Responses to the KAIROS DOCLTMENT

FRANS J. VERSTRAELEN

After his acquittal at the Pietermaritzburg Supreme Court on charges of High Treason, Rev. Frank Chikane (Institute for Contextual Theo- logy) writes in a circular, dated December 17, 1985: 'Although our release comes as a political victory against apartheid, that we were accused of Treason against apartheid rather than Treason against our beloved country, I am not sure as to how long we can remain free as long as the apartheid regime still continues. How does one release us and expect us not to continue opposing the system even with more vigour than ever before. Like Mandela we say that we shall start where this system stopped and continue with our struggle. Moreover I am compelled by my faith to continue working for justice and peace in this country irrespective of the consequences. I take it as my calling to minister to both the oppressed and the oppressor, to make them aware and to urge them to fight against all forms of oppressive structures and systems. I take it as my duty as a servant of God to them aware that this is what God wants us to do. This is what our faith demand us to do. To live our life \ as Christians in this society by challenging it according to the demands of the Kingdom of God.' Frank Chikane makes it clear that 'our method of struggle is the non- violent model of mass mobilization'. Q_ Meanwhile, the Kairos Document which we have introduced in Mission Studies no. 4 (Vol. 11-2, 1985) continues to sollicit responses and actions. We mention a few of these reactions and publish two docu- ments produced in Europe. -.

1. In South Afr2ca the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference issued 'An Initial Response to the Kairos Document' (General Secre-' tariate SACBC, P.O. Box 941, Pretoria - South Africa). The Bishops, though referring to some shortcomings 'recognise the essential message of the Kairos document as urging us to address ourselves more forcefully and clearly to the Black popu- lation of South Africa, to spell out the justice of the cause in the struggle for liberation and to indicate how we see that struggle in the light of the Gospel, to indicate too that we are in solidarity with the oppressed while bringing to all the people of our country a vision of how justice can be achieved in a spirit of love and, through justice, reconciliation. - in short, a vision of christian hope.' (p. 6)

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Several theologians in South Africa who - for one reason or another - did not sign the Kairos Document have reflected upon it, some of them in a serious way like e.g. Brian Gaybba (in: Grace and Truth, 6-4, December 1985), and Rob Robertson (in a paper dated 30th October, 1985). We hope that The Kairos Theologians who together issued the Kairos Document will collect all the responses and reactions forthcoming within South Africa (and elsewhere) so that their message can be corrected where necessary, sharpened where helpful and enriched by deepening and even radicalizing some of their views and their vision . as expressed in the Kairos Document. . Just one day before the Kairos Document was made public (September 13, 1985) a meeting took place of the 'National Initiative for Reconcil- iation'. Prof. David Bosch launched this Initiative with an address entitled 'Processes of Reconciliation and Demands, of Obedience' that has been published as: 'Reconciliation. An Afrikaner speaks', in: Leadership South Africa 4-4 (1985). What struck and partly puzzled me was David Bosch's view that 'ideally it should be white Christians who challenge other white Christians, Afrikaners who challenge fellow- Afrikaners to come to the recognition that we all share in the guilt... If, however, the challenge to confess our guilt comes from the black South Africans, this might be counter-productive. We might argue that they stand to gain from our confession and this might harden us' (p. 64). I can understand when he states that the 'challenge to Afrikaners should not come from white English-speaking South African Christians, neither from others - for whom nothing is at stake'. But, should the greatest challenge not come from the faces - speaking even without words -of'the black majority, the dominated and degraded black men, women, youth and children? - Are the black sinned-against not a more - urgent challenge for conversion of the white sinners, than the challenge white Afrikaners can possibly provide among themselves? - Can the black 'others' - whose human dignity is at stake - not enlighten and move us, white sinners, on the path of justice and love?

2- The WCC Programme Unit on Justice and Service, its Commission on the Programme to Combat Racism, published in a Special Issue of PRC Informatio7i. Reports and Background Papers, November 1985, besides the Document itself, a number of Commentaries, written by John S. Pobee (Ghana - PTE, Geneva), Allan R. Brockway (Programme Secretary for Christian-Muslim Relations, Geneva), Sol Jacob (Director of the Division for Refugee Ministries, SACC - Johannesburg), Bert Hoedemaker (Professor of Ethics and Missiology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands), Jose Miguez Bonino (Professor of Theology, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina). The latter starts his comment with accounting for why he dares to respond: 'My assignment calls for "an ecumenical comment". Is-it possible? For we are not now faced by an academic essay but by a proclamation which demands a response. Do we or do we not discern here the voice of the Spirit? This is, in the final analysis, the only decisive issue. The call is, however, articulated in the framework of a