150930 by The Southern Cross

The

S outhern C ross

September 30 to October 6, 2015

Reg No. 1920/002058/06 No 4944

www.scross.co.za

When the pope met Fidel Castro

Page 10

Let’s also remember Mrs Daswa

R7,00 (incl vAT RSA)

New family challenges to the Church

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Church and families: Mercy and love are key By STuART GRAHAM

HE Church, communities and older couples must help prepare young people for marriage, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has said ahead of the Synod of Bishops on the Family in Rome this October. Family and marriage is an essential agent in the work of evangelisation, but the world is experiencing a deep inner crisis in family life, according to SACBC spokesman Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria. “The Church needs to encourage young couples to prepare better for marriage,” the archbishop said. “This should be done especially using the experience of older couples in the Church and by the community.” The Church has to ask people about their commitment in their preparation. Couples have to try and root out individualism. “We are living in the ‘me generation’. People today want the world to revolve around ‘me’,” Archbishop Slattery said. But once we are married, he said, “we are not alone; we are two. We are a family. We have to prepare for that. Once we get married we cannot live as individuals with lonely lives”. At the same time, the archbishop said, the Church must acknowledge the realities of modern family life. The Church had to be less judgmental and more merciful towards families with problems, especially single mothers, Archbishop Slattery said. “We must show the face of the Church as not judgmental. We must show ourselves as a Church of mercy as God is a God of mercy,” he said. “We need to respond more generously to unmarried mothers, to welcome them to help them in the task they face of rearing children alone.” A lot must be done for the divorced and civilly remarried to make them know that they are welcome and have a role in the Church, Archbishop Slattery said. The Church has also had to counsel people who have had abortions. “We must show the mercy of God to those who have had abortions, even

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though we condemn it. Abortion is very serious and we are against it, but many women who have procured an abortion might have felt pressured to do so and felt that they had nowhere to turn to,” the archbishop said. “There must be counselling and mercy in the Church [on this question]. We must work with healthcare professionals.” Archbishop Slattery said that many priests need to be better prepared spiritually to help families. “Priests must be more merciful, better understanding and better prepared along the lines of human counselling,” he said. “We must let people know that even when things have gone wrong, they still are children of God loved by the Church. They still have a part to play.” The Church has to place its resources at the disposal of people, he said, referring to ministries such as Marriage Encounter and Retrouvaille. Archbishop Slattery hoped that the synod in Rome will also emphasise the role of grandparents and the aged in families, as the older generations carry experience and moral values. The Synod of Bishops on the Family will be held in Rome from October 4-25. The hot-button topics on the agenda are expected to include Communion for remarried divorcees and pastoral care for homosexuals. Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town, president of the SACBC, and Bishop Zolile Mpambani of Kokstad will represent the bishops’ conference at the synod. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban has been appointed one of four delegate presidents. Earlier this year parishes around the country were sent questionnaires inviting input on all “important questions” regarding marriage and the family. Feedback from the questionnaires, which were distributed in parishes around the world, is expected to be discussed at the synod. The SACBC has not made the results of the questionnaire public.

Catholic publications are displayed in the centre aisle of the basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, italy, one of the great churches in Christendom. Where does your church keep The Southern Cross? Experience shows that The Southern Cross sells better when it is displayed in a prominent place, and more so if it is being sold by parishioners who support the Catholic media in the social communications apostolate. Parishes in which the newspaper is kept in the corner of a crowded church lobby record fewer readers, unless the parish priest makes reference to articles of interest every week. The basilica of Santa Croce, with all its tourists and a lively parish life, is giving a good example of how to place Catholic media, a primary form of evangelisation, where nobody can miss it. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

Beer festival’s ‘peaceful resistance’ By JuDiTH SuDilOvSky

S Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem once again became embroiled in conflict, locals and guests in Taybeh were enjoying ice-cold beers, grilled meats, frosted doughnuts and throbbing music as the all-Christian Palestinian village celebrated its 11th Oktoberfest. “This gathering is good,” said a beaming Nadim Khoury, who together with his brother David opened the village’s now-famous Taybeh microbrewery, which hosts the festival. That was in 1995, two years after Nadim Khoury returned from an extended sojourn in the United States. “It brings unity to all the people here; they share, sell local products, drink beer, eat,” Nadim Khoury said. “We show the world we can have a normal life, we celebrate life. The Middle East always has problems; this is our peaceful resistance.” Over the pulsating rap of a local Palestinian band, David Khoury, a former village mayor, remarked: “We brought democracy to Palestine

St John Paul II Pilgrimage to Poland Southern Cross

Palestinian men toast at the Taybeh Oktoberfest in the West Bank village of Taybeh. (Photo: Debbie Hill/CNS) by selling beer,” he said. “And someday we will toast peace over beer.” Earlier, the family held a reception for the grand opening of their newest venture, the Taybeh Golden Hotel, located next door to the winery they opened last year. Continued on Page 11

A journey to the places of St John Paul II’s life and devotions, led by a Bishop who knows Poland intimately.

Led by Bishop Stan Dziuba 13 - 21 May 2016