Southern Cross Editor: The Day My Knees Shook
Dear Reader, This month marks 25 years since abortion became legal in South Africa. Our readers, of course, need not be reminded of the Catholic Church’s teachings...
Category: Simmermacher
Spotlight on Black Saints
For a Caribbean artist, black saints don’t receive much attention — and he hopes his project will change that, as he told Günther Simmermacher Saints are our...
Are Most Wars about Religion?
Question: On several occasions, I’ve heard people claiming that almost every war is about religion. I can’t believe that is true, but is religion really the most...
Tutu: The Catholic Connection
South Africa’s most famous cleric was an Anglican, but Archbishop Desmond Tutu had many ties to the Catholic faith, as Günther Simmermacher points out. Archbishop Desmond Tutu,...
The Story of ‘We Three Kings’
Günther Simmermacher’s annual Biography of a Christmas carol Many of our beloved Christmas carols have come from the United States, and “We Three Kings” was the first...
The Big Southern Cross Christmas Quiz
Without peeking at the answers, see how much you know about Christmas! Compiled by Günther Simmermacher – What colour vestments do Catholic priests wear at Christmas Mass?...
How St Nicholas Became Santa Claus
Santa Claus dominates the public image of Christmas, but he was based on a great Christian. GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER looks at the history of St Nicholas of Myra,...
Who are the Different Marys in the Gospels?
Question: It seems that Mary was a popular name in the times of the Gospel. Could you guide me through the individual women by that name in...
The Chosen: Gospel Binge
Günther Simmermacher watched Season 2 of the Gospel-based series The Chosen — and liked it. If all of the things Jesus did “were written down in detail,...
What is the Difference between Church, Abbey, Chapel, Cathedral and Basilica?
Question: We all know what a church is, but what is the difference between a church and a cathedral, basilica, abbey or chapel? Answer by Günther Simmermacher:...
What is a Catholic Patriarch?
By Günther Simmermacher – Question: The caption to your colourised photo of Pope St John XXIII’s funeral in your “History in Colour” item (June 2021) refers to...
The Baroness Who Chose Poverty
One of the great modern Catholic prophets was a Russian baroness born 125 years ago in a train. Catherine De Hueck Doherty was born on August 15,...
