Late in March, a local newspaper portrayed Pope Benedict sealed in a condom. Has proclamation against condoms become the main message of the Church on a continent of starving nations, civil war, genocide, bloody dictators, corruption, scandals in the Church? What is its central focus?
An African Synod is to take place. Is the agenda to be controlled by the bishops of Africa or by Rome? There seems to be a lack of dialogue on all levels of the Church, from curia and magisterium down to sensus fidelium and local expertise.
A Chichewa proverb says: Akulu ndi mdambo modzirma moto — ”the elders are swamps where fires are doused”; that is, when dealing with burning issues, consult the wise.
More dialogue in the spirit of truth will lessen the chances of the pope’s being compared to George W Bush, infamous for his faux pas. We want our pope to be well informed and not caricatured in a condom.
Allan Moss OMI, Pietermaritzburg
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