A Prayer for the victims of rape in schools

Amid a national outcry over the rape of learners at school, and the slow response in investigating the cases, the Archbishop has issued the following prayer:

God, our Creator and Sustainer, 

With heavy hearts, we prostrate ourselves before your throne of grace,

Our only hope being in you when all organs of the State appear to be failing in their duties.

We bring before you the child victims of barbaric sexual and other abuse in our land,

We pray especially today for those whose lives have been touched by the alleged rapes of a seven-year-old in the Eastern Cape and a 13-year-old in Limpopo,

We bring the victims and their families before you for strength, consolation and healing,

We ask that their families will experience your power and your guidance,

And that your presence will be felt in the schools in which they trusted.

God, they are but children who bear your image as part of this, your world,

A world which you declared to be good and pleasing to you when you created it.

As Jesus, your Son, prayed for his disciples,

So God, we now pray for the victims in these cases, who belong to you, and to you alone,

Keep them safe in this cruel world by the power of your name (Jn 17: 9-11).

As we share at this moment in the anguish of victims and their families,

May you, our God, also groan with us, as we your children, offer this prayer in faith.

As we stand in solidarity with the families of all victims of abuse,

May your unfathomable love envelop the families of these victims now,

May your Holy Spirit protect and guide our communities,

And bring us to union with Christ as we transform and re-create our institutions of learning. 

Lord in your mercy,  

Hear our prayers and heal our country. 

Amen.

††Thabo Cape Town

Ad Laos - To the People of God – March 2025

Adapted from the March 2025 edition of Good Hope, the newsletter of the Diocese of Cape Town.

Dear People of God,

As we observe the Season of Lent, I wanted to share with you some reflections on this year's February meeting of the Synod of Bishops. (You can find our full statement here: https://anglicanchurchsa.org/communique-from-the-synod-of-bishop-february-2025/

The first item on our agenda was a meeting of the Bishops with the Canon Law Council and Diocesan Chancellors and Registrars, which meant that our normal meeting of two dozen bishops was supplemented on the first day by nearly 60 people, mostly lawyers. Changes to our Canons, for example in the form of detailed Pastoral Standards, and the influence of South Africa’s new labour legislation on church law, has brought about a transformation in the church in recent decades. Our joint meeting reflected this, and underlined the importance of integrating the observance of basic legal principles into pastoral ministry.  

Most of the meeting was given over to a briefing by Advocate Ewald de Villiers Jansen SC, who chairs the new, formally-appointed Safe and Inclusive Church Commission. We also commissioned members of the Commission who were present.

The Commission now includes Bishop Brian Marajh, appointed by the Synod of Bishops as Liaison Bishop, the Deputy Provincial Registrar, Canon Rosalie Manning—who in an act of great dedication to our church has taken the lead in launching safeguarding in recent years—as well as two psychologists, Ms Sharitha Poodhun and Ms Nokubonga Phakathi, and two retired bishops, Bishop Margaret Vertue, a long-time campaigner against the abuse of women, girls and boys, and Bishop Eddie Daniels, formerly of Port Elizabeth. The Provincial Treasurer and Provincial Executive Officer also serve ex officio.

In its first communication to the Province, the newly-appointed Commission has called for every parish in the Province to consider appointing two safeguarding officers. It has already scheduled three online training sessions in April and May, and has charted a way ahead which includes screening, assessing and training those to be licensed as safeguarding officers in parishes, archdeaconries and dioceses. For more details, including advice on who should serve on safeguarding teams, I urge you to read the Commission’s first circular>>

Among important contributions to the Synod of Bishops, we also heard a plea from Dr Mamphela Ramphele to step up our efforts to combat abuse and gender-based violence (adapted for use in the ecumenical community here), and presentations by Bishop Luke Pato on a new book arising from the authors’ concern that spiritual direction is diminishing in the church, leading to a decline in our capacity to follow a moral compass. Also of note was a presentation by Roman Catholic theologians, including recently-retired Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg, who argued against the compatibility of ancestral worship with Christianity. 

In recent decades, growth in the church has resulted in a move away from appointing Suffragan Bishops, and towards establishing new dioceses. This process began with the “multiplication” of the dioceses of Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, starting more than 30 years ago, and more recently with the former Diocese of St John’s becoming the dioceses of Mthatha, Mzimvubu and Mbhashe, and Khahlamba being carved out of the Diocese of Grahamstown.

The Diocese of Natal has now chosen to follow a different route. After long and careful consideration over the past four years, it decided last year that it wanted to maintain diocesan unity. In consequence, the Synod of Bishops has approved the election of a Suffragan Bishop to help deal with the administrative and pastoral challenges of a Diocese stretching from Griqualand East to the borders of the Free State and Mpumalanga.

In another development, our Province and the Diocese of Botswana are discussing the possibility of that diocese joining us. Until now, Botswana has been part of the Church of the Province of Central Africa, but at their recent Provincial Synod, they decided to form separate provinces for Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The inclusion of Botswana in ACSA needs a lot of thought and work, and ultimately the approval of the Anglican Communion.

A number of bishops have retired recently, and so I ask you to pray for Elective Assemblies in the dioceses of Port Elizabeth on May 8 and 9, Pretoria, May 15-16, Grahamstown, June 20-21, Natal (for the Suffragan Bishop) on July 17-18, and Johannesburg later this year.

Lenten blessings to you all,

††Thabo Cape Town

Archbishop commits to establishing "best-practice, 21st-century safeguarding and enforcement of discipline"

Joint meeting of the Synod of Bishops, Canon Law Council, Chancellors and Registrars

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba

Introductory remarks

22^nd February 2025

Canon Lawyers,

Bishops of the Province,

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

A verse from the book of the Prophet Isaiah, contemplating the wickedness of Judah:

Learn to do good;

seek justice,

rescue the oppressed,

defend the orphan,

plead for the widow. (Is. 1:17)

With those words, beautifully capturing our vocation as church to speak and act for those who can’t, I warmly welcome you to this meeting.

I am deeply thankful to each one of you for being here, since before us are gathered some of the best pastoral, theological and legal minds of our church, who are invited to address issues which – although they are uncomfortable to deal with – are absolutely critical to the most vulnerable members of our parishes and our society, and therefore to the integrity of the pastoral care we provide to our people and to the credibility of our witness as a moral force in society.

The challenges of keeping people safe from abuse and the effective implementation of our pastoral standards and disciplinary measures have been propelled to the top of our agenda, firstly because of the scourge of gender-based violence and the abuse of children prevalent in our society today, and secondly because recent events have made it clear that we need urgently to deal decisively with past abuse in the church, rather than wait for crises to blow up.

Many of you will have read of the recent Human Sciences Research Council report which found that, in South Africa, one in every three women report being abused at some time in their lives. Now, on many issues affecting the welfare and daily lives of our members – such as jobs, poor service delivery, corruption and other failings – we can campaign and urge the authorities to take action. But when it comes to abuse, whether of women, girls or boys, we can intervene far more effectively, because our pastoral relationships with our congregants draw us into the heart of the crisis. Dr Mamphela Ramphele, a member of the Order of Cyrene, speaks powerfully to this, and so she will address the Bishops on it during our meeting.

As we face these challenges, we are fortunate to have a strong basis on which to build, notably the inclusion of the pastoral standards into our Canons which began two decades ago. Bishop Michael Nuttall, a former Dean of the Province, acknowledged on the WhatsApp group for retired bishops recently that he was among those who was initially sceptical of the initiative, but who now acknowledges its importance. I personally was challenged when a case burst into the open in 2018. A survivor of abuse strongly criticised Archbishop Desmond Tutu for his alleged inaction on past abuse, and the Archbishop Emeritus's response was to declare that he had the “utmost faith” in my commitment “to hold those clergy accused of wrongdoing to account, and support those whose trust in the clergy has been betrayed.”¹

That case, and the establishment of the Anglican Communion Safe Church Commission in 2016, helped to carry forward our safeguarding initiatives. But, as the Farlam-Ramphele report published earlier this month found, we have not done enough. Since the full report and a summary are available on the Provincial website, just two quotes from it will suffice here:

One refers to what the report describes as “the disturbing delay... at least since 2018, in fully implementing measures evolved over two decades to grapple effectively with abuse within the church and church-related institutions, such as schools and children’s homes.” The other says: “We consider that the delays in implementation since 2016 of Safe Church are a cause for serious concern, raising the risk that similar or other abusive conduct goes undetected and is not the subject of effective protective measures.”

In my response to the report, I accepted its findings without reservation. As a result, as we implement its recommendations, the delays come to an end at this meeting, with the formal establishment the Safe and Inclusive Church Commission as mandated by Provincial Synod. In spite of the delays, a dedicated team volunteered some years ago to undertake the hard work of launching Safe Church, handling cases and nurturing its growth. We owe the founding team an enormous debt of gratitude and pledge to build on their efforts, learning from them and ensuring that the transition is as smooth as it can be, involving as it must the continuation and extension of efforts to develop relevant pastoralia, teaching materials and training.

When I announced the appointment of the panel which produced the recent report, I told the congregation at Emmanuel Church in Wynberg that as licensed ministers of the Gospel, we have the privilege of journeying with people at the most critical moments in their lives. I added: “For someone in the church, which is meant to be a safe and nurturing space, to prey on God's children when they are at their most vulnerable is not only wrong, it is not only criminal, which it often is, it is evil beyond description. It makes me want to weep.”

That is what motivates me now in challenging firstly us as Bishops; in challenging secondly those of you, as the Canons say, who are “learned in the law” and who provide outstanding, self-sacrificial service to the Church; and in challenging thirdly those engaged in safeguarding, to take fully on board and to implement the recommendations we have before us.

I have two years to serve before my retirement. As I said when I received the report, I cannot bequeath the current state of safeguarding to my successor. As a result, one of my top priorities will be to ensure that the Canon Law Council and the Safe and Inclusive Church Commission update our legislation, regulations and procedures so that best-practice, 21st-century safeguarding and the enforcement of discipline each have their appropriate place. Another priority will be for me and the Bishops concerned to address and resolve specific cases.

As outlined in my response to the Farlam/Ramphele report, there are concrete steps that this meeting of the Synod of Bishops can take to demonstrate our determination to introduce safeguarding in every Parish in the Province, to hold parishes accountable to Dioceses, to hold Dioceses accountable to the Province and to Safe Church, and to hold ourselves responsible to other institutions outside ACSA to keep people safe.

Let me end these introductory remarks on a note of hope. The first step in addressing a crisis and resolving a problem is identifying it, and I believe that with the help of many people both inside and outside the church in recent months and years, we have done that. As I said earlier this month and now repeat, we cannot allow ourselves to be defined by setbacks. We need to repent, then move forward, defined by hope and compelled by our faith to take action to root out abuse.

The Incarnation provides for us an important understanding of a God who enters the daily “scuffle” of our lives to liberate us. God enters the world because the Church, Christ’s bride, is charged with ensuring that the worth and dignity of those who are created in God’s image are respected.

When I conclude a Synod I pray that “No harm may befall God’s church because of our decisions”. The establishment of sound and effective safeguarding measures, backed by Canon Law, will ensure that the vulnerable, the lonely, the young and the old, are not preyed upon, harmed or abused, but that they will flourish as is God’s intention, stated in John, that all will have life, and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10). So let us, as people who are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps 139:14), build a church in which no stumbling blocks will ever be put before anyone who believes in Christ (Matthew 18:6).

* * * * *

1 https://archbishop.anglicanchurchsa.org/2018/03/the-churchs-response-to-writer-ishtiyaq.html

Bring to justice the killers of Imam Muhsin Hendricks - Archbishop

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba issued the following statement today in reaction to the murder in the Eastern Cape on Saturday of Imam Muhsin Hendricks, leader of the Al-Ghurbaah Foundation in Cape Town:

“We send our deepest condolences to the family of Imam Hendricks and his community at this tragic loss. We pray that those responsible for this horrific killing will be brought to justice, and we affirm the rights and dignity of all God’s people.”

While police have not yet ascertained the motive for Imam Hendricks's murder, he is widely known as an openly gay public figure. South Africa's Muslim Judicial Council and Cape Town's Claremont Main Road Masjid (CMRM) have both condemned his killing.

Sermon at the Installation of Dean Terry Lester of St George's Cathedral, Cape Town

Installation of the Ven Terrence Ian Lester as 16th Dean of Cape Town and Rector of the Cathedral of St George the Martyr

The Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple

2nd February 2025 @ 16H00

Readings: Amos 8: 1 - 8; Psalm 10: 13-20; Luke 19: 45 - 48

May I speak in the name of God who calls, informs and transforms us. Amen.

Sisters and brothers in Christ, members of the St George’s Cathedral Church family, thank you for joining us this afternoon to celebrate this important day in the history and life of our Diocese – the installation of our 16^th Dean and Rector of this Cathedral.

A warm welcome to Bishop Josh and our fellow Bishops who are here, to members of Chapter from our own and sister dioceses, to the clergy and bishops present and your spouses, as well as the honoured guests who grace this occasion, including members of the Order of Simon of Cyrene. A special welcome to the Dean-designate Terry, your dear wife Nikki, your children, Timothy and Safya, Claire and Michael (Portugal), Amy and Dean, Sydnee and Kathryn, your sister Desiree, your mother, Mrs Joyce Lester, your sisters-in-law Kim and Charlen and your grandchildren Rosa, Frances, Atlas and Jude. And thank you, Professor Richard Burridge, former Dean of King's College, London and Terry's long-time friend and colleague from Nottingham, for travelling all the way from the UK to be present.

Thank you, diocesan staff and liturgical team for working tirelessly preparing for this service. Thank you, Cathedral staff, Church Wardens, Verger and team for your practical arrangements and your warm welcome on our arrival here this afternoon. Thank you to Mfundisi Mcebisi Pinyana for holding the fort here as Priest-in-Charge during the interregnum, and to Canon Grant Walters, the Revd Abigail Hopley, and other staff at Bishopscourt for their support.

Dean-designate Terry, your installation takes place on the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple, which is also known as the Purification of St Mary the Virgin or Candlemas. Saints and Seasons notes that such a variety of names is a testament to the wealth of spiritual meaning that generations of Christians have discovered in this small incident. As Anglicans, our title for this Feast is a reminder that every first-born son had to be dedicated to God in memory of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt, as enshrined in Jewish law. However, when Mary placed Jesus into the arms of Simeon, the Patriarch, it marked the meeting of the Old and the New Testaments. Thus, the old oblations were done away, and the new and perfect offering was now presented to the temple. Moruti Terry, it is in the same spirit that you are installed today as the 16^th Dean of this Diocese.

In today’s Gospel passage (Luke 19:45ff) there is a sudden change of tone as Jesus turns to look at the city spread before Him and utters a sorrowful prophecy about its fate. He longed that even at this late stage it might repent and seek that which would advance its welfare, given how little the conduct of the people of Jerusalem reflected its name as the city of peace. The time would come when the city would be besieged with tremendous loss of life, and all because it failed to recognise that God was longing to save it.

Sisters and brothers, it was against this background that Jesus entered the Temple and drove out those who were carrying on commerce within its precincts. Their trade was associated with the needs of the pilgrims, like a modern souvenir shop under the shadow of a cathedral selling Bibles along with picture postcards. But in their case, the trade was conducted in a manner that had grown to alarming proportions. The court of the Gentiles had become a thieves’ kitchen instead of a place of prayer. This was the beginning of Jesus’ teachings in the Temple, to the accompaniment of rising opposition from the authorities and strong sympathy from the crowds who appreciated His words.

As the people of this Cathedral church, as people of the Diocese of Cape Town, what can we learn from this gospel story? How can this passage assist in building the kingdom of God in this church?

I believe it underlines the need for ministry in and from this Cathedral to continue in the tradition of which Dean Terry has already long been a proponent in this Diocese and congregation, namely to call out the way in which – in this city, Province and country – the people of God, and particularly the most vulnerable and marginalised, are treated at the hands of the powerful; of those, in the words of Amos, “that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land.” Interestingly, it has been suggested that the reference to the Nile (v.8) in this passage may have been intended to remind Israel of God’s acts of judgement against the whole of Egypt in the plagues; that this God can be expected to act if necessary in similar fashion against the people He once worked to redeem.

Even as we give thanks for new beginnings in this Cathedral church today, we are called to speak up for those who suffer, from the emaciated miners rescued at Stilfontein, to our soldiers under attack in the DR Congo as a consequence of standing up for the rights and safety of innocent Congolese men, women and children, from the survivors of abuse and gender-based violence to victims of ethnic cleansing in Gaza. At this distressing time in Gaza and the West Bank, we are grateful for the prophetic ministry of the cathedral to the Middle East. While we are grateful for the current limited ceasefire in Gaza, I am concerned that it holds and that the West Bank will not be the next to suffer the fate of Gaza. On the basis that, under international law, ethnic cleansing can be defined as genocide, war crimes or crimes aganst humanity, we must protest against any prospect of the people of Gaza being “cleansed” and sent to Jordan and Egypt. They must be able to rebuild their lives, and the Western countries which have shamefully aided and abetted in the destruction of Gaza must step up and pay for its reconstruction.

Moruti Terry, it is my prayer that your ministry here at the Cathedral brings about a new song – full of new possibilities. This is the re-assurance of God’s sufficiency for present needs and the prospects of greater blessings yet to come. You do not lack experience, but you will nevertheless need assistance from God to advance his will for this Cathedral church. So, as you take up your new responsibilities, I bring you, on behalf of the Diocese, of the wider church and on my own behalf, congratulations on your appointment.

As we know this Cathedral has a proud history of being a ‘People’s Cathedral’, seeking to challenge and inspire parishioners to advance the kingdom of God through teaching ministry and evangelism. To achieve that objective, it requires a discernment that produces good decisions based on divine principles. It is therefore our shared prayer and hope that you, together with your team, will discern the common good in whatever decisions you take, just as your predecessors have done, from Tom Savage to Ted King and Colin Jones, from Rowan Smith to Michael Weeder.

Moruti Terry, there are decisions that you will face that you will have to make courageously and collectively. They will have to made on the basis of sound critique, which is key, but it’s not good enough to end there. Your critique and decisions must be wise and reflect a deep sense of discernment and godly steering. Take decisions carefully and wisely, and then don't be too sensitive to pushback. As Emeritus Tutu used to say, too often in our part of the world, the acronym PhD means “Pull him, or her, down.” And as I said in my homily yesterday afternoon at Canon Natalie’s farewell service, the thing about self-justification is that your friends and family don’t need it, and your detractors won't believe it.

As the Feast of Candlemas compels you, in your leading and ministry here, bring the light of Christ that dispels darkness and brings renewal and redemption, even purification, to the Cathedral, the wider church, the city and the world. You are not an interim Dean, you are the Dean of Cape Town, and as such – as we are reminded in the rubric for the consecration of a bishop – no one is sufficient to do all these things but through the grace of God.

Hence, I turn to the congregation, and say to you gathered here today that we rely on you to work with Dean Terry for the common good of all humanity. The concept of the common good is one which is rooted in God's desire that humans may flourish, each according to their own circumstances, and that all will have a liveable standard of material well-being. In its widest sense, a society organised for the common good is one which is stable, safe and just, a society which accords everyone respect materially, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually.

In conclusion, I congratulate you once again, Moruti Terry, on your appointment as 16^th Dean of Cape Town. As I install you in the Dean's seat, where you will serve as a steward, acting on my behalf as Diocesan but also as a leader in your own right in the things of God. I pledge my support for your ministry here for the common good.

God loves all of you and so do I. Amen

* * * * *

A Call to Prayer and an Appeal to the World after the deaths of South African soldiers in the DR Congo

Grieving for the loss of South African soldiers defending the people of the eastern DR Congo, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, who himself has family in the SA National Defence Force, has composed the following prayer for use in Anglican churches and beyond:

Father God,

We pray today for the souls of our soldiers killed in the eastern DR Congo in recent days,

We grieve with and pray for consolation for their families,

We pray for the recovery of those injured,

And we acknowledge and give thanks for the sacrifices our men and women make on our behalf as they fulfill our obligation to help protect our African sisters and brothers from insurgent violence.

Lord God, we pray that the international community will be moved by your Spirit to show the same compassion for Africans who suffer the horrors of war as those of other nations,

We pray for the force of arms to be replaced by the politics of peace,

And that SADC, the African Union and the United Nations will intensify efforts to achieve longlasting peace and stability to the DRC, Sudan and Mozambique,

As we send our condolences to the families of those who died, we pledge to keep them in our prayers,

For Jesus Christ's sake, Amen