PAGE 3 PAGE 4 PAGE 12 PAGES 6-7 Zuma Vatican An itinerary Priests: honours chastises for the This was our slain Catholic cardinal afterlife World Cup July 7 to July 13, 2010 www.scross.co.za R5,00 (incl VAT RSA) Reg No. 1920/002058/06 No 4683 SOUTHERN AFRICA’S NATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY SINCE 1920 Inside Pope names Pfanner priest dies at 80 new curial heads Fr George Lautenschlager CMM, the postu- lator of Abbot Francis Pfanner’s sainthood BY JOHN THAVIS & CINDY WOODEN cause, has died at the age of 80.—Page 3 OPE Benedict has appointed new heads Priests beaten, shot at of several Vatican departments, includ- Ping those responsible for bishops and A priest was abducted and tortured in Mexi- ecumenical dialogue. co and another survived an assassination He appointed the 66-year-old Canadian attempt in the Philippines, but both have Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec as prefect vowed to continue their activism.—Page 4 of the powerful Congregation for Bishops. The office helps the pope choose bishops The forgotten Africa for Latin-rite dioceses around the world. While the world’s attention has been on The pope also named Italian Archbishop Africa for the past four weeks, there are Rino Fisichella as president of a newly creat- many forgotten tragedies on the continent, ed agency, the Pontifical Council for Pro- writes Henry Makori.—Page 9 moting New Evangelisation (see page 4), and Spanish Mgr Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, What do you think? a member of Opus Dei, to replace Archbish- In their Letters to the Editor this week, read- op Fisichella as president of the Pontifical ers discuss organ donation, a high-profile Academy for Life. The executive mayor of Dihlabeng, Chetane Mofokeng, holds the South African flag as Mr L Swiss Bishop Kurt Koch will succeed Ger- South African-born priest, treatment of homo- Mepha tightens a knot during the mayor’s visit to Nativity church in the township of Bethlehem in sexuals, religion as a problem, the Divine man Cardinal Walter Kasper, 77, as presi- the Free State. Mr R Mohapi and parish priest Fr Mokhesi Mokhesi look on. The visit was preced- dent of the Pontifical Council for Promot- Mercy, and Catholic musicians.—Page 8 ed by a procession through the centre of the township. At the Mass, vuvuzelas were incorporated in the chanting of hymns. ing Christian Unity. Cardinal Kasper has This week’s editorial: PHOTO FROM MAFELESI JOSEPH MABUYA headed the council since 2001. Cardinal Ouellet, who succeeds 76-year- Mission accomplished old Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, is not a stranger to Rome or to the Roman curia. He studied in Rome and returned to the city to teach in 1996. A year later, he was appointed chair of dogmatic theology FIFA rebuffed at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family. In 2001, he was named a bishop and appointed secretary of the Pontifical Coun- cil for Promoting Christian Unity and also served on the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. the Church In 2002, Pope John Paul II named him archbishop of Quebec, and in 2003 he made A little cheer for the Italian team after the BY MICHAIL RASSOOL knew of the services he had to offer, Fr him a cardinal. He serves on the Vatican Azzuri equalised against Paraguay. Meier, a school principal in a small town congregations overseeing liturgy, clergy and PHOTO:GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER HE priest tasked with coordinating outside of Vienna, left South Africa not hav- Catholic education, and is also a member of Church’s pastoral initiatives coinciding ing ministered to anyone. the Pontifical Council for Culture. Twith the football World Cup has Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban Bishop Koch, who will also take over the ‘Parishes can fix expressed dismay over the attitude of the slammed FIFA’s apparent disregard for a Pontifical Commission for Religious Rela- football federation towards the spiritual demand for chaplaincy services to the tions with the Jews, is a past president of Italy’s soccer woes’ dimension of the tournament. World Cup or any religious dimension that the Swiss bishops’ conference, a former pro- Salesian Father Francois Dufour told The can be associated with sport. fessor of dogmatic theology and liturgy and BY SARAH DELANEY Southern Cross that FIFA rebuffed efforts by Mass attendance was much as it was has served as a member of the Christian the Catholic Church to cooperate with the before, he said, even though at the time of F today’s kids would just turn off their unity council since 2002. organisers in making players and fans aware going to press he said much still had to be In a letter to Catholics in Basel, Bishop electronic games and kick the ball of the Church’s pastoral initiatives, especial- around in the parish playground, Italian analysed from the Church’s end regarding Koch said the pope had stressed that he I ly in parishes located near to the stadiums. the tournament’s impact. wanted someone who had both theological football might have a future. The priest said this meant that the FIFA Media, the federation’s communica- knowledge and practical experience in liv- That was the suggestion in a commen- Church could not serve the spiritual needs tary in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore tions arm, said the body’s non-response to ing and working alongside Protestant com- of travelling fans and players—many of spiritual needs adheres to its statutes gov- munities. The pope’s words, he said, Romano following the humiliating first- whom could be seen blessing themselves round elimination of the Italian team in the erning “non-discrimination” of any kind. demonstrate that improved relations with with the sign of the cross on the football “FIFA therefore can make no distinction the Orthodox are not his only concern, but World Cup. field—as much as it would have liked to. The commentary, under the headline between any religions and cannot promote that the pope sees the unity of all Chris- Several priests across South Africa said “Let’s throw out the PlayStation and get any religion above another during the com- tians as the will of Jesus. that Catholic World Cup visitors to their back to the parish playground”, said Italy’s petition itself,” it said. “However, fans and Meeting reporters, Cardinal Kasper said parishes had come mainly as a result of national squad—the defending world cham- teams can and do exercise their religious that a challenge he faced repeatedly since pions—lacked preparation, strategy and their own quest for a church closest to their beliefs freely in private during the competi- 2001 was clarifying the Church’s position especially a deep roster of great players. accommodation or the stadium, or were tion. For example, players often pray in the when the wording of certain documents— The solution in the past, L’Osservatore referred by local fellow Catholics. dressing room, and even sometimes on the from the Vatican as well as from Orthodox said, has been to turn attention to the Sacred Heart cathedral in Pretoria, for field of play before a match.” and Protestant churches—offended the younger generations playing in the oratorio, example, left its doors open for 24 hours as FIFA said it had not received any com- other partner in ecumenical dialogue. the parish playground where countless Ital- a perpetual resource to visitors, hiring secu- plaints from players or teams about such Particularly with the Anglicans and ian professionals have developed their foot- rity services to guard the premises through- non-provision. Protestants, he said, since the year 2000 ball legs. out, but the visitors hardly came. “Under Last year FIFA president Sepp Blatter sug- there has been a noticeable loss of “the The local parish playground is a familiar the circumstances, we as Church have done gested that displays of religious faith be great enthusiasm” for the possibility of place in the hearts and minds of many Ital- the best we can,” he said. banned from football fields. Christian unity that marked the years ians. Older Italian films often depict a strict The priest pointed out that FIFA’s atti- Cardinal Napier also criticised FIFA’s immediately after Vatican II. but goodhearted priest playing ball with his tude towards local religious chaplaincies dif- “bully boy” tactics in its attitude to local “Errors, or better, imprudence in formu- young wards, cassock flying as he runs in fers markedly from that of the International businesses, which were debarred from the lating the truth have been committed by the church courtyard. Olympic Committee, which provides facili- marketing benefits of the tournament. both sides, including our own,” he said. “But today’s kids have PlayStation, they ties for prayer and actively facilitates reli- The cardinal said that no direct special The Vatican also announced that the don’t go to the oratorio to play football any- gious support for athletes who want it. opportunities were provided for informal pope was naming Archbishop Celestino more,” the commentary said. “How are they Austrian Salesian Father Bernhard Meier traders, robbing them of a chance to benefit Migliore as the new papal nuncio to Poland. going to become players, and some, maybe, has been chaplain to his country’s elite ath- from the event. “FIFA, it seems, is only Archbishop Migliore had been the Vatican even champions?” letes for 28 years. He ministered to the Aus- interested in money, and will do anything representative to the United Nations in New Turning off electronic games would be a trian team at this year’s Winter Olympics in for its designated sponsors.” York since 2002, delivering numerous start, L’Osservatore said.