Church Not Exempt From the Fight Against Corruption

by Kilian SC · November 16, 2017

Colleen Constable, Pretoria – It is impressive to hear the Catholic Church stepping up its moral voice in the public space. The call from Bishop Abel Gabuza of Kimberley and the Justice & Peace Commission for the establishment of an anti-corruption court places the Church at the forefront in the fight against corruption.

In analysing what Bishop Gabuza’s call means for the Church, I came to the following conclusions.

The Church leadership should act swiftly against all allegations of corruption within the Catholic Church, holding clergy and religious accountable. Such allegations should be reported to the authorities for investigation as required by the Prevention & Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004.

Section 34 of the Act requires people in authority to report corruption over R100 000. Failure to report corruption is a criminal offence.

Section 26 defines penalties for offences committed against this legislation. Hefty prison sentences can be imposed as well as fines. If convicted in a magistrate’s court, a sanction of up to 18 years can be imposed. If convicted in a High Court, life imprisonment can be imposed.

Is It the Tip of the Iceberg?

There are too many whispers about alleged “corrupt priests”. Too many times we hear: “It is just the tip of the iceberg.”

The Church is not exempt from upholding the laws of the country. To lead the fight against corruption, it must ensure that its own house is “clean and in order”.

That calls for greater transparency in investigations against clergy and religious, for accountability and transformational leadership.

It also calls for the people of God to be vigilant and report allegations of corruption by clergy and religious directly to authorities, as it is their legal right to do so if they wish. It is a call for good governance and compliance from within.

In moving forward to address the above concerns, I suggest that the Justice & Peace Commission consider the establishment of a toll-free line where parishioners can anonymously report information that relates to allegations of corruption within the Church.

Nothing stops the people of God from being creative and setting up a group which can also monitor the Church with reference to prevention and eradication of corruption.