Why the Election of Bishop Sipuka as President of the SACC Matters

Bishop Sipuka at SACBC Plenary Mass (Photo: Sacred Photos)
“We Christians bring peace and grace as a treasure to be offered to the world, but these gifts can bear fruit only when [all] Christians live and work together in harmony.” – Pope Francis
By Laurika Nxumalo – The South African Council of Churches (SACC) elected Bishop Sithembele Sipuka as the new President of the SACC on October 16. He takes over from Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba. In light of the Synod on Synodality, Bishop Sipuka’s election has opened a chapter of renewal for the Church in South Africa.
The South African Council of Churches is an ecumenical body that has created a platform for Christian churches and allied groups in South Africa to interact and work together. The SACC, founded in 1968, played a pivotal role in the campaign against apartheid.
The SACC stood for and still stands for equality, social justice, and human rights. The body also works to promote ethical governance, democracy, and peace-building. The goal of the SACC is to firmly position the church as an ethical and moral voice within South African society.
In post-apartheid South Africa, the Church faces new but equally urgent challenges. Though apartheid has ended, South Africa continues to grapple with significant social and economic inequalities, government corruption, crime, unemployment, and a high rate of violence, particularly against women. The role of the Church now, as before, is to act as a moral compass and a voice for the voiceless. To truly see and address what is happening in South Africa, churches must reclaim their prophetic voice. This means not only providing charity but also challenging the systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice.
Having a Catholic cleric at the helm of an ecumenical body will broaden the scope of the Synod on Synodality in South Africa. The Church’s application of the key principles of the Synod – communion, participation, and mission as well as listening, journeying together, and ecumenical dialogue, will help other churches alongside the Catholic Church to reclaim and renew their prophetic voice.
Bishop Sipuka approaches advocacy in a practical, realistic way. He is someone who does not simply voice his opinions; he seeks to effect tangible and measurable changes. This is where his practical nature stands out – he devises plans, drafts policies, and finds realistic solutions to complex issues. In this way, he can help ensure that his work has a concrete and lasting impact on those he serves.
In South Africa, this is the kind of leader who is needed to advance the principles of synodality, promote ecumenism, and lead churches to be the moral compass of society.
Ms Laurika Nxumalo is a member of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) Women’s Forum representing the SACBC. She is also the Archdiocesan Secretary of the Archdiocese of Pretoria and Pretoria’s SACBC Laity Council Representative
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