The Catholic Bishops call for an end to violence and looting:13 July 2021

As we join other Religious Leaders in calling for calm, we wish to draw attention to the caution by Pope Francis during his visit to Mozambique in 2019 that, sometimes, it takes small steps of violence for a nation to descend into full-fledged anarchy, an endless spiral of violence and massive bloodshed. The Pope said: “No family, no group of neighbours or ethnic group and even less - no country has a future if the motor that unites them, brings them together and resolves their differences is composed of violence and vengeance.” (Pope Francis, 2 September 2019).

Presently, certain parts of our country, namely, Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng are engulfed by violence and looting that started off as protest against the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma, with fear that this might spread wider. Let us not allow the difference of opinion on political matters to be hijacked by criminal intentions to create anarchy in our country that will result in worse social and economic situation than we presently find ourselves in.

We condemn in strong terms the glaring criminal elements that are taking advantage of this situation. We call upon individuals who are involved in vandalism and thuggery to give a thought to the livelihood of many people that they are jeopardising by destroying their places of employment. We must also remember that we are in the height of Covid-19 pandemic that thrives in the conditions of disorder that we see, and that the longer these conditions prevail, the more we put ourselves and others in danger of infection that will be difficult to deal with.

To those who incite this violence and looting for political ends, we call upon them to rise above political interests, to protect life and to preserve the common good. Eventually, it was dialogue and not violence that brought us to the present democratic dispensation. As we navigate some difficult routes of this democratic journey let us continue to choose the path of dialogue to settle our differences as brothers and sisters united by the love of our country and the desire for its prosperity for the good of all who reside and work in it. The path of dialogue is long and arduous, but it is the only one that can help us to “keep our attention focused, to penetrate to the heart of matters, and to recognize what is essential” (FT50).

We also realize that the current crisis is due in no small measure to extreme economic inequalities as well as economic hardships suffered by the poor during the pandemic. These are issues that our government, business and the corporate sector over the years have failed to address in a comprehensive manner. What started off as difference of opinion has sparked off a wildfire of violence and looting because the “dry grass” of poverty has been left to “overgrow” over decades. A big contributing factor to this “dry grass” of poverty is the lack of efficient leadership in government and unethical practices in business. We call for a return to efficient leadership at all levels of government that will see service being delivered to the people and business enabling all to participate meaningfully in the economic system.

Our society has normalized the use of violence and vandalism to get the government to listen and be serious in addressing economic concerns of the poor. We need a shift in mind-set, a collective conversion of heart and mind, which affirms that violent protests and destruction of property can never be a just response to the current economic hardships and economic injustice. We reiterate Pope Francis’ call in Fratelli Tutti, reminding all that: in face of political and economic problems there is always a possibility of choosing constructive engagement over violence.

As many people in our country continue to suffer because of business collapse, job losses and other impacts of the pandemic, may the Lord grant our nation “politicians (and businesspeople) who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, (and) the lives of the poor” (Pope Francis, 01 May 2013). In these tempting times for violence, we invite all to make a choice for life which will manifest in a desire to “cooperate, build and dialogue, pardon, grow, respect sacredness of life, the dignity and freedom of others, and loving commitment to the welfare of all” (FT 285).

 

+Sithembele Sipuka

Bishop of Mthatha and SACBC President.

 

Blessed Benedict Daswa - Tzaneen Diocesan inquiry on miracle sent to Rome

 

On the 13^th September 2015, we celebrated the beatification of the Servant of God Tshimangadzo Samuel Benedict Daswa at Tshiṱanini. When he was beatified, he was recognised as a Saint for the local church. This was a culmination of the long process that began in early 2000. As the cause for his beatification was that of martyrdom, there was no need for a miracle to be recognised by the Church for this first phase of the process.

 

Since 2015, the devotion to Blessed Tshimangadzo Samuel Benedict Daswa has been growing among the Catholic faithful and even among some non-Catholics who are encouraged by Catholic members to ask him to intercede for their needs. We have also seen a steady increase in the number of pilgrims each year. The 1^st of February feast-day celebration has been growing steadily among the Catholic faithful. Some people have also made it a point to diarise the date so that they would not miss it. We have also seen an increase in the SACBC organised Men’s and Women’s pilgrimages. Sadly, this had to stop in 2020 & 2021 because of COVID19 pandemic.

 

Some of these faithful people have received favours that are remarkable and they have shared their experiences with us.  These people came from all over South Africa and even beyond the borders of South Africa. Of the many people who were willing to share their stories, some favours were selected and presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome to see if any of them could be considered to be a possible miracle. The Diocese of Tzaneen was fortunate to have received a go-ahead to formally investigate one of these favours.

 

Now, we are at the next phase in the process of seeking to get him canonised and thus be recognised as a Saint for the whole universal church. Since then, under the guidance of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints,we have been doing a follow-up with this particular favour that Rome had selected. We are now happy to announce that the results of this phase of the investigation have been sent to Rome for evaluation. We confidently yet patiently wait in prayer like the apostles and disciples waited in prayer and fasting in the upper room for the coming of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2,1).

 

Please pray to God in the holy name of Jesus, and also ask for the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and indeed, Blessed Daswa himself, that we may get a favourable response from Rome. We pray that when the members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints study, scrutinize and evaluate all the documents and testimonies which we sent them, Pope Francis will then be able to discern and respond if Blessed Tshimangadzo Samuel Benedict Daswa can be canonized and proclaimed as a Saint for the universal Church.

 

May God bless you all and may Blessed Tshimangadzo Samuel Benedict Daswa intercede for your needs and the needs of your family and community.

 

+Rt. Reverend Bishop Joao Rodrigues                          Sr Tshifhiwa Munzhedzi, OP.

                   Bishop of Tzaneen                                               Promotor of the Cause

                  bishopjoao@mweb.co.za                                     bendaswa@mweb.co.za

 

2021 Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord Jesus - a reflection

 

THE SEASON OF LENT 2021 DURING THE PANDEMIC

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On Ash Wednesday 17 February, the Church all over the world will begin 6 weeks of Lent in preparation for the Easter celebrations. Our faith in God is being tested by this pandemic which continues to threaten our health and daily lives. The mass vaccination plan for this year is a medical intervention which is aimed at stopping the infection from spreading and hopefully will help bring it to an end. Since the pandemic began last year, we had to isolate ourselves, businesses and churches closed, many lost their jobs, and our health services at times were overwhelmed by the sick and dying.
 Lent is always understood by the Church to be a season of repentance and contrition for our own sins in order to enjoy a deeper and more faithful relationship with God and with one another. The pandemic has forced us to examine and to sift out what is selfish and unimportant in our lives and to strengthen the values of faithfulness in marriage, of cultivating healthy family relationships and personal unfeigned prayer and of obeying the commandments of God in good conscience. The pandemic is not a meaningless mistake in our lives but a remarkable unexpected crisis calling us to repentance of our sins and to renew our Christian faith and life in line with our vocation made possible through the grace of Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is a burning hope of God for his Church that after the pandemic has come to an end, we will prove to be a more faithful and honest people in Christ and help restore our nation anew which our sins and greed and violence have been pulling apart before the pandemic. This Season of Lent gives meaning and purpose to our lives as we struggle in this pandemic.
 Because of the Covid-19 restrictions, the Bishops’ Lenten Appeal Office has tried to explore some options to promote the 2021 Lenten Appeal collection. One such way will be to use our available digital platforms to the fullest of our ability. We are therefore asking for the fullest cooperation from our brother priests and people in the different parishes, to make everyone aware of the different options to support the Bishops Lenten Appeal. As you know, the importance of the Bishops Lenten Appeal is to support the works of the church, the poor and the needy and to build a self-reliant local church. This need has grown as a result of the pandemic and most certainly there will be a greater need this year. Let us not just depend on the usual methods of promotion but let us speak about it to the fullest of our ability in parishes and in our small Christian communities, during these next 6 weeks. We are all going through difficult financial times, but let us remember that as a diocese we have agreed that apart from the normal Sunday collection, the only other special collection during the six weeks of Lent is this Lenten Appeal. Let us kindly remain committed to this practice and entrust ourselves to the providential care and guidance of God our Father who will never abandon us in our needs.
May God’s blessing remove all anxiety from your lives and bring healing to the sick through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Blessed Joseph.
Bishop Joao Rodrigues

LET US CELEBRATE THE FEAST DAY OF BLESSED BENEDICT DASWA ONLINE ON MONDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2021

 

All churches in South Africa will remain closed for the next 14 days except for funerals.

 Peace in the grace of our Lord Jesus.

 On Monday evening 28 December 2020, President Ramaphosa announced that South Africa has been placed under an “adjusted level 3 lockdown with immediate effect.”  By “adjusted” it means in certain instances it is more strict than the previous level 3 lockdown.

The president said: “All indoor and outdoor gatherings will be prohibited for 14 days from the date hereof, except for funerals and other limited exceptions as detailed in the regulations, such as restaurants, museums, gyms and casinos.”

The president added saying: “Funerals may not be attended by more than 50 people with social distancing.”

As it stands now, all churches throughout South Africa must remain closed for the next 14 days except for funerals. No 36. (3) of the updated regulations states: All social gatherings, including faith -based gatherings, are prohibited for two weeks. after which this provision will be reviewed.

These Level 3 restrictions will remain in place until 15 January 2021.

Hopefully after two weeks we will be able to re-open our churches for public worship again.

Let us continue to use our social media and phones to communicate with one another and encourage one another to persevere responsibly during this difficult beginning of the new year. Let us pray for our nation that the Lord may help us overcome this pandemic. May the Lord strengthen us with wisdom and courage so that we may never give up witnessing to His love as we face the new year with renewed hope.

Sincerely in Christ,

+Joao Rodrigues

Bishop of Tzaneen Diocese

 

Christmas Day 2020 – A Message from Bishop Joao Rodrigues

This week I was shocked to hear about the deaths of 10 religious sisters at Port Shepstone who were suffering from Covid-19. In South Africa we are now in a second wave of the pandemic with some 28 000 people infected and over 700 deaths in the last couple of days. We are not sure how long this second wave will last but it seems like the new variant of the corona virus is much more contagious than that of the first wave we experienced during July. This is not good news for us as we approach new year. We continue to struggle and adapt to this on-going pandemic and at times it seems very confusing and even depressing because no one really knows what’s going to happen next in this regard.

And here we are celebrating Christmas Day in a pandemic. It is a very strange experience for us all and it does challenge us to reflect on the meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ during this global struggle. The key to the Christmas celebration is in John 1,14 of today’s Gospel proclamation:

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Yes, Jesus is God incarnate. The Gospel proclaims that the Eternal Divine Son of God united Himself with humanity by becoming human in the womb of the Virgin Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus has made humanity sacred, has restored the divine image in humanity which had been destroyed by sin. And we who believe in the Lord Jesus are “born of God” (John 1,13). In other words, through his Incarnation, the Son of God is now present in humanity and makes it possible for us to become holy like Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, the Lord Jesus has made human life sacred with a divine dignity and it is this revelation which shapes our life, enlightens our minds and directs our relationships and behaviour in our interactions and conversations. This awareness which we have concerning the sacred dignity of human life is a wonderful sign of our being saved in Christ. It is this awareness that motivates us to care for one another, to respect one another, to seek the best for one another, to protect and educate one another. In a word, this awareness is what directs our witnessing to Christ in this world.

The pandemic cannot stop us from witnessing to Christ. It only forces us to change the way we witness to Christ. How do we care for one another in a pandemic? How do we show one another that we respect the sacred value of our human life in a pandemic? Surely it means we need to understand how this virus attacks us and how it spreads from one person to another. Surely it means we must behave responsibly in the light of this knowledge and challenge one another to act responsibly as well. Surely it means we must support and encourage the scientists researching and developing vaccines that can boost our immunity against the virus. Think about the doctors and nurses treating the infected people and how vulnerable they are at getting infected themselves. Surely we cannot claim to celebrate Christmas meaningfully if at the same time we behave as though we have no responsibility concerning how this virus spreads from one person to another. Yesterday in one of the radio stations I heard a doctor pleading for people to avoid social gatherings, to wear masks properly in public, to keep social distancing and hands sanitised. Why was she saying this: because if the number of infected people increases as it is presently happening, the hospital beds and medical resources will not be sufficient, meaning more people will suffer and die because the doctors will simply not be able to cope with the increasing demand. Yes, the pandemic certainly has forced us to change the way we witness to the Christmas message and God is really testing us in a new way we never expected would happen in our lifetime.

And so let us pray to the Lord for all the graces we need during this trying time: for wisdom, courage and a spirit of humility to be able to personally witness to the sacredness of human life both in ourselves as well as in others whom we encounter every day and to take care that we do not infect one another with Covid-19.