Religious leaders meet Western Cape political leaders to urge peaceful elections

W. Cape religious and political leaders at Bishopscourt.

With an eye on the pending national and provincial elections, the Electoral Code of Conduct Observer Commission (ECCOC), chaired by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, met with representatives  of nine political parties active in the Western Cape on Tuesday 29 January at Bishopscourt.

The purpose of the meeting was to introduce ECCOC to political leaders.  One of ECCOC’s tasks is to ensure that political parties and their leaders understand that they should not incite violence and instability at election times when tensions could be running high.

“We help to defuse tense situations where they arise or seem likely, by playing a mediating role at times of stress or potential violence. We hope that political parties and the electorate see our presence as helping to ensure that there is a moral presence on election day,” said the Archbishop.

He said that ECCOC will have a strong presence at polling stations, acting as an observer. Its presence will stress the need for a moral and value driven election and ECCOC will report any irregularities and inappropriate behaviour by parties to the IEC.

The parties present at the meeting indicated support for ECCOC and thanked the Archbishop and his ECCOC team for acting as an independent and impartial influence prior to and on election day.

My last day at the climate talks

Fasting at an empty table.

My last day at COP21. As one of those who have been fasting for climate change - and in solidarity with those who don't have food - on the first day of every month, I today joined a group who have been doing this fast for two years.

To drive the point home, at lunchtime we set a table with a "menu" in a passageway at the talks, and took turns to sit there, 10 of us at a time in 10-minute shifts to comply with a police regulation prohibiting gatherings of more than that. Our plates were empty and our cutlery unused as we shared why we were fasting, drawing from the wealth and plenty of our spiritual wells.

Notes from Paris - Day Two at the climate summit

Keeping my head warm in Paris.

Well, the United Nations climate summit known as COP21 is under way here in Paris, with world leaders speaking first to kick off the negotiations.

Eleven governments today, Monday, pledged nearly 250 million U.S. dollars towards support for vulnerable communities to adapt to climate change, and the ACT Alliance - for whom I am acting as an ambassador - said in a statement today that this signals hope for an ambitious agreement that will secure the planet’s future.

Notes from the climate summit in Paris - Sunday

Here at the United Nations climate summit, COP21, in Paris, I spoke to a representative of African pilgrims who covered 6,000 miles cycling across nine countries, collecting signatures calling on the world's leaders to deliver climate justice.

Faith leaders' statement on student fee crisis

National church leaders and other faith leaders gathering in Johannesburg from 21-22 October 2015 at OR Tambo, for their annual meeting, issued the following statement on the student fee crisis:

Archbishop Thabo joins religious leaders to support protesting students

Archbishop Thabo issued the following statement to the Church this morning. It was also released to the media:

"I will join about 40 leaders of the National Religious Association for Social Development on a visit to Wits University, my alma mater, this morning. We are interrupting meetings in Gauteng to do so.

Archbishop calls for commemorations of anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town has called on people of faith to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela by committing to “a new struggle... for social cohesion and the end of inequality.”

He called for events to be arranged at 4.14 pm next Wednesday, February 11, at High Courts or prisons around the country.

In a statement issued from a meeting of the Synod of Bishops in Durban, Archbishop Makgoba said:

“In my capacity as chair of the National Church Leaders' Consultation and after discussion with the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, I am calling on church leaders and their faithful to honour and mark the 25th anniversary of the release of Madiba, our icon and the father of our democracy, at 4.14 pm on February 11.

“I request interfaith groups around the country to spend 67 minutes converging on either their local High Court or a major prison, conducting a short march and holding prayers.

“I appeal to people of faith to celebrate Madiba's release by committing themselves to a new struggle, a struggle for social cohesion and the end of inequality.

“Whether it's a few of you, or hundreds of you, be as creative as you like in what you do – just mark the day and the moment, and commit to the new struggle.”

Archbishop Condemns Latest Attacks Using Religion as Pretext for Violence

A press release issued from Davos:

Davos, Switzerland - In the wake of the latest Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria and the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, spoke out against the use of terror tactics masquerading as a religious obligation.

Speaking during an interfaith panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, the Archbishop said:

“History is blood-spattered with religion used as a pretext for violence. Enough is enough. Violence in God’s name is never justified. Religions should never be used a vehicles of hate - never.”

Archbishop Makgoba joined former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, David Rosen, Rabbi and International Director, Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee in Israel and Hamza Yusuf Hanson, Co-Founder and President, Zaytuna College, on the panel which discussed the use of violence in the name of religion.

He will also participate in a discussion on Business Ethics on Friday, January 23.

Political Intolerance Ahead of Elections Condemned by Religious, Civil Society Leaders

Election observers from religious and civil society groups have deplored the levels of political intolerance in the Western Cape.

"Political parties are complaining to us that some party leaders are unable to control their followers," said Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town in a statement released today.

The statement was released after meetings during the past week between the Electoral Code of Conduct Observer Commission (ECCOC) and political leaders in the region.

Archbishop Makgoba, who chairs the Commission, said: "Speakers are being shouted down, violence is being threatened and meetings are being disrupted.

"A leader who cannot control his or her followers is not worthy of the name. The commission deplores the levels to which political intolerance have risen.

"We all have to live together after this election. We urge leaders, party members and the whole community to show respect and tolerance for other views, and to remember that we are all working towards the common good."

ECCOC has had a number of meetings with party representatives since it decided last week to approach political leaders on how to lower what it said were unprecented tensions during the election campaign. The commission or its representatives have met the African Christian Democratic Party, the African National Congress, Agang South Africa and the Democratic Alliance.

ECCOC comprises civil society leaders drawn from the legal, academic, business, media and health sectors. Many Commissioners represent multi-religious communities. Its task is to assist political parties to uphold the commitment to the Electoral Code of Conduct and also to contest the elections in accordance with the spirit of the code.

Mayoral Inter-faith service at the Cathedral of St. George the Martyr, Cape Town

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, friends from the Western Cape inter religious group, dear people of this beautiful city, dear friends.

It is a great joy to be with you as we celebrate what we have termed the Mayoral Service.

Thank you, Mr. Dean and your staff for hosting this service and for the Western Cape Religious Leaders' Forum for coordinating this together with the city and the Cathedral: to everyone else who is here, who loves this city or who lives in the city or offers services to the city, feel welcomed.

The ancient Greek notion of the city implied that the polis is about citizenship and the body of citizens. In short, how space and resources are organized in service to the people of the city and how the people in turn engage to shape their destiny collaboratively.

So you, we all matter, for without you, we would not have the mayor to organize the affairs of this city, nor the mayor without the citizens.

May I also, on behalf of the Dean and his staff welcome all the other visitors here today.

Madame Mayor, Patricia De Lille: thank you, also for your leadership and presence with us and for your encouraging and challenging words; thank you for your welcome – we feel honored and humbled that you agreed to be here and to grace us with your presence, for without it we could not have a "Mayoral Service" as an inter-faith congregation.

In the Christian sacred text that was read this afternoon, John 10:10, the Johannine Jesus says, "I came so that you may have life and have it in abundance."

What is life in abundance? What is eternal life? It is about the flourishing of all human beings and not only some who are powerful and connected. It is the flourishing of us all or, put differently, it is about the common good or the public good.

The common good, simply put, is ensuring that what is good and beneficial for me, is also good and beneficial for the other who is my neighbour.

Put in a language understood by most religions, this is about doing what I would like done to me (love, respect, care, compassion) done to the other too. Yes, it is about respecting the dignity of each individual as reflecting the humanity of God and the divine in God.

The famous words are from the Christian sacred text, love you neighbor, with all your mind, soul and body, and love the Lord your God with the same mind as you love yourself and neighbor.

Life in abundance is life lived with a mentality of abundance and not a mentality of poverty; life lived mindful that it is not useful to amass riches, thinking that when your end comes, you will take these with you; it is life lived with contentment and generosity, wanting to make profit but not ignoring people or the planet that generates your wealth.

How might this life pan out in our beloved city? Our city is doing relatively well. You only need to look at the Currie Cup final, even though we are sorry the Sharks won. Visitors and tourists to this city bring a lot of revenue.

Or you can look at our status as world design capital or at the film industry, conferences, tertiary education, media, the financial sector, small grassroots enterprises such as B&B’s, NGOs, industry, including thriving and not so thriving small industries, and the large number of companies with head offices in this city. The economy is indeed thriving here in spite of challenges elsewhere, heralded by Minister Pravin Gordhan and his belt-tightening for ministers.

Economically, we are doing relatively well compared to the majority of the other provinces of our country and countries in our continent. For this, we are grateful to our city and mothers for the flourishing of the local economy.

However, as religious leaders, as we give thanks for this flourishing, we need to also ask deeper questions:

-- Who is benefiting from this economic flourishing?

-- Is it serving the common good or benefitting only some who are powerful, politically and economically well connected?

-- Is this result of this flourishing what Jesus envisaged in the passage from John: I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance?

-- Are the people without a voice in the city benefitting as well?

-- Are we reaching out?

-- Does the economic benefit bring joy and benefits to those on the margins, not just trickle to them?

-- Are the dividends of our democracy and freedom benefitting all, and are those who benefit helping others to have access to this boom?

In this past week, I did "huisbesoek" to Auntie Pat Gorvalla* in Durbanville, then licensed a new priest in Christ Church Claremont and visited Mfuleni. I could not help but feel torn by the feeling that this abundant life in our beloved city is still skewed in favour of those of us from a particular race and class and not for all as Jesus wished for, suffered for and died for.

The work is thus enormous. I must confess that we in the religious vocation often overlook these challenges. We are often tempted by the trappings of power, money and proximity to politicians and the potential for personal or denominational gain from such proximity.

Whilst we need to affirm the good that the city does, we equally need to raise critical questions about who benefits from the city’s flourishing, and why spatial apartheid for instance is so stubborn 20 years into our democracy. We need to raise these questions without fear, for ours is not a political mandate but a vocation to serve all in spite of power, status and political affiliation.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, friends from the Western Cape inter religious group, dear people of this beautiful city, dear friends.
Often, we are too aligned, or our mouths are too full of resources, personal or for our churches, that we are afraid to speak out clearly and prophetically for the cause of those marginalized and excluded, and plead their cause in attaining this abundant life in the here and now, and not only in heaven.

We confess our failures today and ask for pardon from God, from the poorest of the poor and all who are marginalized, be it materially, due to their sexual orientation, class or race. We say Lord have mercy on us and pardon us, our sins.

Two weeks ago at the National Church Leaders' Consultation, we confessed this sin of omission, the lack of coherence in our prophetic audibility and our courage to speak. We committed to being part of the solution, especially in education, and resolved to seek an audience urgently with SADTU and other teachers' unions as we look together at ways we can make education the tool of liberation it is supposed to be.

As we confess and acknowledge our own shortcomings in our city too, we should not be navel-gazing and becoming trapped by this sin of omission or our helplessness for not doing and speaking for the cause of the poorest of the poor.

We should equally engage with all for their sake as we plead for respect for their human dignity and for their true freedom. Let us re-commit to taking seriously our God-given mandate to serve others.

We commit to working as a collective with the city , the polis, in serving God's people and in bringing hope; hope that nothing will separate God's people from the love and care of God even in the midst of pain, suffering and squalor.

We commit to the ministry of reconciliation, reconciling communities and different faiths, rich and poor, and we encourage the spirit of generosity and cohesion amongst all people of this city and province.

We commit to walks of witness alongside the people of God to highlight: janitorial services gone wrong; poor school infrastructure; poor conditions of service and remuneration for farm and domestic workers; the need to investigate the effectiveness of policing in our townships; the impact which endemic corruption has on service delivery and social cohesion; as well as the many glaring economic disparities in our city.

We will continue to care for the xenophobically displaced, those trapped by drugs and the impact of gangsterism. We will continue through the Electoral Code of Conduct Observer Commission (ECCOC) to demand that our political leaders behave aptly as we all pray for, and ensure, a free, robust and fair context for electioneering and elections next year and beyond, as well as open the question of who funds political parties and demand transparency in this area.

Returning to the Christian sacred text as I conclude, the Lucan God, in Luke 4, reminds us as people of faith and in this city , that the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, he has anointed me and all of us to proclaim boldly without fear or favour good news to the poor....

Let us dare to do so.

May this mayoral service bring hope and courage to all in the city and a recommitment by us all to bring life in abundance for all especially those in the margins of the city?

Amen

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba
27 October 2013

* A leading citizen of Cape Town and former president of the Anglican Women's Federation.

On the Death of Fr John Oliver

Archbishop Thabo has sent this message, following the unexpected death, in his sleep, of Fr John Oliver, recently retired after 18 years at St Mark’s Church District Six, and Acting Chair of the Western Cape Religious Leaders’ Forum, with which he was also long associated.


My dear Emma,

From our holiday in Turkey, Lungi and I and our children send you, Sarah and Joseph our heartfelt condolences at John’s sudden death. It is hard to take in, and I wish so much that I were able to come in person and share the love and the prayers that we have for you. May our God surround you with his tender love, his comfort, his strength, at this time. Do not be afraid to weep and bring your grief before the throne of God, who bears our sorrows, and walks with us in all our pains and sadness.

As we visit the sites of the early Church, retracing the steps of St Paul who so powerfully taught that nothing in life nor death can separate us from the love of God that is ours in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, we shall be carrying you in our hearts and thoughts and prayers. I shall be weeping for John, as Jesus wept for his friend Lazarus, even in my certainty that he now knows the fullness of joy of resurrection life. His is surely the welcome of a good and faithful servant. He has devoted so many years, and given so much energy and dedication, to his unstinting love for God, for God’s people, especially the poor and needy, and for God’s creation. I thank God for all he has been for us in Cape Town and beyond – for his long service at St Mark’s in District Six, for his unflagging socio-political commitment, for his music ministry, for his ever-ready camera!

I also thank God for John’s vision and drive in his work for inter-faith cooperation, and for so much he has achieved there. He has done more than we can measure in encouraging us all to stand together, in our commitment to upholding all that is good and true and just and holy, and opposing all that diminishes the flourishing of all God’s children. John will leave a lasting legacy across the City, the Western Cape, and beyond, having positively impacted so many lives.

On a personal level, I am so aware that I have lost a brother in Christ, a respected colleague and fellow-labourer in the vineyard of the Lord (as well as in the muddy Vleis of Cape Town!), and a dear friend. I shall miss him greatly, even as I thank God for all he was, and all he has done for so many. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Yours in the Service of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer

+Thabo Cape Town

[Message sent by the Archbishop and signed in his absence]

News from New Zealand - 10

Tuesday 6 November – The weather shifted from blue clear and warm sky, to wind and now showers. I could not stay to the end of today’s agenda, for an informative session this evening on witnessing in a multi faith context, as too much sneezing and a runny nose compelled me to go back to the hotel.

I am grateful for the dinner hosted on Monday night by tikanga Pakeha (the European ‘thread’ of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia). We enjoyed beautiful music by the diocesan school for girls’ choir. This morning we continued with our daily rhythm of worship, fellowship and work. Our business included discussion of the Continuing Indaba project. You can read more about it at http://continuingindaba.com/, and my own words about what the concept and practice of indaba might mean for the Communion, at http://continuingindaba.com/2012/06/15/indaba-and-scripture/. (There is also a link there to the longer address, from which these comments are taken, which I gave in 2010 to the annual conference of the USPG – now known as US.) The presentation and draft resolution raised a lively debate. This is exactly the approach Anglicans should take! Indaba does not remove robustness but instead aims to ensure a context in which we can trust one another and so allow ourselves to speak with this freedom and honesty, knowing that we all value each one’s opinion as we together seek the mind of Christ. As a result of this frank discussion, we agreed that the programme should continue.

We then heard a report on the Communion’s Communication work, and passed a resolution on this as well as another on the work of NIFCON (our inter-faith network). We also had some thorough discussions of the Instruments of Communion, and talked about the Anglican Covenant. Another task was to choose the ACC’s representatives to the Communion’s Standing Committee – we offer our congratulations to the six who were elected, who represent a good balance of laity and clergy, gender and geography. I am delighted that our own Louisa Mojela, attending her first ACC meeting, is among them. Louisa is a businesswoman, and a parishioner in the Diocese of Johannesburg. We wish her well, and assure her, and the others who were elected, of our prayers as they serve our global Communion at this highest level.

Tomorrow is our last day, and we will have the closing Eucharist and then begin our journey home. I will end my blogging tonight. Thank you for reading and for your feedback. I will incorporate tomorrow’s closing reflections into my monthly ‘To the Laos’ letter, in which I also aim to include comment on the resolutions agreed at ACC, and provide links to where you can find further information about our meeting, what we decided, and how we hope to take these decisions forward for the benefit of the whole Communion and each of its member Churches.

Till we meet again, may the road rise up to meet you, and may God hold you in the hollow of the palm of his hand and assure you of his love and protection on all your journeys. To all Kiwis, let me say a huge Thank You for your generosity and care of us all. May you continue to be a blessing to all.

News from New Zealand - 7

Friday 2 November - We have kept the same rhythm, day by day, and it finally feels that my – and most others’ – jet-lag has dissipated. This was evident in the energy levels during our plenary sessions today.

After our Bible Studies, we concluded our discussions on environment issues, with a session which I was privileged to facilitate. Afterwards we looked at the report on the Communion’s ‘Bible in the Life of the Church’ project. This is a helpful report and I encourage every Anglican to read it. You can learn more about it at http://www.aco.org/ministry/theological/bible/index.cfm, where there is a link to download the full report (20MB). I will post the link separately, and also make sure copies are available at COTT and in each diocesan office. The report looks at key principles of how we as Anglicans handle scripture. It is quite concerning that it concludes that the level of biblical literacy is not satisfactory. The motion ACC is considering on this has been sent back to the resolutions committee for further work. We then dealt with a report from NIFCON (Network for Inter-Faith Concerns) which reflects on Christian Zionism and suggests how Anglicans can approach this matter. There was a lot of energy and discussion around this report, and an appreciation that at least a study had been written on this matter.

Tonight we had a Polynesian dinner. We were again fed good food and entertained through cultural music and dance, as Archbishop Wilson read the creation story and pleaded for good stewardship and care for the environment. There are people already being displaced by the rising sea levels, and climatic change for them is no longer a theoretical debate but a life and death matter. It does not matter whether scientist have made wholly correct calibrations or how far the changes are natural and/or induced by human activity: the fact is that these changes are adversely affecting the Pacific Islanders. He made a strong plea through music, dance and story-telling, in a fun way which at the same time conveyed a serious message.

At lunchtime, I fielded a couple of questions from church reporters at the press conference on the same topic. One question I was asked was ‘What might a moral intervention by a Christian as opposed to a politician look like?’ What do you think?

I want to return to the themes that we discussed yesterday, on the topic of the environment, food, water and energy nexus. The thought of the Eucharist as bread, food, from heaven stayed with me throughout today. I asked the audience to think deeply about the relationship between the sacrament and the environmental crisis, and to reflect on food as Eucharist, water in baptism, and energy as the sacred space we worship in.

I just want to attempt some brief comments on receiving the Eucharist, as it is a practice I follow most weekdays with staff at Bishopscourt and almost every Sunday. I want to raise some questions for reflection, and I hope these will also help provoke your own reflections and questions. If you want to share these with me, I will value that.

There are many perspectives within Christian (and Anglican) tradition in which we have reflected on what it means to receive bread and wine as Jesus taught us to do in remembrance of him. As I said in a sermon recently, we might think of it as
- the Lord’s Supper – the foretaste of the heavenly wedding banquet of the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world;
- or we might think of it as Communion – our being drawn into intimate closeness with our Lord and Saviour;
- or as Eucharist, which means ‘thanksgiving’ – a celebration of all Jesus Christ has done for us;
- or even as the Mass – being ‘sent’ into the world, so that having been fed and strengthened by all that Jesus Christ has won for us, we can share all this with the needy world around.

In fact, we probably ought to think of it as a combination of all of these! Furthermore, in the Eucharist, we share God's faithfulness to us, that whilst we are still sinners, he sends us a gift of life in this meal; he send us his Son, so that we can be touched by his life and be fed, nurtured, and strengthen for his service.

There isn’t room here even to attempt to give a full theological survey of the Eucharist here but I find the following Bible readings helpful as a start: Ex 12:1-14; Deut 8:2-3; Luke 22:7-20; John 6:51-58; 1 Cor 10:16-17 and 11:23-26.

This meal is provided by God, and therefore, although those that celebrate are fallible humans, this does not detract from the giver of the gift, nor from our being touched and healed by the gift. In our turn, we are called to ensure food security for all, as the Eucharist demonstrates it can be done.

One other point that I want to mention is very emotive. This when in church we are denied this holy food because of certain doctrinal positions (for example, Roman Catholic clergy are not permitted to give the Eucharist to Anglicans). Yet I understand the pain of the one that denies others, and will not for a second discount it. Another matter that I am flagging, is when because of some disagreement over approach or understanding with the priest, someone might ‘boycott’ the Eucharist. I need to reflect deeply on this, as I recall that when I was Bishop of Grahamstown, our bishops recalled students from the College of the Transfiguration, when they had boycotted the Eucharist because of a disagreement they had with college management. I just want to highlight these sensitive, stressful, matters, and ask the questions: Who are you boycotting? And what does this say about your understanding of the Eucharist, this gift of life, faithfully provided by God? What is your own understanding of the Mass? Would you stay away from receiving Communion because you have a grievance? Shouldn't partaking heal you and allow Jesus to touch you afresh and renew you, even as you go and discuss your qualms with whoever has offended you?

Here in New Zealand, we have been fed by strangers and they have become friends for life. God, who meets us in our sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ in the Mass, will faithfully invite us to be fed with these foods of life.

Independence of Faith Communities from Government and Political Parties

This statement was issued by the Western Cape Religious Leaders' Forum on 1 November 2012. No invitation to President Zuma's meeting with 'the religious sector' was received at Bishopscourt.

WCRLF CALLS ON RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES TO BE VIGILANT IN THEIR INDEPENDENCE FROM GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL PARTIES

The Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum (WCRLF) notes with concern the report on “Nation Building through Social Dialogue with the Religious Sector,” a conference convened at the Good Hope Centre on Tuesday 30 October 2012. The conference was organized by the ANC Legislature at which President Jacob Zuma was the keynote speaker. We note with further consternation that the conference purports to ‘strengthen the ANC’s association with the interfaith movement’ and hailed President Zuma as ‘having worked hard to unite the religious people of SA’.

The WCRLF feels compelled to re-affirm one of its founding principles namely, that faith communities should strive to be an independent voice, free of government or party political interference. This is one of the most important lessons that we as religious leaders have learnt from the apartheid crime against humanity, when some churches became the racist National Party at prayer. In light of this tragic lesson, WCRLF has committed itself to resist the temptation of merely being apologists for the political authorities or of being co-opted by political parties to advance their own agendas. We do not need government to unite the religious communities of South Africa. The vital process of inter-religious dialogue and solidarity should and is being nurtured and promoted by the interfaith movement ourselves. The WCRLF and its partner organization the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative (CTII) have been contributing to reconciliation in modest ways by striving to overcome the stubborn racial, religious and class divides in the City of Cape Town for more than a decade. Neither the WCRLF nor the CTII were invited to attend the conference held in our city.

Furthermore, as religious leaders we have a prophetic role of being one of civil society’s strongest partners in holding our government accountable for its political and moral mandate. This is the only insurance for a robust democracy. In this regard WCRLF has recently joined a wide range of public intellectuals and social activists in expressing concern about the growing problem of corruption in public and private life. With half our population living in poverty and millions still without jobs, housing, electricity, adequate sanitation, and medical care the human cost of corruption is widely felt. We thus note with great distress and dismay that the 30 October 2012 conference, cost a reported R2.1 million! The WCRLF supports calls to fully investigate how the event and funding came about.

We call on religious leaders and communities to be vigilant about attempts by government and political parties to co-opt them and to continue their prophetic role of being the independent moral conscience of society alongside other civil society partners.

Faith Leaders' Role in Shaping Perceptions, Addressing Poverty

Here are two recent opinion pieces, carried in The Star and The Sunday Independent.

Faith leaders can shape perceptions

The Star, October 24 2012 at 09:00am

For many countries, the need for nation branding on the world stage has become a major imperative in recent years. Whether stimulated by the need to pursue individual national objectives of trade and investment, or to support specific tourism promotion initiatives, positioning a country’s brand has never been more important.

With the backdrop of the recent events in Marikana that have projected our country in a bad light, it is crucial that all of us, including members and leaders of various faith persuasions, ask ourselves what role we are playing to position SA as a country which can still attract much needed investments from all over the world.

Positioning a country for investment purposes among others requires the active participation and support of all those decision-makers, opinion-formers and leaders in the country who are committed to spreading the positive word. This does not for a minute mean denial of the negative.

South Africa is a unique, progressive and caring nation that is open for business and ready to welcome the world to its shores. It needs consistent and constant messaging through a range of powerful global platforms, delivered by voices of authority, trust and knowledge, in order to reach the hearts and minds of those who need to change their perceptions.

In the world of global business, corporations would take the approach of focusing solely on their strengths to take attention away from any perceived weaknesses, however in the case of nation branding, a country brand is about positioning it in the best possible light while acknowledging that it has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. This is when unified voices of authority and trust come into their own when working to position SA’s nation brand on the global stage, and none more so than the voices of the country’s faith leaders.

There is a definitive role to be played by SA’s faith leaders in terms of contributing to the positioning of SA to the world and helping to shape perceptions of the country in the hearts and minds of diverse global audiences. Such a nation branding role would reflect the important and unique roles played by SA’s faith leaders in national life and also reflect a distinctly different perspective from the corporate or government voice in positioning the country on the global stage.

Faith leaders have the capacity to recognise the intrinsic, unique features of our country’s essential character and to differentiate it from every other country in the world. Through its rich traditions, the diversity of its people, its powerful history and heritage and its unique natural resources, SA has a unique story to tell.

Faith-based organisations and leaders have a powerful, non-partisan voice with which to convey good-news stories as well as bad news that have the capacity to express and amplify South Africa’s nation-brand in a non-commercial way, but focus on the planet and people. This in turn will dovetail with other complementary national branding initiatives seeking to percolate good-news stories.

Another important role to be played by SA’s faith leaders in positioning the country globally is to promote a spirit of inclusivity and openness between faith institutions and the international press and broadcast media. This will certainly improve relationships and the way that the country is portrayed in the global media environment. Faith leaders are well positioned to stimulate positive and meaningful dialogue in the media which support unifying nation brand themes and keep pushing country values that support South Africa’s strategic nation building position in the global marketplace.

The voices and messages of the country’s faith leaders ensure that accurate news and positive images of the country are proactively portrayed to enhance and support the overall national strategic positioning, while at the same time avoiding blatant distortions, manipulation or attempts to control press and media relationships, as in the fear of the secrecy bill.

Finally, faith leaders can assume an important ambassadorial role as that of enablers and facilitators. Through a process of advocacy and thought leadership, they can become a trusted and authoritative voice, spreading powerful news and messages about South Africa when travelling and participating in events across the world. They can shape more informed perceptions of the country on the part of overseas visitors and delegations of foreign faith leaders, providing accurate news, images and updates on new, progressive developments in the country. In turn, those visiting the country will take back to their own nations and peoples an informed perception of SA as a nation on the move in the global marketplace.

However, it must be recognised that with a more proactive role on the part of faith leaders in the positioning of South Africa, there comes social responsibility.

South Africa’s image in the global marketplace can also be negatively influenced by domestic issues and events that garner the wrong kind of global media and public attention, for example with the recent Marikana mine conflict.

This story was carried for many days around the world by a plethora of global media outlets, all reflecting poorly on South Africa’s image through their coverage of the tragic situation that unfolded. There was an opportunity missed by the country’s faith-based leaders, with the exception of a few from the SACC and other churches, to publicly show the world that they can play an active role in helping to reduce conflict and address the critical needs of society through a multicultural and interreligious approach that espouses religious tolerance and a shared concern for humanity.

Enlightened faith leaders and scholars of all faiths have a key role to play in situations such as the Marikana mine conflict.

Their advocacy and wisdom can influence political leaders and ordinary citizens alike. Their teaching and guidance can inspire people to new levels of responsibility, commitment and public service, and by their example, they can promote interfaith dialogue and bridge the chasms of ignorance and misunderstanding.

This is as much a factor in the process of successful nation building and the dispelling of uninformed perceptions of SA in the global marketplace, as any other marketing campaign or media exercise devised to encourage visitors and investment.
At the end of the day we have to answer the question on whether faith-based organisations have critically engaged with South Africa over the last 20 years to cement the fundamentals that can create sustainable stability necessary for investments to keep flowing, as well as flourishing, for the benefit of the poorest of the poor. Let’s play our part in holding up SA as a beacon of hope for the downtrodden all over the world.

http://www.iol.co.za/the-star/faith-leaders-can-shape-perceptions-1.1409659

Conditions for miners is sub-human

October 28 2012 at 02:37pm

One of the crucial issues facing SA is the dehumanising poverty levels of the majority of our population. Last week, as we marked World Poverty Day, the horrendous statistics of people living below the poverty line across the world were revealed. Closer to home, the last few weeks have put the mining sector in the spotlight and pointed to the fact that we, as a nation, must pay more attention to the critical question of economic redress as a precondition for fighting poverty.

The conditions of employment in the mining industry are in all honesty sub-human. In the wake of the Marikana tragedy, I was moved to write to the president to once again underline the question of urgent action to ensure that the underlying economic questions are addressed once and for all.

US president Franklin D Roosevelt, in his second inaugural address, said, “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” This is the challenge that has been thrown up by the strikes that have afflicted that industry in particular, placing on the national discourse the morality of exorbitant bonuses for bosses and a pittance for workers who risk their lives every day to dig up the metals that are a source of riches for the few.

My heart is sore, and my spirit is grieving after visiting some of the mining areas, especially in the Northwest area. It felt as if the land was crying out to me, deep in my soul, saying, “All is not well, all is not well.” It felt like the calm before the storm, the eye of the hurricane. That part of North-West province teeters on a knife edge. The dire state of everything from living conditions to the issues in the mining community, stirred up revulsion inside me. This is the stuff from which revolution is far too easily made, if we allow it. Whether in the mines or anywhere else, living and working conditions that – 18 years after the coming of democracy – still deliver neither human dignity nor economic justice, have become a cancer spreading across our country.

Poverty and its consequences are clearly portrayed in scripture as evil. And this evil all too often arises from structural deficiencies rooted in moral failings. Of course, the problems can be complex. If there were simple, easy answers to poverty, to inequality, to unemployment, someone somewhere would have found them by now. This is why we need good research on strategies to overcome poverty and inequality. This is why we need comprehensive policy initiatives like the National Development Plan. But more important, we need a serious and urgent commitment to implement pledges that have been made since the dawn of the mining charter.

Those discussions recognised that the conditions under which mine workers worked were unacceptable. That situation still remains. We have not been true to the spirit of many of the policies passed in the past 18 years. Indeed the tragedy of Marikana did not come from nowhere. It came about because we have been content to let things slide. They have slid in policy-making and implementation; in attitudes that allow economic inequalities to grow; in acceptance of high and low-level corruption, and in ineffectual implementation of good governance and the rule of law. They have slid in the worsening trust between government and citizens, politicians and people.

In the midst of all this, trouble fermented in the mining sector in particular, and gave rise to the tragedy that shocked the whole world and cast all of us in a bad light. It is, as Mamphela Ramphele has said, above all a failure of leadership: in politics, but also in business, and in the cosy relationship they too often enjoy. Our leaders are the deaf, who cannot hear the loud cries of the hungry, the homeless, the needy, the oppressed. Our leaders are the blind, who cannot see what is right in front of their faces.

And what of the church? We must be doers of the word, not hearers only. We cannot remain silent. What we see and hear, we must speak out about. And so while there may be many other challenges that have led to this situation, it is important to speak quite clearly about the urgent need to fast-track transformation in the mining sector by asking a few difficult questions:
- Who is holding the mining sector accountable for the commitments they make to mining communities to plant back after they have extracted ore and profits from the mines? There is a moral imperative to ensure that if these commitments are not met there must be consequences.
- Who is holding industry accountable to ensure the mining sector transforms its ownership to reflect the demographics of our country? Neglect in this regard is responsible for the slowing down of change since the initial debates on our problems.
- Who is holding the worker organisations accountable for their role in the building of a suitable working environment and a collegial relationships between unions representing workers?
- Who is holding the government accountable for driving the transformation of this industry and monitoring commitments in line with various pieces of legislation.
- What is the role of traditional leaders, local government and civil society in mining communities in the face of what is clearly a stagnation in conversations?

It is clear from these questions that the recent developments in mining show us the huge gap that has been left to develop. Viewed differently these are questions which, when answered, can generate a sense of hope for what can be achieved. The inequality gap between the rich and poor – the worst in the world by all accounts – is clearly morally indefensible and economically unsustainable, if the downgrades by international agencies as well as the weakening rand are anything to go by.

Which means, as Roosevelt surmised, we will not succeed in engendering a sense of progress and hope until we provide for the poor and the downtrodden. We need to urge the social partners and government to start looking at what austerity measures are necessary across industries to once and for all focus on the big question of redress as a crucible of hope amidst all the despair that is the aftermath of Marikana.

My time in Marikana left me with the sense that this country is like a smouldering log that, left unattended, lies ready to ignite at the slightest wind. There is real urgency in these matters I am raising here. Yet I remain an optimist, for I have faith in the living God, whose word to us is peace and hope and new life. His gospel promises us a better future.

Therefore, this is not a message of doom – it is a call to wake up and act. All South Africans must rekindle the vision of a free, fair, just, South Africa which inspired the peaceful transition to democracy – and we must work and pray to bring it about. Never again must talk of “bloodbath” become a reality within our country. If we do the right things, hope is possible.

Makgoba is the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town

The Sunday Independent

http://www.iol.co.za/business/opinion/columnists/conditions-for-miners-is-sub-human-1.1412499

To the Laos - To the People of God, October 2012

Dear People of God

‘To God be the glory, great things he has done …’ This song rang in my heart at the beginning of this month, when, with 1400 of you, I was at the Anglicans Ablaze Conference in Johannesburg. It was a remarkable time together, deeply spiritually moving, and stirring heart and mind with profound teaching from wonderful speakers.

Though we come together in far larger numbers in our Dioceses, this was the largest pan-ACSA gathering anyone can remember. It was all I hoped it might be, and much more – for God never ceases to surprise us, even if we know in our heads that he delights to do ‘immeasurably more than we can ever ask or imagine’ (Eph 3:20). I have longed for us to find ways to celebrate the best of our traditions, including in liturgy, alongside other forms of faith and worship which equally exemplify authentic Anglicanism; all accepted as part of our legitimate diversity. Well, we certainly enjoyed this, as you will know if you’ve seen pictures of Bishop Martin Breytenbach playing his guitar while wearing a cope! Our worship was both properly dignified, and yet lively and exuberant in our response to God’s love poured out upon us.

It was an amazing celebration of the goodness of God, and of our distinctive though challenging Anglican calling. For it seems to me that our ability to hold together in love, and overcome barriers (whether ‘secular’, of politics, history, race, language and so forth, or ‘church’, of styles and traditions) can be an icon, modelling the societies God calls us to promote across the Province. I left Bryanston a changed person, and believe our church has also been changed, by God’s grace. It was as if God gave us a taste of the holistic renewal he desires to bring to us – across every aspect of the life of faith, from evangelism to discipleship to mission to social justice to the environment. ‘The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it’ says the Psalmist, and there is no aspect of human living that God does not want to redeem and renew.

How shall we take forward this excitement, this teaching, this inspiring sense of newness of life for us all (which feels like a personal challenge of ‘re-evangelisation’ to each of us, to take our faith ‘to the next level’), and share it across our Province? I am sure that those who were in Johannesburg will already have begun to do this. The celebration of the Anglicans ACT Vision (at the heart of Anglicans Ablaze), on 25 November, is another opportunity. I also invite you to read, prayerfully and reflectively, the ‘Message to the Church’ in which the Listening Team summed up so much of what God did for us during our time in Bryanston. This follows on below my letter.

By the time you read this, I shall be heading for New Zealand, to the Anglican Consultative Council, for which I ask your prayers. The ACC is, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, and the Primates’ Meeting, one of our ‘Instruments of Communion’. Meeting every 3 years, it brings together ordained and lay representatives from all 38 Anglican Churches, and so is the only body not made up of just bishops! Revd Canon Janet Trisk and Mrs Louisa Mojela are our other representatives. From 27 October to 7 November we will have a busy time discussing a great range of subjects in the life and mission of the global Anglican family.

The agenda includes the current state of the Anglican Communion, and the decisions made so far by churches on whether to adopt the Anglican Covenant, as well as looking at relations with other churches and the work of a host of global Anglican networks. One of these is the Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN), which I chair, and there will be a major presentation around its work. Other major topics on the agenda include inter-faith relations, countering gender-based violence, communications, and Christian witness in contemporary contexts.

The environment has been much on my mind recently – not least the need to plant a growing number of trees to offset my extensive travel (I am fully aware of the irony of this, and the need, highlighted at PSC, to use technology to reduce our travel ‘footprint’). This planting is part of a radical overhaul of Bishopscourt’s gardens, in which, with the help of the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s ‘Early Detection and Rapid Response’ Team, we are steadily clearing out invasive alien species that threaten to overrun us, and to suck up all the ground water. I wish that my predecessors had realised 30 years ago how vital this task is. If it had been tackled then, it would have been a far easier and far cheaper job. I encourage all of you who have any gardens or land, to take special care in your stewardship of them.

Various speakers at an event this week to encourage such ‘weedbusting’ highlighted how poor care of our environment exacerbates poverty in direct and indirect ways. This is a theme in the seven studies ‘Sabbath Reflections: Capitalism and Inequity versus a Gospel Mandate’ which we will formally launch at ACC. In these, my predecessor as chair, Bishop George Browning, considers how contemporary societies must ‘address rapidly growing inequity and ... confront an economic system which operates as if resources are infinite and humanity can somehow exist as if it is not part of an unfolding ecological crisis.’ He explores how a fresh understanding and practice of the biblical concept of Sabbath can reconnect economics to ethics, and shape human society in a manner that is consistent with the creation upon which it depends. These are vital questions we must face, if we are to ensure that it is not ‘business as usual’ in our international financial structures. There needs to be a radical overhaul if we are to reverse the shocking trends of growing inequality and economic injustice through which a small minority can become ridiculously wealthy at the expense of the poorest, and even of the middle classes. If you are interested in downloading these studies, you will find them at http://acen.anglicancommunion.org/resources/documents.cfm.

Yours in the service of Christ

+Thabo Cape Town

Anglicans Ablaze: ‘Anchored in the love of Christ, Committed to God’s Mission, Transformed by the Holy Spirit’

Message from the Listening Group - Johannesburg, 3-6 October 2012

We came, close to 1400 of us, because we wanted to be, and wanted the Anglican Church of Southern Africa to be, Anchored in the love of Christ, Committed to God’s Mission, Transformed by the Holy Spirit – believing this is not just our vision, but God’s vision for us.

We came with excitement, anticipation, commitment; even if a little unsure of what to expect, perhaps a bit lost or fearful, or aware of obstacles in our lives and in our church. But we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and has done far more than we could ever ask or imagine! God is love, and has met us in love, and called on us to abide in his love.

God offered us a turning point, and we have found it so: a turning point for many individuals, and for our church, which may also go on to become a turning point for our parishes, our communities, our nations.

It has been a time of renewal, of genuine renewal, as God sees it. It brings cleansing, healing, wholeness and newness of life for us, in every aspect of what it is to be human, made in the image of God, sharing in the body of Christ, loving our neighbours and God’s world. It is renewal that is about the abundant life which Christ promised. It is about evangelism and discipleship and integral mission and social justice. This is God’s comprehensive, holistic, renewal, far wider and deeper than we had expected, and he desires it to be at the heart of our church. He has come to us with power, yet he has also dealt with us gently and naturally.

We have been here to learn, and God has blessed us with some wonderful speakers. We have learnt that ‘the plural of disciple is church’, and that we need to move from being ‘welcoming’ to ‘inviting’ churches. We have learnt to have courage in God’s love not to minister from the damaged, wounded, places of our lives (which so often leads us to damage and wound others) but to live out of a brokenness that finds its place in the brokenness of Christ upon the cross, and shares in the weeping of God the Father for his children and his world. We have also learnt that power and authority belong to God, not to us, no matter what position we have. It is God’s gift. We must hold power lightly and share it.

We’ve also learnt that God will hold us, safe in his love, when life brings difficulties or obstacles, as inevitably happens. So we will not be afraid when everything seems to grind to a halt – if God says wait, then we will wait, but keep listening and ready to learn more. We will have courage to see the issues that we battle with as stepping stones not stumbling blocks, believing that God lets them come to us so that he can teach us what it means to take us through them to a better place. We’ve learnt that we should trust God to take us through our fears; to cleanse us from shame; to take our hardness and dissolve it in his cleansing waters of life. We have heard his call to let go of – or allow him to prune – all that holds us back.

We believe our time together has delighted the heart of God. God has given us a fuller vision, not only of being ‘Anglicans who ACT’, but of what we might become if we dare to live into the fullness of all that Anglicanism can be in Southern Africa, under God’s grace. In this way, he is calling us to become more, not less, Anglican! We have been the largest, and most diverse, gathering from across ACSA that anyone can remember: we have enjoyed being together as Archbishop and 12 more bishops and bishops-elect, as clergy, as religious, as laity, and as young people (we acknowledge that we have not had children among us, but affirm that the promise of God’s vision is for our children also). We have experienced God’s love breaking down the barriers of the social, political and historic divisions within our nations, and breaking down the differences of tradition, style, and labelling within our church. ‘God’s love is the glue that holds us together’ the Archbishop told us on our first evening, and we have come to know the truth of this for ourselves.

We believe this holding together in joyful, celebrated, diversity is a precious gift which God calls Anglicans to model to the world around us. It is as if we have experienced a foretaste of what the societies of our nation have the potential to become. For we have found ourselves enriched by one another, and know we have more to learn from each other. We have been delighted to experience something of what it means to live with this ‘mixed economy’ of church identity (as we heard Archbishop Rowan has described the best of our historic traditions alongside authentically Anglican newer forms of worship and church life), as we share together, anchored in the love of Christ. We have heard a clear call to hold on to the new links we have forged across old divides, as we go from here to our homes.

We thank God for the great blessing he has brought us through our times of worship (including our early morning Eucharists), and through our praying with and for one another. We have especially enjoyed having so many young people with us. As was said, their passion and energy, when joined with the wisdom of experience, is a winning combination!

Our time together has been significant. It has truly become a turning point. We have been changed, and our church has been changed. We have received a wonderful vision from God for our future, ‘a vision for the appointed time; and if it seems to tarry, we will wait for it, for it will surely come, it will not delay.’ We know we will face many challenges when we go home, even within ACSA. We are also more than aware of the enormous challenges in our communities and nations, and of the huge and ever faster changes our world is experiencing. But we are not daunted. We know that our calling is to keep listening to God, and to be faithful and obedient, and open to God’s leading, and then to leave it to him to ‘do his bit’, recalling that ‘Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.’

We also believe that God is calling us ‘to bless and not to curse’: to step back from the critical habits of contemporary society and stop complaining about our church, our societies and our governments. Where we see faults and failings, we should instead be beacons of light and hope, and bearers of God’s redemptive promises. ‘Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise’ we will let our minds dwell on, and our mouths speak of, such things.

Deep within us, our spirits speak in the words of the song that has been so significant during our time together: ‘It is well, it is well, with my soul.’ In our listening, praying and speaking, we have felt God offer images of holy fire and living water: flames that blaze, with flying sparks that spread the fire, and a flaming arrow pointing the way ahead; and waters that cleanse like wetlands, or dissolve hardness, or well up in unquenchable life-giving springs.

We are learning we need to be increasingly anchored in the love of Christ. We have learnt not only to say ‘God is good, all the time’, but also ‘God is love, all the time’ and ‘God loves us, all the time’ and ‘God loves me, all the time.’ And, having learnt this lesson, we have heard the voice of God coming to us as it came to Moses and the ancient Hebrew people, ‘You have been in this place long enough – it is time to break camp, and move on.’ Amen.

Some Bible Passages
Deut 1:6 – We have been here long enough: now is the time to break camp, and move on.
Habbakuk 2:3 – ‘… a vision for the appointed time … If it seems to tarry, wait for it: it will surely come, it will not delay.’
Haggai – Rebuilding the Temple
Luke 5:38 – new wine in new wineskins
John 15 – ‘Abide in my love’ …
Romans 12:2 – ‘…be transformed by the renewing of your minds’
I Cor 3:6 – ‘I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.’
Phil 4:6-8 – ‘Whatever is true .. honourable … just … pure … pleasing … commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things’
1 John, especially 3:14–4:21 – ‘God is love’ … ‘We love because he first loved us’ …

Some Quotes from Speakers
Bishop Graham Cray: ‘Mission will never be effective without authentic discipleship; and discipleship will never be taken seriously unless we engage in mission’ and ‘Renewal without mission is self- indulgence; mission without renewal becomes legalistic or triumphalist or disillusioned.’
‘Our theology would improve if we thought more of the church being given to the Spirit, than of the Spirit being given to the church.' John V Taylor

Religious Leaders Call to End Corruption

The Welcoming Speech given at the launch of ‘From Witness to Action: A Call to End Corruption’ launched by Religious Leaders in Cape Town on 22 August 2012. The Call is a response to the first Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption Summit, which was held on 13 June, and at which Faith Leaders heard testimonies from community witnesses, social justice activists, and the CEO of the Public Protector's Office on the mounting cost of corruption, and pledged to join the fight against corruption on behalf of all South Africans. The Call itself, and individual statements from Faith Community leaders and from witnesses at the 13 June Summit, are carried below.

I am delighted to welcome everyone today – especially my colleagues of the Western Cape Religious Leaders’ Forum and members of community organisations. I also want to say a few ‘thank you’s. Thank you to the Institute of Security Studies, who first challenged us as religious leaders to focus together on corruption, and how we overcome it. Second, thank you to The Money and Politics Project of the Open Society Foundation of South Africa – who picked up the idea and facilitated our June summit. Special gratitude goes to Gary Pienaar, Daniel Weeks, and Mandisa Dyantyi; and everyone on the planning committee, for all your hard work.

Today’s call, from witness to action – this call to end corruption – cannot happen in isolation from our day-to-day lives; or we will have failed miserably in our intentions. A well-known saying sums up the challenge we face: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men (and women) to do nothing.”

Corruption is evil – a corrosive cancer at the heart of our nation, infecting and affecting every part of society. It seriously damages how society operates – especially government and the public sector, at every level from national to local. It threatens to undermine, even destroy, our efforts to create a nation based on the ideals of the Freedom Charter; and one of the best Constitutions in the world.

These high aspirations, for which so many struggled for so long, even at the cost of their lives, are tossed aside and trashed whenever a bribe is offered, a backhander taken, a corner cut for gain, or positions given to the unqualified and undeserving. Those who care only for the unearned quick and easy buck are showing contempt to past heroes; today’s needy; and to our children and our children’s children.

The burden of corruption is vast. The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution has estimated perhaps 20% of GDP is lost to corruption. This means that for every R100 that should be spent on health, education, housing, social development, clean water and sanitation, R20 is lost. Imagine how your life would be diminished and derailed, if, for every R1000 you earn, you instead got only R800. But imagine too, how much more hospitals and schools could do, if, for every R80 they get now, they got an extra R20. The same is true for every area of national economic activity, from electricity generation to mending potholes.

This is what they ought to be receiving. This is what corruption is stealing from every man, woman, and child, in South Africa. No wonder service delivery is in disarray! This is why we are in Khayelitsha today: to stand in solidarity with such communities all over our country – who bear disproportionally the burden of corruption.

Our ‘call to end corruption’ is not merely to challenge government at all levels. It isn’t only about tenderpreneurs and fat cats, who we see on the television but never meet in real life. It is also to say no to corruption, and rule-bending, in all our lives.

When traffic fines disappear for a small payment, or road-worthy certificates are issued for vehicles that were never seen – well, this is corruption. When queues are jumped and strings pulled – even if no money changes hands – this too is generally corruption, or little different. So too is doing shoddy work; using inferior materials; leaving jobs unfinished; or otherwise not fully delivering what we have contracted and been paid to do.

At every level, the time has come to say ‘enough is enough’, and draw a line, and say we will not stand for it any more – not from government, nor from ourselves. In today’s call, we pledge ourselves, and our own communities (which embrace the majority of South Africans), to be part of the solution.
• In our teaching and preaching, prayer and worship, we will clearly and unashamedly declare that corruption, in whatever form, is always wrong.
• We will highlight its destructive impact, on communities, families, and individuals, so no-one fails to understand its effects.
• We will stand in solidarity with, and advocate for, communities who are most affected by corruption.
• We will partner civil society groups who share our goals.
• We will ensure our own institutions are vigilant in staying free of corruption.
• We will commend and encourage good and honest people and practices; and we will support and protect whistle-blowers.

We will challenge other Provinces and their faith communities to make similar commitments. And we promise to be unrelenting in proclaiming this call and in speaking truth to power – and, indeed, we must not be shy of speaking truth to friends, including those in power, when also required.

Dear friends, our country has too much potential and promise to allow corruption to deface and derail the vision for which so many struggled and died. Please join us in making our nation a place where leaders and citizens strive together for a more just and caring society for all.

Let us set out eyes, our hearts, our wills upon this vision, this goal; and let us overcome all that stands in the way of this glorious future that can lie before us. And may God bless us as we work to make this vision concrete in our time. Amen


FROM WITNESS TO ACTION: A CALL TO END CORRUPTION
Statement following the 2012 Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption Summit in Cape Town

As members of the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Baha’i, Brahma Kumari, and African Traditional religious communities represented in the Western Cape, we came together on 13 June 2012, at the invitation of Archbishop Thabo Makgoba and the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum, to look at corruption and its effects. This statement and programme of action comprise our response.

We recognise the threat posed by corruption

The corrupt pursuit of money and power is threatening our young democracy and robbing the poor of their basic needs and opportunities. Each year, corruption costs the South African economy hundreds of billions of rands. With half the population living in poverty and millions still without jobs, housing, electricity, adequate sanitation and medical care, the human cost of corruption is widely felt. Left unchecked, it poses a grave threat to South African democracy itself.

Corruption is not merely a material challenge affecting the political economy of South Africa (and the world), but also a spiritual, moral, and social concern. As the abuse of entrusted power arising from human weakness, it affects the way in which we organise our lives. Corruption, often based on greed, manifests itself horizontally across public and private sectors and vertically from the state and corporate elite on down to everyday citizens. It includes bribery, patronage, nepotism, embezzlement, influence peddling, partiality, absenteeism, late coming to work and abuse of public property.

Greed cuts through cultural, religious, and linguistic divisions, and is not limited to race, gender or age. Sound moral and ethical standards found in our Constitution are being compromised and abused. There is a growing sense of entitlement among rich and poor alike. Those who offer and receive a bribe are equally at fault. Indeed, we are all affected and we must all respond, inspired and guided by our faith traditions and by our common longing for compassionate community and fullness of life for all our sisters and brothers.

What we heard at the Summit shocked and inspired us

We came together to listen. We heard testimonies from community witnesses on corruption and its effects, especially on the poor. Again and again we were reminded of our responsibilities as religious leaders to give voice to the pain and suffering of our communities and offer hope.

Witnesses spoke of how corruption fuels the frustrations of many poor communities. We heard of the ways in which our common rules are unevenly applied and of shameful levels of service delivery due to incompetence and misuse of public resources. We heard of growing levels of despair in communities, which weaken social cohesion and destroy public trust, frequently leading to violence and lawlessness. We were reminded that the seeds of present-day corruption were planted in our colonial and apartheid past.

We were inspired by the efforts of many to root out corruption, ranging from state institutions such as the Public Protector to NGO’s, faith communities, and civil society, as well as international initiatives. We were encouraged by continuing efforts to demand public accountability, such as the call for an independent Commission of Inquiry into the Arms Deal, and the Right2Know Campaign. We took heart from seeing young people of good will who, in spite of their suffering, reach for the moral high ground and work for real change.

Context of corruption in South Africa

Corruption is a moral and spiritual issue which has its foundations in greed – personal and corporate.

Corruption is not limited to government; the private sector, civil society and our own religious bodies can and do experience corruption.

Corruption is not a new phenomenon; we inherited a legacy of corruption from colonialism and apartheid.

Corruption is global and is not confined to a certain political or economic system.

Corruption serves to compound inequality and injustice in almost every way.

Consequences of corruption in South Africa

Corruption undermines public trust and threatens the moral fabric of individuals and communities.

Corruption compromises our democratic rights and the ability of government to build a more just and equal society – we need only look at our education and health sectors at the moment. Mismanagement and incompetence, left unaddressed, become forms of corruption.

Corruption disproportionately affects the poorest and neediest communities, deepening their suffering and widening the divide between rich and poor.

Corruption causes communities to lose faith in the democratic system and leads some to violence (burning schools, clinics, libraries, etc), which only compounds their suffering and delays service delivery. While their anger are understandable, such violence is counterproductive and wrong.

Corruption enables people in leadership to profit from bad behaviour and to evade responsibility, thereby justifying “petty” corruption at all levels of society and creating a culture of impunity.

Corruption undermines the democratic will when political parties and public officials accept money or advantage in exchange for special favours and benefits.

Our response to corruption

We will not remain silent. We will raise our voices in unison: “Stop this theft from our people!”

We will, as a means to reconciliation, seek effective methods to rectify historical theft and corruption.

We will stand in solidarity with communities that suffer most and advocate on their behalf, so that none see the need to destroy what little they have to draw the attention of government to their plight.

We will partner with civil society groups who are doing similar work, supporting them and the communities they serve. If necessary, we will ‘march’ together again!

We will ensure that our own institutions are free of corruption and its insidious effects.

We will preach and teach in our own congregations the tenets of our faith traditions, all of which call us to be honest and just and to work to eliminate poverty, injustice and oppression of all forms.

We will highlight the effects of corruption in our communities, families and individual lives when we preach and teach, thereby developing the consciences of our members.

We will commend the many good and honest people, serving in government and elsewhere, who work with integrity and compassion – they deserve our encouragement and support.

We will join in protecting the rights of ‘whistle blowers’ who seek to uncover dishonesty and corruption wherever they exist, and we will celebrate small victories in the fight against corruption.

We will share this call with our local faith communities and encourage them to develop local inter-faith networks to advocate and mobilise against the scourge of corruption.

We will call on other provinces to host similar anti-corruption events so that this crisis can be addressed on a national level by all our faith communities.


STATEMENTS OF COMMISSIONERS
Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption Summit, 13th June 2012 in Cape Town

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Church of Southern Africa:
“Corruption, by its very nature, is always wrong… It is not only criminal, it is wicked. It is not only illegal, it is immoral… We must stand up and declare this, loud and clear. We must educate our own people.
“ If we are not part of the solution, then the likelihood its hat we are part of the problem.”

Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cape Town:
“It is clear that Faith Communities need to work together. We share core values and together we have a spiritual wealth that can overcome this great evil. Also, we should work with organisations which, even though their motivation may not be faith, are based on the same values and share similar goals”

Imam Dr Rashied Omar, Claremont Main Road Mosque:
“Unless the moral values and behavioral patterns that define a society are altruistic and caring, [our] Constitution and Bill of Rights will remain an unrealized dream. Our challenge is to make concrete and practical suggestions as to how we can undertake this challenging task of social reform.”

Mr Mickey Glass, Union of Orthodox Synagogues of South Africa:
“In a decent society, people work to redress deprivation, especially on behalf of marginalised groups… We have been found wanting.
“God who gave us the gift of freedom challenges us to enhance the freedom of others.”

Pst Xola Skosana, Way of Life Church:
“Religious people must not just point the finger at others but also at ourselves. We all participate in this society that is corrupt at its core.
“Separate development in the form of townships is corruption; it cannot be called anything else.”

Rev Alan Storey, Central Methodist Church:
“Corruption is about acquiring that which is not yours. The scriptures tell us that the earth and everything in it belongs to God… If our religious communities cannot confess that it is wrong to have [much when others have nothing], we have no hope for this country.”

Rev Siyabulela Gidi, South African Council of Churches:
“We declare apartheid to be a sin and evil; it is time for us to declare corruption a sin and evil…
“This is the one enemy that can lead the country to be united. We call for a united liberation front against this scourge!”

Dr Kobus Gerber, General Secretary, Dutch Reformed Church:
”As faith communities, we need to take hands and form a common public theology, a common faith perspective to address [corruption]… Moral regeneration is not the job of the state, it’s our job…
“We are faced with a second liberation struggle, a struggle for the soul of this nation.”


STATEMENTS OF WITNESSES
Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption Summit, 13th June 2012 in Cape Town

Themba Mthethwa, Chief Executive Officer, Office of the Public Protector:
“The power to turn the tide against maladministration and corruption lies in our collective hands. We must stop criticizing and take responsibility for corruption.
“Together we are more powerful than the forces of corruption and maladministration, which are evil.”

Hennie van Vuuren, Institute for Security Studies:
“Corruption is a gross violation of human rights; it steals from the poor, entrenches the rich, robs people of opportunities... Only if we look at corruption as a system, as a whole, will we be able to deal with it effectively. We must understand the systemic nature of corruption and develop an appetite for action.”

Lawson Naidoo, Council for the Advancement of the SA Constitution:
“Service delivery is distorted [by corruption]. A few benefit at the expense of many, reinforcing existing socioeconomic inequality… The South African Constitution says that human rights must be protected, but pervasive corruption leads to systemic human rights violations.”

Nkwame Cedile, Right2Know Campaign:
“It is only in hell where people burn one another, and I am living in hell, in the townships. Our indifference to what is happening in the townships, our silence is corruption and fraud.
“This is a direct indictment of the Freedom Charter.”

Kate Lefko-Everett, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation:
“People’s perceptions of the extent of corruption…have the potential to erode citizen confidence in the fairness and rightness of government. When people are living in conditions of poverty, inequality, and injustice corruption can become a self-fulfilling prophesy.”

Angy Peter and Joel Bregman, Social Justice Coalition:
“The Social Justice Coalition encounters corruption daily in our fight for basic sanitation in Khayelitsha.”
“Corruption is like we are in a cell. You can't go anywhere and not see it… There is no way out.”
“We get many promises but no answers… How can you fight corruption if you are corrupt?”

Cradle of Humanity must not become its Coffin

This is the text of the greeting to the ‘We Have Faith – Act Now for Climate Justice’ Rally, held at King’s Park Stadium, Durban, on 27 November 2011. At the end of the multi-faith Rally and Concert, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu handed over a petition calling on world leaders at COP-17 to commit their governments to a fair, ambitious and legally binding agreement.

'We want Climate Justice NOW!'

I greet you today not only as the Archbishop of Cape Town, and Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, but also, in my capacity as Chair of the Anglican Communion Environmental Network, on behalf of Anglicans everywhere.

Jesus famously called his followers to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ These memorable words reflect a far more ancient principle, shared by most religions and philosophies, and often known as the Golden Rule. It is the call to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves.

Today’s world is a global village. Our choices, our actions, affect everyone. In the twenty-first century, all of us are neighbours. How each of us behaves – and how we behave as societies, and as nations – reveals whether we view others with love, or with contempt. So today we ask ourselves, and we ask our governments, these fundamental questions: How do we want to be treated? How can we reasonably expect to be treated by others?

Who wants their health, their livelihood, their security, their very existence to be threatened by climate change? None of us, I am sure. Then all of us must act together to ensure it does not happen. And this means that all our governments must ensure it does not happen. For we elect our governments to promote our well-being. And our well-being can only be ensured if the well-being of all is also ensured. And the well-being of all can only be ensured if we all, and all our governments, act together.

Faith, justice, and democracy coincide here. We might even say that selfishness and selflessness demand the same outcome. All of us, every person on this planet – and indeed, every living creature on this planet – needs COP-17 to make clear, ambitious but just, binding commitments, for the sake of our very future.

South Africa is the cradle of humankind. We must not let it become the place where we drive the nail into our own coffin. This is what we pray for, we call for, we strive for.

'We want Climate Justice NOW!'

May it be so. Amen

Issued by the Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town. Inquiries: Ms Wendy Tokata on 021-763-1320 (office hours)

Environmental Coordinator Appointed

The following press release was issued on 2 November 2011.

The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town today announced the appointment of the Revd Canon Rachel Mash as Environmental Coordinator for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

Canon Mash, who will continue to head the Diocese of Cape Town’s HIV and AIDS programme, Fikelela, will be working to develop the church’s response to climate change and eco-justice. She will strengthen existing partnerships with SAFCEI, the Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute, and broaden global ties particularly through ACEN, the Anglican Communion’s Environmental Network.

Archbishop Makgoba said he was delighted by the appointment. ‘Rachel will serve the Anglican family across Southern Africa, coordinating our Environment Network, and enhance our ability to participate in inter-religious responses to critical questions of climate change. She will also provide me with invaluable resources in the new role I have recently taken on as Chair of ACEN.’ Explaining that ‘one of our immediate challenges through ACEN is to lend whatever weight we can to the call for governments to ensure a fair, binding and ambitious outcome at the COP-17 meeting opening in Durban later this month,’ he noted that Canon Mash’s appointment was particularly timely.

Dr Makgoba said that he hoped the Anglican Church in Southern Africa would deepen its dialogue with governments, and added that he anticipated engaging further with the Minsters of International Relations and Cooperation, MaiteNkoana-Mbashabane, and of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, following the conclusion of COP-17. ‘Climate change is a reality and we deny it at the earth's peril, risking the destruction of our children's future home,’ he concluded.

Canon Mash – soon to be Dr Mash, following recent completion of a doctorate evaluating the ‘Agents of Change’ HIV Peer Education Programme – said she was looking forward to the challenges of this crucial portfolio. Pointing out that ‘all countries are affected by environmental degradation and climate change,’ she went on to say that ‘the most vulnerable populations will suffer the most, so it is important that as Anglicans we stand together, especially with those of all faiths, in Southern Africa and globally, in support of those most affected.’ In consequence, she stressed, ‘this means a commitment from all of us to tread more lightly on God's earth.’

Issued by the Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town. Inquiries: Ms Wendy Tokata on 021-763-1320 (office hours); and Revd Canon Mash at rmash@mweb.co.za.

More details of the work of SAFCEI are available at http://safcei.org; and of ACEN at http://acen.anglicancommunion.org/index.cfm and on the Facebook page ‘Green Anglicans’.

Sermon for the New Dean - To your Name, Lord, Give the Glory

This sermon was preached at the Induction and Installation of the Very Revd Michael Weeder as Rector of the Cathedral Parish of St George the Martyr and Dean of Cape Town, on 22 May 2011.

Psalm 115; Leviticus 8: 1- 12; Matthew 7:7 -14

Alleluia, Christ is risen – He is risen indeed, Alleluia

May I speak in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear people of God, dear people of the Cathedral Parish of St George the Martyr, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, dear friends from near and far, I greet you in the name of the God who delights to give good gifts to his children.

What a joy and pleasure it is to share today with you all. Thank you for being here. [Further words of welcome and thanks.]

As my text this afternoon I am taking the first verse of our Psalm, which reads, in more modern translation: ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory’ (Ps 115:1).

One thing that Cathedrals are very good at doing, is putting on a show! This is true of days like today, and the great feasts of the Church, like Easter and Christmas, as well as the many other special events that happen here for people and organisations from across Cape Town or farther afield.

Archdeacon Michael – soon to be Dean Michael – you will find that, whatever the occasion, you will be there, at the heart of it all, a focus for everything the Cathedral stands for. It is a responsibility that you will also shoulder on far quieter occasions, at the early morning Eucharists; in the pastoral care of individuals; and through passing conversations with the many visitors to this wonderful place. Whether events are great or small – whether directed inwards to the life of the Church, or outwards to city and beyond – these all illustrate the immense breadth that is typical of the ministry of our Cathedrals and their Deans.

And yet, the show that we put on is not about the place, nor about the person. It is not for our own benefit. It is not intended to draw attention to ourselves and the Anglican Church, nor to advertise the splendour of this building (though I must admit, we are keen to advertise the appeal for much needed repairs to the roof!).

But what matters most is this – that in all that a Cathedral and its Dean are called to be and do, above everything else stands the call to follow the Psalmist’s words: ‘Not to us, but to your Name, O Lord, give the glory.’

Cathedrals occupy a very particular place in the life of the Church, one that is both alike, and unlike, that of parish churches. You are like our parish churches, in that this is the home of a faithful Christian community, who – day by day, week by week – offer prayer and praises. You gather together so that, feeding on the Word and Sacraments, you can build one another up as the Body of Christ centred upon this place; and encourage one another in the lives of worship, witness and service to which you are called, and to which you pledge yourselves, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in Confirmation. You have all manner of groups and projects – from the choir and book-club, to the shop and outreach activities, especially in support to the homeless of the city centre, and to those infected and affected by AIDS and HIV.

All this is much like any other parish. For this is the Cathedral Parish of St George the Martyr; and you, Michael, are, first of all, to be its Rector. So draw on all your years of experience in the many parishes in which you have served. It is wonderful to have them all represented here today. Remember, Michael, that it is first of all, as Rector that I institute you; and it is as Rector that you are to serve the people of this parish – and to serve those to whom you and they together are called in ministry and mission. So, in the life of this Cathedral parish, may your motto be, ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory.’

But Cathedrals, as I said, are also very much unlike most parish churches. The Diocese of Cape Town looks to the Cathedral as our Mother Church. The seat of the Diocesan Bishop is here. And we look to the Dean as our Senior Priest, sharing in the collaborative leadership at the heart of our Diocese. As Dean, and as Cathedral Parish, we ask you to exercise this position of leadership in the service of the Diocese. We come to the Cathedral for the major events of Diocesan life – particularly consecrations and ordinations – and we will look to you, as our Dean, to be our host. We also look to the Cathedral to provide both a central focus, and a place where every member of our Diocese can come, and feel that they belong here, and feel welcome and at home. So my prayer too is that in the life of the Diocese, God’s name will be glorified through the life of this Cathedral.

While Cathedrals are at the heart of the life of the church in a way that no other parish is, they are also on the edge of the church in the way no parish is. For Cathedrals stand in that ambiguous place where the church meets the world and the world meets the Church. This has been especially true of St George’s, which has played such an enormous part in the life of our city and our country, over more than a century.

Everyone who comes within these walls should encounter the active presence of God. Here people should find the dramatic embodiment of the mysteries in which we believe and trust, and by which we live. They should know themselves to be in a place made holy by the habitual prayer of a faithful Christian community. Those who enter this building must hear it declared, and not necessarily in words: ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory.’

But we do not proclaim ‘our God is God of all’ only within these walls. This Cathedral has a proud history of taking the initiative and proclaiming the lordship of God loud and clear to the city and nation. Giving glory to God is the starting point, and the context, for the Cathedral’s ministry and mission to the world around. This was the basis on which it stood firm during the struggle years. This is the place from which it speaks to the world today.

Whatever circumstances face us, whatever the situation that we find in the city around, it is God’s message that we must declare, in words and actions. This is illustrated in our first reading. Moses received the command of the Lord, and he called the people together, and declared God’s command, and carried out God’s command. We too pass on what we have received from God. And so we preach the gospel of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and declare the Kingdom in his name.

And in giving glory to the name of the Lord, we declare God’s character.

• He is the God of love, we proclaim to those who feel marginalised, excluded, rejected.

• He is the God of hope, we proclaim to those who despair, who fear, who think their life has hit a dead end, or their problems are insoluble.

• He is the God of healing, we proclaim to the suffering, the wounded, the broken-hearted.

• He is the God of forgiveness, we proclaim to those burdened by their own wrongdoings, their guilt, their shame – as well as to those who bear anger and hatred.

• He is the God of freedom, we proclaim to all who feel trapped – perhaps by circumstances, or drugs, or alcohol, or abusive relationships.

• He is the God of peace, we proclaim to all who are troubled, anxious or in turmoil.

• He is the God of justice, we proclaim to those who suffer discrimination, oppression, prejudice, unfairness.

• He is the God of judgement too – and we are not afraid to proclaim this also: wherever there is injustice; wherever the rich exploit the poor, or the strong exploit the weak, or the powerful exploit the marginalised, the voiceless, the excluded.

God stands in very particular solidarity with people who are in any sort of need; and this Cathedral has a long history of being unafraid to stand where God stands. This is why it has won the title of The People’s Cathedral. May you continue to earn it.

This election week, we are particularly aware of the call to serve others with justice and dedication, that comes to all who bear elected office. So, let me say to all those who are newly elected – we have you in our prayers as you take up the reins of office; and we will continue to uphold you in prayer in the months and years ahead.

But we also say to you, never forget that this power and responsibility is given for the service of the whole country. It is especially to be used for those in greatest need. It is not for the benefit of those who are elected, their friends or family, nor is it to be used to advance the interests of one’s own political party. It is to be exercised with honesty, truthfulness, and hard work. Promises are to be kept. Services must be delivered. And there must be accountability – the voices of the people are to be heard, not only at election time, but always.

This is the justice that the Cathedral will, I am sure, continue to pursue – often working together with other Christians, our brothers and sisters of other faith communities, and with other civil society organisations and individuals. We pursue this, because this is a task we have received from the Lord.

And we know that what God calls us to do, he also equips us to do. Our second reading spoke of how he delights to give his good gifts to his people, as they call on him. Reliance on God’s call, and on God’s gifts, directed and empowered the Cathedral in the primary role it played in the struggle years. Reliance on God’s call, and on God’s gifts, has directed and empowered the Cathedral in pioneering a ministry to those infected and affected by AIDS and HIV.

And now I say to you, Dean Michael, and to the people of the Cathedral: follow the lessons of this reading from St Matthew’s Gospel. Ask, and you will be given, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.

Today a new chapter begins in the life of this Cathedral Parish, and in the life of its calling to serve God’s church and God’s world. Let God write that chapter for you. Let him direct you. Let him empower you. Ask his leading, seek his guidance, knock that he may open the door of the narrow gate – and be ready to walk through it, knowing that it is the pathway to life: life for the people of the Cathedral community; and life for the people to whom he sends you. The gate is narrow, and the path may sometimes be strewn with challenges, difficulties and setbacks. But be confident that as you journey with the Lord, he will give you all that you need. For everyone who asks, receives; everyone who searches, finds; for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

May it be so – for you, Dean Michael, and to everyone who has ears to hear these words. Amen