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PAGE 10 Five Years On: Climate Divine Holy Week John Paul II Change: Mercy Feast with Pope Remembered Think Again Misplaced? Benedict PAGE 7 PAGE 3 PAGE 9 PAGE 10 Five years on: Climate Divine Holy Week John Paul II change: Mercy feast with Pope remembered think again misplaced? Benedict March 24 to March 30, 2010 www.scross.co.za R5,00 (incl VAT RSA) Reg No. 1920/002058/06 No 4668 SOUTHERN AFRICA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY SINCE 1920 Inside Vatican: ‘Give To fight human trafficking generously for An international workshop on human traffick- ing in Gauteng discussed practical ways of educating people about the dangers of slav- ery they could face.—Page 2 Holy Land’ Killed with paintball gun BY CINDY WOODEN Robbers killed a security guard for the S Catholics remember the death of Johannesburg-based Love of Christ Min- Jesus on Good Friday, they are also istries orphanage by shooting him at close Aasked to remember the Christians range with a paintball gun.—Page 3 who still live in the land where Jesus lived and rose from the dead. Abuse: How to respond In a letter to the world’s bishops, urging Love, honesty and devotion to Christ are them to support the annual collection for essential for facing the crisis in the Church the Holy Land, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri and in the priesthood caused by cases of said all Catholics share the responsibility of clerical sexual abuse, an Australian archbish- the Christians in the Holy Land to keep the op said as the scandal deepened.—Page 5 church alive there and preserve the sites associated with Jesus’ life, death and resur- rection. Homilies eight minutes tops Cardinal Sandri, prefect of the Congrega- Homilies should be no longer than eight min- tion for Eastern Churches, coordinates the utes—a listener’s average attention span, Holy Land collection, which most parishes according to a Vatican archbishop.—Page 4 take up on Good Friday. His office also coordinates the committee that distributes Praying with the pope the funds. Fr Leon Lemmens, an official at In his monthly column on the papal prayer the congregation, said that in the past few intentions, Fr Chris Chatteris looks at how we years, the collection has averaged about $25 should respond to fundamentalism and million a year. observes the suffering of persecuted Chris- Many of the projects combine archaeo- tians.—Page 9 logical studies and restoration of Christian shrines with the improvement of pilgrim Getting ready for Holy Week facilities and convents at the same site, for example at the shrine of the Visitation in In her monthly column, Toni Rowland sug- Ain Karem and the convent of St Lazarus in gests ways in which families can prepare Bethany. Similar, but more extensive work spiritually for Holy Week.—Page 9 is going on in Magdala, the presumed home of Mary Magdalene, which will include a The hotline to God pilgrim itinerary designed to illustrate daily Chris Moerdyk tells the story of the journalist life in the town at the time of Jesus. and the Holy Father’s pricey “hotline to Funds collected around the world help God”.—Page 12 pay for university scholarships for Christian students in the region, support for craft- What do you think? making businesses, social and medical ser- In their Letters to the Editor this week, read- vices for the poor, financial assistance to ers discuss people who sell The Southern struggling parishes and schools and a pro- Cross in their parishes, a new Reformation, ject to build apartments for poor families criminalising homosexuality, abuse, and help and young couples. refused.—Page 8 In addition, the collection helps support the faculty of biblical sciences and archaeol- ogy at a Franciscan-run institute in This week’s editorial: Jerusalem, the Franciscan Media Centre and CHRIST CRUCIFIED: Bright spotlights illuminate a crucifix in a church in Greece, New York. the Magnificat Institute, a new music Why was Jesus killed? Catholics will observe Good Friday on April 2 this year. PHOTO: MIKE CRUPI, CATHOLIC COURIER school with 180 students.—CNS Tlhagale: Hands ‘dripped in blood’ BY JUDY STOCKILL posed by President Jacob Zuma, would be just that—a debate in which there are no absolutes and no non-nego- RCHBISHOP Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg has said tiables. that lawmakers had been “binning God” and tolerate For Christians, however, God is the author of life and Areligion only when practised in private. they have to answer to him on the issue of abortion, the Addressing more than 2 000 marchers during an anti- archbishop said. He acknowledged tensions between indi- abortion march from Johannesburg’s Christ the King viduals as well as between the Church and politicians who cathedral to Constitution Hill, Archbishop Tlhagale said: have legalised abortion, but added that society is “too “The hands of South Africa’s lawmakers are dripping with lazy” to search for the truth. blood.” He noted that in South Africa such phenomena as child Officials from the Department of Health accepted a peti- rape, the brutal abuse of women and children, drug use, tion addressed to the minister of health, calling for an end and violent road deaths are common. Amid this violence to abortion. the Gospel calls us to protect and revere life, he said, South Africa is a young democracy, Archbishop Tlhagale adding that the Commandment “Thou shalt not kill” is said, but lawmakers wasted no time in “binning God” unambiguous. Life is of unassailable, inestimable value and when they legalised abortion by passing the Choice on abortion is a deplorable crime, he added. Yet, South Termination of Pregnancy Act in November 1996. Africa’s lawmakers deny life and offer abortion on demand. Politicians, he said, tolerate religion so long as it is prac- Archbishop Tlhagale told the demonstrators that doc- tised in private, but deny that God is the source of all free- tors and nurses are pledged to serve life, not death. He dom. The abortion act simply frees a person from moral asked how long it would be before South Africa’s Constitu- responsibility and the dictates of their conscience, he said. tion protects life. The archbishop warned against a false impression that The archbishop called on young people to respect their since abortion is approved by government legislation, it bodies and life, urging them to speak out on such issues Catholics took to the streets of Johannesburg to protest against cannot be wrong. Such reasoning, he said, reduces morali- because silence means complicity. abortion. In his address to the demonstrators, Archbishop Buti ty to a personal preference. “Love God, love your neighbour. Protect and defend Tlhagale said lawmakers had blood on their hands for legalising abortion. He said that the debate around moral regeneration, pro- life—life from its inception,” he told the marchers. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARCHDIOCESAN NEWS, JOHANNESBURG 22 The Southern Cross, March 24 to March 30, 2010 LOCAL International workshop tackles Br Thomas Sheehy has been elected regional superior of the human trafficking South African sector of the De La Salle Brothers in the St BY MICHAIL RASSOOL “Relatives have been known tation of such a nationwide Charles Lwanga province of to ‘sell’ these hapless victims plan,” she said. “It is obvious English-speaking Africa. Br EVENTEEN sisters from dif- into a life of the worst kind of that great vigilance is needed in Sheehy succeeds Br Gabriel ferent congregations partic- slavery.” Griffin, who held the position order to protect the children.” Sipated in a workshop on Sr Shanley said concerns She said workshop partici- for the past 13 years. counter-human trafficking at were raised as schools and edu- SUMBITTED BY BR GEORGE WHYTE pants also voiced their concerns the Carmelite Retreat Centre in cational institutions would be about tourists being potential Benoni, near Johannesburg. closed for five weeks during the victims of unwitting human The workshop, a follow-up Fifa World Cup. trafficking agents. A circular on two previous training ses- “Millions of children and warning letter was drafted giv- sions, was co-funded by the youths will be unsupervised ing guidelines for their protec- International Union of Superi- and vulnerable, and could tion and safety, she added. ors General and the Leadership become prey to criminals who Sr Shanley said a further Conference of Consecrated Life, may lure them with promises of plan involved the creation of and was aimed at intensifying job opportunities and use them materials—caps, pens, toys, counter-trafficking efforts espe- for cheap labour, for the selling cially with Fifa World Cup rulers, arm bands and coasters, of drugs or for sex work,” Sr carrying such slogans as “2010 approaching. Shanley said. Participants came from is about the games; Let’s kick A sister from Thailand spoke out human trafficking” and Brazil, Thailand, Ireland, Nige- about the continuous stream of ria, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbab- “Blow the whistle on human young women from her coun- trafficking”. we, Namibia and Zambia, said try who respond to advertise- She said posters, cards and Loreto Sister Monica Shanley, a ments for employment in Thai brochures developed by Holy member of the Western Cape massage parlours in South Family Sister Melanie O’Connor Counter-Human Trafficking Africa, only to end up in broth- Forum. els or as sex slaves, said Sr Shan- of the bishops’ Human Traffick- She said each participant was ley. ing Desk were available to par- involved in counter-human The Thai government was ticipants, as were posters and trafficking activities through concerned and eager to cooper- pamphlets in different lan- raising awareness in schools, ate with organisations working guages from the International parishes, youth groups, writing towards implementing preven- Organisation for Migration articles and disseminating tion strategies to protect their (IOM). posters, brochures.
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