Bishops: Promote The Southern Cross

The bishops of Southern Africa resolved to encourage the promotion of The Southern Cross in the parishes of their dioceses.

This followed a presentation by a delegation from the National Catholic monthly magazine to the January plenary meeting of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, held at St John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria.

In a report to the bishops, Southern Cross chair Rosanne Shields said: “The Southern Cross magazine should be in every Catholic home, a tangible sign of people’s faith and an inspiration for how to live a Catholic life in a secular world.”

She told the bishops: “In an age when people are bombarded by media and communication, it is our sacred duty to spread the Gospel, the message of social justice and to keep Catholics informed about debates within a changing Church.”

In their meeting, the bishops also discussed the many problems facing the countries in the conference region — South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini — and how these affect especially the poor and vulnerable.

They strongly condemned corruption, incompetence and party politics, but also said that the poor must take greater “responsibility and initiative within the scope and the means available to them”.

The bishops also discussed the incidence of racism in South Africa, and the legacy of apartheid within the Catholic community.

The celebration of the SACBC’s 75th anniversary and of the centenary of papal representation in South Africa prompted the bishops of the region to reflect on the mission of the Catholic Church in Southern Africa since the establishment of the conference in 1947, finding areas of both success and failures, as well as challenges for the future.

Read our interview with Bishop Sithembele Sipuka on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the SACBC