Year-end Review 2003
The year 2003 in the Church…
JANUARY
Southern Africas bishops welcome an acknowledgement from Swazilands government that the country has an enormous Aids problem, with almost 40% of adults HIV-infected.
At least 25 priests, religious and lay missionaries were killed in mission territory in 2002, according to the Vatican. The list includes Salesian Father Declan Collins, who was murdered in Johannesburg in November 2002.
A Hong Kong poll votes Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun as the territorys most significant person of 2002.
An inter-denominational group of Bulawayo parishes urge Cricket World Cup organisers not to stage matches in Zimbabwe.
The Southern Cross becomes one of several international Catholic publications interviewed weekly on Vatican Radios “Paper Chase” programme.
FEBRUARY
The bishops of Southern Africa call plans by the United States and Britain to invade Iraq “immoral and illegal”.
Eighty bishops, priests, religious and lay people from Southern Africa meet in Pretoria to chart the way forward in implementing a moral regeneration programme.
The bishops of Southern Africa appeal to President Thabo Mbeki to intervene in Zimbabwe, which they say is on the brink of a civil war.
Catholic theologians from Southern Africa meet in Johannesburg to discuss a theological response to Aids. The meetings themes later are published in a book.
Christian leaders applaud Zimbabwean cricketers for wearing black armbands during a world cup match to “mourn the death of democracy” in their country.
Statistics reveal that Catholic schools in South Africa recorded a 91,9% matric pass rate in 2002, up by 3,7% from the previous year.
Saddam Husseins deputy, Tariq Aziz, a Catholic, meets with Pope John Paul in the Vatican. Shortly after, the pope receives British Prime Minister Tony Blair, an Anglican with a Catholic wife, and reportedly gives him Communion.
As the debate around the planned invasion of Iraq intensifies, Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga says hat the real weapons of mass destruction are “poverty and social injustice.”
MARCH
The SACBCs revised ecumenical directory permits non-Catholics to make a “spiritual Communion” with Catholics during Mass in the form of receiving a blessing.
In a statement, the bishops of Zimbabwe call for peace and justice in their country.
The bishops of Southern Africa criticise finance minister Trevor Manuels budget for failing the poor.
A new book of poetry by Pope John Paul, entitled Roman Triptych, is published.
The alleged mastermind behind the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was part of a group that plotted to assassinate Pope John Paul in the Philippines in 1995, that countrys intelligence officials reveal.
Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino of Havana issues a strong criticism of Fidel Castro.
Pope John Paul instructs Vatican officials to prepare an official abbreviated version of The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Institute of Education criticises education minister Kader Asmals suggestion that target shooting might be offered in schools.
Kenyas bishops call on the government to investigate claims of torture during the 25-year reign of former president Daniel arap Moi.
APRIL
Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Bloemfontein is appointed new bishop of Johannesburg, almost a year after the death of Bishop Reginald Orsmond.
Pope John Paul issues his 14th encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, on the Eucharist.
Lebanese Shiiite Imam Mohammed Hassan al Amin says Pope John Pauls opposition to the invasion of Iraq demonstrates that the conflict is not a religious war.
Following the fall of the Saddam regime, Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Angelo Sodano calls for a rebuilding of the credibility of the United Nations, which was divided over the invasion of Iraq.
The bishops of Quebec, Canada, say they will not fight the legalisation of gay unions, saying that “civil law should not be conformed on every point to the morality of one religion.”
Archbishop Patrick Fani Chakaipa of Harare dies at the age of 70 on April 8.
The survivors of a group of 500 Polish orphans who found refuge in South Africa during World War II mark the 60th anniversary of their arrival.
MAY
Radio Veritas broadcasts for a month on FM in Johannesburg on a “special events” licence.
In a statement, the SACBC says that same-sex partnerships cannot be recognised as Christian marriages.
Pope John Paul publicly dresses down Zimbabwes new ambassador to the Vatican, Kelebert Nkomani, over human rights abuses under the Mugabe regime.
Fr Godfrey Sieber is installed as new abbot of the Benedictine Inkamana Abbey in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The bishops political liaison officer, Fr Peter-John Pearson, pays tribute to anti-apartheid stalwart Walter Sisulu, who died on May 6.
Pay channel M-Nets broadcast of an anti-Catholic episode of the cartoon show South Park creates an outcry in South Africas Catholic community.
Seven Catholics are among the 51 dead when a bus carrying workers to a May Day rally crashes into Saulspoort dam in the Free State.
Pope John Paul visits Spain, where he canonises five 20th century saints.
St Augustine College, South Africas Catholic university, confers its first doctorate, on Florian Pfeffel.
After US President declares the war in Iraq “won”, the Vatican reiterates that its opposition to the war was correct, and that the invasion of Iraq has weakened, not strengthened, global security.
Franciscan Father Manus Campbell, 70, is murdered in his Amanzimtoti home on May 21. Two suspects are arrested days later.
Curial Cardinal Dario Castrillin Hoyos celebrates a Tridentine Mass in Romes basilica of St Mary Major.
The Sunday Times publishes allegations of sexual misconduct against Redemptorist Father Jim McCauley, who issues a denial. Fr Vincent Brennan, SACBC associate secretary-general, asks the Metropolitan Professional Conduct Committees to establish a database “of sexual offenders in the Church”, and warns that more cases might become public.
Eileen Hurley, sister of Archbishop Denis Hurley, dies on May 30 in Pietermaritzburg.
JUNE
On his 100th foreign papal visit, Pope John Paul visits Croatia. Later in the month, he visits Bosnia-Herzegovina in a 10-hour trip.
The bishops of Southern Africa issue a pastoral letter which condemns a “culture of disunity” within the Catholic Church, almost ten years since South Africa became a democracy.
It is revealed that in a March meeting, the African Catholic Priests Solidarity Movement acknowledged that black priests have “often treated African nuns in sexist and oppressive ways”, and issue an apology.
The SACBCs Justice & Peace department criticises this years G8 meeting in Evian, France, for doing little to assist developing nations.
In the wake of treason charges against Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo says that “there is no rule of law” in that country any longer.
Spanish Franciscan Father Jose Rodriguez Carballo is elected head of the Order of Friars Minor worldwide.
Europes bishops criticise the European Union for movers to exclude mentions of Christianity in the bodys new draft constitution. The bishops concern is repeatedly echoed by Pope John Paul.
Northern Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony of the Lords resistance Army calls for violence against Catholic missions and their staff.
Paul Bremer, a Catholic, becomes the US-installed administrator of occupied Iraq.
Archbishop Buti Tlhagale is installed as new bishop of Johannesburg at Ellis Park stadium.
JULY
In a statement to the Sunday Times, SACBC president Cardinal Wilfrid Napier commits the Church to reporting all cases of alleged sexual violence by Church personnel to the relevant civil authorities.
Bishop Johannes Brenninkmeijer of Kroonstad dies on July 2, a little over two weeks short of his 73rd birthday. A Dominican, he had headed his diocese since 1977.
US academic Professor Janet Smith, an advisor to the Pontifical Council for the Family, visits South Africa, speaking on overpopulation and the Churchs position on contraception.
The spiritual leader of Iraqi Catholics, Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid, dies on July 7 at 81.
Following US President George W Bushs visit to five African states, including South Africa, SACBC president Cardinal Wilfrid Napier says he hopes that Mr Bush will take action on the Aids pandemic on the continent.
Jean Vanier, co-founder of the worldwide Faith and Light movement, visits South Africa.
It is reported that Happy Sindane, the teenager who made headlines after claiming to have been abducted as a toddler, has found a home at the Catholic-run Sizanani Village in Bronkhorstspruit.
A delegation of bishops and officials from the Catholic Institute of Education meet with education Kader Asmal to discuss the role of religion in the new draft curriculum.
Capuchin Archbishop Sean OMalley succeeds Cardinal Bernard Law as head of the embattled Boston archdiocese, the epicentre of the sex abuse scandal in the United States.
In a new document released on July 31, the Vatican describes same-sex unions as “harmful to society”.
AUGUST
Meeting in Mariannhill for their plenary session, the bishops issue statements on Aids, sexual abuse and same-sex unions.
The cause for the beatification of Abbott Francis Pfanner, founder of the Mariannhill Missionaries and Precious Blood Sisters, begins with the appointment of Fr Georg Lautenschlager as postulator.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo praises the intervention of Catholic leaders for foiling a coup attempt in July.
The Bishops Lenten Appeal raised more than R4 million in 2003, national director Ian Laurenson OFM announces.
Bishop Donal Lamont, a Carmelite who was expelled from Rhodesia in 1977, dies in Dublin on August 14. He was 92.
Visiting Ireland, Nelson Mandela meets Fr Brendan Long, who for 25 years was the Catholic chaplain to prisoners on Robben Island.
George Geoghan, the defrocked priest whose conviction for paedophilia sparked the sex scandal in Boston, is murdered in jail by a fellow inmate.
St Josephs Theological Institute in Cedara celebrates its 60th birthday with a conference on the 40th anniversary of Pope John XXIIIs encyclical Pacem in terris. Archbishop Denis Hurley and Sr Susan Rakoczy deliver the keynote addresses.
Southern Cross columnist Owen Williams celebrates the 20th anniversary of writing his weekly column in the newspaper. He has not missed a single week in that time.
SEPTEMBER
The bishops of Southern Africa issue a pastoral letter to priests, calling them to go back to the roots of their calling, and to take stock of their priestly role.
Pope John Paul travels to Slovakia, where his public appearances heighten concerns for his health.
An Italian Catholic magazine publishes leaks of a draft Vatican document on liturgy which among other things discourages altar girls, Communion under both species and liturgical dance. The Vatican says that the draft had already been rejected.
The Italian Catholic relief agency Caritas says that the violence in Africas Great Lakes region, including the DR Congo, has left 3 million people dead since 1998.
English Bishop Vincent Malone, auxiliary in Liverpool, in a book titled Healing Priesthood calls for women to be allowed to hear confessions.
The first bishop of Mongolia, Wenceslao Padilla, is installed in Ulan Bator.
Fr Karl Kuppelwieser, founder of Sizanani Village in Bronkhorstspruit, wins the Gauteng Community Builder of the Year.
The Comboni Missionaries call for urgent international intervention to secure peace in northern Uganda.
Philippine Cardinal Jaime Sin retires as archbishop of Manila.
A new report on the activities of pro-Mugabe militias reveal shocking evidence of torture and murder.
Professor Frank Coleman, former head of the Knights of da Gama, dies on September 2.
OCTOBER
Pope John Paul celebrates his 25th pontifical anniversary, beatifies Mother Teresa, and elevates 30 new cardinals.
The Southern Cross publishes a 16-page supplement to mark Pope John Pauls 25th anniversary.
Radio Veritas broadcasts for a month on FM in Johannesburg and medium wave in Cape Town on a “special events” licence.
Pope John Paul issues an apostolic exhortation for bishops, calling them to be fathers to their dioceses.
Pope John Paul canonises Daniele Comboni, founder of the Comboni Missionaries, and Arnold Janssen, founder of the Divine Word Missionaries, as well as Divine Word missionary Giuseppe Freinademetz.
The Knights of da Gama launch their anti-blasphemy Reverence Committee Action Group.
It is revealed that Dominican Sister Patricia Fresen, one of South Africas leading theologians, was “ordained” to the priesthood in August, in contravention of canon law.
Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams meets with Pope John Paul in Rome.
The Catholic-founded Nightingale Hospice in De Aar wins the Northern Cape Community Builder of the Year award.
Heads of English-speaking bishops conferences meet with Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Worship and Sacraments, to discuss liturgical translations.
Seven months after he tried convincing US President George W Bush not to invade Iraq, papal envoy Cardinal Pio Laghi says events have proved him right about the consequences of the war and the difficulties of consolidating peace.
Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo is named new Vatican foreign minister, succeeding Cardinal Jean Tauran.
US group Lawyers Committee for Human Rights honours Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo as one of Africas most prominent voices for human rights. Shortly after, Archbishop Ncube suffers a mild stroke at his home in Bulawayo.
Pope John Paul closes the Year of the Rosary.
NOVEMBER
The Southern Cross publishes an anthology of Owen Williams columns in the newspaper, entitled Any Given Sunday.
Media professionals belong to Signis, the World Association for Communication, meet in Cape Town for a series of meetings.
Pope John Paul condemns terrorism and the building of a wall by Israel to keep out Palestinians
Pretoria-based priest Fr Kieran Creagh becomes one of 24 volunteers to receive a trial vaccination of an Aids vaccine.
Fr Brian du Cann, a convert from Anglicanism, becomes Pretorias first married priest (and South Africas third) following his ordination. He previously was an Anglican priest for 16 years.
It is revealed that coup plotters in the Ivory Coast planned to assassinate that countrys only cardinal, Bernard Agre.
In the 9th annual Denis Hurley Lecture in Durban, Independent Electoral Commission chairwoman Brigalia Bam-Hlope calls on he Church to promote peace and democracy.
The leadership of the King Williams Town Dominican Sisters ask Sr Patricia Fresen to seek dispensation from her vows to the order, following her “ordination” in August.
The Broadcast Complaints Commission of South Africa dismisses complaints against an episode of the cartoon series South Park entitled “Red Hot Catholic Love”.
Pope John Paul tells scholars in the Vatican that the Church must acknowledge mistakes and shortcomings in its history, and encourages others to do likewise.
DECEMBER
In a statement for World Aids Day, the bishops of Southern Africa commit the local Church to caring for Aids orphans.
Dominican Father Albert Nolan is awarded the Order of Luthuli in Silver by President Thabo Mbeki for “lifelong dedication to the struggle for democracy, human rights and justice, and for challenging the theological justification of apartheid.”
After a successful test run in Mozambique, the international Catholic Community of SantEgidio launches its Drug Resource Enhancement against Aids and Malnutrition (DREAM) programme in South Africa and four other African countries.
Johannesburg academic and human rights activist Dr Tony Brink dies on December 2 in Cape Town.
Pope John Paul meets with the Dalai Lama in the Vatican.
The Vaticans head of Justice and Peace, Cardinal Renato Martino, says that the capture of Saddam Hussein may help bring peace to Iraq, but does not change the fact that “the war was useless, and served no purpose.”
Cardinal Gabriel Subeir Wako of Khartoum counsels caution over the peace accord between Sudans government and southern rebels, suspecting insincere motives by the government.
The nuncio to Burundi, Archbishop Michael Courtney who once was based in Pretoria is shot dead on his way to the nations capital Bujumbura.
Zimbabwean Catholic lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa is named Human Rights Lawyer of the Year.
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