Priest who befriended Duke Ellington dies at age 92
Father Gerald Pocock, who died in Ottawa at age 92, was a gregarious Roman Catholic chaplain at Montreal’s St. Mary’s Hospital in 1969 when he befriended American jazz legend Duke Ellington.
September 2017
R40 million Donor Uplifts St Joseph’s Home for Children
St Joseph’s Home for Chronically Ill Children in Cape Town is undergoing major renovations, thanks to an overseas donation of R40 million.
Pope Francis: Don’t Get Used to Evil
Pope Francis said that politicians and religious leaders cannot remain indifferent to the suffering caused by violence and hatred in the world.
No Childhood for Working Children
US-based Tony Magliano brings us up to speed with the reality of child labour – 168 million children are affected
Is Excommunication Forever?
Excommunication does not mean, as seems to be commonly supposed, that offenders are kicked out of the Church. Rather, excommunication means that the offenders are deprived by Church law of certain rights.
Pope Highlights Bishops’ Role in Mass Translations
In changes to the Code of Canon Law regarding translations of the Mass and other liturgical texts, Pope Francis highlighted respect for the responsibility of national and regional bishops’ conferences.
The Hate Speech Bill: A Blessing or Danger?
A new proposed law will make hate speech and incitement a prosecutable crime. Bishop VICTOR PHALANA sees the point of such a law — and big risks. Parliament will debate a proposed law that will make hate speech illegal. The draft of the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill still needs revision, especially in terms of conforming to the Constitution.
Bicentennial Choir Sings Disney Tunes
As part of the Church’s bicentennial year, a Catholic schools choir festival was held at the Cape Town City Hall. The highlight was a massed choir of 400 which performed a medley of Disney movie songs. Bicentennial projects involving the youth are underway as part of the year-long celebration of the Southern African Church’s 200th anniversary in 2018.
Seminarians Adopted For Parish Feast
A parish celebrated its feast day by “adopting” a seminarian from the national orientation seminary.
