OBLATE SPIRITUALITY IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA.

1          Introduction

            The year 1994 was a momentous one for South Africa. It marked one of those transformation events which only occur from time to time in history when something old dies and something new is born. It was a ritual of passage for a whole nation. We talk here about the "Old South Africa" and the "New South Africa" and there is much excitement and rejoicing about what has happened. However, life has not changed that much on the streets and the government has to begin the process of developing programmes and policies which will improve people's lives. The vision of the Government of National Unity is outlined in its "Reconstruction and Development Programme" (RDP) which is the blueprint of how the New South Africa should be and how to achieve it.

            The RDP and Oblate Spirituality seem to be an unlikely mixture at first sight. Nevertheless these two realities speak to one another in a number of quite striking ways. All ministry has to take context into account. Indeed ministry is nothing else but the Christian response to needs which emerge within specific contexts (1). Some needs remain quite constant such as the need for evangelisation, for catechesis, for forgiveness and reconciliation and so forth. Others are more context conditioned such as in times of flood, drought and other National crises. In South Africa, our own context has been determined for a number of years by the need to fight against the demon of Apartheid. This has been the struggle for liberation from oppression. In the new South Africa, a large part of that battle has been won and the focus is changing to healing, rebuilding and reconstruction. Biblically speaking we have moved from the time of prophets like Amos, Jeremiah and Micah to the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. This implies reflection, re-examination and refocusing on the part of the Church in order to orientate its ministry of service in the country so that it may respond to the new needs brought about by this new state of affairs.

            The Church's ministerial response in the world is always fed by its spirituality. Spirituality is the process by which the Christian community lives its faith  journey in the world. It is the way the Christian community  discerns the presence of the Spirit guiding and leading it upon the way. If we live by the Spirit then we do the will of the Lord. We who have been called as members of the Christian community, the Church, to live as Oblates of Mary Immaculate, have to discern the promptings of the Spirit and his guiding counsel within the charism of the Congregation that the Lord has called us to. When we wish to live out our Christian response to the needs emerging within the context, then we have to do that in the Oblate way. For it is in doing ministry in the Oblate way that the Spirit empowers the efforts we make by magnifying them through the charism: the gift we have received by virtue of our calling to this Congregation. When our ministry is  a response in terms of our charism to the context that we are sent to, then the Spirit works, in a kind of synergistic way, to multiply our efforts to build the Kingdom. We are "with" the Lord and not against him (Mt 12,30). When we look at our charism we need to go back to the Founder and when we do that we find some  interesting parallels between his context and ours, and between his call then and ours today.

 

2          The Founders Context and Ours

            Eugene de Mazenod's early life was lived in a time of profound social change within his own country. The "Old Regime" (ancien régime) of the monarchy was very unjust. Parliament had not met for 175 years (Dowley 1977:500). The land was owned by a few people: the aristocrats (including the clergy). Ninety-five per cent of the people were very poor, exploited peasants. Between 1787 and 1815 the country went through a series of violent revolutions, counter revolutions and wars with other nations. Many people died and the fabric of the French society was torn asunder.  Finally in 1815 the monarchy was restored and the country entered a calmer period of its history. The process of reconstruction based on the revolution ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity could begin. It was during these years of reconstruction that de Mazenod was called to found his society of the "Missionaries of Provence" later to become the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. With Leflon (1961:ix) we can say that "Bishop de Mazenod belongs not only to the history of his congregation...[but to] the history of his time when one way of life ceased and a new civilization began".

 

            Given the changed context, de Mazenod realised that a new approach was required in order to respond to the situation of rebuilding the faith of the people especially the poor:

My only ambition was to consecrate myself to the service of the poor and the children. Thus my first struggle was my work in the prisons and my apprenticeship consisted of gathering the children around me so that I might instruct them. (De Mazenod Journal March 31, 1839 in Leflon 1961:482 n.27)

            De Mazenod considered that the Church was not answering the needs of a post revolutionary era (Moosbrugger 1981:11). The task, as he saw it, was to renew the Church in Provence (:12, 21) and in particular to bring the faith in a more real way to the poor and the young (:11). His famous first sermon in the church of the Madeleine in Aix-en-Provence is a kind of manifesto for direction that the rest of his ministry would take. The words affirm human dignity and value in the most poor. It reflects on an incarnational approach which affirms the value of human beings for themselves and which protests at the attitude of the world which judges human value according to other criteria. It affirms the Christian vision of man and sees mission in terms of bringing the good news of this truth to people who do not know it. It is a precursor of later Catholic Social Teaching. The language was that of the people. Not French, but Provençal, the working class dialect.

Artisans! how does the world look upon you? In its eyes you are a class of people who were meant to toil laboriously all your lives in an obscure occupation which deprives you of your independence and makes you dependent upon the whims of those from whom you must solicit employment.

 

Servants! What are you in the eyes of the world? A class of people enslaved by those who pay your wages, subject to contempt, injustice, and even ill treatment on the part of exacting masters...who think that they have the right to treat you harshly simply because of the niggardly salary they pay you.

 

And you farm hands and peasants! What are you in the eyes of the world? No matter how valuable your work may be, your worth is determined simply by the strength of your arms; and if those who hire you give any attention to the sweat of your brow. distasteful as it is to then, it is only because they wish to see it enrich the earth.

 

And what shall we say of you paupers who are forced by the injustice of men and the harshness of fate to beg for your pitiful sustenance and to grovel before the rich while you plead for the bread you need for staying alive? The world looks upon you as the scum of humanity, intolerable to look at, and it turns away from you to avoid being moved with pity for your condition in life, since it has no desire to ease it . . . That is how the world looks upon all of you. That is what you are in its eyes. And yet, until now. you have been willing to grovel before that same world. and you willingly choose it as your master. What can you expect from such a master but insults and contempt?                                            (Leflon 1961:411)

 

            After describing the world's vision of the poor, De Mazenod goes on the present his vision, the Church's, of who and what they are:

Come then and learn what you are in the eyes of God! All you poor of Jesus Christ, you afflicted, unfortunate, suffering, infirm, diseased etc. . . you who are crushed by misery; my brothers, my very dear brothers. my revered brothers, listen to me. You are the children of God, the brothers of Jesus Christ, co-heirs of His eternal kingdom, the cherished portion of His inheritance. In the words of Saint Peter you are the Holy People; you are Kings; you are Priests; in a certain sense you are Gods! Dii estis et Filii excelsi omnes! (Leflon 412)

 

            What the founder realised was that a new context requires a new approach, a new form of evangelisation and a new set of ministries and missions. His vision was of the importance of bringing good news to those who were the victims of the upheaval in a society wrought by massive social change. The poor had remained poor and abandoned throughout the long process of social upheaval that France had gone through. Despite the rhetoric of the revolution, nothing much had changed for them except that the values of Christian faith, hope and love had been eroded. It was now important to reach out and touch the heart and minds of people in order to bring good news of the love of God and good news of the dignity of all people in his kingdom.

 

3          Reconstruction and Development in the New South Africa

            Clearly there are many similarities between De Mazenod's time and our own. We, too have been through a bloody and violent revolution. Many have suffered and died in the process of change here. Many human and religious values have been obscured and violated. People are traumatised by the struggle but at the same time joyful at the emergence of a new country. It is a time for rebuilding and for the rehumanisation of South Africa and its people. Whilst there are similarities between the Founder's time and ours there are also several differences. One of the most important of these is the position of the Church in these two contexts. In de Mazenod's time the Church was allied with the "Old Regime". The revolution was a secular revolution which instituted the god of reason in place of the God we know. The Church had been often allied with the monarchy and was a major land owner in the country. Religion was seen to be superstition which had oppressed people.

            In the New South Africa this perception is largely missing. It is true that a certain sector of the Church [especially the NGK (2)] was identified with the Apartheid state and that Christianity was tied to colonialism as it has been throughout Africa. Nevertheless, particularly in the last twenty years, the Church has been perceived to have participated in the struggle against Apartheid and to be part of the liberation process in the country (3). Consequently it has taken its place in the New South Africa as a full participant in the democratic process.

            On the social level, the democratisation process is most clearly articulated in the "Reconstruction and Development Programme" (RDP) of the Government of National Unity. This programme forms the basis of the approach that the new government wishes to take in building a New South Africa. The programme stands on six basic principles around which the policies of the new government are being developed. These principles state (SACBC 1994:ii) that the RDP is a programme:

-to address the whole problem not just part of it

-based on the needs and energies of all our people

-to provide peace and security for all

-to rebuild the nation

-to link reconstruction and development

-to build and strengthen democracy

 

            The first three of these principles articulates the interrelatedness of all the people of South Africa and all their needs and concerns. It is a response to the fragmented approach of Apartheid which divided people into groups before addressing issues and which failed to recognise this interrelatedness. The fourth principle articulates the unity which calls us to be one nation whatever our background. The last two principles address the issue of the meaning of reconstruction and development. In the past, the guiding vision was the ideology of Apartheid: an experiment in social engineering based on clear ideological principles. Now, human development is the guiding axiom of the reconstruction process. Economic social and political approaches must place the human question at the centre of their strategy. The policies developed must build up the humanity of the nation. All this must achieve a new democracy' a democracy which expresses the spirit of the Freedom Charter (4): "The people shall govern". Reconstruction demands the setting up of channels whereby political and economic power enters into the lives of the individuals and groups who make up the country.

            Clearly these principles are in line with current Catholic Social Teaching. They are principles based on the attempt to humanise South Africa and humanisation, or "human promotion" as it is technically called in Catholic Social Teaching, is at the centre of the Church's mission (cf. RM19; GS40; EN31). In Populorum Progressio (PP14) Paul VI indicates that human promotion must not be reduced to economic growth but must be an integral development promoting the fullness of humanity in every person. Such human promotion is rooted in the Christian truth of human dignity, a dignity which transcends social, economic and class consideration, but to which social, economic and class considerations must be orientated.

            This was also the orientation of De Mazenod who based his own missionary spirituality on the dignity of the poor and abandoned despite a social condition which seemed to affirm the opposite. His mission incorporated the desire to conscientise people of their dignity, a dignity often lost to their sight as well as to the world's sight. It was the source of his desire to set up a small band of priests "greatly moved by the deplorable situation of the little towns and villages of Provence which have almost lost the faith" (Moosbrugger 1981: 15).

            The RDP sets out four key programmes for the process of rebuilding the country. These are:

 

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1.         Meeting basic needs

2.         Developing human resources

3.         Building the economy

4.         Democratising the institution of state and society

 

 

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            Besides these four, a fifth programme is concerned with how to implement the RDP.

            The program to meet basic needs addresses the basic issues of poverty and homelessness. It targets the areas of building houses and of the installation of basic infra-structural services such as water, electricity, roads and sewage for all people. This is the most urgent problem and it will be tackled first. It is hoped that this programme will create many jobs, increasing the access of all the population to a basic living standard.

            The second programme, developing human resources, addresses the issue of fragmentation among our people and the history of unequal access to the resources of the country. It wishes to redress the imbalances caused by Apartheid especially in the areas of education, training, art, culture, sports and youth development. Affirmative action (5) programmes focusing on Black empowerment in these areas will be set up

            The third programme address the issue of rebuilding the economy and especially the question of affirmative action to ensure a more equitable participation of Black people in the private and public sectors. It seeks to eliminate poverty and inequality, to eradicate discrimination in the work place, to rebuild the regional and national economies and to integrate the South African economy into the world economy.

            The fourth programme seeks to move from political and State structures of oppression, secrecy, terror and coercion towards more open and democratic structures which seek to liberate and empower our people. Ensuring the accountability of officials to the public and responsibility in public life are seen to be central in this programme.

            The final programme is set up to follow through and check on the implementation of the four main programmes. It serves as an independent monitor on the progress towards implementation within the various government ministries and departments which will be directly involved in developing policies to implement the four main programmes. It also serves as a coordinating structure to reduce duplication, confusion and contradictions within and between the different government departments tasked with the implementation of the RDP. This coordinating structure is essential given that the structures through which the programme has to be set up are structures coming from the old South Africa. They are the old Apartheid public sector bureaucracies and ex-"homeland" (6) government services. Clearly it will take many years to fully reform these structures. The implementation programme will set up National and regional coordinating structures to involve communities, trades unions, the business sectors, non governmental organisation and so forth in the implementation of the RDP.

 

4.         OMI Spirituality as a Response to the RDP

i.          Evangelising the poor

            As Christians and as Oblates we can certainly identify with the vision and aims of the RDP. In a nutshell the programme is focused on the poor, abandoned and oppressed and it seeks to liberate and empower them: to bring them "good news".  "Evangelizare Pauperibus" is at the centre of the RDP vision. Such good news for the poor is also good news for all since all have been deformed by Apartheid. For the rich it has been a deformation of attitudes: blaming the poor for their poverty and living in fear of loosing ones wealth. Apartheid led to a self centred, grasping attitude both on the individual as well as the group level. Apartheid brought a lack of respect amongst the races and a caricaturing of human cultures in racist stereotypes. Through the empowerment of the poor and marginalised, the first victims of Apartheid, all the people will be humanised. It is good news for all people since all were captive of the Apartheid system and by destroying Apartheid, captives can be freed (Lk 4:18).

 

ii.         From Freeing Captives to Proclaiming the Acceptable Year of the Lord

            As Oblates we are called to live the spirituality of Luke 4:18-19. Much of the mission we have been involved in recent times has been working to free the country of Apartheid: to "free the captives". In 1976 the Provincials of Southern Africa described the first area of Oblate concern as

the situation of man in our country: the inhuman political and social enslavement of the great majority longing for human dignity and liberation. We commit ourselves to the movement towards authentic liberation that so characterises our time.  (Oblate Orientations 1976:7)

 

            They went on to say "we identify ourselves with all those people in this country who are struggling for total liberation" (:9). The following year (Oblate Priorities 1977) they went on to indicate thirteen practical ways (7) in which Oblates could identify themselves and involve themselves in the liberation struggle saying: "It seems clear that an Oblate  witness to the Church in South Africa should be a declared option for liberation both of oppressed and oppressor" (:1) In this document they drew up a programme for Oblates to follow indicating biblical and theological perspectives of liberation and the means and steps of implementing a consciousness amongst Oblates for liberation (:2-7).

            Today the focus has changed from "setting at liberty those who are oppressed" (Lk 4:18) to "proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord" (Lk 4:19). On the Jubilee year in Israel, all the land  reverted to God and was not worked (Brown et al 1990:77). "It reminds the people that the land belongs to God and it prevents the wealthy from amassing land" (Alexander & Alexander 1973:181). Clearly this dimension of the good news for the poor is central to the aim and vision of the RDP in which issues of land and wealth are so central. The religious dimension of the land which is considered sacred both within African Traditional religion as well as within the Jewish tradition, is also affirmed in our Oblate spirituality as we take the injunction to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord seriously as our given mission at this time. It implies an Oblate commitment to issues of land and wealth distribution. The Jubilee year is a year of the Lord and this helps us to remember the religious dimension of social issues such as these.

 

iii.        The Religious Dimension of Reconstruction and Development

            The RDP is a programme for humanisation. In a certain sense it can be interpreted as a secular document and Connor's (1994:xx) theological comment plants the RDP clearly within the secular camp.  This is a weakness in his approach and reveals his Modern Western cultural approach to theology. In African Traditional Culture as well as in Postmodern Western culture, the tendency to compartmentalise and divide in terms of particularist, usually dualist analyses, is largely absent. The separation of secular and sacred is a Modern Western phenomenon which does not gel neither with the more holistic systems approach of Postmodern Western culture nor with the categories of Traditional African culture. When the RDP is viewed within the categories of these cultures then the importance of the religious and sacral dimensions in reconstruction and development is already integrated into the vision. Human development implies Religious and Spiritual Development. It implies taking cognisance of the fact that the transcendent is part of the human condition. The Magisterium of the Church has always been careful to emphasise that the mission of humanisation or "human promotion" can never be separated from the religious and  sacral dimension of what it means to be human (RM 13, 19, 20 cf GS 40). Human dignity comes from being created in the image of God and from the vision of eschaton proclaimed by Christ for which we wait with eager longing. Consequently, our mission is always a religious one: to proclaim the fullness of the good news about the human person, revealed by Jesus Christ, Son of God, who lived amongst us, died, was raised from the dead, ascended to heaven, and will come again to reveal the fullness of the Kingdom (cf. RM17; GS 42 ). This is the full story of what it means to humanise: "for our heart are restless until they rest in you" (8). The purpose of our mission then is fundamentally eschatological (EN 27) and it is through this eschatological mission that we work for the realisation of the vision of a fully human South Africa.

            Indeed this truth was central to the Founder's own mission. Operating within his own cultural framework, which is clearly not ours, something which can often mask the similarities between his own vision and praxis and our own, we see that he saw his task as primarily a religious one: the poor have lost faith as a result of the revolution. So what is needed are men of the Gospel, zealous to go to poor in order to restore their dignity and their faith. This early aim to the poor and abandoned of Provence is expanded in the Preface to the rule where he describes the situation as follows:

The people are caught up in crass ignorance of everything that pertains to their salvation. The consequence of their ignorance has been a weakening of the faith and a corruption of morals with all the licence which that inevitably entails (Preface:12)

 

            The call to a holistic approach to people's salvation: that people would know "everything that pertains to their salvation" would seem central to Oblate missionary spirituality at this time (cf WAC2). It is a challenge to Oblates to insert our social ministry within the framework of religious sacral discourse.

 

iv.        Men of Zeal

            The founder's missionary spirituality always rested on two foundations and much of his life was an attempt to reconcile these. The mission to bring good news of salvation to people demanded men of religious discipline and zeal themselves filled with the power of the risen Lord actively nourishing their faith and growing in sanctity. At the beginning he set a strict regime of community life and prayer at home. The missionaries lived in community and followed this programme daily. They would only go out to preach. Clearly this mixture of the monastic and the missionary was central to his requirement that his missionaries be deeply spiritual men of prayer. Such authenticity is central to the missionary spirituality of the Church and is one of the reasons why St Theresa of Lisieux, contemplative, is a co-patron of Mission together with the traveller activist, St Francis Xavier.

            Today in South Africa, spiritual men are required who have a zeal for the Gospel and who can bring the religious dimension to the RDP. These will be men of healing, men of reconciliation, men of morality and men of fire for the Kingdom. Now more than ever, the Oblate mission to bring good news in these areas is very much needed. In order to do this Oblates will need to be men of prayer and of personal religious discipline so that what they offer is a witness of who they really are.

 

v.         Affirming the Good and Challenging the Bad

            The process of Reconstruction and Development will only succeed if it is built on a firm human base. The RDP is an attempt on the socio-economic and political level, to change the structures of society so that they may be more humane. It is a question of dismantling the structures of Apartheid and replacing them with new effective structures which will build up our society. However, changing structures is not enough. We also have to change the hearts and minds of people who have been deformed by the past. Change is needed on the psychosocial, the cultural and on the moral level. Here the Church and the Oblates are called to play a vital role. For many years our people have been denied their humanity. Now that the structures of denial have been dismantled, it is necessary to affirm the good that is there. Only by affirming the  basic goodness of our people: the shack dwellers, the street children, the orphans, the unemployed and all who have suffered in whatever way, can we begin the reconstruction process. This was the way of the founder as he worked with the poor of Provence (Leflon 1961:410-414). The first step in evangelisation is to restore the dignity of people by affirming their value in the eyes of God. Jesus did this with Zacchaeus, the Roman soldier, the woman at the well and many others he met. De Mazenod did this with the poor he met in the prison, with the youth and with the poor of Provence. It is reflected in his wish to send missionaries to the "poor and most abandoned" throughout the world.

            So today we Oblates are called to a healing ministry of the affirmation of human dignity in the face of its denial by the world. Our ministry to the poor in the time of reconstruction and development must centre on this task of healing through the affirmation of dignity and respect. It must restore broken families, build up human communities freed from the violence of the past. It must search for reconciliation of those previously on different sides of the struggle. At the same time we must remain faithful to our prophetic mission to denounce evil as it appears. There are still many who are concerned only for their own interests and who are prepared to destroy for their own gain. The Church must retain its independence in the New South Africa so that it may challenge and denounce sin and evil from whatever source in the public or private domain. There is little culture of democracy amongst people here. The culture of tolerance and of  respect will have to be preached and lived within all our institutions and missions. Further to this we will have to deal with the disillusionment of the people when the wonderful new democratic  society does not live up to the euphoric expectations of 1994. The "Kingdom" here and now will not arrive as it is expected by many. Oblates will have to be ready to embrace and address the disappointments to come.

 

vi.        Charity,  Charity,  Charity and Zeal for Souls

            The founder's dying words to the Congregation also indicate the spiritual attitudes required amongst Oblates who find themselves challenged by the reconstruction and development programme. Reconstruction is also an exercise in building up the human community. In its second and third programmes, the RDP seeks to develop human resources and democratise the structure of state. These programmes respond directly to the division, factionalism and racism which has dived our society. We South Africans tend to think in terms of groups and we often demonise other groups to our own. Racism in South Africa is not only a White problem, although it is largely that. It is a problem that affects all the people. Tolerance, working together and moving beyond our own ethnic or political groupings is extremely difficult for us. These two programme of the RDP seek to redress this issue.

            For us Oblates, then, the witness of "charity, charity, charity" amongst ourselves is of paramount importance in the New South Africa. Whilst superficially we do live a certain unity, this often masks deep divisions of vision, approach and values between Oblates of different racial and cultural backgrounds. These issues need to be addressed so that we can be witnesses of the kind of community the New South Africa wishes us to be. It is important to organise forums where Oblates can address the questions  of vision style and mission in the new South Africa so that we can move forward in unity and communion. South African Oblates tend to live a culture of "busyness" which allows no time for reflection discussion and sharing. We thus become task oriented and task driven people who do not know each other. Only by giving time to address issues together can we become the kind of community the Founder and the Congregation calls for (cf. WAC 8,10,11,16).

            Finally in the New South Africa we are called to zeal more than ever before. It is a new departure, a fresh beginning and an opportunity to construct something beautiful for God. The plans and programmes of the RDP as indeed the call of our constitutions and the two documents produced in our last two Chapters: "Missionaries in Today's World" and "Witnessing as Apostolic Community" provide a vision of the future and guidelines as how to get there. Plans, programmes, Constitutions and Chapter documents have to be set into operation by people. In the end Jesus leaves the Apostles to continue his work. So too with us. What is achieved will depend on our zeal and our enthusiasms. This is a time for recommitment on the part of Oblates in South Africa. We have been founders and builders of the church in this country. Many saints have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. Their zeal inspires us to be zealous at this new time so that through our effort signs of the kingdom may appear in the reconstruction and development of this new land.

Stuart C. Bate OMI,  November 1994

                                                                      Notes

 

1.         For a treatment of the notion of ministry as a culturally mediated response to culturally mediated needs within a particular context see Bate 1993: 280-287.

 

2.         The Dutch reformed Church in South Africa is structured along racial lines. The "Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk" is the white mother church. It has given birth to three "daughter" or mission churches: The "Nederduitse Gereformeerde Sendingkerk in Suid Africa", The "N.G.K in Afrika" and the "Reformed Church in Africa". These churches have been constituted as racial churches serving different racial groups. The "Nederduitse Gereformeerde Sendingkerk in Suid Africa"  was constituted in 1881 and is for so called "Coloured" or "mixed race"  people. The "NGK in Afrika" was established in 1963 as a church serving black members . The "Reformed Church in Afrika" serves those of Asian origin and was also established during the 1960's. At the time of writing in November 1994, efforts were afoot to unite these into one church.

 

3.         A large number of books dealing with this issue were published during the 1980's. Some of the more important tiles are found in the bibliography: De Gruchy 1979, De Gruchy and Villa-Vicencio 1983, Boesak 1984, Mosala & Tlhagale 1986 &  Nolan 1988

 

4.         "The Freedom Charter" was adopted at a meeting of all organisations struggling against Apartheid (The Congress of the People) on 26 June 1955. It is  a collection of about 75 principles upon which a democratic South Africa will be based. The document is less than 2000 words in length. After the Preamble it begins with the major statement: "The People Shall Govern" indicating a system of universal franchise with equal rights for all. The ANC majority in the new government retains the Charter as the basic guide for its policies.

 

5.         The phrase "Affirmative action" within the South African context refers to the process whereby preference is given to the employment and empowerment of previously discriminated groups in all areas of society. It is an attempt to redress the imbalances of the past by finding ways of quickly involving, blacks and women in the structures of society both in the private and public sectors.

 

6.         The term "homelands" refers to the 13% of the land that Apartheid restricted blacks to ownership of. This land was divided up between so called ethnic groups and each group was encouraged to seek independence from South Africa. Three "homelands" did this becoming "independent countries" in South African law. All have now been reincorporated into the New South Africa.

 

7          The thirteen different ways were as follows:

 

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1          Make Christ known as the authentic liberator;

2          Help people towards awareness of their personal dignity, freedom, solidarity.

3          Outspoken denunciation of injustice in the service of truth.

4          On -going awareness programmes in order to understand political realities.

5          Support liberation movements and agencies for non- violent change.

6          Foster collaboration between all population groups

7          Acquaintance with theology of liberation, Black theology:

8          Underline social and political responsibility in preaching and teaching.

9          Use mass-media; rallies; collect signatures for petitions.

10        Propagation and implementation of Bishop's documents, Christian Institute and Spro-Cas publications, etc.

11        Encourage people to take political responsibility.

12        Provide scholarships for lay trainees in development work and adult education;

13        Suggest centres of concern; housing schemes; detainees and dependents; legal aid Bureaux; urge establishment of Justice and Reconciliation Commissions.

 

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8.         The quote is from the "Confessions" of St. Augustine (I,1 PL 23,667).