Let’s Support our Southern Cross

by Letters Editor · April 9, 2015

From Mervyn Pollitt, Waterfall, KZN

It is no secret that the recent postal strike has adversely affected the financial position of The Southern Cross, the only weekly Catholic newspaper in South Africa.

The Southern Cross Newspaper costs R7.00. Ask for it at your parish.

The Southern Cross is a very important way of communicating with and keeping Catholics advised of news that is important to them. This being the case, is it not time for the Catholic bishops of this country to start to promote the newspaper via parish priests in their dioceses?

In recent weeks I have been visiting some parishes in the Durban archdiocese and at one parish � a large parish with somewhere in the region of 450 registered families � their order of The Southern Cross, which had just arrived, was only 30 copies. This sad situation can be found among many parishes in this country.

Maybe there are many subscribers in this particular parish who receive their Southern Cross each week as do I, but I am doubtful. Yet, the annual subscription to The Southern Cross is less than the cost of a family going to a mid-range restaurant for a meal, and a single issue costs less than a can of cooldrink.

Not only do I feel that the bishops and many parish priests are wanting in this matter, the laity too need a jolt. They too have a duty to support their only Catholic weekly.

The laity of this country are in a comfort zone � nothing is said from the pulpit, so all must be well.

Let us not reach the stage where The Southern Cross, which is financially self-supporting with no subsidies, has to cease printing due to mounting financial losses. That would be tragic and a serious indictment of the Catholics of South Africa, both clergy and laity.

Here is a golden opportunity for the bishops to seek the help of the laity in promoting the paper.

I sincerely hope that they will take it. The Southern Cross cannot do it all on its own.