Category: SACBC

Prayer campaign for Southern Africa

SACBC

“In the light of the turbulent times we are going through, we, your Bishops, invite you, Brothers and Sisters, to join with us in reciting this prayer daily in your homes, schools, at gatherings and at the end of Mass especially on Sundays. We ask that this prayer campaign be launched on the solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady – 21 August – until further notice.”

(Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference – SACBC – Botswana, eSwatini, South AFrica)
 Continue reading “Prayer campaign for Southern Africa” →

Family: the cornerstone

By Innocent Maziya

The 10th World Meeting of Families took place in Rome from the 19th to the 26th June under the theme: “Family love: a vocation and a path to holiness.” The highlight of this meeting was the Celebration of Mass on Sunday, 26th June 2022, presided over by His Holiness Pope Francis. One of the main objectives of the meeting and the celebration was to once again bring focus to the Family. As the domestic Church, the family is the cornerstone of our Catholic Community and thus needs to be strengthened through prayer and active formation. Continue reading “Family: the cornerstone” →

Cabo Delgado: tragedy and hope

by Bishop Jose Luis IMC

Though a neighbouring country to South Africa and the Kingdom of Eswatini, little is known about what happens in Cabo Delgado Province in Northern Mozambique. For the last three years violence has killed 2000 people and displaced half a million people.

Pope Francis mentioned the humanitarian crisis in the area during the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing on Easter Sunday. Later on, he surprised Bishop Luiz Fernando Lisboa (Bishop of Pemba) with a phone call:

Today, August 19, 2020, at 11 pm, to my surprise and joy, I received a call from His Holiness, Pope Francis who comforted me greatly. He said he is very close to the Bishop and all the people of Cabo Delgado and is following the situation experienced in our province with great concern and has been praying for us.

At least twice this year, the Bishops’ Conference of Mozambique (CEM) raised their concerns about the situation in the area, assuring their prayers, supporting the local bishop and calling for an end to the conflict:

Having heard the testimony of the situation of great tribulation in which our brothers and fellow citizens of Cabo Delgado are immersed, we want to assure our prayers for all the victims and to express our empathy, communion and solidarity with our brother Bishop, Luiz Lisboa, and to appreciate the witness of pastoral concern that he has boldly and tirelessly given (13 June 2020)We express our fraternal closeness to the brothers and fellow citizens of Cabo Delgado and assure them of our constant prayer in the hope of finding paths of dialogue that will facilitate the end of the terrible conflict and the humanitarian drama (14 November 2020)

 

The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) then decided on a two-day solidarity visit to the Bishop of Pemba and the people of Cabo Delgado. Through the Dennis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI), Bishop Victor Phalana (Diocese of Klerksdorp), Sr Tshifiwa Munzhedzi OP (SACBC Associate Secretary General), Johan Viljoen (DHPI Director) and myself left for Pemba on December 2.

What did we see?

  • we saw a human tragedy still possible in our days and in our part of the world: the reality of people who had to leave everything behind without thinking twice about it to be able to save their lives and the lives of their families. Attacked in the early hours of the morning, the choices were escaping, dying or – maybe – being taken;
  • we saw the tragedy of children who separated from their families as they ran away in different directions. In other cases parents were in the fields and neighbours protected the children by taking them. As the bishop of Pemba shared with us: “one day 35 children arrived in Pemba. They arrived together without their parents”. Everywhere we met displaced people, these stories were part of their sharing;
  • we saw refugee camps organised by the government to care for the displaced. In one place we were told that: “After the attacks in September, 14.000 people arrived in the area and they were organised in two camps”. Pemba, with a population of 200.000 people has received 150.000 displaced;
  • we saw what it means to have to leave everything behind with the awareness that they may never be able to go back. Government is allocating land to these families so that they can rebuild their lives in a new place as it is clear that there is no chance – in the foreseable future – they will be able to go back.
We were also able to see the amazing work being done by Caritas Pemba. One of our first visits was to a place where 390 families would receive food parcels. The list of families is provided by government who does the registration. Caritas, as an internationally trusted organisation, receives donations from funders from all over the world.
COVID19 regulations are followed at the food distribution. Masks, for example, were given to every person who attended the gathering.
Together with food for a month, Caritas works towards offering them tools that would allow them to build their future: seeds for planting (as the rainy season should have started by now), sewing machines, tools for carpentry…
An interesting detail we saw was a box where people can report any kind of abuse. These are vulnerable people at risk of experiencing more violence and abuse; therefore a way is offered to them to anonymously share any type of abuse.

 

We also saw the “good shepherd” heart of the Bishop of Pemba. “We now need to rethink completely our pastoral work in the diocese” he shared during the visits.

At his initiative, priests, who now live in Pemba after their churches and homes have been destroyed, gathered during the week people arriving from a certain area to pray together or for the celebration of the Mass. In this way, they meet again, they update each other on missing relatives, and plan for their future.

We also witness the spirit of the people who do not give up and put the best of themselves to rebuild their future and the one of their families.

The visit was particularly intense and the more we talked and visited, the more we remained with unanswered questions: why so much silence? Not many seem to know about the tragedy affecting our neighbouring country. Who is behind this war? Any war makes us all poorer but someone clearly is benefiting from it. One fears that easy answers are offered to avoid going deeper in the causes… In the meantime hundred of thousands of families have lost everything and many more will experience the same fate unless something is done.

 Click HERE for photos of our visit

 

 

 

 

 

‘We are all asked to be committed to the Mission given to us’

On Sunday 28 January 2018, the bishops of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference gathered at the Catholic Church of the Beatitudes (Archdiocese of Pretoria) to celebrate the 200 years of the Church in Southern Africa. 

Below is Bp Siphuka’s homily

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Some years ago Archbishop Slattery, then bishop of Kokstad and I attended a SECAM theological colloquium at St. Augustine, with very high-powered figures, Cardinal Pengo, Cardinal Tumi, and other priests theologians from the continent, and he also delivered a paper there. Continue reading “‘We are all asked to be committed to the Mission given to us’” →

Pontius Pilate, a prophet for our times

Photo: spotlight.africa

By Bp José Luis IMC

The first plenary session of this year started on Tuesday evening with the celebration of Mass at St John Vianney seminary. While the seminarians are on holidays, the bishops use their bedrooms and other facilities.

Being in Pretoria, not far from our offices, priests, religious, friends and everyone working at the SACBC is invited for the celebration of the Mass … and supper!

Mass was presided by the SACBC president, archbishop Stephen Brislin (Cape Town) and bishop Graham Rose (Dundee) was entrusted with the homily. Continue reading “Pontius Pilate, a prophet for our times” →