Bishop: Daswa and Mandela Go Together
25 years ago this month Benedict Daswa, who will be the first South African to be beatified, was murdered. Bishop Hugh Slattery, the former bishop of Tzaneen, initiated the cause to beatify Daswa in 2000. In the second of his two-part interview with STUART GRAHAM, Bishop Slattery speaks about Daswa example.
Benedict Daswa in a photo taken in December 1989, just weeks before his martyrdom. Bishop Hugh Slattery (inset), retired of Tzaneen, believes chances are good that Pope Francis might come to South Africa to beatify Daswa.
SG:?Benedict Daswa has been criticised for turning away from his Venda and Lemba traditions to embrace Catholicism. How do you feel about such criticism?
HS: I believe Benedict only left behind him the traditions which were in conflict with his faith. Otherwise he remained deeply embedded especially in the traditional culture of the extended family.
Every year around Christmas, he brought together family members and close relatives to cement the family bonds and to deal with any troublesome issues.
Is it possible that Pope Francis may visit South Africa to perform the beatification himself?
Just recently it was announced that Pope Francis will come to Africa towards the end of this year. Mention was made of Uganda and the Central African Republic as two countries which he is likely to visit.
I believe it is more likely than not that he will come to South Africa and beatify Benedict Daswa.
If he does come I have no doubt he will attract huge crowds. It would be great for South Africa and all South Africans.
He has to be invited by President Jacob Zuma and I am sure the government would be delighted to get him. He brings good news to the countries he visits.
I don’t think there would be a problem. The bishops’ conference would have to be active in bringing him here (see front-page report).
You are promoting Benedict Daswa as a martyr for the faith and as an apostle of life. What do you mean by apostle of life?
Obviously we have in mind the innocent lives lost or harmed by such things like ritual murder, witchcraft, and so on.
It is worth remembering that the Witchcraft Suppression Act of 1957 is still enforced in this country, but is presently under review. This act makes witchcraft illegal and carries heavy penalties for witchcraft related crimes. But since 1996 we have another and far more serious attack on human life through legalised abortion.
Legalised abortion has already claimed the lives of more than one million innocent unborn babies in this country.
Some claim that abortion is just one issue among many and that we should not get too worked up about it. But surely the right to be born is the only and supreme issue for the 50 million babies who will never see the light of day in 2015.
Benedict Daswa can indeed be an inspiration figure for all who are involved in promoting the culture and Gospel of Life everywhere and be truly regarded as an apostle of life.
Do you think Daswa’s example as a father, husband and Christian lives on in his home village?
I am not aware of any outward signs among the people of his village being influenced by him as a role model at this time. However, I expect that his beatification will have a healing effect on the people, and that many will come to see him in a new light and be influenced by him as a role model in many areas of life.
He is a model of the sanctity of life in every area. He is somebody very special. People remember him. They come back to his grave and pray. People make saints, not us.
Benedict was killed on February 2, the same day on which President FW de Klerk unbanned the liberation movements and just over a week before the release from prison of Nelson Mandela. Do you see many similarities between the two men?
I think it is significant that Benedict was killed the very day President FW de Klerk announced the imminent release of Nelson Mandela.
Daswa’s short life had come to a tragic end, but he left behind him a rich spiritual legacy as a witness who had actually died for his faith.
At his trial before going to prison. Mandela had clearly expressed his readiness to die if necessary for what he believed in a free democratic South Africa but he did not have to make this supreme sacrifice.
Both men were driven by a vision of liberating people from enslavement.
Mandela spent his long life striving to liberate his people from the shackles of apartheid. Daswa first of all experienced in his own life the inner freedom from the power of witchcraft and evil which his faith brought him.
Benedict tried to help others to also experience this freedom by opening themselves to Christ and the joy of the Gospel.
One could say that Daswa complements Mandela since people need inner freedom just as much as external freedom in order to flourish and to build up a just and healthy society.
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