R5,00 (incl VAT RSA)

SOUTHERN AFRICA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY SINCE 1920Reg No. 1920/002058/06 No 4685

July 21 to July 27, 2010

Tears as St Thérèse’srelics left parish

Inside

Parish volunteers from hellParish volunteers can range from the trulyhumble to control freaks, writes ChrisMoerdyk.—Page 12

Zim ‘not ready’ for 2011 pollZimbabwe might not be ready for elections in 2011, but the Catholic Church has begunwork on the first step in preparation for elections: healing and reconciliation, said a Justice and Peace official.—Page 3

Church tackles xenophobiaThe Church in South Africa has taken actionon violence against foreign nationals througheducation and solidarity programmes, whileArchbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburgsaid that foreigners “are more likely to createemployment opportunities than take awayemployment”.—Page 3

Base leadership in loveIn his final column for 2010, EmmanuelNgara examines what true servant leader-ship involves.—Page 9

Join the pope in prayerFr Chris Chatteris SJ looks at the pope’sprayer intentions for August, dealing with the homeless and unemployed, and with the situation of refugees.—Page 9

THE German Catholic Church is therecipient of this year’s Locked Oyster,an annual award by an association of

journalists to mark the most notableexample of blockage of information.

Matthias Kopp, spokesman for the Ger-man bishops’ conference, accepted theundesirable award in Hamburg at theannual conference of the organisationNetwork Research.

The award was bestowed in connectionwith the Church’s information policy overthe series of child abuse cases that haverocked the German Catholic Church thisyear.

The organisation’s chairman, ThomasLeif, said the German bishops “only admitwhat can’t be denied any longer”. TheChurch “does not respect the right of thepublic to early and complete informationand thus contradicts its own values oftruthfulness and honesty”.

In his speech, Mr Kopp admitted thatthe Church had made mistakes in its com-munication but said: “We are in theprocess of dealing with the failures of thepast. We are doing that because we wantto communicate—that’s my commitmenttoday in Hamburg.”

He also called upon journalists toexamine their own prejudices about theChurch.—CNS

Church locksup unwantedmedia award

Left: Catholics, especially youths, from the Far East Rand Deanery of Johannesburg archdiocese spent a night with the relics of St Thérèse ofLisieux, which are currently touring South Africa. Right: The relics, contained in a 130kg wood and silver reliquary, are carried in procession: (front right) Fr Duncan Tsoke, vicar-general ofJohannesburg; Tony Mokheseng of the diocesan Justice and Peace Commission; (back right) Fr Shaun Von Lillienfeld; (back left) ArchbishopButi Tlhagale; (front left) Fr Petrus Shiya and Rev John Rahme.

PAGE 7Parish of the Monthfrom KZN

PAGE 2Camino for the

homeless

PAGE 104th century

pics of Jesus,apostles

PAGE 9Who’s who

in thegospels

www.scross.co.za

This week’s editorial:Why xenophobia?

RECEIVING the relics of St Thérèse ofLisieux, also known as the “LittleFlower”, at the Cathedral of Christ

the King in Johannesburg, Archbishop ButiTlhagale beseeched the saint’s intercessionfor the archdiocese and the country.

“Let South Africa be endowed with wiseand caring leaders,” he said, expressinghope “for renewal in our faith and com-mitment, for inspiration, for healing inbody and mind, for strength, for protec-tion”.

The archbishop prayed: “Allow us toexperience the change of heart, which hasbeen experienced by the thousands of pil-grims who have made the journey to vener-ate you.”

The relics of the French saint are travel-ling throughout South Africa—from Tza-neen in the north to Cape Town in thesouth—until September.

Housed in an ornate 130kg reliquary, orcasket, made in Brazil from jacaranda woodand silver, the relics have travelled to morethan 50 countries around the world.

The veneration of St Thérèse’s relics start-ed in France around 1947. In 1994 the eccle-siastical authorities of Lisieux agreed thatthey could travel the world.

In England last year, some 250 000 peo-ple venerated the relics, despite widespreadcynicism before their arrival.

The relics came to South Africa at the ini-tiative of Fr Vusi Sokhela CMM of Yeovilleand Fr Shaun Von Lillienfeld, administratorof Christ the King cathedral.

In Johannesburg, the relics were carried inprocession into the cathedral led by childrenfrom the parish of St Francis of Assisi inYeoville, who were dressed as Carmelites,and were accompanied by Mother Teresa’sMissionaries of Charity, who serve the parishand minister to its children. They will hostthe relics in their hospice on August 23.

Surrounded by fresh flowers and rosepetals—in tribute to St Thérèse’s lifelongfondness for nature—the relics were at theJohannesburg cathedral for veneration untilthey departed for Tzaneen diocese.

Before going to the cathedral, the relicsvisited the small parish of St Martin de Por-res in Geluksdal in the East Rand.

Sacred Heart Father Joseph Wilson, parish

priest of St Martin de Porres,saw the coming of the relics asa good opportunity for youth.He said despite knowing verylittle about St Thérèse beforeshe came, the youth seemed tobe attracted to her instinctively.

“To be honest” said Fr Wil-son, “not a lot of parishionersknew very much about StThérèse before she arrived. Bythe time she left, in the spaceof two short days, many parish-ioners were shedding floods oftears—especially the youth.”

He said preparation wasimportant. “In order to max-imise the spiritual impact ofher coming, it is vital to prepare the parishfor her visit. There is tons of information onYouTube which a parish can easily access.”

Fr Wilson said they made exhibitions ofher images and writings and had prayercards printed, activities that served to bringthem even closer to her.

He said many of them and many adultswere moved to tears by a film show on herlife by filmmaker Leonardo Defilippis, Ordi-nary Girl, Extraordinary Soul.

“We found a great spiritual pay-off forthe efforts outlaid. Many people who hadbeen afraid to make Confession in years,were moved by [St Thérèse’s] holiness andcame forward to experience the love andmercy of Jesus; some ‘lapsed’ Catholics,came out to see her and she won grace forthem.”

The priest said the church was packed,attributing the turn-out to “her magnetismand drawing power of people of all ages”.He believed that all who came to veneratethe saint’s relics drew something from theexperience.

“It is true, she is showering down thegraces. All you have to do is turn up andbend down,” Fr Wilson said.

Johannesburg Catholic John Lee ofYeoville also welcomed the saint’s relics,calling their exposition in South Africa a“singular grace”.

“It is fitting that South Africa should beblessed by the Little Flower’s relics, toremind us of the necessity of the centrality

of loving Jesus in our lives at atime when it seems that theworship of false gods, the soc-cer ball and sport have firstplace in the lives of so many, ”Mr Lee said.

“St Thérèse will surelyremind us of the first com-mandment: ‘Thou shalt nothave false gods before me’.”

The relics are due to leaveTzaneen to arrive in Aliwal

North on July 22, and then arescheduled to go to Kokstad (July26-28), Port Shepstone in Umz-imkulu diocese (July 30), theconvent of the Capuchin Poor

Clare Sisters in Mariannhill (August 3), andMorningside parish in Durban (August 5-8).

The relics will come to Cape Town onAugust 11 for two weeks. The Carmelite Sis-ters of Retreat will host their fellowCarmelite’s relics on August 20, as will threeparishes—Welcome Estate (August 9-12),Camps Bay (August 13-15) and Bergvliet(August 16-19 and 21)—before they returnto Johannesburg.

In Johannesburg archdiocese the relicswill be displayed at Christ the King cathe-dral (August 25), Regina Mundi in Moroka(August 26), Alberton (August 27-29),Nazareth House in Yeoville (August 30),Northriding (September 1-2), Kathlehong(September 3-5), Victory Park (September 9-13), Sebokeng (September 17-20), CraighallPark (September 24-27), and Yeoville (Sep-tember 20-23)

In Pretoria, the relics will be hosted byQueenswood parish (September 6-9). Theywill be in Queenstown, Eastern Cape fromSeptember 13-16.

They will leave South Africa on October 5after returning to Yeoville parish, which willcelebrate its patronal feast, that of St Francisof Assisi, in a special way with St Thérèse’srelics. For more information, visit the websitewww.sttheresesouthafrica2010.com orcontact Fr Sokhela on 072 149 8703 orvsokza@telkomsa.net, or Fr Von Lillienfeldat 083 763 0807.

What do you think?In their Letters to the Editor this week, read-ers discuss coerced abortions, building plansin Johannesburg and Durban, the priesthood,the role of men and women, and support fora centre dedicated to Archbishop Denis Hur-ley.—Pages 8 & 11

St Thérèse

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WHEN Bl Giovanni BattistaScalabrini saw his fellowItalian countrymen

standing on the quay with suitcas-es in their hands bound for betterlives in America or Brazil, herecognised that their material, spir-itual and emotional vacuum,would have to be filled.

Addressing a congregation at aspecial Mass commemorating thefounder of the Scalabrinian mis-sionaries at Holy Cross church inCape Town, Scalabrinian FatherGerardo Garcia said he respondedaccordingly, founding his Mission-aries of St Charles (or Scalabrini-ans, as they're known) and their“Work for the Protection of theEmigrants” in 1887.

Bl Scalabrini, who was bishop ofPiacenza and described by chroni-clers as “a man of God and a manof his times”, set out to serve the“stranger” in his new environmentand re-establish the Gospel in theirlives. Fr Garcia said this funda-mental concern to help and lookafter the immigrant in need hasnever been altered since.

More than 120 years after thefoundation of the Scalabriniancongregation, human migration

continues to be what the late PopeJohn Paul II described as “one ofthe most complex and dramaticevents of history”.

The Scalabrinian missionaries,who work in the Americas, Europe,Asia and Africa, have just under800 members, with 275 apostolic

positions in 31 countries, continu-ing the tradition set by theirfounder according to “the signs ofthe times”.

In South Africa, they ministerto largely French, Italian and Por-tuguese-speaking people, many ofwhom are refugees and asylumseekers, and have also establishedthe beginnings of a Scalabrinianseminary.

Scalabrini Day, Fr Garcia said,gives the missionaries and theirmyriad helpers an opportunity totake stock of the founder's specialmission and the values of servicethat speak directly to Gospelteaching, and how the Scalabrin-ian service is continued.

“This is so vital in order for usto be a better and more engagedChurch,” he said.

The Scalabrinian said his order’scharism is understood as “a mis-sion in reverse”, acknowledgingthe two-way reconciliatory ele-ment involved in ministering toothers, learning each other's lan-guages and the proximity of soulswhich edify each other.

He explained that it is the mis-sionaries who receive from thepeople they serve “the gift ofaccompanying them in their situations”.

Scalabrinians take stock at founder’s anniversary

Fr Mario Tessarotto CS, who headsthe Scalabrinian mission in CapeTown, addresses the congregationat the commemoration Mass for theorder’s founder, Blessed GiovanniBattista Scalabrini.

PHOTO: MICHAIL RASSOOL

Dr Regan Arendse submit-ted this photograph of theoriginal Marian Shrinechapel at Ngome, north ofUlundi, in KwaZulu-Natal,after a family visit to MrArendse’s brother-in-law,Fr Wayne Weldschidt OMI,director of the shrine, andhis co-director, Fr Nkululeko Meyiwa OMI.The old chapel is framedby the arches of the newfacebrick chapel.

Durban priest to doCamino for homeless

BY MICHAIL RASSOOL

THE administrator ofEmmanuel cathedral, Dur-ban, Fr Stephen Tully, will

walk the Camino de Santiago (theWay of St James) to raise money todevelop the new Denis HurleyCentre.

The centre forms part of thecathedral precinct and will providecare for the homeless and those inneed in the archdiocese.

The priest, however, is callingon individuals and companies tohelp him raise funds for his pil-grimage

“So many homeless people walkfrom all over Africa to Emmanuelcathedral seeking refuge, help andlove. I believe our Lord wants meto follow their heroic example byraising awareness of their pain,suffering and the many injusticesthey have endured. The fundsraised will go towards building theDenis Hurley Centre as a newhome for existing projects seeingto their needs,” said Fr Tully

The Camino is a large networkof ancient pilgrim routes stretch-ing across Europe and comingtogether at the tomb of St James(or Santiago in Spanish) in Santia-go de Compostela in north-westSpain.

The most popular route, whichFr Tully will take, is the CaminoFrancés, which stretches 780kmfrom St Jean-Pied-du-Port nearBiarritz in France to Santiago. Ithas had large numbers of pilgrimstravelling to St James’ tomb for atleast 800 years.

Fr Tully will commence hiswalk on August 17 and reach San-tiago de Compostela on September19.

He explained that some peopledo the Camino for spiritual rea-sons, while others find spiritualreasons along the way while meet-ing other pilgrims, attending pil-grim Masses in churches, monas-teries and cathedrals, and seeingthe large infrastructure of build-ings built over many centuries.

Regarding his own “Camino forthe Homeless”, the cathedral

administrator said: “I hope mywalking will help us all not only topray for our brothers and sisterswho are less fortunate than our-selves, but to be part of rightingthe wrongs suffered by the inno-cent victims in a world of greedand injustice.”

He said Emmanuel cathedralparish believes God is calling it todevelop the Hurley centre, namedafter the late Archbishop DenisHurley, long-time fighter for jus-tice and human rights, and whofounded some of the projectsalready operating in the existingcentre, which will be demolishedto make way for a new, more ser-viceable one.

Those interested in contributingcan do so via the centre’s bankaccount: First National Bank;account holder, Denis Hurley Centre; account number,6220 4261 002; account type,cheque; branch name, Durban;branch code, 221426; swift code,FIRN ZAJJ 659.

Contributions can also be hand-ed in personally at the parishoffice in clearly marked envelopesat the parish centre office or in theSunday collection, or parishionersmay drop their donations in thebox on the left hand side at theback of the church as they leave.

Fr Stephen TullyPHOTO COURTESY OF THE SUNDAY TRIBUNE

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WITH refugees in SouthAfrica living in fear ofmore attacks, youth

from the central deanery at theCathedral of Christ the King inJohannesburg, gathered to showtheir support to refugees and asy-lum seekers through prayer.

With the theme, “We are onein Christ, praying for refugeesand the end of human traffick-ing”, the youth and refugee com-munity prepared various activi-ties, including testimonial, pre-sentations on refugees and xeno-phobia, music, dances and poet-ry, which they showcased afterMass.

Fr Rampe Hlobo of the JesuitRefugees Service and the formerdean of central deanery youth,delivered the keynote address.

He told the youth that whileSouth Africa had hosted “themost prestigious tournament ofall”, the Fifa World Cup, hismemory took him back to anafternoon in London where “Iwas studying when a fellowJesuit from Zambia came to meand said, ‘Rampe, are we stillwelcome in South Africa?’”

“When he asked me this ques-tion I hadn’t yet read the news-paper. But what was in the news-papers on the front page? A grue-some picture of somebody some-where in Johannesburg who wasnecklaced. Newspapers were say-ing that this is what SouthAfricans are doing, ‘killing for-eigners!’

“Needless to say, I was soembarrassed knowing that fortwo years I lived with the sameman in Zambia and he took verygood care of me. He showed meall the hospitality I needed, andthere they were, my own blackSouth Africans killing otherblacks from other African coun-tries,” said Fr Hlobo.

“My worry is, we as SouthAfricans, especially the youngpeople, have to remember thatSouth Africa was once a refugee

producing country since afterthe Sharpeville massacre. Ourleaders who are in parliamentand cabinet today were oncerefugees in African countries.These countries even made surethat our leaders got the neces-sary education.

“Look at many of our minis-ters in cabinet today, those whowere in exile, their universitydegrees are not universitydegrees from South African uni-versities. They are degrees fromUniversity of Dar-es-Salam, theUniversity of Nairobi, the Uni-versity of Zimbabwe and theUniversity of Botswana. Theywere given the opportunity todevelop themselves while theywere in exile, so that when theycome back to South Africa theywould be able to rule and leadthe people of South Africa. Thisis the hospitality and treatmentthat any refugee would expectfrom a host country,” he said.

Fr Hlobo said that as SouthAfricans we have received somuch support from otherAfrican countries and “I think itis only fair that we reciprocatewhat our leaders received fromthese African nations”.

These African nations weremuch poorer than South Africa,but even so they did accord us orour leaders the hospitality theyneeded, he said.

He said that as Christians wecannot continue to allow thiskind of horrible, horrific andbarbaric attack to continue.

“As the youth of South Africawe are faced with this challengetogether, to face this xenophobiamonster and to teach others thatrefugees are human beings likeyou and me, who also possessthe human dignity that we allpossess and that they should betreated as such. We cannot allowxenophobia to continue.Remember evil will always flour-ish when good people do noth-ing,” he added.

Remember: SA was also a‘refugee-producing’ country

BY BRONWEN DACHS

THE Catholic Church is takingaction to address violenceagainst foreign nationals in

South Africa.Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of

Johannesburg, president of theSouthern African Catholic Bishops’Conference (SACBC), has issued astatement in which he said thosetempted to commit violence mustfind other means of expressingtheir grievances.

He said the previous attacks hadbeen against foreigners livinglegally in South Africa.

“It is commonly said that thesepeople take away the jobs of SouthAfricans and that they bring crimi-nal behaviour into the country,”the archbishop said.

“However, “current evidencesuggests that the foreign-born areno more likely to be involved incrime as any other part of the pop-ulation and that they are generallymore likely to create employmentopportunities rather than takeaway employment”.

The archbishop said it wasimportant that the South African

government manage the flow ofpeople in and out of the country.

“It is equally proper that ourgovernment, as part of its interna-tional responsibilities, open ourborders to those who are fleeingpersecution and the breakdown ofthe economy of their own coun-tries through no fault of their own.

South Africa’s own recent histo-ry clearly demonstrates how suchmovement can be of long-termbenefit to all the countries andpeople involved.”

Dominican Father Mike Deeb,director of the bishops’ Justice andPeace Department, said his depart-ment would run training work-shops in dioceses around thecountry “on how to respond toxenophobia”.

He said he hoped the PeaceCup, a Catholic-inspired tourna-ment that gives football playersfrom different social classes, eth-nicities and national origins thechance to play together, wouldhelp prevent xenophobia as peopleget to know each other.

Earlier this month, a delegationof religious leaders, led by Arch-bishop Tlhagale, raised concerns

about the possibility of a resur-gence in violence against foreignnationals in a meeting with Presi-dent Jacob Zuma.

“We are confident that thesecurity services will act very swift-ly if there are outbreaks of vio-lence,” Fr Chris Townsend, SACBCconference communications offi-cer, said.

The National Religious Leaders’Forum, which includes Muslim,Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu andBa’hai leaders as well as officials ofChristian churches, met with MrZuma, Deputy-President KgalemaMotlanthe and other governmentofficials in Pretoria to discuss thepossibility of xenophobic attacksafter the World Cup.

The leaders also discussed sus-taining the spirit of unity generat-ed by the tournament, moralregeneration, relationships be-tween religious leaders and thegovernment, and other issues.

More than 60 people were killedand more than 30 000 people weredisplaced in attacks on foreignersaround South Africa in May2008.—CNS

Church acts to educate people ‘onhow to respond to xenophobia’

Reaping the benefits of mentoring young people

BY MICHAIL RASSOOL

Clairissa Arendse is leavingthe Church-based Rural Edu-cation Access Programme

(REAP), after two years as its direc-tor. An associate body of theSouthern African Catholic Bishops’Conference, REAP was formedwhen the conference’s EducationalAssistance Scheme amalgamatedwith the archdiocese of CapeTown’s Catholic EducationalAccess Programme. By 2001 anational vision was realised to pro-vide tertiary education to SouthAfrica's most disadvantaged stu-dents, most of them from ruralareas.

Ms Arendse said since 2008, the

year her term as director began,REAP has implemented a formalpeer mentorship programme.“Through formalising the mentor-ship programme,” she explained,“we have been able to broker rela-tionships with the institutions fortraining REAP mentors in the qual-ities of good mentors, facilitationand presentation skills, how torefer challenging cases and how todebrief.”

Students also do communityservice, and last year almost 80%of students undertook at leastthree days of community service.“As with any volunteer system per-formance varies, but we firmlybelieve that REAP’s recruitmentand selection process.”

CARDINAL Wilfrid Napier,archbishop of Durban,spokesman for the Southern

African Catholic Bishops' Confer-ence, has congratulated the gov-ernment, and all stakeholdersinvolved in making FootballWorld Cup in South Africa a suc-cessful. It has given South Africansa wonderful opportunity to worktogether and to prove that “we area nation full of very capable peo-ple”.

“South Africa has shown thecapacity to work, to build, to co-ordinate, to manage and to pro-tect. We must use our considerableskill and learning to tackle themost pressing issues in our coun-try—education, healthcare, crimi-nality and service delivery. It’stime. We have proven that we cando it!”

Cardinal salutesWorld Cup players

BY SIMON CALDWELL

THE largest Anglo-Catholicgroup in the Church of Eng-land is expecting an exodus

of thousands of Anglicans toCatholicism after a decision toordain women as bishops withoutsufficient concessions to tradition-alists.

Stephen Parkinson, director ofForward in Faith—a group that hasabout 10 000 members, includingmore than 1 000 clergy—said that alarge number of Anglo-Catholicsare considering conversion to theCatholic faith.

His comments came after theGeneral Synod, the national assem-bly of the Church of England,voted at a meeting in York toapprove the creation of womenbishops by 2014 without meetingthe demands of objectors.

A statement from Forward inFaith advised members againsthasty action, saying now was “notthe time for precipitate action”.

“This draft measure does noth-ing for us at all,” said Mr Parkin-son. “We explained very carefullywhy we could not accept womenbishops theologically.

“We explained what wouldenable us to stay in the Church ofEngland, but the General Synodhas decided to get rid of us by giv-ing us a provision that does notmeet our needs. They are sayingeither put up or shut up andaccept innovations, howeverunscriptural or heretical, or getout.”

Mr Parkinson said he expectedthousands of members of Forwardin Faith to consider accepting PopeBenedict’s offer of a personal ordi-nariate, issued last November inthe apostolic constitution Angli-canorum coetibus, in which a groupof Anglicans can be received intothe Catholic Church while retain-ing their distinctive patrimonyand liturgical practices.

“Many, I expect, will be explor-ing the provisions of Pope Bene-dict’s apostolic constitution. Wehave got 10 000 members, so clear-ly we are talking about thou-sands,” he added.

A number of breakaway nation-al Anglican churches, in commu-nion with the Traditional AnglicanCommunion rather than themuch larger Worldwide AnglicanCommunion, have already written

to the Vatican to accept the pope’soffer.

The defection of thousands ofmainstream Anglican traditional-ists from the Church of Englandwould represent the largest singleblock.

Mr Parkinson said developmentswere unlikely within the next sixmonths, however, adding thatuntil women bishops are ordained,Anglican traditionalists had a “cou-ple of years” to think about whatto do.

The Forward in Faith statementsaid the proposals must be consid-ered by provincial synods in Sep-tember and the outcomes could bedebated a month later when For-ward in Faith holds its annualmeeting.

The decision by the GeneralSynod came after nearly 12 hoursof debate on a compromise pro-posed by the Archbishop RowanWilliams of Canterbury and Arch-bishop John Sentamu of York wasnarrowly defeated.

The diocesan synods have nowbeen asked to scrutinise a schemewhere women bishops would havethe authority to make alternativearrangements for objectors through

a statutory code of practice. TheAnglo-Catholic group of the synodhad wanted episcopal visitors, or“flying bishops”, to minister totheir members instead, but theirrequests were rejected.

If the resolution is supported bya majority of the diocesan synods,it will be returned to the GeneralSynod for ratification in 2012.

Archbishop Williams told theGeneral Synod that its vote illus-trated that the Church of England

was “committed by a majority tothe desirability of seeing women asbishops for the health and flourish-ing of the work of God’s kingdom,of this church and this nation”.

He added: “We are also pro-foundly committed by a majorityin the synod to a maximum gen-erosity that can be consistently andcoherently exercised toward theconsciences of minorities and wehave not yet cracked how to dothat.”—CNS

INTERNATIONAL4 4 The Southern Cross, July 21 to July 27, 2010

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To know more about us contact:Director of VocationsPO Box 11363, Mariannhill, 3601or PO Box 85, Umtata, 5099

A nun watches a charity tennis match between veteran stars GoranIvanisevic (who has family in South Africa) and John McEnroe in themain square of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Money raised during the match wasdonated to a local children’s hospital.

PHOTO: NIKOLA SOLIC, CNS/REUTERS

Women bishops mayspark Anglican exodus

Zim ‘not ready for 2011 poll’BY BRONWEN DACHS

ZIMBABWE might not beready for elections in 2011,but the Catholic Church

has begun work on the first stepin preparation for elections:healing and reconciliation, saida justice and peace official.

“A call for a new election willopen old wounds” among theelectorate, said Alouis Chaumba,who heads the Catholic Com-mission for Justice and Peace(J&P) in Zimbabwe.

“The country is not sufficient-ly healed for elections to takeplace” in 2011, as mandated by a2009 agreement that formed acoalition government, he said.“To create the conditions for freeand fair elections, we need anend to violence and a full returnto the rule of law.”

Harare’s Justice and PeaceCommission said it has startedthis work by holding workshopsin its parishes and has joinedcounselling organisations tohelp traumatised people.

“We do not want to wait fora national process that mightnever happen,” the commissionsaid in its July newsletter.

The nationwide collection ofpublic submissions for a newconstitution has brought “a newwave of intimidation andharassment, largely because theconstitution-making process islinked to elections, which inZimbabwe are times of vio-lence”, Mr Chaumba said.

Brutal state-sponsored vio-lence targeting the oppositionafter disputed March 2008 elec-tions left more than 80 peopledead and 200 000 displaced,human rights groups said.

The long-delayed programmeto amend a constitution adopt-

ed after independence in 1980 isbehind schedule under an agree-ment that formed a coalitiongovernment between PresidentRobert Mugabe and his formeropposition leader, Prime Minis-ter Morgan Tsvangirai. Theagreement calls for a new consti-tution ahead of a foreign-moni-tored election planned for 2011.

Almost all elections in Zim-babwe have been marred by

violence, Fr Kenneth Makamureof Chishawasha major seminarywrote in the J&P newsletter.

“This violence has left peoplepolarised and in need of recon-ciliation,” he said. While“efforts are being made by theinclusive government to getpeople reconciled”, it hasbecome apparent that the linkbetween reconciliation and jus-tice “has been forgotten orignored”.

Fr Makamure said “the firstthing is to establish the truth ofwhat actually happened…whodied, who disappeared, who wasmaimed, who ordered thedeaths and disappearances, whocarried out the orders”.

Also, “justice demands thatstructural iniquities which werethe cause of injustice and con-flict be addressed”, such as therule of law and the use of stateagents, including the army andpolice, to inflict harm on citi-zens, he said.

Zimbabweans must have safezones where victims can telltheir stories and call perpetra-tors to account, Fr Makamuresaid, noting that “if perpetratorsare not called to account fortheir evil actions” they are likelyto continue being violent.

Mr Chaumba said that besidespushing for presidential termlimits and strengthening parlia-ment in a new constitution, theChurch in Zimbabwe advocatesthat the constitution allow localpeople “to have a say in how thecountry’s mineral and other nat-ural resources are utilised”.

The Church has “presentedits position through its outreachprogrammes. We need to buildconfidence in the electoralprocess so that people believethat their vote does count.”

In efforts to help Zimbab-weans overcome their fear ofinvolvement in politics, thenational Justice and Peace Com-mission has held countrywide“meet your leader” discussionforums, aimed at increasingengagement between citizensand their elected representa-tives, such as members of parlia-ment and local councillors,member Vitalis Gutu said in thecommission’s newsletter.

The idea “is to make the elec-torate realise that they are animportant stakeholder in devel-opment of their areas” and that“their active participation isindispensable”, Mr Gutu said.—CNS

China frees bishop after 15 months detention

CHINESE Bishop Julius JiaZhiguo of Zhengding wasreleased on July 7 after 15

months in detention.The bishop celebrated an

evening Mass for his flockimmediately on his return toChrist the King cathedral inWuqiu village, near Shiji-azhuang, the capital of Hebeiprovince.

He also made a point of stat-ing that he had not accepted the

Chinese Catholic Patriotic Asso-ciation, nor the authority of theBishops’ Conference of theCatholic Church in China,which are government-approvedChurch bodies.

In a press release issued bythe US-based Cardinal KungFoundation, Bishop Jia empha-sised that “he was and alwayswould be firmly adhered to theleadership of the Holy Father”.

Bishop Jia was removed bygovernment officials on March

30, 2009, the day the Vatican’sChina Commission began itsplenary meeting in Rome.

Throughout his detention,his family had campaigned vig-orously for his release.

Two other Hebei prelates—Bishops James Su Zhemin ofBaoding and Cosmas Shi Enxi-ang of Yixian—have been heldin detention since 1997 and2001, respectively. Their where-abouts have been unknown foryears.—CNS

Victims of violence during Zim-babw’es 2008 election campaign.A Church observer has said thatthe country is “not sufficientlyhealed” for the mandated elec-tions next year. PHOTO FROM CNS

BY CAROL GLATZ

POPE Benedict will focus onreligious freedom’s contri-bution to peace in his

World Peace Day message for2011.

The theme the pope has cho-sen for the January 1 celebrationis “Religious Freedom, the Pathto Peace”, the Vaticanannounced in a statement.

The pope intends to discusshow the fundamental humanright to believe in God is a pre-requisite for full human develop-ment and “a condition for therealisation of the common goodand the promotion of peace inthe world”, the Vatican said.

“In many parts of the worldthere exist various forms ofrestrictions or denials of reli-gious freedom, from discrimina-tion and marginalisation basedon religion to acts of violenceagainst religious minorities,” thestatement said.

The papal message willexpand on comments the popemade in his address to the Unit-ed Nations General Assembly in2008 when he said it was“inconceivable that believersshould have to suppress a part ofthemselves—their faith—inorder to be active citizens” andto enjoy their human rights.

In that speech, the pope said:

“The rights associated with reli-gion are all the more in need ofprotection if they are consideredto clash with a prevailing secularideology or with majority reli-gious positions of an exclusivenature.”

Pope Benedict also will distin-guish between authentic reli-gious freedom, “which broadensthe horizons of humanity andfreedom of man” as well asrespects human dignity and life,

and religious fundamentalism,in which the truth is manipulat-ed or exploited to the detrimentof people, the Vatican statementsaid.

People cannot be divorcedfrom their beliefs, because thosebeliefs affect their lives andthemselves, it said.

Authentic religious beliefsunite people and can have a pos-itive impact on society, it said.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL The Southern Cross, July 21 to July 27, 2010 55

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Vatican budget in red againBY CAROL GLATZ

MAJOR renovations, infra-structure upgrades and asluggish global economy

left the Vatican City State budgetin the red; however, donationsto the pope were up from recentyears.

The 2009 fiscal period markedthe third year in a row that Vati-can expenses outpaced revenues.

The budget of Vatican CityState, which includes the Vati-can Museums and post office,ended 2009 with a deficit of $9,8million (about R75 million), theVatican said in notes on thebudgets.

The separate budget of theHoly See, which includes theoffices of the Roman Curia, fin-ished 2009 with a registereddeficit of more than $5.15 mil-lion (R40 million).

The figures were released thismonth after a three-day meetingof a council of cardinals chargedwith reviewing the Vatican bud-gets.

In explaining the city-state’sdeficit, the council’s press state-ment mentioned that the Vati-can Museums had opened newexhibition spaces and had

extended visiting hours, whichmeans the payroll grew. VaticanCity is also launching a majoroverhaul of its telecommunica-tions infrastructure in which ahigh-speed fibre optic networkwill be installed over 400km.

Building, maintenance andrestoration work on the colon-nade in St Peter’s Square and onthe basilicas of St John Lateran,St Paul Outside the Walls and StMary Major required substantialexpenditures, the release said. Inaddition, “the costs sustained forsecurity inside Vatican CityState” and for the major renova-tion of the Vatican Library,which should open in Septem-ber, added to the deficit.

The budget of the Holy Seesaw $319,6 million in outlaysand $314,4 million in revenuesincluding $62,8 million from theInstitute for the Works of Reli-gion, otherwise known as theVatican bank.

Fr Federico Lombardi SJ, headof the Vatican Press office, toldjournalists that the institute wasjust one of a number of founda-tions that donates money tofund religious activity of theHoly See.

It was the first time the bud-

getary council publicly listed theinstitute as a contributor, eventhough it is a regular donor. Itwas the highest donor amongfoundations last year.

The budget of the Holy Seeincludes the Vatican Secretariatof State and its diplomatic mis-sions around the world, Vaticancongregations and pontificalcouncils, the Holy See’s invest-ment portfolio and properties aswell as the Vatican’s newspaper,radio, publishing house and tele-vision production centre.

Among expenditures for theHoly See, the most substantialitem is the wages of its 2 762employees. Vatican City Statecovered the payroll of 1 891 peo-ple last year and about 4 587 for-mer employees received pen-sions from the Vatican.

The Vatican statement includ-ed a report on two specialsources of income: the Peter’sPence collection, which is usedby the pope for charity andemergency assistance; and thecontributions of dioceses aroundthe world made to support Vati-can operations.

In 2009, Peter’s Pence collect-ed $82,5 million, nearly $7 mil-lion more than 2008.—CNS

Pope Benedict waves as he leads his Angelus prayer at his summer resi-dence in Castel Gandolfo. In his message for World Peace Day, on Janu-ary 1, the pope will argue that religious freedom is essential for peace.

PHOTO: MAX ROSSI, REUTERS/CNS

Religious freedom a force of peace

Priest: Belfast rioters ‘were bussed in’ BY CIAN MOLLOY

FRESH intercommunity dia-logue is needed to resolvethe difficulties surrounding

controversial parades in North-ern Ireland, said a Catholic priestin Belfast, Northern Ireland, fol-lowing the most serious out-break of sectarian rioting inmany years.

Dozens of police officers wereinjured during rioting as nation-alists, mainly Catholics, protest-ed against a decision by theIndependent Parades Commis-sion to allow Protestants tomarch through the Catholicenclave of Ardoyne on their wayback to North Belfast fromparades in the city centre.

Police, political and commu-nity leaders claimed that the vio-lence was organised by dissidentRepublicans, members of thechiefly Catholic nationalist com-munity, who are unhappy withthe provisions of the 1998 GoodFriday Peace Agreement.

Police video footage showedthat the rioting was well organ-ised: Youths had stones, bricksand bottles stored in rollinggarbage bins and were armedwith petrol bombs.

“There were people here yes-terday and the day before whomI had never seen in Ardoynebefore, and I have been livinghere for ten years—they musthave been bussed in,” said Pas-sionist Father Gary Donegan ofHoly Cross Catholic church inArdoyne.

“No matter who started it, itquickly developed into recre-ational rioting,” said Fr Done-gan. “There were dozens of kidshere texting their friends tocome on up to North Belfast fora bit of fun; they were usingTwitter and posting pictures onBebo pages. Once the decisionhad been made to allow theOrange Order to march throughArdoyne, we were all in a lose-lose situation.”

The priest said: “Trouble was

started by both sides. This can’tcontinue; we need dialogue toensure that this kind of troubledoes not happen again.”

For decades, parades organ-ised through Catholic areas bytwo Protestant fraternities, theOrange Order and the RoyalBlack Institution, have been acause of intercommunity ten-sion in Northern Ireland.

As part of the Good FridayPeace Agreement, an Indepen-dent Parades Commission wasestablished, and its decision toban or reroute the most contro-versial parades has reduced thelevel of public disturbances dur-ing the so-called Protestantmarching season, when hun-dreds of parades take placebetween Easter and September.

The parades commissionruled that the Orange Ordercould march through Ardoynethis year because the level ofintercommunity violence haddecreased significantly in recentyears.—CNS

COMMUNITY6 6 The Southern Cross, July 21 to July 27, 2010

Send photographs, with sender’s name andaddress on the back, and a SASE to: The SouthernCross, Community Pics, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000

or email them to: pics@scross.co.za

IIIINNNN FFFFOOOOCCCCUUUUSSSS edited by Nadine Christians

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A list of current pilgrimages can be viewed by clicking on the Valley View Travel icon at www.catholic-friends.com

Over 25 members of St Matthew’s parish in Bonteheuwel, Cape Town, received their First Communion. Pictured with the candidates are (front) Glenda Hendricks, Rev Andrew Siljeur, Fr GavinButler, Cathy Collins, Magda Meiring and (back) Monica Barnett.

PHOTO: MICHAEL BROWNReligious formators gathered at St Mary's Pastoral Centre in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.

Christ the King parish in Heidedal, Bloemfontein, launched a branch of theCatholic Women’s League. Starting with 11 members, the League will berecruiting new members in the coming months. The members are (back fromleft): Judith Cornellissen, Magaret de Beer, Melody Plaatjies, Olivia Pretorius,Elizabeth Swartz, Peace Morgan, Theresa Scott, Thandi Bruintjies, (front)Sharon McKenzie, Fr Patrick Towe and Jacinta Watson. Absent is Marlizevan Wyk.

SUBMITTED BY CLIVE SOLOMON

Deacon Isaac Thomas, who has been working at SanSalvador parish in Leondale, Boksburg, celebrated his silver jubilee this year after being ordained in 1985. Pictured with Deacon Thomas is Johannesburg Archbishop Buti Tlhagale.

SUBMITTED BY JAMES MINNAAR

Renato Acquisto(right), Alpha forCatholics advisorin Johannesburgarchdiocese andLola de Abreu(centre), hiscounterpart inCape Town archdiocese, metwith ArchbishopStephen Brislin ofCape Town.

PHOTO: GARTHCANFIELD

Sharon van der Sandt (left) and Yvonne Mthembu(right) hand over money that was collected by theLittle Flower School in Eshowe, to Bishop XoleleKumalo.

PHOTO: L VAN DER SANDT

Colin Northmore, principal of Sacred Heart College, Johannesburg at Soccer City, Soweto,with 86 pupils of the Three2Six School, which hehad founded for children of refugees whose education was disrupted by family displacement.Thanks to sponsorship by motor vehicle companyHyundai, they were able to attend the FIFA Foot-ball World Cup match in which Argentina beatKorea 4-1.

SUBMITTED BY MARK POTTERTON

Fr Titus Gamede, priest at Blessed Teresa of Calcutta parish in Gingindlovu, Eshowe, receivedhis masters degree in Canon Law; Specialisation:Income Tax Law.

SUBMITTED BY DR CLOTILDA ZONDO

FOR 24 years St Francis parishin Richards Bay in Eshowe dio-cese, KwaZulu-Natal, has been

dedicated to selling The SouthernCross.

The sale of the newspaper hasfallen on the shoulders of parish-ioner Barbara Walters who hasmade it her mission to market andsell the newspaper for all of these24 years.

Mrs Walters, also fondly knownto parishioners as Aunty Barbaraand Mrs Southern Cross, is also thecoordinator of the Thursday cate-chism.

“We are ever so grateful to TheSouthern Cross business managerPamela Davids who supplies uswith the upcoming week’s editionhighlights, which we put into ourbulletin every week to encouragethe people to buy their copies. Wehave a set number of people whopay monthly for their copies ofThe Southern Cross. More than thatwe have both Barbara and her hus-band Grant, who actively encour-age all who walk out of our parishdoors to ‘buy your copy of TheSouthern Cross today, one copy forthe family’.”

“All credit goes to her for hertime and effort. As the parishpriest I am not sure if I must callher ‘Mrs Southern Cross or Mrscatechism’,” said Fr Bheki Thungo.

St Francis of Assisi startedaround 1977 as a community. Atthat time the church was sharing

its priest, Fr Godfrey Siebert OSB,with St Patrick’s church in Empan-geni. At that stage the paris had nobuilding “and they were using oneof the schools in Richards Bay andthen they moved on to the chapelof St Francis convent,” said FrThungo.

A church was later built in theVeld en Vlei in Richards Bay, andwas officially opened by the lateBishop Mansuet Dela Biyase. Eventhough the church is only 24 yearsold, the parish community is morethan 30 years old, the priest added.

Fr Thungo told The SouthernCross that the parish has a largemulticultural dynamic congrega-tion, with approximately 198 reg-istered families and more than 500parishioners.

The parish, he said, has growntremendously over the years andcontinues to grow year by year.

“We have a proud history ofpriests who have been instrumen-tal in the growth of our wonderfulcongregation, namely Abbot God-frey Sieber, Fathers Pius Paul, PeterBlue and Maximilian Kolbe Jacobs,to name but a few. Fr Jacobsworked very hard to put the parishwhere it is today. Bringing changesto any parish is not easy, but FrJacobs worked very hard and mayGod bless him in his new parishand his ministry,” said Fr Thungo.

Fr Thungo said that one of thethings that have brought growthin the parish is the openness of all

the parishioners.“They are open to change and

without them the parish wouldn’tbe what it is today. The Sistersunder the leadership of Sr Carmeli-na Zinkl contribute tremendouslyto the growth of both young andold, with their pastoral duties. Thecontribution of the members ofthe parish council also helps a lotin bringing growth in the parish.”

As a parish, St Francis has vari-ous sodalities, including theKnights of da Gama, the CatholicWomen's League, Sacred Heart ofJesus and Couples for Christ, whocontribute to the way of life with-in the parish.

“We also have a Junior Youthgroup which meets every Thursdaybefore catechism for Grades 1-6.On Fridays we have our youthgroup, which starts with Mass at6pm and then their meeting thatends at 20:30pm. During thesemeetings they discuss issues whichcover spirituality, personal growth,skills developments and not for-getting the social part of evening.”

The parish presently has only20 active youth members, a chal-lenge, said Fr Thungo, they willovercome.

The parish can also boast takingsecond place in Eshowe’s diocesanfundraising event, but “we arenow aiming to take the first placein this year’s event”.

But the parish still faces manychallenges, said Fr Thungo.

“At this point in time there ismore pressure on the parish priestand the parish council as peopleare growing in numbers, on howare we to meet their spiritual needsmore than anything else. At thesame time we keep the parish unit-ed as a rainbow parish and meettheir needs during the SundayMass,” said Fr Thungo.

Meanwhile, the parish is prepar-ing for “our biggest activity”:Thanksgiving Sunday, which willtake place on the Sunday before

the parish’s patronal feast onOctober 4.

“On that day we plan to addand announce how much we haveput into our Thanksgiving collec-tion for all our big projects such asneeded renovations. Our target isR150 000 and I trust that parish-ioners will reach and exceed thistarget,” Fr Thungo said.

The parish will also be “puttingtogether a parish magazine andour website will be up and runningin the very near future”.

CHURCH LIFE The Southern Cross, July 21 to July 27, 2010 77

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St Francis, Richards Bay

The St Francis parish youth group.

Selling The Southern Cross every week is St Francis parishioner BarbaraWalters. With her is Fr Bheki Thungo.

Spreading the news for 24 years

New chancery anindulgenceTHE headline of the front page

of The Southern Cross of June 30to July 6 reads: “New Chancery forJohannesburg”. On the backpage isChrs Moerdyk’s interesting article“Deeds rather than rhetoric”.

As I work for one of the world’slargest humanitarian organisationand travel the world, I am fullyaware of the sufferings of millionsof people as a result of hunger andpoverty, people suffering/dyingfrom HIV/Aids.

Mr Moerdyk writes: “If todaythe Catholic Church somewheredecided to build a cathedral simi-lar in size to St Peter’s in Rome,there is no doubt that the worldwould not see this as a monumentto the glory of God, but rather ademonstration of self-indulgentexcess of denying millions of poorpeople a roof over their heads orsurvival from starvation.”

The R30 million projected to bespent on the chancery could beput to better use, either to bail outthe hungry, or provide skills train-ing for unemployed youths, orprovide a hot meal for childrenwho attend school on a hungrystomach, or provide a roof overheads of thousands of people whoare homeless in South Africa.

Let the Catholic Church dogood deeds, show good steward-ship of its resources and demon-strate humility to serve the people.

Walter Middleton,Johannesburg

Money to burn?I FIND it impossible to appreciate

the justifications, whatever theymay be, for both the building ofthe new Johannesburg chanceryand the demolition and re-build-ing of Durban’s cathedral parishcentre when we are fully aware of

the plight of millions of our fellowSouth Africans.

I find the announcementembarrassing. It seems that theCatholic Church in South Africahas money to burn. What aboutsome of the poor parishes? Theirneed for new or upgraded build-ings must be greater than theseprojects.

I and my friends will certainlynot make any contributions tothese funds in the face of thegreater need of the poor, when Iknow we can make-do with whatwe have got, with minor embell-ishments. We must just find away.

Andre Duchenne,Johannesburg

Keep façadeTHE demolition of Durban’s

cathedral centre seems a severemove.(June 30)

As it is of historical value, retainthe façade, as is done in Europe,and rebuild from within.

I have a mental picture of amodern monstrosity going up inits place.

Adrian Kettle, Cape Town

Details pleaseWHILE I am not at all opposed

to the new chancery inJohannesburg, I am concernedabout what seems to be an exces-sive projected cost for it, namely,R30m.

A simple calculation translatesthis to R15 000 per square metre,given that it will be a 2 000m2

building. By any standards thismoney would buy fairly “luxuri-ous” finishes. Not having anydetailed information at my dispos-al, the question is whether this isthe intention?

It would be very helpful toknow how this money is going tobe spent and whether or not it isfully justified.

It would be interesting to getChris Moerdyk’s take on this issue,given his article in the same edi-tion about, inter alia, the displaysof pomp and ceremony by the Vat-ican. He does, however, mentionthat our clergy in high office havebecome humble in their service tothe people.

While there seems to be an airof acceptance in our parish aboutthis development, it would be ofinterest I am sure to those who aregoing to foot the bill (all parish-ioners) to know more. Is this newchancery in keeping with thehumility aforementioned?

Mike Fullerton,Johannesburg

Far-reachingshadowsMANY of the faithful consider

their priests to be the mostspiritually-gifted; mightily empow-ered in the mysteries of God andlook up to them to share whatGod has given.

On the other hand, the clericalscandals in the Church and cover-ups make one aware of how the

mighty have fallen. The priest must not forget that

he is chosen to serve, not to beserved. Perhaps the media hasserved as an eye-opener, revealingchinks in the metal, the mettle ofhierarchy.

Recently, Zulu newspapers andlaity have reported some abuses:financially, sexually and spiritual-ly, overcharging for blessings,quasi-exorcisms and simony. Someclergy, in spite of warnings, stillhave children and strangers livingin their presbyteries. I say some,not all, for I know many goodpriests who are an example andinspiration to my vocation.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor said in an interviewwith Zenit: “It does not matterthat the great majority of priestsand bishops are good servants andpastors of their people. The scan-dal of abuse casts its shadow overeverything.”

Ideally, the answer in thisinstance, is for the hierarchy to belike Christ, a wounded healer.Christ, however, faced the sinsthat crucified him. Local Churchleaders know how to make theirpresence felt in issues of fundrais-ing and pre-empting liturgicalchanges, such as when to sit, standor kneel and debatable transla-tions.

It seems for them it is better forthe laity to be silent in the nameof loyalty.

In the last African Synod, howmuch did the bishops, who are thesuccessors of the apostles, exercisetheir authority and leadership, infacing issues at hand, or was itheld in Rome to be vetted by thecuria or the pope?

Has the magisterium becomethe curia and nothing more?

Allan Moss OMI, Durban

Book on roles ofmen and womenRECENTLY I bought a book

called Theology of Her/His Bodyby Jason Evert, based on PopeJohn Paul II’s Theology of theBody. It is an absolutely wonderfulbook, aimed mostly at youngadults. I strongly encourage cate-chists and parents to read andshare it with our young genera-tion.

This book reveals the true roleof men and women and their dig-nity, as well as how to restore bro-ken relationships. It will changehow we will look at ourselves, ourbodies and others around us.

I am also greatly pleased to seehow men’s spirituality is making acomeback. The Church hasbecome far too feminised in recentdecades. Men need to return totheir place of leadership in theChurch and family.

Dolores S Steenhuis, Cape Town

I WAS recently given an articlethat was fascinating, enlightening

and horrific. It is about publishedfindings based on research conduct-ed by the Elliot Institute in theUnited States which links violentattacks on women, and other coer-cive tactics to forced abortions.

Research indicates that ofwomen who have aborted, 64%said they felt pressurised to abort;nearly 80% said they did notreceive the counselling needed tomake the decision; more than halfsaid they felt rushed and uncertainabout the abortion.

Abortion is also cited as the lead-ing cause of death among pregnantwomen (so much for the idea thatabortion may be for the health ofmothers). There are even cases ofmen feeding abortifacients secretlyto the pregnant mothers, with awhole lot of other health hazards.

In short, intense pressure isbeing brought to bear on thesewomen, in a difficult situation tocompel them to abort. This is thereality behind the myth of it beinga woman’s right—now some menfeel it is their right to demand. Andbecause it is legal, such men appar-ently feel justified in their horren-dous abuses.

Shouldn’t we see that it is all

linked into the “culture of death”,of which Pope John Paul II warned,in which people are relegated to thestatus of objects, merely for plea-sure or financial gain and notlinked to responsibility (as they arein human trafficking).

The dignity and value of the per-son is being lost. We end up with anot insignificant mentality, ofmight being right and the rule oftruly savage thinking and actsbeing justified.

For the full article I wouldencourage people to contact theCulture of Life directly or me onsgc.southafrica@gmail.com.

Edward Urban, Johannesburg

LEADER PAGE8 8 The Southern Cross, July 21 to 27, 2010

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under specialcircumstances and at the Editor’s discretion. Name and address of the writermust be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

LETTERS TOTHE EDITOR

What choice?

Opinions expressed in The SouthernCross, especially in Letters to the Editor,do not necessarily reflect the views of theEditor or staff of the newspaper, or of theCatholic hierarchy. The letters page in par-ticular is a forum in which readers mayexchange opinions on matters of debate.Letters must not be understood to neces-sarily reflect the teachings, disciplines orpolicies of the Church accurately.

Why xenophobia?IT is encouraging that the

South African Police Servicesand government are taking

appropriate action on violenceagainst foreign nationals, evendeploying the military to trou-ble hotspots. While no amountof engagement will precludeisolated attacks, the threat ofviolence spreading country-wide as it did in May 2008seems to be containable.

Likewise, the response ofmany South Africans in pro-tecting foreigners from attacks,even at the risk of sustainingpersonal harm themselves,must be highlighted and com-mended.

We must expect the threatto remain ever-present. Indeed,violence against foreigners—what we commonly label“xenophobia”—has been a fea-ture of South African life sincethe 1990s. It will not disappearuntil living conditions in areaswhere such attacks occur aremarkedly improved.

It serves no purpose forpoliticians to downplay threatsof violence with references torumours, never mind makingparanoid statements aboutthese being spread to “discred-it” the government. Attacksagainst foreigners did not dissi-pate with the end of the 2008pogroms; indeed, isolated inci-dents were being perpetratedeven during the World Cup.

The attacks are rooted inpoverty, not invariably hatredof foreigners. Seen this way,the terminology of xenopho-bia—the fear or hatred of for-eigners—is deceptive. Foreignnationals are targeted becausethey are the weakest link in acontest for scarce resources,such as jobs, housing and ser-vices.

It also seems evident thatcriminal elements are leechingoff that discontent, fuellingand exploiting the fires of dis-content directed at foreigners.

Yet, when random strangersof foreign extraction are beingabused at taxi ranks or arethrown off moving trains, it isdifficult to exclude prejudiceand bigotry as motivating fac-tors.

We may debate to whatextent the manifestation ofviolence against foreigners isattributable to poverty or gen-uine xenophobia—but whatev-er the reasons, there can be no

justification. There is no legiti-mate cause for breaking thelaw. Nothing can excuse mur-dering or injuring others, vio-lating their dignity and dispos-sessing them of home andlivelihood. Indeed, mostimpoverished South Africansdo not participate in mob vio-lence.

Still, the causes for the vio-lence must be studied, exam-ined and understood if wewant to address them. How dothe competition for jobs andhousing, inadequate access toservices, lack of transformationand the prejudiced demagogyinterrelate? Who or what isproviding the terms of refer-ence for bigotry and targetedviolence? We need a betteranalysis than the convenientbut imprecise shorthand of“xenophobia”.

Moreover, the excess of vio-lence in the displacement offoreign nationals (and in thecommission of other crimes,including vigilantism) needs tobe better understood andaddressed.

In the meantime, govern-ment and civil society must beforthright in their condemna-tion of mob violence againstforeigners, and proactive inpreventing them. The CatholicChurch has done admirablework in that field.

Aside from appealing to themaintenance of the law andGospel values, those inclinedto target foreign nationalsmust be persuaded that theirpretexts for doing so areinvalid.

Archbishop Buti Tlhagale ofJohannesburg has rightlypointed out: “Current evidencesuggests that the foreign-bornare no more likely to beinvolved in crime as any otherpart of the population, andthat they are generally morelikely to create employmentopportunities rather than takeaway employment.”

There can be no justificationor tolerance for mob violence,whatever the context. Our soli-darity must be with the victimsof xenophobic violence andthose who stand with them.

We may be spared a repriseof the 2008 pogroms, but everyindividual attack on a foreignerrepresents an indelible stain onour nation.

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

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RUSSIAN novels by Tolstoy, Dos-toevsky and others can be a greatbut very long read. They are

filled with so many characters that itis sometimes difficult for readers totell them apart, or to remember whois who in the story.

For someone who has not been areal student of the gospels, they toocan pose a challenge. Who and whatare the disciples? Are they the same asthe apostles? What about these scribesand Pharisees, and who are the Sad-ducees?

Jesus was very controversial. Heattracted ardent followers, but therewere many who opposed him. Hisopponents are often identified onlyby their association with a certaingroup or party. Except for key politicaland religious opponents, most indi-viduals named in the gospels tend tobe followers of Jesus.

Jesus’ earliest followers are calleddisciples, a name that we hopefullyhave kept alive and own for ourselvesas Christians. A select group of Jesus’disciples were named by him as apos-tles.

An apostle is someone (one of only12) Jesus personally chose and sentout with a special message, the goodnews of God’s coming reign overhuman affairs being very close athand (Mt10:1-11). While only disci-ples were chosen to be apostles,whether every disciple was also one ofthe 12 apostles depends on the gospelyou are reading.

In Matthew 11:1, the apostles arecalled the 12 disciples. Matthew alsolimits the term “disciple” to theseapostles, who Matthew only callsapostles once (10:2). In Luke, howev-er, there are at least 70 others who areconsidered disciples (Lk 10:1), and bythe time of his triumphal entry intoJerusalem, he is said to have a multi-tude of disciples (19:37).

If Christians consider themselvesdisciples without fear of being con-fused with being an apostle, we owe itto Luke.

Among the religious leaders ofJesus’ time, the most frequently men-tioned are scribes, Pharisees and Sad-ducees.

The scribes were the Bible scholarsof their time. They were responsiblefor interpreting the Law of Moses (seeMt 23:2) and they often did so byrecording the valued opinions of pre-decessors and carefully weighing andbalancing their opinions on any dis-puted matter of the Law. It might bethat their reputation for giving care-ful, nuanced interpretations led to theamazement at the straightforwardauthority with which Jesus taught(Mk 1:22).

While scribes are often depicted asopponents of Jesus, there were excep-tions. At some point some scribesmust have brought their expertisewith Scripture with them as theybecame followers of Christ. Jesus pro-

claims in Matthew that, “every scribewho has been instructed in the king-dom of heaven is like the head of ahousehold who brings from his store-room both the new and the old” (Mt13:52). A scribe who believed inChrist would find many “new” thingsin Scripture that a scribe who rejectedJesus would not.

The scribes often tended to be asso-ciated with another party, the

Pharisees, but not all Pharisees werescribes and not all scribes would havebeen Pharisees. The Pharisees wereJews who were striving for personalholiness by careful observance ofMosaic Law.

The scribes had serious problemswith Jesus forgiving sins (Mt 9:2-6)and the Pharisees were shocked at hiswillingness to associate with knownsinners (Mt 9:9-13).

The priests of the Temple, theirfamilies and supporters had their ownreligious party, the Sadducees, andthey had their own problems withJesus. The Pharisees and scribes inter-preted the Law of Moses for daily lifein human society, and struggled withhow to respond to the Roman occupa-tion of Israel. The Sadducees, howev-er, had compromised with the Romanauthorities in order to be left free toconduct their priestly duties in theTemple.

The Sadducees, unlike the scribesand the Pharisees, did not accept asScripture any of the prophets or thePsalms. It was from these writings thatmany Jews drew their expectation of apolitical liberator, a messiah.

The Sadducees apparently fearedthe followers of Jesus might eventual-ly draw the attention of the Romanauthorities if they started hailing himas the Messiah—especially if theRomans understood the desire for aMessiah as a clamouring for revolu-tion.

The Sadducees knew the Romanresponse would be brutal and theirfragile compromise with them mightbe torn asunder.

The gospels indicate that all thesegroups, including one of Jesus’ disci-ples, conspired together to exposeJesus as a serious threat to Rome, andit was the Roman governor PontiusPilate that sentenced him to death bycrucifixion.

PERSPECTIVES The Southern Cross, July 21 to 27, 2010 99

Who’s who in the gospels

True leadershipmust be rooted

in love

Iam going to take a break from writing articlesfor The Southern Cross and will be back againin the new year.Before I take my columnist’s sabbatical, I

thought I should leave those who read the“Leadership in the Church” column with somefood for thought about the importance of theBible to the Christian view of leadership.

We live in a world that is so dominated bysecular laws and practices that we Christianstake these as the norm. We can even go to theextent of believing that there are no Christianalternatives to the laws and practices we know.It is because we do not read the Bible that weremain ignorant of what our own faith expectsus to practise.

A classic example I have referred to in previ-ous articles is the Christian philosophy of ser-vant leadership. When Robert Greenleaf, authorof Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature ofLegitimate Power & Greatness, came up with theconcept of servant leadership, this approach toleadership—which has been described by someas the highest form of leadership—appeared tobe a new phenomenon.

A careful reading of the Bible reveals thatJesus did not want to leave his followers withouta clear understanding of his teaching on leader-ship, and that the cornerstone of that teachingis “towel leadership” or servant leadership. Alook at a number of passages from the Gospels,including John 13, in which we see Jesus wipinghis disciples’ feet with a towel, will show thetruth of this.

For our purposes in this article I will citeJesus’ response to the sons of Zebedee and therest of the apostles:

“Instead, whoever wants to become greatamong you must be your servant, and whoeverwants to be first must be slave of all. For eventhe Son of Man did not come to be served, butto serve, and to give his life as a ransom formany” (Mk 10:43-45).

Because Jesus’ teaching in these and otherpassages has not been followed down the ages,the leadership of domination is prevalent inmost Christian denominations.

Instead of being guided by our manual—theBible—Christian leaders have followed theteachings of theorists like Niccolo Machiavelliwho advised leaders that if one is to choosebetween being loved and being feared, oneshould rather choose to be feared. This flies inthe face of the Christian law of love.

An important concept in current teachingabout leadership is systems theory.

Authorities like Peter Senge, author of TheFifth Discipline, have correctly pointed out thatin searching for solutions to national or organi-sational problems we should think systemicallyand see the connectedness of things instead ofonly looking at discrete entities, as the wholecan exceed the sum of its parts.

This very useful principle is clearly articulatedin St Paul’s teaching about the Body of Christ.In considering the roles of different groups inthe Church such as priests, sisters, lay peopleand so on, we often do not see how these com-plement one another.

We might think, for instance, that the workof religious people is more important than thework of lay people. However, in 1 Corinthians12, Paul reminds us that no part of the body canwork effectively on its own, nor can the bodywork efficiently if one part is not doing its workproperly.

The same is true of our ministries. The par-ents who raise Christian children are as impor-tant as the theologians who train priests in sem-inaries. The building of the Body of Christentails a concerted effort: parents bringing upchildren who are firmly grounded in the faith;schools and parishes training the leaders oftomorrow; seminaries and convents developingreligious leaders who are thoroughly trained inChristian leadership, pastoral care and spirituali-ty.

The last issue I will look at is about how theChurch and Christian institutions deal withemployer/employee conflicts and other labourissues.

These days it seems to make sense to employa lawyer or legal firm to deal with all such issuesin terms of the labour laws of the state.

An examination of the teaching of Jesus (Mt18) and Paul (1 Cor 6) will show that before wetake brothers and sisters to the secular courts, weare expected to follow a process in the commu-nity of believers first.

continued on page 11

Chris Chatteris SJ

Pray withthe Pope

General Intention: That those who are unemployed,homeless, or in any serious need may find welcome,understanding, and help in overcoming their difficul-ties

ACCORDING to Gandhi, a society in whichthere is wealth without work is in trouble.Unfortunately, some economic theorists

believe that a certain level of unemployment isinevitable and even acceptable in the moderneconomy.

Someone once said in reply to this position:“An ‘acceptable’ level of unemployment meansthat the government economist to whom it isacceptable still has a job.”

Shakespeare went to the heart of the matter inThe Merchant of Venice when he said: “You takemy life when you do take the means whereby Ilive.” It’s a line to ponder when we see those life-less-looking unemployed men sitting at the sideof the road hoping against hope for a day’s piece-work.

Homelessness merely compounds the awful-ness of being unemployed. The American poetOgden Nash graphically expresses the desperationof a homeless man with a family in thesepoignant lines: “You scour the Bowery, ransackthe Bronx / Through funeral parlors and honky-tonks. / From river to river you comb the town, /For a place to lay your family down.”

Shakespeare again puts it powerfully, describ-ing how we view the homeless as a kind of alienspecies. “What are these, so withered and so wildin their attire, that look not like the inhabitants ofthe earth?”

Have we become to believe that the plight ofthe unemployed and the homeless is “accept-able”? I suggest that our prayer should be directedat ourselves to ask the Lord for a proper sense ofhow outrageous it is that in our relatively wealthysociety there are people who can find neither aroof over their heads nor the employment to payfor one.

Desperate refugees Missionary Intention: That the Church may be ahome for all people in need, opening its doors to anywho suffer from racial or religious discrimination,hunger, or wars forcing their emigration.

I’M always amazed and appalled when I readthose stories in the media about the armies of

young African men who brave the Atlantic or theMediterranean in open boats in order to land ille-gally in Europe.

How can people be so desperate as to risk theiryoung lives so recklessly? What are these terribleforces of desperation which drive them from theirhomes to risk their lives only to face unemploy-ment or the most menial of jobs in an oftenunwelcoming western society? There are, appar-ently, small informal settlements created by illegalAfrican immigrants on the fringes of some Euro-pean cities,

Apart from the lack of prospects at home, onedriving force appears to be a powerful sense ofresponsibility for their relatives. They feel theyhave to do something for their impoverished fam-ilies, and for their kin they are willing to risk all.That this noble but foolish path seems to be theironly hope is an indictment on an economic sys-tem of extreme inequality and ruthless exclusion.Globalism and the free movement of goods andservices are fine, it seems, but a line is drawnwhen it comes to the free movement of labour.

Thankfully, European countries are beginningto think beyond just tightening up their porousborders, knowing that in the long run this isfutile. Poor and unemployed people will alwaysmove inexorably to where there is work andhence to encourage them to remain at home it isnecessary that they find sustaining work at home.

We pray for a deeper understanding of thephenomenon of refugees and forced migration inthe 21st century and that the rich and the rootedmight be moved to share not just with migrantsbut also with the poor societies from which they originate.

Clifford M Yeary

Hearing theGood News

Clifford M Yeary is an associate directorof Little Rock Scripture Study in Arkansas.This article was originally published in theArkansas Catholic, newspaper of the dio-cese of Little Rock. It is the third in a seriesof 13 articles which will explore the four gospels.

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FOCUS10 10 The Southern Cross, July 21 to July 27, 2010

IN the basement of an Italianinsurance company’s modernoffice building, Vatican

archaeologists—armed withlasers—discovered important his-torical evidence about the devel-opment of Christian devotion tothe apostles.

At Rome’s Catacombs of StThecla, in the burial chamber of aRoman noblewoman, they havediscovered what they said are theoldest existing paintings of SsPeter, Paul, Andrew and John.

Technicians working for thePontifical Commission for SacredArchaeology discovered thepainting of St Paul in June 2009just as the Year of St Paul wasending.

Barbara Mazzei, who was incharge of the restoration work,said that she and her team mem-bers knew there were moreimages under the crust of calciumcarbonate, but excitement overthe discovery of St Paul in theyear dedicated to him led them toannounce the discovery evenbefore the rest of the work wascompleted.

Presenting the completerestoration of the burial chamberto reporters a year later, Mgr Gio-vanni Carru said that the cata-combs “are an eloquent witnessof Christianity in its origins”.

Into the 4th century, Chris-tians in Italy tried to bury theirdead near the tomb of a martyr.The walls of the tombs of the

wealthy were decorated withChristian symbols, biblical scenesand references to the martyr.

At the Catacombs of St Thecla,the noblewoman’s burial cham-ber—now referred to as the Cubi-cle of the Apostles—dates fromlate 4th century. The arch overthe vestibule features a fresco of agroup of figures the Vaticanexperts described as “The Collegeof the Apostles”.

The ceiling of the burial cham-ber itself features the most typicalicon found in the catacombs—Christ the Good Shepherd—butthe four corners of the ceiling aredecorated with medallions featur-ing the four apostles, said MsMazzei.

Fabrizio Bisconti, the commis-sion’s archaeological superinten-dent, said that in the decorationsof the catacombs one can see“the genesis, the seeds of Christ-ian iconography”, with designsfrom the very simple fish as asymbol of Christ to the resurrec-tion image of Christ raisingLazarus from the dead.

The discovery of so muchattention to the apostles in theCatacombs of St Thecla docu-ments the fact that widespreaddevotion to the apostles beganearlier than what most Churchhistorians believed, he said.

“This is the time when theveneration of the apostles wasjust being born and developed,”he said, and the art in the cata-combs no longer presented justthe martyrs or biblical scenes.

The burial chamber also fea-tures frescoes of Daniel in thelion’s den, the Three Wise Menbringing gifts to Jesus, Abraham’ssacrifice of Isaac and a very largewall painting of the noblewomanherself—jewelled, veiled and with“an important hairstyle”, a sym-bol of status in ancient Rome.

Ms Mazzei said that whenrestorers first went into the burialchamber in 2008, all the walls

were white—completely coveredunder the crust of calcium car-bonate that ranged from a mil-limetre thick to 4-5cm deep. TheVatican, however, had water-colours and diary descriptionsfrom the 1800s testifying thatthere were paintings on the walls.

In the past, she said, restorerswould use tiny scalpels andbrushes to remove the whitecrust, but some of the paintalways came away with it.Restorers were left trying to findthe right balance betweenremoving enough to see a faintimage of a catacomb fresco anddestroying it.

Then along came the laser.After attending an art restora-

tion conference and listening topresentations on how lasers werebeing used on frescoes in build-ings above ground, she said shesuggested to the Vatican thatthey gather a team of experts tosee how lasers would work in theextremely humid catacombswhere almost no air circulates.

“We went slowly and basicallyset up an experimental laborato-ry” in the catacombs, she said.

The restoration project wasjust as painstaking as the scalpel-and-brush method because itinvolved firing the laser pin-point by pinpoint across the sur-face of the cubicle, “but theresult is totally different”, MsMazzei said.

She said the two-year projectto restore the tiny cubicle costonly about $72 000 (aboutR550 000) because many of theconsultants donated their timeand the laser company gave theVatican a steep discount.

Mr Bisconti said the Vaticanhas no plans to open the Cata-combs of St Thecla to the public,although the pontifical commis-sion occasionally gives permis-sion for groups to visit as long asthey are willing to pay a licensedguide and escort.—CNS

Ancient devotions in Roman catacombsArchaeologists have foundwhat they believe to be theoldest depictions of SaintsPeter, Paul, Andrew andJohn in a Roman catacombwhich throws a light on thedevotions of Rome’s earlyChristians. CINDY WOODENreports.

Fabrizio Bisconti, the archaeological superintendent of the Pontifical Commis-sion for Sacred Archaeology, explains artwork outside the burial chambers of aRoman noblewoman in the Catacombs of St Thecla in Rome. Above him is a4th-century painting known as the “College of the Apostles” and at right is animage of Jesus. PHOTO: PAUL HARING, CNS

Fourth-century paintings of (clockwise from top left) Ss Peter, John, Paul andAndrew on the ceiling in the burial chamber in the Catacombs of St Thecla. Thepaintings of the apostles on the ceiling of the chamber are believed to be theoldest of them in existence.

PHOTO: NICOLA FORENZA, PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR SACRED ARCHAEOLOGY

The burial chamber is seen in this lighted view of the Catacombs of St Thecla.PHOTO: NICOLA FORENZA, PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR SACRED ARCHAEOLOGY

A painting of Christ the Good Shepherd on the ceiling in the burial chamber inthe Catacombs of St Thecla. PHOTO: PAUL HARING, CNS

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DECEMBER 10-18Fr Urs Fischer & Team: 7-Day GuidedRetreats, from supper Dec 10 to breakfast 18DECEMBER 24 - JANUARY 1“Our Joy in Being Catholic” (written byBishop Oswald Hirmer), presented by Fr John Driessen, from supper Dec 24 to breakfast Jan 1.A SPIRITUAL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY!January 3 - February 2, 2011SPIRITUAL EXERCISES according to StIgnatius of Loyola. Thirty days of prayerand meditation, led by Fr Urs FischerJANUARY 3-11Br Crispin Graham & Team: 7-Day Directed Retreats, from supper Jan 3 to breakfast 11.

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The Southern Cross, July 21 to 27, 2010 1111

Mass readings for the weekSundays year C, weekdays cycle 2

Sun July 25, 17th Sunday of the Year:Gn 18:20-32; Ps 138:1-3,6-8; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13Mon July 26, Ss Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary:Jer 13:1-11; Ps: Dt 32:18-21; Mt 13:31-35Tue July 27, feria:Jer 14:17-22; Ps 79:8-9. 11,13; Mt 13:36-43Wed July 28, St Victor I:Jer 15:10,16-21; Ps 59:2-5,10-11,17-18; Mt 13:44-46Thur July 29, St Martha: 1 Jn 4:7-16; Ps 34:2-11; Jn 11:19-27,or Lk 10:38-42Fri July 30, St Peter Chrysologus:Jer 26:1-9; Ps 69, 5:8-10,14; Mt 13:54-58Sat July 31, St Ignatius Loyola:Jer 26:11-16,24; Ps 69:15-1,30-31,33-34; Mt 14:1-12Sun August 1, 18th Sunday of the Year:Eccl 1:2, 2:21-23; Ps 90:3-6,12-14,17; Col 3:1-5,9-11; Lk12:13-21

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STRETTON—50th WeddingAnniversary, July 23, 2010.Ken and Martha givingthanks to God for a wonder-ful married life, blessed withour daughters Kim, Sherri,Pamela, sons-in-law Mike,Walter, Rob, grandchildrenDino, Kyle, Fabio, Nicole,Blaike, Sandi, Jonathan,Gary, Savannah, Nicholas,family and friends.

DEATHCASEY—Kevin. Died tragi-cally in a fire at their homein East London, on June 26,2010. We are mourning ourloss and you will always bein our thoughts and hearts.Forever missed by Val,Sean, Maureen, Donovan,Maryann, Jenny and his sixgrandchildren. Rest inPeace.

IN MEMORIAMDU PLESSIS—Dion31/05/1975—27/07/2007. Athousand ages in Thy sight,are like an evening gone.Short as the watch thatends the night, before therising sun. Always lovedand sorely missed by yourloving family.

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THE Marist Brothers in SouthAfrica have pledged to giveR15 000 to the Denis Hurley

Centre which is being establishedat Emmanuel cathedral, Durban.

The cathedral has about 4,000beneficiaries already: refugees,homeless and unemployed peopleas well as people living withHIV/Aids.

The help we are able to providewill be much moresubstantial after thenew Centre is built.

I wonder whetherother religiousorders and congrega-tions with whichArchbishop Hurleywas closely associat-ed, would like toemulate this splen-

did gesture of the Marist Brothers?For more information about the

Denis Hurley Centre, please visit the website www.denishurleycentre.co.za orphone me on 031 201 3832, 072 806 4417, or e-mail pkearney@saol.com

Paddy KearneyCoordinator: Denis Hurley

Centre Project

BETHLEHEM: Shrine of Our Lady of Bethlehem at Tsheseng, Maluti

mountains; Thursdays 09:30, Mass, then exposition of theBlessed Sacrament. 058 721 0532

JOHANNESBURG: First Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 10:30.

First Saturday: Devotions: Our Lady’s Cenacle, Adorationof the Blessed Sacrament and Rosary, 15:00–16:00. Spe-cial devotion to Our Blessed Lady for her priests. Our Ladyof the Angels, Little Eden, Edenvale, 011 609 7246

First Saturday of each month rosary prayed 10:30-12:00outside Marie Stopes abortion clinic, Peter Place,Bryanston. Joan Beyrooti, 011 782 4331

KRUGERSDORP: Culture of Life / Anti-Abortion campaign fund raiser, Sun

22 August 15h00, AFM Church Noordheuwel Krugers-dorp. Also Celtic Praise Sing along with “One Accord”singers and musicains. Tickets R80 (senior citizens R50),safe parking 021 672 3488 or 082 360 4813

PRETORIA: First Saturday: Devotion to Divine Mercy. St Martin de

Porres, Sunnyside, 16:30. Shirley-Anne 012 361 4545.

CAPE TOWN: Adoration Chapel, Corpus Christi church, Wynberg:Mon-

Thurs 6am to 12pm; Fri-Sun 6am to 8pm. Adorers wel-come 021-761 3337

To place your event, call Claire Allen at 021 465 5007, or e-mailc.allen@scross.co.za

COMMUNITCOMMUNITYY CALENDARCALENDAR

UPHOLSTERERMore than 50 years of

experience guaranteesyou satisfaction.

Ph 021 6371938 after hours 021 7012692.

The Southern Cross is amember of the AuditBureau of Circulations ofSouth Africa. Printed byPaarl Post, 8 Jan vanRiebeeck Drive, Paarl.Published by the propri-etors, The Catholic

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Thoughts for the Week on the Family

FAMILY CALENDAR2010 FAMILY THEME: “Families

Play the Game.”25th 17th Sunday: Our Father in Heaven.At Mass the Lord’s Prayer is always intro-duced with the words, “with confidencelet us pray...” The father-figure is impor-tant and respected in all cultures, espe-cially as they grow older. Sometimes he isfeared more that he is loved, but ideallythe way grandfathers have lived theirlives should be a model for the young.Teach children the true meaning andvalue of the Our Father as a family prayerand pray it often together at home.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

REMEMBERINGOUR DEAD

“It is a holy and wholesome thought topray for the dead, that they may beloosed from their sins” (II Macc XII,46)

Holy Mass will be celebrated on the firstSunday of each month in the All Souls’chapel, Maitland, Cape Town at 2:30pmfor all souls in purgatory and for all thoseburied in the Woltemade cemetery.

For further information, please contactSt Jude Society,Box 22230, Fish Hoek, 7975Telephone (021) 552 3850

Be a light to othersServants of the Holy Childhood of Jesus.

In the Spirit of God Incarnate, we follow the way of the Gospel. Wehave dedicated ourselves to the service of disadvantaged women and

children and to the education of the young.Is God calling you to be a witness to the Light that is Jesus?

If so, please contact: Sr Gregoria, P. Bag 553, Eshowe 3815. Tel: 076 3492752

The point here is that bysurrendering all ourauthority in matters ofconflict to secular insti-tutions we are abandon-ing the Christian princi-ples of love, compassionand forgiveness.

I have been told abouta case where a religiouscongregation has gone tothe extent of beingvicious in trying to justi-fy its case against a groupof employees.

May we know theBible well so that all ourdecisions are informedby the faith we profess! Catch up with previousEmmanuel Ngara columns atwww.scross.co.za/category/Ngara/

Root leadership

in lovecontinued from page 9

Religious orders: please support Durban’s Denis Hurley Centre

18th Sunday – Year C (August 1)Qoheleth 1:2, 2:21-23; Psalm 90: 3-6, 12-14, 17; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke 12:13-21

WHAT are the things that really mat-ter in life? That is the uncomfort-able question that the readings for

next Sunday pose to us. The first reading comes to us from

Qoheleth, or Ecclesiastes (“the Preacher”) ashis Greek nickname goes, with the well-known refrain that goes “Vanity of vanities,all is vanity”. Then (leaping into his secondchapter, for some reason), this deep and radi-cal thinker offers an example of this “vani-ty”: “A person who has expended effort andwisdom and expertise and skill—and heleaves his portion to someone who has notput in the effort. This is also vanity and greatwickedness.”

Some scholars point out that Qohelethhardly ever mentions God; but you can doGod’s work without speaking of theAlmighty, and the task of the Preacher is toexpose the foolishness of the pursuits towhich we normally give our energies, inorder that we may find our way to God.

That is a point made more explicitly inthe Psalm for next Sunday, setting the follyof human pursuits against God’s greater pur-poses (“You turn human beings back into

dust, and say, ‘Go back, sons of men’”.) anddifferent perspective (“In your eyes a thou-sand years are like a single day, yesterday...adream in the night”).

So for God, all our passionate humanendeavours are “like grass that flourishes inthe morning—in the evening it withers andfades”. So we need God’s perspective, to findout what really matters: “Teach us to num-ber our days that we may gain a wise heart”,and then, in a prayer that comes from theheart, “fill us in the morning with yourlove”. It is God, and God alone, who can“prosper the work of our hands”.

The second reading likewise insists on ourgoing for the things that really matter in life,arguing that if it is true about the Resurrec-tion (“if you have been raised up withChrist”), then we should “look for the things

that are above”). So the irrelevant distrac-tions on which we tend to waste ourselvesmust be rejected: “Sexual immorality,uncleanness, passion, evil lust, and greed(which is the worship of a false god).” Wehave to clothe ourselves in the livery of a“new humanity, to make known the imageof the One who created us”, so that none ofour artificial divisions (of religion, culture,race, social class and gender) are taken seri-ously.

What matters is to get the importantthings right; and the important things arethose which God takes seriously.

The gospel is precisely on this issue; itstarts with someone demanding that Jesusbecome an arbitrator in a family disputeabout a will. Jesus warns against “all kinds ofgreed, because a person’s life (or “soul”) isnot a matter of a healthy bank balance”.

To make the point, he tells the story of awell-to-do farmer, who has had a profitableseason (this story will go well in this coun-try), and decides that his storage space is notbig enough, so he is going to pull it all downand build even more, “and I shall collecttogether there all my grain and all my prop-erty. And then I’ll say to my soul (or “life”),

‘Soul (or “life”), you have many thingsstored up for a number of years: chill out,eat, drink, party’.”

But there is a chilling sequel to this appar-ently harmless tale of materialist con-sumerism, as Jesus continues, “And God saidto him, ‘You Fool! This very night, your life(or “soul”) is being demanded of you. Andall the stuff that you have got ready—whowill it belong to?’” And, just in case we hadnot quite got it, Jesus draws the moral: “So itis with all those who build up their propertyportfolio and are not wealthy with regard toGod.”

The difficulty is that God never forces usto do what we know to be right, and so thevoice of God can seem very muted indeed,while the various alternative gods that are onoffer do appear extraordinarily attractive: thehealthy bank-balance, the impressive house,that very smart car you have been longingfor, the latest thing in electronic devices. Allof these function as alternative gods; andnone of them in fact leaves us with the hap-piness that we are looking for.

Only God can provide that. So, this week,what really matters in your life?

SOUTHERN AFRICA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY SINCE 1920Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 10 Tuin Plein, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001

Tel: (021) 465 5007 Fax: (021) 465 3850Editorial: editor@scross.co.za Advertising/Subscriptions/Accounts: admin@scross.co.za

WHEN I was an altar server morethan half a century ago, therewere so many priests at my

parish, I could hardly remember all theirnames.

Those were the days when parishpriests were able to pop in every so oftenand have tea with parishioners, spendhours at sickbeds and generally have apretty peaceful, unhurried life withoodles of time for prayer and contempla-tion.

It’s different now, of course. Anyparish that can boast one permanentpriest can count itself lucky. Priesthoodtoday is a tough, all consuming job thatcarries with it all the stresses and strainsof corporate life, with priests not onlyjuggling parish finances to survive butinevitably also involved in regional anddiocesan work along with serving onmyriad other committees, advisoryboards and charities.

Which is why the Southern Africanbishops have been calling on the laity topitch in and help wherever they can totry and take some of the load off over-burdened parish priests.

The problem here, of course, is thatfar too many lay Catholics seem to con-fuse simple helping out with staging ahostile takeover bid.

A few decades of serving on parishcouncils and committees has left mewith the conclusion that in wealthyparishes particularly, there are threekinds of parishioners. There are thosewho are completely apathetic and simplygo to Mass on Sunday and nothingmore. There are those who genuinely

knuckle down and quietly get on withdoing whatever they can to help. Andthen there are those who involve them-selves in parish life with such intensityand fervour that is not far short of full-blown religious fanaticism.

These are the parishioners that givepriests the biggest challenge of all. Notonly because they are volunteers, whoare by their very nature difficult to disci-pline, but also because a by-product oftheir often innocent over-enthusiasm is acombination of pettiness and one-upmanship.

Calling for volunteers among parish-ioners unfortunately also tends to drawout control freaks who usually end upgoing well beyond the original notion offixing broken windows, tending gardens,doing the flowers and working in thesoup kitchen or at the bring-and-buytables.

These are the zealots who take theparish priest under their wings, some-times pretty forcibly, and appoint them-selves either his mother, father, sister,brother, spiritual adviser, financial coun-sellor, social secretary, moral guardian,scriptwriter or—worst of all—have delu-sions about becoming his concubine,mistress or even wife.

These are the same self-appointed cus-todians of Catholicism who act as unin-vited policemen or secret service agentsfor the Vatican, making notes of whatthey consider to be breaches of the dresscode, order of the Mass and any vaguelyperceived hint of heresy that might behidden away between the lines of ahomily or sermon.

Then, of course, there are those fewpillars of the Church who indulge ineverything from rumour-mongering andfrenetic gossip to seriously advocatingchanges to the Ten Commandments—orworse, adding a few of their own.

There is no question that being aCatholic priest in South Africa is a lotmore challenging and stressful than itwas when I was a kid who would ridepast the church on my way to and fromschool, wondering at the serenity of allthose priests who were pacing slowlyabout the parish rose garden in peaceful,prayerful contemplation.

There will be those who will accuseme of painting such a terrible picture ofthe modern priesthood that the voca-tions campaign will take a nosedive.

That is not at all my intention. Ibelieve that one of the things that puts alot of youngsters off the priesthood thesedays is the perception of a lonely, boringlifestyle bereft of any social interactionor secular challenges.

But the priesthood is not like that.Today’s parish priest, along with thosewho work at diocesan level or in theseminaries or schools, has everythingand more that the average corporatechief executive has—with the possibleexception of a home filled with yellingkids and a wife to turn to for consolationand support.

While the priesthood is and alwayswill be a vocation in the service of God,it has the same attributes, challenges andrewards nowadays of any secular careerone wishes to mention. These includethings like holidays, going to the moviesand playing golf.

Today’s priests don’t have to be her-mits in sackcloth, but it does help a lot ifthey have enough people skills to keepall those over-enthusiastic volunteersunder control.

In an effort to avoid being lynched,may I mention that none of the aboveapplies to my present parish where Iregard everyone as a saint.

Getting the important things right

Fr Nicholas King SJScriptural

Reflections

Volunteers from hell

July 21 to 27, 2010

Chris Moerdyk

The Last Word

Pregnant?Help is as near as

your telephone011 403 1718 031 201 5471

www.birthright.co.za

Donations andvolunteers and prayers

always welcome

YOUR USEDSTAMPScan help in the

education of South Africansfor the priesthood at

St Joseph’s Scholasticate,Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal.

Please send them to:OMI Stamps, Box 101352,

Scottsville, 3209.

Thank you!

OMI Stamps

CHURCH CHUCKLE

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

CONRAD

Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he hadlearned in Sunday School. “Well, mom, our teacher told ushow God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue missionto lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea,he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the peoplewalked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for rein-forcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and allthe Israelites were saved.”“Joey, is that really what yourteacher taught you?” his Mother asked. “Well, no, mom... but,if I told it the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it!”

Southern Crossword #401

SOLUTIONS TO #400. ACROSS: 1 Siam, 3 Contacts, 9 Chaplet, 10Koran, 11 Assignations, 13 Eighth, 15 Fatten, 17 Sacred writer, 20Lotto, 21 Iranian, 22 Pedestal, 23 Edge. DOWN: 1 Socrates, 2 Amass,4 Outlaw, 5 Take it as read, 6 Coronet, 7 Send, 8 Slight errors, 12Entrance, 14 Granted, 16 Edwina, 18 Triad, 19 Slip.

ACROSS5. Its where the heart issaid to be (4)7. The Blessed Virginspoke to her (10)8. Leave the stage doorout? (4)10. Gran is to providechurch musician (8)11. Disturbance (6)12. Assign a place in bat-tle (6)14. Papals? This causesdismay (6)16. A strap around Per-sian governor (6)17. Preserve traditionally(8)19. Gives cash (4)21. Senior cleric willchance road around (10)22. Permanently injure(4)

DOWN1. Sound of Cockneytramp with woodwind (4)2. Man the AA willdenounce for false doc-trine (8)3. Dexterous (6)4.Put on play in churchhall (6)5. When shaped (4)6. One sent to preach (10)9. A phone box I find,having fear of foreigners(1)13. Pharoahs commander(Gen 37) (8)15. Kind of observancereligious order (6)16. The way a courtingcouple will go (6)18. Not genuine (4)20. Go underwater in thekitchen (4)

“I’m sure the Holy Fatherwill appreciate the tray of koeksusters, Granny.”