A voice to be heard

BY MICHAEL SHACKLETON

As a result of the reforms of Vatican II, conferences of bishops were established throughout the Church in order to provide for unified action by our pastors in all matters of regional and local importance.

The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), which comprises the bishops of Botswana, South Africa and Swaziland, was given the mandate by the Holy See to provide leadership and guidance to the Church in these regions.

As a collegial body, its mandate is to work towards matters of common interest in consultation and cooperation with the other hierarchies in the world.

Already well established, the SACBC has shown itself efficient in its active departments such as those of catechetics, liturgy, lay apostolate, parliamentary liaison, ecumenism, justice and peace and social welfare.

The voice of the SACBC has often been subdued in terms of public awareness. The mainstream media seldom report what the bishops have said. The teachings of Christ and the morality of living a Christian life are at variance with the spirit of the times, as if that is something surprising.

At last month’s plenary session of the bishops’ conference, the hierarchy was well aware of this. At the opening Mass, Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria compared the man with the withered hand (Mark 3:1-6) to the many who are losing touch with the Church and with the joy of knowing Jesus Christ. He said such people were of great concern to the Church.

These sentiments display an immediate pastoral consciousness of the way in which so many once-loyal Catholics find their experience of the warmth of Christian living among the People of God to have become cold or tepid, and their experience of the liturgy to be one of a hollow ritual.

To this end, the bishops identified two key areas needing immediate attention: the voice of the bishops must no longer be subdued but must be heard as a challenge and a guide to all, Catholics and others; the social teaching of the Church must be put forward as a benchmark for South Africans to live from.

How the bishops will raise their voices and their message is a matter they will decide. Theirs is not a voice crying in the wilderness but a voice crying against the raucous shouting within the marketplace and its distractions.

However, they have clear objectives. Because the Church is weakened by the few priests labouring in the Lord’s vineyard, the bishops will focus on the formation of new priests and the fostering of care and encouragement of established priests.

Lay people are the co-workers with their clergy in bringing their parishes and communities alive with the faith, hope and love of those who are close to the living Christ. Therefore, the bishops will also continue with the ongoing formation of lay people to ensure they are well equipped to take responsibility for their own spiritual and pastoral needs. Family life and family ministry are consequently of importance.

A heartening aspect is that the SACBC is now determined to underline that it is not principally our administrative leaders intent on facts, figures and office reports. Its members want to be known as men of prayer, committed pastors, concerned for the spiritual as well as the material needs of their people.

It is to be hoped that the future will show everyday Catholics that the Church and its presence in society is not the preserve of the bishops’ conference, telling us what or what not to do.

The Church is all of us together with our bishops nurturing our faith and good works as we confidently plod on together towards the Kingdom.