also provoked a statement from the South African Council of Churches (SACC). “The Churches of South Africa condemn these acts without reserve,” it said. “These campaigns are mounted with the explanation that some foreign nationals are engaged in drug and human trafficking. While there is reason to be concerned about crime, drugs and human trafficking, there is no justification for chasing after every fellow African who is nonSouth African simply because there are some who are believed to have conducted criminal offences,” the statement said. The SACC said crime is not new in South Africa, and there has never been a profiling and branding of whole communities with a “negative and objectionable brush, except in apartheid South Africa where for being black you were suspect until proven otherwise”. The council asked: “Where is our cultural ethos of ubuntu/botho?”, adding that “law enforcement and the justice system should deal with criminals,

and we should seek to strengthen those agencies of our constitution, and uphold the human rights of all people.” The SACC pointed out that South Africa is a constitutional democracy based on human rights and the dignity of all human beings. It decried the “violent scenes of organised activism against foreign nationals” that flashed across the world’s media as a “disservice and a disgrace for a society that is 75% Christian”. “Where has our humanity gone when we mobilise for this shameful and inhuman violence? “Where are the anchors of our faith when we roar for the innocent blood of people we don’t even know, just because they were born in another African country? the SACC asked. “Have we considered what this might mean for everything South African in the rest of the continent? Have we considered what it might mean for South Africa to be branded an outcast in Africa? “Have we considered how this tendency endangers our sports clubs and national teams in continental campaigns?” The council called on all faith communities, church leaders, community leaders, sports clubs and federation leaders, as well as government and political parties, to make a collective call on communities to refrain from these actions. “We should not and just cannot countenance an inter-African war in the streets and workplaces of South Africa,” the SACC said. Learners at Holy Rosary School in Edenvale, Johannesburg, after the Ash Wednesday service, the start of Lent. At Mass, the girls received ashes on their foreheads as a symbol of hope, and to remind them that we are part of the creation of God. Seen here are (from left) Taylor Sheffield, Grace Morgan, Jadelyn davies, daniella Ribeiro, Carli dunmow and nadia Tozzi.

CORRECTiOn: Our front-page story “Budget 2017: tough times” misquoted Mike Pothier of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office as saying: “you have the ministers of mineral resources and of labour buying themselves luxury cars worth more than a million rand…” The transcript of the interview shows that Mr Pothier did not mention the minister of labour at all. We unreservedly retract the mention of the minister of labour in the report and apologise for the confusion this has caused.

GOD BLESS AFRICA

Guard our people, guide our leaders and give us peace. Luke 11:1-13

PUBLIC LECTURE on

Amoris Laetitia: Where to from here? Some Thoughts on the interpretation of the document Speaker: Dr Jan Jans Tilburg University, The netherlands

Date: Wednesday, 22nd March 2017 Time: 19h00 Venue: Christ the king Catholic Church, new Way, Pinelands

ALL WELCOME

Refreshments will be served Hosted by the SACBC Parliamentary Liaison Office Tel: 021 461-1417 / Email: events@cplo.org.za www.cplo.org.za

Franciscans met at The kraal in Pretoria with visiting Franciscan worldwide head Fr Michael Perry OFM. (Photos from Fr Makhomba khanyile OFM)

Worldwide Franciscan head visits South Africa

HE head of the Franciscans worldwide visited South Africa to meet with friars and sisters of various Franciscan congregations. At The Kraal in Pretoria, Fr Michael Perry OFM, the US-born minister-general since 2013, met with members of the Order of Friars Minors, Capuchins, Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary and novices. He also had a meeting with all the friars of the province at La Verna Retreat Centre and offered them his input the whole day.

Fr Perry took over as minister-general—a term St Francis introduced for the head of the order he founded in place of the more common superiorgeneral—to replace Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo after he was appointed secretary for the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Fr Perry worked as a missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo for ten years until his election as minister provincial of his province in the United States in 2008.

South African Franciscans gathered at La Verna Retreat centre in Gauteng to meet visiting Franciscan global head Fr Michael Perry OFM.

Your one-stop resource centre By MikE LEnAGHAn

ORT Elizabeth’s Diocesan Catholic Resource Centre is a one-stop centre aimed at helping those who seek spiritual growth for themselves, their family members and friends. Situated at the chancery at 10 Park Lane, the CRC comprises the repository, archives and St Michael’s library, which contains over 10 000 books. The library keeps growing, with donations of books from those who are downsizing and those who have given their personal libraries to the CRC. The library covers all the subject matter one would expect from a facility of this nature, such as baptism,

Catholic Church history, clergy, ecumenism, healing and so on. It is understood that there are more than 2 000 books on all aspects of the Bible, such as commentaries and dictionaries, which may assist study groups or individuals who wish to increase their religious knowledge. The library is associated with St Augustine College, the Catholic university based in Johannesburg, and is an ideal place to assist those who are currently or wish to be a student in the future. n Contact manager Denise Steenkamp by phone between Monday and Friday from 9:30 to 15:00 at 041 373 1686 or on repository@catholic-pe.co.za

The Southern Cross, March 8 to March 14, 2017

LOCAL

Cardinal visits to invest new knights and dames STAFF REPORTER

CARDINAL will visit South Africa this month to preside over the investiture of new knights and dames into an ancient chivalric order. Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, grand master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and former archbishop of Baltimore in the US, will preside over a vigil and investiture in Cape Town’s St Mary’s cathedral. The vigil will be held on Friday, March 17, at 19:00. The investiture Mass of new members will be on Saturday, March 18, at 11:00.

Cardinal O’Brien will be joined by Cape Town’s Archbishop Stephen Brislin, prior of the order in South Africa, as well as Mgr Clifford Stokes and Fr Peter-John Pearson. The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, often known as the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order under the protection of the Holy See which traces its origins to around 1099. Today its primary function is to support the Christian presence in the Holy Land, with financial support for social projects, religious works and other forms of interna-

Cardinal Edwin O’Brien will be visiting this month as the worldwide head of an ancient chivalric order, the knights of the Holy Sepulchre, to preside over a vigil and investiture of new members.

tional solidarity. The order has about 23 000 members in 52 lieutenancies around the world, including monarchs and heads of states. The South African lieutenancy is the only one in Africa. Cardinal O’Brien has served the order as grand prior since 2011. He previously served as archbishop of Baltimore from 2007-11, and before that as the archbishop for the US military services from 1997 to 2007. n For more information contact magistral delegate Joseph Quinn on 082 828 6487 or e-mail him at joe fquinn@gmail.com

SACBC wants regulation of banks B

Fr Herman Giraldo, durban port chaplain, says a new directory, issued by the Apostleship of the Sea, will give Catholic seafarers and others in the maritime industry greater access to the charity’s services.

Apostleship of the Sea launches new directory

ATHOLIC charity Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) has launched a revised version of its global port chaplains’ directory, which helps seafarers get access to pastoral and faith resources in South Africa. The Port Chaplain Directory 2017 lists phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the seafarers’ charity’s chaplains in Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Richard’s Bay. This year’s directory includes contact details of chaplains in 261 ports across 55 countries, compared to 207 ports and 49 countries in 2016. “We have chaplains in most of the world’s ports. Providing up to date and accurate details of all our chaplains is a valuable resource both for Catholic seafarers and those working in the maritime in-

dustry,” said Fr Herman Giraldo, AoS Durban port chaplain. “It enables our chaplains to provide holistic care for seafarers in ports worldwide and gives seafarers a tool to get quick and easy access to assistance and advice,” he said. In 2016, AoS port chaplains in South Africa visited more than 200 ships and assisted seafarers with a range of faith needs, including getting to Mass, prayer cards, rosaries and pastoral care. The directory is available both online and in hard copy, and port authorities or shipping companies wanting copies for their crews should get in contact with the charity. n AoS’ Port Chaplain Directory 2017 can be downloaded at www.bit.ly/ 2lnCEGr

ISHOP Abel Gabuza, chair of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s Justice & Peace Commission, has called on parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance to consider further regulation of banks if they are found guilty of collusion by the Competition Tribunal. The Competition Commission, the state entity charged with investigating uncompetitive behaviour in the South African market, has announced that several banks are involved in collusion and manipulation of the currency market, involving the Rand. Banks implicated include local players Absa, Investec and Standard Bank, as well as big international players such as HSBC, Standard Chartered and Nomura International. The commission has referred the banks to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution. “If the tribunal confirms the commission’s findings, we urge the Treasury and the Standing Committee on Finance to institute more effective regulation of banks, in furtherance of the common good, to prevent more market abuse,” said Bishop Gabuza.

Bishop Abel Gabuza, head of the bishops’ Justice & Peace Commission, wants regulatory action if banks are found guilty of collusion. According to him, this should include efforts to speed up the finalisation of the Financial Regulation Bill. “We particularly insist on the establishment of this market-conduct regulator,” he said. Bishop Gabuza commended the Standing Committee on Finance for its efforts to oppose the concentration levels in the banking sector. “In any sector, when too much

Hear St John Passion

HE Durban Symphonic Orchestra and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion in Mariannhill’s St Joseph’s cathedral on Palm Sunday. Conducted by Naum Rousine, the performance will be staged on April 9 at 14:30. Soloists include Nicholas Nichilidis and Aubrey Lodewyk. Tickets are R120 per person, available at the door. Free parking is available. n Call Marian at 082 418 0883 or Liz at 082 374 3965.

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power is concentrated in too few hands, the biggest losers are often the poor and low-income earners. “In so far as they are undertaken in a manner which is consistent with international benchmarks and the interests of the poor, we support government efforts to break the dominance of South Africa’s largest banks and increase access to the economy,” he declared. The bishop also called for a stronger culture of ethics in the banking sector. “The bank collusion is a reminder that we need to strengthen ethical infrastructure in the financial sector. We are often worried that, since the banking sector is important for increased investment and faster economic growth, it is often treated as if it is a sector that should be above ethics and the law,” he said. He argued that, just like other sectors, banking should be subjected to ethical imperatives and regulatory frameworks that promote the common good. He assured that the Justice & Peace Commission “shall continue to speak out against corruption in the financial sector, with the same vigour we use when we condemn corruption in the public sector”.

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The Southern Cross, March 8 to March 14, 2017

INTERNATIONAL

The first pope to attend Anglican service in Rome By JUnnO AROCHO ESTEVES

T An artist’s depiction shows the possible surface of TRAPPiST-1f, one of seven newly discovered planets in the TRAPPiST-1 system. (Photo: nASA/CnS)

Jesuits: New discovery of planets gives hope By CAROL GLATZ

HE quest to find life on other planets got a boost when astronomers confirmed the existence of at least seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a red dwarf star just 40 light years away. Three of the planets are located in the so-called “habitable” zone, a kind of “Goldilocks” sweet spot in that their distance from the sun makes them not too hot, not too cold, but just right for having liquid water—an essential ingredient for life. “The discovery is important because, to date, it has revealed the highest number of Earth-sized planets revolving around a single parent star,” said Jesuit Father David Brown, an astrophysicist who studies stellar evolution at the Vatican Observatorys. “Depending on different factors, all of the planets could potentially harbour conditions for the possible existence of life on them,” he said. He said scientists and astronomers will now want to use newer and more powerful telescopes to learn more about the TRAPPIST-1 solar system, such as the planets’ atmospheres. The name TRAPPIST is an acronym for the “Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope”, which is located in Chile, but the

name also reflects the exploration project’s Belgian roots by honouring Belgium’s famous Trappist beers, made by Trappist monks. “The use of religious names in space discoveries is not rare,” the astrophysicist priest said, because religious men have been among the many scientists contributing to human knowledge of the world and universe throughout history. For example, he said, several craters on the moon are named after Jesuit priests and brothers and the SECCHI (Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation) instruments being used for solar research are named after Jesuit Father Angelo Secchi, one of the founding fathers of modern astrophysics. Fr Brown said the human fascination with the possibility of life on other planets “speaks to one of the most basic questions that confront humanity as it contemplates its place in this cosmos: ‘Are we alone, or are there others in the universe?’” Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory, said the question of life beyond Earth is “a question of faith”. “God speaks to us through what he has created,” he said, and creation has been created “by a God of love, joy and surprises,” said Br Consolmagno.—CNS

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HE path towards Christian unity can’t be found isolated in a laboratory hashing out theological differences, but rather by walking together on a common journey, Pope Francis said. “While theological dialogue is necessary, Catholics and Anglicans can continue to “help each other in our needs, in our lives and help each other spiritually”, the pope said while answering questions from parishioners of All Saints’ Anglican church in Rome. “This cannot be done in a laboratory; it must be done walking together along the way. We are on a journey and while we walk, we can have these theological discussions,” he said. The pope made history as the first pontiff to visit the Anglican parish, which was celebrating the 200th anniversary of its establishment in Rome. Invited by the Anglican community, Pope Francis took part in an evening liturgy and blessed an icon of Christ the Saviour to commemorate the occasion. The prayer service included a “twinning” pledge between All

Pope Francis is flanked by Anglican Bishop Robert innes, as he blesses the congregation with holy water during his visit to All Saints’ Anglican church in Rome. (Photo: Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters/CnS) Saints’ Anglican church and the Catholic parish that shares its name in Rome. As Pope Francis looked on, the pastors of both parishes signed a pledge to collaborate in joint retreats, works of charity and sharing meals with each other. Rev Jonathan Boardman, chaplain of the Anglican church in Rome, presented the pope with several gifts that highlight his concern for the poor and the marginalised, including a promise to serve meals to the homeless once a week in his name. The Anglican community also presented Pope Francis with a basket

of homemade jams and chutneys as well as a Simnel cake, a traditional fruitcake typically served on the fourth Sunday of Lent and adorned with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles, minus Judas. After welcoming the pope to the parish, Rev Boardman noted that when divisions first began, the title “Bishop of Rome” was once used by Anglicans as an insult “or an attempt to belittle it”. “Today for us recognising your unique role in witnessing to the Gospel and leading Christ’s church, it is ironic that what we once used in a cruel attempt to ‘put you in your place’ has become the key to your pastoral kindness in being alongside us and so many other Christians around the world,” Rev Boardman said. The pope thanked the congregation and acknowledged that much has changed between Anglicans and Catholics, “who in the past viewed each other with suspicion and hostility”. “Today, with gratitude to God, we recognise one another as we truly are: brothers and sisters in Christ, through our common baptism.”— CNS

Corned beef okay on St Patrick’s Day By CAROL ZiMMERMAnn

HEN St Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday, as it does about every seven years, the Lenten rule requiring Catholics to abstain from meat on Fridays collides with the long-held US tradition of eating corned beef and cabbage. The two occasions meet this year. March 17 marks the celebration of St Patrick—known as the Apostle of Ireland for his years of missionary work there—and it also is a celebration of all things Irish and even green. This March 17, since it falls on a Friday in Lent, also is a time of penitence. The timing has not gone unnoticed by some US bishops. Before Lent even started, many of them issued dispensations for Catholics in

Cardinal Timothy dolan while serving as grand marshal of a St Patrick’s day Parade in new york City. (Photo: Gregory Shemitz/CnS) their dioceses allowing them to eat meat on St Patrick’s Day. The dispensation does not take Catholics totally off the hook. Many

bishops advised Catholics over the age of 14, who are required to abstain from meat on Friday, to do an extra act of charity or penance in exchange for eating meat. Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin, said Catholics should also “exercise due moderation and temperance in festivities and celebrations of the memorial of St Patrick, in keeping with the solemnity and honour that is due to so great a saint and his tireless efforts to inspire holiness in the Christian faithful”. He tempered that by also saying the day should “foster a joyful and reverent devotion to that great saint” and should also “honour the patrimony of the Irish people to whom he first preached the good news of salvation”.—CNS

Aussie bishops want clarity on confession

USTRALIA’S five archbishops said they would consider asking the Vatican for clarification on concerns raised in a government inquiry into sexual abuse of children in the Church. Among those concerns were whether the seal of confession includes only the sins confessed, not other information revealed in confession, and under what circumstances—specifically concerning an abuser—a priest could withhold absolution. “These are two very specific issues where the Church must do more work at clarifying its own position so that those of us who are responsible for the formation of priests can make sure that our priests are properly educated in these matters,” said Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth. Archbishops Philip Wilson and Costelloe were among five archbishops who testified to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The commission—which has spent nearly four years hearing testimony, including from victims of abuse—heard from a wide range of witnesses, including scholars, doctors, theologians and members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. One of the commissioners, Robert Fitzgerald, summarised the dilemma faced by Church leaders: “Isn’t the reality that you have two sacred obligations that are now in conflict? You have the sacred duty to protect children based on Scripture, the Church’s teachings and its commitments to civil authorities. And you have an equally sacred commitment to the seal of

A display of protest placards sit outside the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse in Sydney. (Photo: david Moir, EPA/CnS) confession. In a sense, the Church is in a dilemma, a dilemma that it equally wishes to protect children and equally wishes to maintain the seal of confession.” All of the archbishops agreed it was a dilemma, but not all agreed on how they would handle certain situations. Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane said he would be prepared to withhold absolution in certain cases involving sexual abuse of children, but “it would need to be handled skilfully and sensitively”. Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne said he would withhold absolution unless the person confessing “would go to the authorities or seek medical help or something like that”. But Archbishop Anthony Fisher said he would “exhort them” to turn themselves

in to police and to get “medical, psychological, psychiatric help,” but added: “I don’t think I can make a condition of absolution that a person incriminate themselves.” A recurring question throughout the three weeks was whether celibacy—a promise not to marry—was a contributing factor in priests and religious abusing children. Several of the archbishops said if a person did not have the capacity to accept celibacy, perhaps they should not be priests, and they acknowledged that inadequacies in formation could be contributing factors to abuse. However, Archbishop Fisher pointed out the evidence from social science that the great majority of child abuse occurs within families. “So clearly it’s not just a problem for celibates,” he said. “And I think people can hide behind celibacy and the clerical state; they can hide behind marriage and the family state. People, predators, can use these situations in awful ways.” At the end of the final day of the hearings, Archbishop Hart reiterated his apologies to the victims, “to all those who’ve suffered, to their families, to those who continue to suffer, because it’s a terrible, terrible scourge in the life of the Church and of the community”. The archbishop, who with his colleagues acknowledged that the abuse of children in the Church was “a catastrophic failure in many respects, but primarily in leadership”, also thanked the commission for forcing “us to look so closely at what the Church needs to be”.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, March 8 to March 14, 2017

Survivor quits abuse commission By CAROL GLATZ

NE of the founding members and the last remaining abuse survivor on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has quit over what she described as resistance coming from Vatican offices against implementing recommendations. “The reluctance of some in the Vatican Curia to implement recommendations or cooperate with the work of a commission when the purpose is to improve the safety of children and vulnerable adults around the world is unacceptable,” said Marie Collins, who joined the commission when it was established in 2014. “It is devastating in 2017 to see that these men still can put other concerns before the safety of children and vulnerable adults,” she said in a statement published online by the National Catholic Reporter. Pope Francis created the commission to be an independent body of experts, including survivors of clerical sexual abuse, to advise him with recommendations on best practices for protecting minors and vulnerable adults in the Church. The commission is also charged with promoting responsibility in local churches by “uniting their efforts to those of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the protection of all children and vulnerable adults”, according to the commission’s statutes. “However, despite the Holy Father approving all the recommendations made to him by the commission, there have been constant setbacks,” Ms Collins said. “This has been directly due to the resistance by some members of the Vatican curia to the work of the commission. The lack of cooperation, particularly by the dicastery most closely involved in dealing with cases of abuse,

Marie Collins, who has resigned from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. (Photo: Carol Glatz/CnS) has been shameful,” she said. While Ms Collins did not specifically name which dicastery, the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation is charged with investigating verified crimes the Church defines as “more grave delicts”, which includes the sexual abuse of minors. The office, through its promoter of justice, also monitors the procedures that national bishops’ conferences have in place for dealing with abuse accusations and handling the dismissal from the priesthood of those guilty of sexual abuse. Ms Collins said the commission’s template of safeguarding guidelines was never sent out to the world’s bishops’ conferences for helping them craft or improve their own policies and “the dicastery, which has the responsibility for reviewing existing bishops’ conference policy documents and which has its own template, is refusing to cooperate with the commission on the combining of the work”.

he commission had recommended a new judicial section be added within the doctrinal congregation to judge crimes of “abuse of office” by bishops alleged to have failed in fulfilling responsibilities linked to handling suspected and known cases of sex abuse. Even though the pope and his nine-member

council of cardinals approved the new section in mid-2015, Ms Collins confirmed that it was never implemented. Another papal directive promoting accountability of negligent bishops and religious superiors—“As a Loving Mother”—was also meant to begin late 2016, but “it is impossible to know if it has actually begun work or not”, Ms Collins said. She said the “last straw” that led to her handing in her letter of resignation was when she learned that the same dicastery that refused to cooperate on the safeguarding guidelines had also refused “to implement one of the simplest recommendations the commission has put forward to date”. The recommendation, which the pope instructed that all Vatican departments follow, asked that every Vatican office “ensure all correspondence from victims/survivors receives a response. I learned in a letter from this particular dicastery last month that they are refusing to do so,” she said. “I find it impossible to listen to public statements about the deep concern in the Church for the care of those whose lives have been blighted by abuse, yet to watch privately as a congregation in the Vatican refuses to even acknowledge their letters! “It is a reflection of how this whole abuse crisis in the Church has been handled: with fine words in public and contrary actions behind closed doors,” she said. She said she had pledged when she joined the commission that she would quit the moment she felt “what was happening behind closed doors was in conflict with what was being said to the public. This point has come. I feel I have no choice but to resign if I am to retain my integrity”.— CNS

Bishop: ‘Mary is not appearing in Medjugorje’ By Cindy WOOdEn

‘T

HE Virgin Mary has not appeared in Medjugorje,” said Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar-Duvno, the diocese in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which includes Medjugorje. Two weeks after the Vatican announced that Pope Francis was sending a Polish archbishop to study the pastoral needs of the townspeople and the thousands of pilgrims who flock to Medjugorje each year, Bishop Peric posted his statement on his diocesan website. Three of the six young people who originally claimed to have seen Mary in Medjugorje in June 1981 say she continues to appear to them each day; the other three say Mary appears to them once a year now. Bishop Peric noted that a diocesan commission studied the alleged apparitions in 1982-84 and again in 1984-86 with more members; and the then-Yugoslavian bishops’ conference studied them from 1987-90. All three commissions concluded that it could not be affirmed that a supernatural event was occurring in the town. The six young people continued to claim to see Mary and re-

ceive messages from her, and tens of thousands of pilgrims visited the town—and the alleged visionaries—each year. Pope Benedict XVI established a commission that worked from 2010-14; and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith began looking at that commission’s report in 2014. The position of the diocese of Mostar-Duvno “for this entire period has been clear and resolute: these are not real apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary”, Bishop Peric wrote in his statement, which was posted in Croatian and Italian. Some people, he said, believe the apparitions were real at least at the beginning—perhaps for the first week—but that the young people continued to claim to see and hear Mary “for other reasons, most of which are not religious”. Bishop Peric said a study of the transcripts of interviews with the six alleged visionaries from that first week give several motives for suspicion if not total doubt about the supernatural nature of events. First, he said, the Mary of Medjugorje usually speaks only when spoken to, “she laughs in a strange way, in response to cer-

tain questions, she disappears and then returns, and she obeyed the ‘seers’ and the pastor who made her come down from the hill into the church even against her will. She does not know with certainty how long she will appear, she allows some of those present to step on her veil lying on the ground, to touch her clothes and her body. This is not the Gospel Mary”. The seventh time Mary allegedly appeared on June 30, 1981, five of the youngsters were in a nearby town called Cerno and claimed to have seen Mary there. Bishop Peric said that in the recorded interviews, all five reported that the apparitions would continue for only three more days, July 1-3, 1981. “Then she changed her mind and still ‘appears’,” the bishop wrote. “Taking into account all that was examined and studied by this diocesan curia, including the study of the first seven days of the presumed apparitions, one calmly can affirm: the Virgin Mary has not appeared in Medjugorje. This is the truth that we uphold, and we believe in the word of Jesus who said the truth will set you free.”—CNS

israeli settlers are seen on a rooftop of a house in the West Bank settlement of Ofra. The residents were being evicted by the israeli police as ordered by the israeli Supreme Court because the house was built on private Palestinian land. in response israel’s parliament, the knesset, passed a new law that allows the government to seize private Palestinian lands where unauthorised israeli settlements have been built. The Catholic Patriarchate of Jerusalem strongly condemned “this unjust and unilateral law that allows the de facto annexation of Palestinian private land for the benefit of israeli settlements”. (Photo: Atef Safadi, EPA/CnS)

The Southern Cross, March 8 to March 14, 2017

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Catastrophic leadership

HE resignation of an abuse survivor from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is an indictment of the Vatican’s commitment to responding appropriately to a festering scandal. It is deplorable that 15 years after the abuse scandal broke in Boston, the Church at the highest levels is still failing in doing so. Marie Collins, an Irish abuse survivor of unimpeachable integrity, resigned because of obstruction by some in the Roman curia to papally-approved recommendations by the commission. While she praised Pope Francis and her fellow commission members for trying to implement best practice, she indirectly blamed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) for failing to cooperate with the commission. The final straw seems to have been a blanket refusal by CDF officials, in direct disobedience to the pope, to implement a recommendation that all correspondence from abuse survivors be responded to. It is difficult to understand how this was not a standard practice even before the Commission for the Protection of Minors made their recommendation. The refusal to implement this very simple recommendation not only disrespected the commission but also showed contempt towards abuse survivors. The commission clearly had an uphill battle from its inception in 2014, even to the point of not being allocated an office. These failings, and others detailed by Ms Collins, suggest that the Vatican is not united in safeguarding minors. The CDF is in charge of handling cases of priests accused of sexual abuse as well as of reviewing and approving the policies developed by bishops’ conferences in safeguarding minors from abuse. Ms Collins alleges that the CDF simply did not circulate the commission’s template of safeguarding guidelines to the world’s bishops’ conferences, and refused to cooperate in streamlining that template with its own. It may well be that power struggles and turf-protection are at the root of the obviously hostile relationship between the CDF and the commission. If so, then the scandal is magnified by the incongruity that the safety of children should serve as a political football. Ms Collins’ resignation comes

at a time when the abuse scandal has returned into the spotlight through Australia’s Royal Commission of Inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which held excruciating hearings for three weeks. The five archbishops of the country had to agree that the abuse crisis was caused by “a catastrophic failure” in Church leadership. Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth told the hearings that the Church “was a law unto itself, that it was somehow or other so special and so unique and, in a sense, so important that it stood aside from the normal things” that would exist in society. It seems that in some quarters in the Vatican, these attitudes persist. In these circumstances, how can the faithful be asked to invest their trust in the Church? Ms Collins’ resignation also coincided with—but was not cited by her as a reason—Pope Francis’ decision to reduce sanctions against a handful of abuser priests whom the CDF wanted to laicise, citing his vision of a merciful Church. Instead the priests were sentenced to penalties including a lifetime of penance and prayer, and removal from public ministry. At best, the pope’s decision was tone-deaf, and it will come back to haunt him. It certainly failed to conform to his repeated call for “zero tolerance” for abusers. We must remember that the heart of the scandal is not the incidence of abuse among priests, distressing though this is, but the “catastrophic failure” in leadership within the Catholic hierarchy. Pope Francis knows this and rightly approved the recommendation by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors that a judicial section be established by the CDF to hold accountable bishops and superiors of religious orders who failed to deal with abuse cases. Such a tribunal should have been established a decade ago. The CDF, it seems, has not implemented it, despite being mandated to do so by the pope. In a statement, Ms Collins characterised the way the Church has handled the abuse crisis in devastating terms: “with fine words in public and contrary actions behind closed doors”. Concrete and focused action must be taken now to put this right.

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

Give of your precious time at Lent

T is always helpful to receive good suggestions as to how to create a fruitful and refreshing season of Lent. The Southern Cross proposed “25 ways to live by this Lent” (March 1) while our local newspapers suggest the 23 familiar love-expressions of Mother Teresa. These suggestions will surely help and inspire many to live a better Lent. But let us also turn to the books of sacred scripture. From experience I know that this is extremely useful in this holy season, maybe not for all but possibly for some. It’s all very well to “give up” something, to make a sacrifice by abstaining. It could well change your lifestyle for the better. Yet, your most precious gift is your time:

OR Tambo chapel for all Christians

HE FAJS chaplaincy, which operates at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, would like to thank you for the article of November 16, 2016, which highlighted Christian ministry as part of an international network which seeks to serve all aviation personnel and travellers. The chaplaincy, which is interdenominational, is currently operated by volunteers who donate their time, and their finances, to care for all who utilise this airport. It is sadly one of the unfunded ministries within the Body of Christ. We would respectfully like to correct the figure quoted in the article for staff at OR Tambo. The figure quoted was 1 800 staff but this is actually 18 000 staff, plus 20 million passengers—quite a large “congregation” to serve in the name of our Almighty Father God. It is hoped that your article on Airport Christian Ministry will create an awareness among our fellow Christians, and encourage them to establish a sanctuary and ministry within their local airport terminals. Trisha Lovell, Johannesburg

Cruelty to animals

N his article “The funny side of being a priest” (December 14), Fr Chris Townsend refers to a township funeral “custom” where a bull is slaughtered. He quotes that a township lad selected a kitchen knife and with great confidence stabbed the bull in the hind. The so-called funny side is that the bull ran down the road and the youth was powered into a wall. If this was not enough, he writes that all the young men opened fire at the bull as it hurtled down the road and concludes that at the

Give God more of your time, and he will offer you eternity. Go out and care for his sick, the ageing, the lonely and the dying. What time you give to God and his people in need is never lost, not a single moment. It is all gain. And since Christian living is all about growth in love, I strongly recommend the text of St Paul in 1 Corinthians 13. It is the perfect expression of true love, God’s kind of loving. “Love is always patient, love is always kind, love is never jealous, is never selfish, is always forgiving…” and the rest. Now that is worthy of meditation. Take one virtue, only one a day, and seriously meditate on it, measuring your normal Christian behaviour against that one demand “meal” there were many small pieces of metal embedded in the meat. I can only describe this as yet another episode of severe cruelty to animals. I fail to understand how Fr Townsend could even have taken part in this meal. Perhaps as an excuse he could refer to this episode as yet another example of local “culture”, of which I am quite familiar. Eduardus Lensen, Somerset West

Pulse of religious State of the Nation

OLLS show 97 out of 100 South Africans believe in God, with half the remainder being unsure. Half of those believe in hell. The churches are the most respected institutions, above the government, the media and the courts. Nine out of ten oppose same-sex sexual relationships. Around twothirds oppose legal abortion. Political, academic and mainstream media, the legal profession and non-profit lobbies are, however, dominated by an elite mostly hostile to Christianity. The Christian faith is facing many attacks on religious freedom. For example, there are attempts to ban religion in schools, ban “politically incorrect” speech and micro-regulate religion. Most denominations are withering numerically. Charismatic-oriented churches are growing in 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

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of Christ. It is an excellent measuring rod which could change your entire view of Christian living. A final suggestion. We are encouraged to make the Stations of the Cross regularly, and say the rosary daily. It is possible, and it is most stimulating and moving to use the rosary beads and meditate on the Passion of Jesus: with each bead Jesus moves on from the garden of suffering to his death on Calvary (and every station of the cross is consciously present). The rosary comes alive and you have accomplished two wonderful devotions in, say, 30 minutes—or two hours if you so wish. Whatever route you pursue, may God’s Spirit go with you. Have a joyful Lent. Fr Ralph de Hahn, Cape Town numbers, but in many cases weakening theologically. Overall, Christian faith has majority affiliation but is in decline. South Africa’s 1994-6 Constitution acknowledges God multiple times, asks for his blessing, but removes “in humble submission to almighty God”. The nation saw legal abortion in 1996, and same-sex marriage in 2006. We narrowly averted a constitutional crisis in 2015-16 after a judge authorised euthanasia, later overturned on appeal. Universities are in crisis, with youth reared to revere violence against authority. South Africa desperately needs prayer for divine intervention and spiritual revival. Philip Rosenthal, ChristianView Network, Cape Town

JFK’s the man

HAT a brilliant article by Sr Joan Roccasalvo CSJ on leadership (February 15)! And she included John F Kennedy. He was so inspirational for me at age 14, starting with his Berlin speech. Five months later he died and even though at boarding school at CBC Pretoria, I collected full-page newspaper articles from his death and still have them in scrapbooks. In 1970 I ordered, from New York, thick hard-cover books on his life and records of his inspiring speeches too. I also have newspaper reports on Robert Kennedy when he died, and on family thereafter as well. I have been looking for someone to take them over. Parliament said, “Send them to us.” However, their reputation for record keeping is not convincing. So if you have an idea, let me know; you might want them. Peter Wills, Sedgefield

The Southern Cross, March 8 to March 14, 2017

PERSPECTIVES

Lent as the cure for greed addiction Fr Chris I Townsend WOULD never have thought of myself as greedy. It’s just not who I am—to myself. Yes, I do like good food and comfort food, and, well, as I’ve grown older the spectre of gout and that increasingly stubborn spare tyre has led me to a more considered temperance in my lifestyle. I don’t describe myself as greedy. During one of the evening services in our incredible parish mission, led by Frs Russell Pollitt SJ and Larry Kaufmann CSsR, we were asked to use one word to define our sinfulness. Out of the blue, it struck me that my one defining sinful attitude was, in fact, greed. It wasn’t selfishness or lack of prayer or anger—things that are easier to deal with in a sense—but greed! You could have floored me. This has become a point of extended reflection for me. As we go on the Lenten journey, this “greed lens” has become a powerful viewpoint for me—and I’m struck at how many places in my life are greed-points. When it comes to food, you get two types of clergy. Those who eat without end, hoard and store, and those who hardly eat. As a parish priest, eating is a problem. Time often runs away and I do get invited to meals where I have to eat carefully— I mustn’t overdo it. That’s difficult because families go to huge efforts in preparing the meal—you don’t just get fishfingers. On the other hand, often in my house there isn’t more than yoghurt and eggs and crackers—and, as in every presbytery, more condiment variety than you thought possible. I even have the family problem of two open bottles of ketchup. Yet, there is a

greed here…a greed borne of fear! There is never not going to be food, yet this is still a fear—and fear breeds greed. By far the biggest greed-point in my life is the greed for experience. Call it thrillseeking or the thirst for an adrenalin rush, this is a huge greed-point for many of us— we just can’t get enough. This greed for me is shown particularly in the use of social media. I am seldom without a phone or tablet, and I have to face that this greed is almost an addiction.

have done a Lent without social media, but in honesty I am not sure I could do

Our greed comes in many forms which we might not even be aware of, Fr Chris Townsend writes, for example in food or in experiences.

Pastor’s notebook

that again. So much of the parish communications are on social media now—and my addiction (or greed) is that strong. We easily become caught up in a neverending search for the experience, a complete experience, a managed experience. From the way that we plan our marriages and the wedding extravaganzas to the way that we cook and entertain to the unrestrained use of media. Our TVs are huge (I’ve just had to replace mine after a lightning strike), we cant just go on holiday to Margate anymore—exotic and spectacular have become our norms. If we consider the greed escalation that has become the norm in the world, our country—especially our government—our own voraciousness, we can then understand that all that we have left in a dogeat-dog world is a lot of corpses and a few fat alpha dogs/persons/countries/corporations. Where does this leave us? Greed has an incest-related first cousin… selfishness. As the selfishness grows to become a cultural definition point, we all get swallowed into this dysfunctional family. Lent is a perfect antidote to this selfishness and greed. Prayer re-centres my universe on Christ. Fasting checks the greed and almsgiving allows us to reach beyond ourselves so that we are rescued from the pit we find ourselves in.

To work is a central human right Judith Turner T HIS month South Africans celebrate the most precious rights we possess and the rights for which the struggle for our freedom was all about: human rights. A human right is a right which is believed to belong to every person. Human rights are so important in South Africa that they are enshrined in our Constitution under our Bill of Rights. This Bill of Rights is the cornerstone of democracy in South Africa. It enshrines the rights of all people in our country and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. The state must respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights in the Bill of Rights. The right to dignity is inherent in all human beings, simply because we are humans, regardless of race, gender, religion, ethnicity, and so on. As Christians we believe that we have this inherent dignity as human beings because we are created in the image of God. When we reflect on the state of our country, it is visible and tangible that the dignity of the human being, especially the youth, is being violated by the high degree of unemployment in our country. Those of us who have experienced unemployment will know first-hand how not having work leads not only to having no money to buy daily necessities but also to a sense of worthlessness. That affects our self-esteem. Why is this so? Work is much more than just gainful employment. The Christian concept of work defines work as the “distinguishing mark of human beings”. “Work is one of the characteristics that distinguishes human beings from the other creatures, whose daily activities for the preservation of life cannot be called ‘work’; only human beings are capable of work; only human beings perform work

Faith and Life

“As Christians we believe that we have an inherent dignity as human beings because we are created in the image of God—and that gives us the human right for work,” writes Judith Turner. with which they occupy their earthly existence,” Pope John Paul II wrote in his 1981 encyclical Laborem exercens. The saintly pope continued: “Thus work represents a special characteristic of man and of mankind, the identifying mark of the individual who operates within a community of individuals.”

hen we work, we unfold our Godgiven mental and physical powers. We occupy our skills and our talents, and through the use of these skills and talents, each and every person develops him or herself as a human person. So more than earning a living, work enables us to develop our skills and become better at what we do. When we work, we render a service to the community for the common good through whatever it is that our labour produces. So more than earning a living,

work enables us to render a service. More and more our work has to take into account the impact on the environment as we look for better ways of how to produce without spoiling the earth. So more than earning a living, when we work we also interact responsibly with God’s creation. Taking these elements of work into account, work becomes not only a human right but also a necessity. Each person needs to work to be able to express themselves as human beings and to be able to secure an appropriate living standard for themselves and their family. As Christians it is important for us to promote and fashion a world of work that embraces human dignity. It has been said that South Africa’s Constitution, including our Bill of Rights, is one of the best in the world—but we are a far way off from realising the rights contained therein. There are many organisations within the Church, such as the Kolping Society (which I serve), Scalabrini, Salesians, Catholic Welfare & Development, Thabiso Skills Institute, Denis Hurley Centre—the list is so extensive, I cannot possibly name them all—whose mission it is to bring gainful employment opportunities to young people, and you would do well by supporting these organisations and help many young men and women find dignified employment opportunities and thereby experience their human right to dignity.

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Lenten Reflection

When is it really a Lent sacrifice?

OR several years I gave up chocolate for Lent. The idea of going without chocolate for 40 days seemed like a fairly good way to “suffer” as I was called to contemplate Jesus’ suffering. It seemed to be a perfect way to give up something that I could sincerely offer up during my prayers and as I spent time in reflection. That was until our priest cautioned us about choosing to give up something we knew we ought to give up because it would “benefit” us; when, instead, what we should be doing is giving up something that would not be a “benefit” to us. Gee, I remember thinking, chocolate really has fallen into the “this-is-good-for-me-to-give-up category” because I began to consider the “benefits” of losing a couple of pounds and being a bit healthier for the effort. Now what? I wondered. In the middle of all this I also tried some things from the it-isn’t-about-giving-up-as-much-as-it-is about-making-changes category. That included the year when I committed to daily rosary and the year when I wanted to make sure I said “one good and positive thing” each day to my family members. None of these Lenten experiences stand out as ways that made the value of sacrifice something that is real, tangible and personal. So each year, as Lent approaches, I seek to know more deeply what it is that I should be doing, or not doing, for Lent—for God. A few years ago it was no different. Ash Wednesday loomed on the calendar and I began asking: “What will it be this year, Lord? Let me know, please, and I will obey.” At this point let me interject that I had been attending an Ignatian spiritual retreat which met a couple of times a month and the fruit—the graces—from the exercises had been abundant, to say the least.

o off to a dinner party I went, with Ash Wednesday less than a week away, and my request to know what Lent sacrifice the Lord had in store for me being freshly made and asked of him. I shouldn’t be surprised, then, that the first conversation I had upon entering our guest’s home is with a woman I greatly admire—a Facebook friend and a real-life friend—who said that she was giving up Facebook for Lent! My heart immediately responded with recognition that this is my answer. Facebook, unlike chocolate, won’t be good for me to give up; it won’t benefit me one bit. Frankly, just the opposite is true—it may be detrimental to my business of publishing books and sharing news of author happenings and various events. Indeed, this true sacrifice was made known to me in the last days of the contest in which one of our titles was in the running for a “Best Catholic Book” award. If it won, not being on Facebook and LinkedIn and writing articles meant I couldn’t take advantage of the social network to use this win in a very significant promotional way. A win would be something that just begs for tons of Internet attention and fanfare. And the good Lord was asking me to walk away. That, I said to myself, is the ultimate sacrifice! You see, I had worked 60-70 hours a week for the four or five years and was now seeing that it was paying off. But in the recesses of my heart, I knew I was being called to leave the Internet super highway behind during Lent and spend that time with God—in reading his word, in adoration, in Mass, in the Gospels by way of the rosary. I had previously tried to tell myself that being a witness meant embracing this new social media and that I was doing God’s will; but I was only giving myself an excuse to stay connected to the Internet. So with this contest, it became crystal clear to me what my sacrifice was to be that Lent; and I also knew that is wasn’t just about me removing myself from Facebook. I wouldn’t be writing articles during Lent either; I’d be removing myself from some key Internet activities so that my time with God would become more abundant, and definitely more personal. God was calling me and I couldn’t ignore him. What would this mean for my business? I had no idea; but I wasn’t worried. It all belongs to God anyhow. Each of us can be replaced in a heartbeat on the Internet—no matter how popular and followed we may appear—but each of us is completely irreplaceable to God so that’s where I want to spend my Lenten time: In his care, in his arms, in his presence, in his word.–CNA n Cheryl Dickow is an author, publisher, speaker and TV presenter.

The Southern Cross, March 8 to March 14, 2017

COMMUNITY A Police day Mass was held at St Charles Lwanga parish in ngwelezane township, Eshowe diocese. (From left) diocesan prison ministry coordinator PMC Mkhize, LOCAdE chaplain Fr Moruti ntholeng, vicargeneral and parish priest Fr S ntshangase, visiting priest Fr Sylvester ngema.

A jubilee celebration was held at Emmaus convent in East London. (From left) Sr ignatius Bradley (diamond jubilee), Sr Elizabeth Mxinwa (golden jubilee), Bishop Vincent Zungu, Sr Godfrieda Hagg (diamond jubilee), Sister Andrea van Hal (seated, platinum jubilee). Fellow jubilarian Sr Regina Giwu is absent. For a number of years de La Salle Holy Cross College in Johannesburg has run an initiative to extend Valentine’s day caring and love to the wider community. This year they responded to an appeal that a number of nGOs had made to help with the supply of basic toiletries. The high school pupils donated gift parcels containing toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap and facecloths on the eve of Valentine’s day.

young learners at St dominic’s Priory School in Miramar, Port Elizabeth, enjoyed Valentine’s day. Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, with parish priest Fr Tom Segami and deacon Thabo Thokoane, recites the renewal of baptismal promises to those being confirmed during the celebration of Mass at St Peter Claver parish in Pimville, Soweto. (Photo: Sello Mokoka)

Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic school, based in the south of Johannesburg, officially inaugurated its first prefect body for 2017. Learners (from left) are J Arendse, C de Booij, M Fan, B Lunga (headboy), T Manamela (headgirl), G Sparaco, R Makondo and C Zackey. The school is looking forward to having its first Grade 8 group in 2018.

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Budget 2017: tough times BY MANDLA ZIBI

F the latest Budget announcements are anything to go by, the Church will be called to give more assistance to the poor as government begins to implement “austerity” measures to balance its books, a top Catholic commentator told The Southern Cross following Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s Budget speech for 2017. While Mike Pothier of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office acknowledged the 7% increase on average in social grants announced by the minister, he pointed out that it was below “the real inflation rate for the poor”, which he estimated at 10%. “The standard of living for the poor in South Africa has gone up way beyond the official inflation rate of around 6%. Food prices and other living expenses have gone up considerably and social grants will not keep up, even after this increase,” he said. “So thankfully there is an increase, but the parish finance committees and other bodies in poor areas will still find it hard going to fund soup kitchens, food parcels and other interventions for the poor.” Mr Pothier said he believed there could be more cooperation between government and the Church in the area of poverty alleviation. He pointed out that many grassroots Catholic organisations who work with the poor are struggling for funds “but they know the problems that poor people face. They have the experience, they just lack the money,” he said. In an environment where international donors are increasingly turning to their own domestic problems, it did not make sense for government to continue to resist working with a homegrown non-governmental sector. “Instead you hear of government departments which fail to spend their budget allocations at the end of the cycle,” lamented Mr Pothier. Commenting in general on the Budget, he praised it as “very considered, thorough and vigorous”. “Minister Gordhan does not take chances. He does not underestimate anything, neither does he overestimate. His speech was about clarity, certainty and knowledge. Everyone knows where they stand. For example, now the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande, knows exactly how much he is getting and

what he can do as far as the issue of #FeesMustFall is concerned,” he said. Regarding what some commentators have called an “aggressive” new top tax rate of 45% for individuals earning over R1,5 million, Mr Pothier said it was “superficial” of the media to focus on the issue. “This is something that affects 1 person out of 50 000 in South Africa. On average this person takes home around R80 000 per month. You have CEOs who earn up to R30 million a year and yet the media focuses on the fact that he/she might have to pay a million rand more to the taxman. This is a very superficial approach to the situation,” said the commentator. He also blasted some cabinet ministers for ignoring Minister Gordhan’s calls for modesty and austerity in spending taxpayers’ money on luxury and inessential items, like cars, accommodation and parties. “You have the Ministers of Mineral Resources and of Labour buying themselves luxury cars worth more than a million rand each despite Minister Gordhan’s instructions. Instead of sending a message of solidarity with the poor and workers in the mines who are losing their jobs almost every day, they spit in their faces. This mentality of self-importance is worrying in our government. The president could also intervene by sending strong instructions to cabinet to support Minister Gordhan.” The highlight of the social budget was the fact that social grants were increased by about 7% on average. Spending on social grants is set to rise from R164,9bn in 2016/17 to R209,1bn by 2019/20, growing at an annual average of 8,2% over the medium term. The number of social-grant beneficiaries is expected to reach 18,1 million by the end of 2019/20. The specific increases are: • Old-age grants from R1 505 to R 1 600 per month. • State old-age grants for over-75s from R1 525 to R1 620. • War veterans’ grant from R1 525 to R1 620. • Disability grants from R1 505 to R1 600. • Foster-care grants from R890 to R920. • Care-dependency grants from R1 505 to R1 600. • Child-support grants from R355 to R380.

Rev Dirk Gevers, head of the Bible Society, with some of the children who received new isiZulu Bible-based literacy booklets at the launch of the project in Embo, near Hillcrest in KwaZulu-Natal. See Page 2 for the story.

Religious sisters ride in New Orleans Mardi Gras BY CHRISTINE BORDELON

S part of the 175th anniversary celebration of the Sisters of the Holy Family—an African-American congregation founded in pre-Civil War New Orleans by Mother Henriette Delille— 20 members of the religious order rode through the city in a Mardi Gras parade. Sr Greta Jupiter, head of the order, had asked the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale group if the sisters could ride with them, and Femme Fatale president Gwendolyn Rainey jumped at the request. “We found it only fitting that they ride, due to their work in the community and their history,” Ms Rainey said. “We are standing on their shoulders. We have a number of members who are graduates of St Mary’s Academy (a school run by the sisters). And, I know, somewhere in my life, their hands have touched me.” Traditionally, float riders are required to mask in costume, but the sisters were dressed in their normal veils, habits and wearing crucifixes. “We were their royal, honorary guests, so we didn’t have to wear a mask or costume,”

said Sr Greta. Riding in the parade is one of the congregation’s many activities during their year-long anniversary celebration, which will culminate with a closing Mass at St Louis cathedral and banquet in November. Sr Greta said the ride was historic, believed to be the first time a women’s religious congregation has ridden in a parade as a group. The sisters threw specially minted medallions to the crowds, one side bearing the coat of arms of the Sisters of the Holy Family, and the flip side of the medallion the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale’s logo. Sr Greta said she hoped the ride had created more awareness of the congregation’s history and its ministries today, which include care for seniors, feeding the homeless, and education. She also hoped it would further Mother Delille’s cause. Her sainthood cause was opened in 1988 and was approved unanimously by US bishops in 1997. She was declared venerable in 2010. “Parades are part of a celebration,” Sr Greta said. “And I really wanted the visibility of the Sisters of the Holy Family celebrating its 175th year.”—CNS

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Confirmands (clockwise from left back) Matthew Johnathan, kyle de Palo, Rowan Pillay, dauria Radmilo and Caitlin Paul are shown with Cardinal Wilfrid napier (centre back), parish priest Fr Brett Williams (far right), assistant parish priest Fr Mndeni Hadebe (far left) and Mary Ann Samuels (front left) at St Joseph’s parish in Morningside, durban.

The Ladies’ Group of Maria Regina parish in Pretoria gave Amalia Snyman a surprise 96th birthday party. Fr kevin Reynolds assisted her in cutting her birthday cake and proposed a toast to Mrs Snyman. Following World War ii, she received a citation from the supreme commander of Allied Forces in the Mediterranean for her service to troops in her home country, italy. She fell in love with a South African soldier, Ockert Snyman, whom she married in 1947. Mrs Snyman has always been involved in church activities, such as teaching catechism and raising funds for the Holy Cross Sisters’ home in Lady Selborne. (Photo: Peter Morey)

The Southern Cross, March 8 to March 14, 2017

FAITH

How to respond to suffering from illness In his second article on euthanasia and assisted suicide, MELESE SHULA explains the pros and cons of “advance directives” and offers a Christian response to suffering.

AST week I outlined the reasons why euthanasia and assisted suicide are incompatible with Catholic teaching and ethics, and why properly applied palliative care offers an alternative to an unnatural death. In this second article, I hope to shine a light on how we can prepare for being in the potential situation where we are unable to choose the course of our treatment, on what the Church says about suffering, and how we can accompany those who are suffering because of illness.

Advance directives “Advance directives” are a living will or a durable power of attorney. Some people choose, for the benefit of family members and medical personnel, to indicate in advance what should be done in the event that they become incompetent due to an accident or sickness. This can be done through an instructional directive (often called a “living will”) or a proxy directive (often called “durable power of attorney” or “mandate”). Instructional directives indicate in advance the level of medical treatment a person wishes to receive in situations where they are unable to communicate. According to some specialists, instructional directives are risky because it is so difficult to anticipate all possible scenarios, so the language almost never fully communicates the wishes of a person. Also, the doctor making the decisions may be unaware of the ethical values of the person concerned and could misinterpret the document to go against the individual’s wishes. Furthermore, this type of document is often distributed by organ-

isations favouring euthanasia which use vague language that can easily be interpreted in favour of euthanasia. A proxy directive is a more reliable way to ensure that our end-oflife decisions are respected. This is a legal document, either notarised or signed by a person in the presence of witnesses, whereby a family member or friend who knows our values and respect for human life is chosen as a health care proxy. When the time comes, that proxy will be responsible for making decisions about the type of care we should be given or not, or whether this care should be interrupted. It is best to avoid making a blanket statement rejecting certain types of care in all circumstances— unless death is imminent or treatment futile—but rather to leave enough latitude for our agent or doctor to offer appropriate care for our condition. It is important to be very clear about the meaning of the words we use, to review our directives periodically, and to make sure our proxy or our doctor and whoever else needs to know, is aware of these instructions.

Does the Church think it’s good for people to suffer? The Church does not see suffering as a good in and of itself, and we all have a duty to do everything in our power to eradicate or at least alleviate it. We need to discover how to be compassionate, how to enter into and share the suffering of others. There is no doubt that suffering challenges the very core of human life. Sometimes, in the face of overwhelming suffering, we must humbly acknowledge the limits of our capacity and the human condition. This is not easy to do in our technologically-driven society where we are accustomed to getting what we want, when we want it. The Church recognises that suffering can have great meaning and redemptive power in the lives of those who are suffering and those around them. When suffering has meaning it can help to make it bearable. Christians believe that Christ

“We also give life dignity by the way we respond to it—by reaching out to the dying person with compassion and attending to their most basic needs. We need each other in death in the same way that we need each other in life,” writes Melese Shula. brought human beings back to God through his Passion, Death and Resurrection; each person is invited to freely accept this reconciliation. Christians also believe that those who unite their sufferings to Christ’s with love participate in this work. Their feelings of anger and discouragement are replaced by quiet hope, and even joy. Suffering is no longer pointless. They find in God, especially by receiving the Body of Christ, the courage and strength to live fully all the days of their lives in anticipation of the eternal life for which God created us all in his love. The alternative is to provide people of all ages, particularly those who are seriously ill or disabled, including those in a terminal phase, with the utmost personal attention. This may include the best home care or palliative care, along with the best pain control and alleviation of suffering. Such an approach involves the

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS

greatest respect for all the needs of the person who is suffering or dying—emotional, physical, social and spiritual—until his or her natural death. This type of care keeps a sick person from feeling abandoned and asking for euthanasia. Where a person requests euthanasia out of deep loneliness, we would talk about a case of “social” euthanasia. Although palliative care cannot eliminate all suffering in all cases, it is an excellent way of affirming the life of the person who is dying. This is what is meant by death with dignity. We need to encourage governments to devote more resources towards palliative care in hospitals, homes and hospices and for the education of health professionals and the public about palliative care.

The desperate cases What about the people whose pain cannot be controlled, and

what about those whose pain can be alleviated but they just can’t bear the loss of control and fear losing their dignity? It is obviously important to direct more resources into research for better methods of pain control. However, experts in palliative care state that only a very small proportion of people suffer from intractable pain, and even then there are means to keep them as comfortable as possible. It is not hard to empathise with those who feel they have lost their dignity. Yet human dignity lies not in the exercise of control or even in the quality of life, but rather in the simple fact that they are human beings made in the image of God, made for life with one another. We also give life dignity by the way we respond to it—by reaching out to the dying person with compassion and attending to their most basic needs. We need each other in death in the same way that we need each other in life. This form of accompaniment can be painful and intense, but it is also full of possibilities for expressing love and gratitude, for spiritual growth and for reconciliation with God and one another.

Could you not watch one hour with me? Sheila Cassidy, an English palliative care physician and author, challenges us as a society and as individuals to be more involved in the care of those who suffer: “Those enduring great distress know that the cup cannot be taken away from them, but they value the presence of someone to share, however minimally, in their suffering—someone to watch with them during their agony. Jesus himself, when wrestling with his fear in the Garden of Gethsemane, begged his disciples to stay with him: “Could you not watch one hour with me?” How will each of us answer this question? n Melese Tumato Shula is a pastoral care officer at Catholic Healthcare Association of South Africa (Cathca) in Johannesburg. This concludes the two-part series on euthanasia and assisted suicide.

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The Southern Cross, March 8 to March 14, 2017

LIFE

50 shades of pain: sterile sex and the porn problem Is the pornographic culture and contraception taking the fun out of sex? JEnny UEBBinG argues it does and explains why.

HAVE seen dozens of articles about 50 Shades of Grey floating around the Internet, and I’ve read a handful of them. The thing that has me scratching my head over the whole situation—the fact that a trilogy of pornographic novels have been adapted to a reportedly dismallycast and middlingly-entertaining big screen productions, including the latest, Fifty Shades Darker—is how we got here in the first place. Not whether it’s wrong or weird or nasty to plan to take your spouse on a hot date to the movies to see Anastasia get spanked by Christian (though it is assuredly all of those things), but how is it that we have arrived at this destination, en masse, as a culture. Let’s look at the numbers; these books have sold 100 million copies since their release in 2011. That’s some kind of record, and whatever else we can take from those numbers, we can presume

that there’s definitely an audience for the stuff. And in the pornographic culture we live in, it has become perfectly acceptable to identify oneself as a paying member of that audience and synch up the Kindle for a little smut to ease the long airport layover or kill the time in a queue. Because you see, the overwhelming majority of that audience is female. I’m sure plenty of guys have read 50 Shades too, but it wasn’t written for them. Romance literature (if abuse and domination can be so categorised) is the centrefold pull-out of the female demographic. It’s printed porn, spelled out in characters and punctuation marks instead of screen shots and video clips. And there’s a growing market for smut of the feminine persuasion, because, yes, it has become more socially acceptable to raise one’s hand and identify oneself as a woman who consumes porn— but also because, I think, there are a lot of sexually-unhappy ladies out there. So why is that? Aren’t we all liberated and unshackled from the fear of pregnancy and the stigma of unmarried sex? Isn’t everyone entitled to access anything they could ever have dreamt of, in

terms of the erotic, now that all bets are off and all taboos have been discarded? And yet, what we’re longing for, apparently, is something so “exciting” that in polite circles and legal terms, it is actually defined as abuse and battery?

hich leads me back to the title of this piece. I have a pet theory about sex in the current cultural climate, and it goes like this: when a couple removes all of the mystery, all of the suspense, and all of the “riskiness” from sex, perhaps it becomes intolerably boring. Maybe your interest in your partner fades, over time, because sex becomes merely another option in a long list of activities which can be pursued after the dishes are done. Obviously my husband and I are in a unique and temporary season of marriage, during which time it is actually possible, when everything is functioning properly, for us to get pregnant. On paper, that means that every time we decide to have sex, unless we’re already currently pregnant, we first have to discern whether or not we’re disposed to receive another child into the mix. Because that is always a possibility. When the answer to that ques-

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The spread of pornography, including books like 50 Shades of Grey, and artificial contraception might be taking the thrill out of sex, argues Jenny Uebbing in this article. tion is “not right now”, we still have to enter into the act prepared that the outcome might be another nappy-wearer, even when all our calculations and observations tell us otherwise. Translation: even when we’re in a natural family planning “safe zone”, scientifically-identified as a period of infertility, there’s still always a chance that we’re wrong. I might have missed an observation or miscalculated a date. Or, since I’m not God, it could happen anyway, despite our best efforts otherwise. Because I’m not the one in control of my fertility, ultimately. I didn’t design me, and, short of a hysterectomy, I cannot 100% guarantee that I can suppress my fertility. An aside, that’s why “surprise” babies in contracepting couples always strike me as such an odd concept. I mean, sure, you were using condoms or taking the Pill, but did you really think that if you did the thing that makes babies, there was zero chance you might end up making one?

onestly, this slight risk does add a certain level of excitement/fear/wonder at the unknown to the mix. I’m not saying it’s comparable to the, erm, thrill (I guess?) of being tied up and hit by Christian Grey, but frankly, I don’t have the time to entertain thoughts of spicing things up with whips and chains. Nor the inclination. I wonder if couples who can

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have all the sex they want—as much sex as they can physically stomach, kind of like the Golden Corral of the bedroom—thanks to contraception—aren’t getting a little bored. Is that why Christian Grey is a welcome figure in the imagination of a woman who is already being used, on some level, by her partner? Is that why a man feels comfortable taking his girlfriend to a movie where a young woman is physically and psychologically abused by an older guy, because it’s a little thrilling to control her like that? Maybe there’s no real correlation, but I do think it’s worth considering that porn and contraception influence each other, even if only because they are both simultaneously so prevalent. But sex doesn’t need to be increasingly dangerous and forbidden in order to be satisfying. There isn’t some kind of pleasure threshold that only riskier and kinkier behaviour can satiate. Indeed, the further we drift from the Christian ideal of sex as a total gift of self, the more dissatisfied (and sexually dysfunctional) we become as a civilisation. Because at the end of the day and in the dark of the night, what we do with our bodies and to the bodies of the ones we love matters. It matters very much. And a relationship that purports to be loving but that trades in the currency of use and abuse is anything but romantic.–CNA

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The Southern Cross, June 8 to June 14, 2017

CLASSIFIEDS

Fr Ludwig Brunner SAC

ALLOTTINE Father Ludwig Brunner, formerly of Beaufort West, died on February 23 at the age of 77. He was a priest for 33 years and a Pallottine for 56 years. Fr Brunner was born on August 24, 1939, in Bad Mergentheim, in what is now the German state of Baden-Württemberg, as the fifth child of Alfons and Hildegard Brunner, who owned a farm. Since the time of his confirmation at the age of 11, he had a strong desire to become a priest or to join a monastery. His parish priest of the time was not surprised when young Ludwig told him this, for the boy received a good religious upbringing at home. During his high school years, it became clear that Ludwig would be given the opportunity only to acquire a trade and not go on to study. This news came as a huge disappointment for Ludwig, for he firmly desired to become a priest. In 1958, at the age of 19, he qualified as an electrician, at the same time joining the Pallottines as a brother. He made his perpetual vows in November 1965. In 1968, Br Ludwig was sent to Spain, where the Pallottines had a college in Verguellina. He joined the maintenance team as an electrician. He was supposed to go for only three months, but the Spanish superior prolonged

his stay with them every time, so that he ended up spending many years there. While in Spain, his provincial superior asked Br Ludwig if he was willing to go to South Africa and join the Pallottine missions here. Br Ludwig agreed and immediately started to learn English. He came to South Africa in 1975 with a double assignment: to assist the Pallottine missions and to work for the diocese with Bishop Manfred Gottschalk of Oudtshoorn. Immediately, Br Ludwig started to learn Afrikaans. He qualified as a master electrician and began to train many youngsters. He became a persistent fighter against apartheid and increasingly took on the tasks of pastoral care, to the ex-

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 749. ACROSS: 3 Proposals 8 Bull, 9 Companion, 10 In half, 11 Elder, 14 Admit, 15 Reap, 16 Sheba, 18 Easy, 20 Flour, 21 Today, 24 Velvet, 25 Bus driver, 26 Orca, 27 Currently. DOWN: 1 Abdicated, 2 Alchemist, 4 Roof, 5 Papal, 6 Sinner, 7 Look, 9 Clots, 12 Reconvert, 13 Spiritual, 17 After, 19 Yonder, 22 Avian, 23 Zulu, 24 Veil.

Liturgical Calendar Year A – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday March 12, 2nd Sunday of Lent Genesis 12:1-4, Psalms 33:4-5, 18-20, 22, 2 Timothy 1:8-10, Matthew 17:1-9 Monday March 13 Daniel 9:4-10, Psalms 79:8-9, 11, 13, Luke 6:36-38 Tuesday March 14 Isaiah 1:10, 16-20, Psalms 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23, Matthew 23: 1-12 Wednesday March 15 Jeremiah 18:18-20, Psalms 31:5-6, 14-16, St Patrick Matthew 20:17-28 Thursday March 16 Jeremiah 17:5-10, Psalms 1:1-4, 6, Luke 16:19-31 Friday March 17, St Patrick Genesis 37:3-4, 1213, 17-28, Psalms 105:16-21, Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46 Saturday March 18, St Cyril of Jerusalem St Cyril of Jerusalem Micah 7:14-15, 18-20, Psalms 103:1-4, 9-12, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Sunday March 19, 3rd Sunday of Lent Exodus 17:3-7, Psalms 95:1-2, 6-9, Romans 5:12, 5-8, John 4:5-42

tent that his erstwhile desire to become a priest manifested itself once more. Finally in 1979, he was given permission to prepare for the priesthood and entered the seminary for religious in Cedara, near Pietermaritzburg. He was ordained a deacon on January 20, 1983, by Bishop Johannes Rosner, himself a Pallottine. On December 16, 1983, Deacon Ludwig was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Edward Adams in Oudtshoorn. He celebrated his first Mass at St Mary’s in Rosemoor. Fr Ludwig was appointed parish priest in Beaufort West, where he became a zealous pastor of the flock, being close to the people he served. He became a well-known community leader and was an eager ecumenist. He worked there until 2000, after which he spent some time on sabbatical at St Anselm in England. In 2001 he returned to South Africa and was sent to Merrivale, to the Pallottine students’ house in Cedara, and later to Pallotti farm outside Queenstown. He finally returned to Germany in 2013, already weakened by age and poor health. Still, he was appointed to do pastoral care at the Vincent Pallotti College in Rheinbach, near Bonn, where he died. He was buried on March 3 in Limburg, in Hesse state, in the Pallottine cemetery.

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: March 14: Bishop Stanley Dziuba OSPPE of Umzimkulu on the 8th anniversary of his episcopal ordination.

Community Calendar To place your event, call Mary Leveson at 021 465 5007 or e-mail m.leveson@scross.co.za (publication subject to space)

CAPE TOWN: Retreat day/quiet prayer last Saturday of each month except december, at Springfield Convent in Wynberg, Cape Town. Hosted by CLC, 10.00-3.30. Contact Jill on 083 282 6763 or Jane on 082 783 0331.

Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Good Shepherd parish, Bothasig, welcomes all visitors. Open 24 hours a day. The parish is at 1 Goede Hoop St, Bothasig. Phone 021 558 1412.

Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. Mass on last Saturday of every month at 9:30 at Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Followed by vigil at Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street. Contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br daniel SCP on 078 739 2988. DURBAN: Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St Anthony’s parish every Tuesday at 9:00. Holy Mass and Divine Mercy Devotion at 17:30 on first

Friday of every month. Sunday Mass at 9:00. Phone 031 309 3496 or 031 209 2536. Overport rosary group. St Antony’s church opposite the Greyville racecourse in durban. Every Wednesday at 18.30. Contact keith Chetty on 083 372 9018. NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St Peter’s parish every Tuesday from 8:00 to 16:45, followed by Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 17:30. JOHANNESBURG Lenten Divine Mercy seminar. Our Lady of Lebanon parish in Mulbarton. Friday March 17 at 8pm. divine Mercy image. Speaker: Sr Rose Walatka. Friday March 24 at 8pm. divine Mercy and Life. Speaker: Fr Malcolm McLaren. Friday March 31 at 8pm. Trust & the Hour of Mercy. Speaker: Sr Rose Walatka. Contact Joe on 082 411 9352.

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Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • deaths • in memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,70 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

PRAYERS

HOLY ST JUDE, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you i have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Please help me now in my urgent need and grant my petition. in return i promise to make your name known in distribution of this prayer that never fails. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be forever blessed and glorified. Holy Mary Mother of God, Pray for us and grant my request (name your request). Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be. Say this for 9 consecutive days and your request will be answered. dermot PE O MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me

and show me where you are, Mother of God. Queen of heaven and earth i humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There is none who can withstand your power, O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary, i place this cause in your hands. Leon and karen. HOLY SPIRIT, you who makes me see everything and shows me the way to reach my ideal, you who gives me the divine gift to forgive and forget all the wrong that is done to me and you who are in all instances of my life with me. i, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything, and affirm once more that i never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. i want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. To that end and submitting to God’s holy will, i ask from you..(mention your favour). Amen. This prayer should be said for 3 consecutive days. After the 3rd day, your sincere wish will be granted no matter how difficult it may be. Promise to publish it on granting of your favour. The idea is to spread the wonder of the Holy Spirit. O MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are, Mother of God. Queen of heaven and earth i humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to

succour me in my necessity. There is none who can withstand your power, O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary, i place this cause in your hands. “Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days and then publish. Special thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Ss Jude and daniel for prayers answered. Anna.

THANKS

THANK YOU St Jude for answering my prayer. i am grateful for your help and humbly thank you.

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: The truth will convict a silent Church. See www.valuelifeabortion isevil.co.za ABORTION ON DEMAND: This is legalised daily murder in our nation. Our silence on this issue is the reason why it continues. Avoid pro-abortion politicians.

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God of Love, through this

Lenten journey, purify my desires to serve you. Free me from any temptations to judge others, to place myself above others. Please let me surrender even my impatience with others, that with your love and your grace, I might be less and less absorbed with myself, and more and more full of the desire to follow you, in laying down my life according to your example.

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3rd Sunday in Lent: March 19 Readings: Exodus 17:3-7, Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9, Romans 5:1-2, 5-8, John 4:5-42

NE of the things that we have increasingly to do as Lent goes its way is to listen to God. In the first reading, the children of Israel are in no mood to listen. They are out there in the desert, and accuse Moses of attempted genocide: “Why did you bring us up from Egypt?” (The answer, of course, is that God had asked him to, in response to their prayers.) “Was it to kill us and our children and our cattle, by thirst?” So Moses takes the matter to God: “What am I to do with this people? A little more, and they will be stoning me!” God, effortlessly as ever, sorts the matter out, and instructs Moses to make a public demonstration of the presence of God: “Strike the Rock Horeb with your staff; and water will come out of it.” And all this, the author comments, was because “the children of Israel quarrelled and argued against the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord in our presence or not?’” If you are finding those words on your lips, then try listening out for God this week. The psalm for next Sunday is a meditation on these events at “Meribah”, and contains the Lenten refrain: “Today if only you would listen to his voice—do not harden your

S outher n C ross

hearts, as at Meribah.” Instead, we are to “come and make a joyful noise to the Lord… the Rock of our salvation”. In addition, we are to “come and worship, kneel before the God who made us”, and remember that “he is our God and we the people of his pasture”. That is what listening means. In the second reading, listening to God has a different feel. At this point in the great Letter to the Romans, Paul is starting to explain to the Christians in Rome what their grounds for confidence in what God has done in Christ are: “We have been justified; we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…because the love of God is poured out in our hearts, through the Holy Spirit that has been granted us.” And the climax of our listening is the realisation that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. We should certainly be listening to that. The Gospel shows the Samaritan woman engaged on a course of Advanced Listening. The story starts with a weary Jesus, sitting near the well in the heat of the noonday sun. Then we meet the heroine of the story; but she is at this stage clearly in the wrong place.

As everyone there knows, you never collect water at midday; but since she has come to draw it, Jesus unexpectedly orders her to “give me a drink” (which he actually never gets). Jesus’ disciples (notoriously not particularly good at listening) are off-stage at the moment, having gone shopping in the supermarket. The woman’s ears prick up: “How come you who are a Jew ask me for a drink, when I am a Samaritan?” Then she is invited to listen further: “If you knew God’s gift, and who it is who is saying ‘Give me a drink’, you would ask him and he would give you living [or “running”] water.” Now she is really listening, and asking the important question about who this person is: “Are you—can you be—greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well?” So she is not put off by his next, rather oracular, utterance: “Anyone who drinks of the water that I am going to give them, will not be thirsty forever. Instead, the water will well up to life eternal.” Indeed she wants more of it: “Lord—give me this water.” Then there is an apparent change of subject, as Jesus asks her to bring her “man” or “husband”, which is a gentle way of con-

Not all sin is the same T

HERE’S an axiom which says, “Nothing feels better than virtue.” There’s a deep truth here, but it has an under-

tle modalities inside us. For example, before initial maturity, what we’ve classically called the seven deadly sins (pride, greed, envy, lust, anger, gluttony, and sloth) express themselves in us in ways that are normally pretty crass and overt. We see this in children, in adolescents, and in the immature. For them, pride is plainly pride, jealousy is jealousy, selfishness is selfishness, lust is lust, and anger is anger. There’s nothing subtle or hidden here, the fault is out in the open. But as we overcome these sins in their crasser forms, they invariably take on more subtle forms in our lives. So that now, for instance, when we’re humble, we become proud and self-righteous in our humility. Witness: Nobody can be more smug and judgmental than a new convert or someone in their first fervour.

ut sin too has its complexities. Some of our naïve ideas about sin and humility also needed to be critically examined. For example, we sometimes nurse the romantic notion that sinners are humble, aware of their need for forgiveness, and open to God. In fact, as a generalisation, this is true for the gospels. As Jesus was preaching, it was the Pharisees who struggled more with his person and message, whereas the sinners—the tax collectors and prostitutes— were more open to him. So this can pose a question: Does sin, more than virtue, make us aware of our need for God?

Conrad

side. When we do good things, we feel good about ourselves. Virtue is indeed its own reward, and that’s good. However, feeling righteous can soon enough turn into feeling self-righteous. Nothing feels better than virtue; but selfrighteousness feels pretty good too. We see this famously expressed in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. The Pharisee is practising virtue—his actions are exactly what they should be—but what this produces in him is not humility, nor a sense of his need for God and mercy, but self-righteousness and a critical judgment of others. So, too, is it for all of us: we easily become the Pharisee. Whenever we look at another person who’s struggling and say, “There but for the grace of God go I”, our seeming humble gratitude can indicate two very different things. It can be expressing a sincere thanks for having been undeservedly blessed or it can just as easily be expressing a smug self-righteousness about our own sense of superiority. Classical spiritual writers like St John of the Cross, talking about the challenges we face as we walk the way of discipleship, speak about something they call “the faults of those who are beyond initial conversion”. What they highlight is this: We are never free from struggle with sin. As we mature, sin simply takes on ever more sub-

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Listen attentively to God

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Sunday Reflections

fronting her with her current domestic disarray. This leads her to listen even more deeply, and to come closer to the mystery: “Lord—I see that you are a prophet.” And now Jesus is in charge of the conversation, and we are in the realms of God: “God is Spirit and those who worship God must do so in Spirit and in Truth.” The listening goes even deeper now, as the woman mentions “Messiah”, and Jesus responds, powerfully: “I am, the one who is speaking to you.” At that moment, very significantly, she abandons her water-jar, and becomes instead an apostle to her compatriots who had rejected her: “Isn’t this the Messiah?” And the story ends with her having to listen to her compatriots, not entirely in admiration of her: “It’s no longer because of your chatter that we believe: for we ourselves have heard and seen that this is truly the Saviour of the World.” And it no longer matters that they are so disparaging; the fact is that they and she are focused on listening to God and to Jesus.

Southern Crossword #749

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

Yes, there are times when the sin is honest, humble, admitted and contrite, or when our wrong actions are the result of being wounded, taken advantage of, or exploited. Not all sin is born morally equal— there’s honest sin and dishonest sin. As human beings, we’re weak and lack the moral strength to always act according to what’s best in us. Sometimes we just succumb to temptation, to weakness. Sin needs no explanation beyond this: We’re human! Sometimes, too, people are caught in sinful situations which are really not of their own making. They’ve been abused, are victims of trafficking, are victims of unjust familial or social situations, or are too deeply wounded to actualise their own moral faculties. In situations like this, wrong action is a question of survival, not of free choice. As one woman described it to me: “I was simply a dog, biting in order not to be bitten.” In these cases, generally, beneath an understandably hardened, calloused surface, lies a still-innocent heart that clearly knows its need for God’s mercy. There’s such a thing as honest sin. But there’s also sin that’s not honest, that’s rationalised, that’s forever buffered by a pride that cannot admit its own sinfulness. The result then, most often, is a hardened, bitter, judgmental soul. When sin is rationalised, bitterness will invariably follow, accompanied by a hatred towards the kind of virtue from which it has fallen. When we rationalise, our moral DNA will not let itself be fooled. It reacts and punishes us by having us hate ourselves. And, when someone hates himself, that hatred will issue forth in a hatred of others and, more particularly, in a hatred of the exact virtue from which he has fallen. For example, it’s no accident that a lot of people having adulterous affairs have a particular cynicism towards chastity. Finding ourselves as weak and sinful can soften our hearts, make us humble, and open us to receive God’s mercy. It can also harden our souls and make us judgmental. Not every sinner prays like the Publican. Virtue makes us grateful. Sin makes us humble. That’s true. Sometimes.

aCroSS

3. Offers in marriage (9) 8. See 5 9. Your travelling friend, perhaps (9) 10. How you cut for equality (2,4) 11. One of greater age in the church (5) 14. Confess and let in (5) 15. The birds of the air neither sow nor ... (Mt 6) (4) 16. Base H where the queen came from (5) 18. Simple kind of chair (4) 20. Powdered grain from the mill (5) 21. We have seen strange things ... (Lk 5) (5) 24. Soft fabric (6) 25. Virus bred from public transport man (9) 26. Killer whale for capture within (4) 27. At the present time (9)

doWN

1. How the king left the throne (9) 2. Mail chest to medieval scientist (9) 4. When very angry do you go through this? (4) 5 and 8. Beastly edict from Rome (5,4) 6. One who goes to confession (6) 7. Behold, it’s OK to take a glance (4) 9. Cloths without hospital blood coagulates (5) 11. Gray’s poem in a Country Churchyard (5) 12. Go back to your former faith (9) 13. Immaterial religious song (9) 17. Behind and further towards the stern (5) 19. ... peasant, who is he? (Christmas carol) (6) 22. Concerning birds of the air (5) 23. Z represents South African codeword (4) Solutions on page 11 24. The nun could take it (4)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

MAN goes to confession in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned; last night I blew up fifty miles of British railroad track.” The priest answered: “My son, for penance you must do the stations.”

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