Politics in the Church

by Editor · January 22, 2014

When a politician is given the opportunity to speak to the congregation at a church service, there will invariably be some controversy.�So it was when President Jacob Zuma addressed a Mass in Mariannhill, celebrated by the local ordinary, Bishop Mlungisi Pius Dlungwane.

“In recent elections, for example, some US bishops overstepped the boundaries between raising pertinent issues and effectively endorsing particular candidates or parties.”

The purpose of the presidential appearance at the Mass was to mark a donation of R500 000 by the Jacob Zuma Foundation to help fund the new translation of the Bible into isiZulu, a project of the Catholic metropolitan province of Durban and headed by Bishop Dlungwane.

In his address, Mr Zuma spoke about the importance of making the Bible available in the vernacular of the people.

Bishop Dlungwane was correct in allowing Mr Zuma to address the congregation, as a donor of the translation project (through his foundation) and as the president of the country. This must not be understood as an implied endorsement by the bishop or the Church of Mr Zuma, his government or his political party.

Presumably the bishop or his aides advised Mr Zuma that a Mass is an inappropriate venue for calculated electioneering, and that the president�s address should reflect that.�By and large, the speech was uncontroversial, giving much praise to the Catholic Church�s role in addressing South Africa�s social and structural problems.

Mr Zuma�s address at the Mariannhill Mass must be seen as an exceptional circumstance. Especially in an election year, the Catholic Church, like all faith groups, must be watchful that it is not going to be misused for campaigning.

For the past two decades, the Catholic Church in South Africa has been mindful that it should not give the appearance of partisanship. In their pre-election statements, the bishops are invariably diligently impartial. There is no reason to expect that this year�s pastoral guidance on the forthcoming election will be any different.

In their 2009 pastoral, the bishops counselled that it is �up to each one of us to decide which party has the policies and commitment� to address the challenges facing South Africa.

In 2014, these challenges are dominated by issues such as crime, poverty, unemployment, lack of service delivery and housing, as well as escalating corruption, a sluggish economy and the on-going HIV/Aids crisis.

The bishops have an obligation to inform the Catholic voter�s mind by raising issues that speak to the teachings of the Church, aware that no political party meets all the criteria of Catholic doctrines.

However, if that engagement in informing the Catholic voters� minds goes wrong, even if only in isolated cases, there is a risk of the whole Church being perceived as being partisan.

In recent elections, for example, some US bishops overstepped the boundaries between raising pertinent issues and effectively endorsing particular candidates or parties. In a democracy, this is not helpful, neither to the electoral process nor to the mission of the Church.

The responsibility for ensuring the Church�s impartiality also rests with pastors. While individual clergy may personally prefer one party over another, they should not seek to influence their parishioners� electoral choices.

Fr Oskar Wermter SJ, the Harare-based social commentator, this week neatly sums up what we should expect, above all, from our political candidates: �God wants servant leadership, leaders who spend themselves in working for their people and the common good.�

It would be fair for the Church to point out that a kleptocratic oligarchy which fails the tests of accountable ethics and has abandoned the poor does not meet the benchmarks that are implicit in Fr Wermter�s definition.

Likewise, the Church has the right, and even the obligation, to point out where a party fails on matters of Catholic doctrines, such as abortion, euthanasia and the social teachings.

However, it would not be appropriate for the Church or her clergy to advise the faithful for which party they should vote, or withhold their vote from. In some cases this could even amount to coercion of voters, which is unacceptable to the Church.

The decision of which party to support in an election must be left to the informed conscience of the voter who must be guided by moral principles to distinguish between right and wrong, and between truth and deceit.