Catholic Bishops Urge South Africans to “reawaken”, Engage in Restoring “shattered dream”

They pledge to spearhead good stewardship, saying, “As church leaders, we wish to hold ourselves accountable and call for accountability and transparency in exercising power and using resources.”

“We recognize that the crisis we face as a country is not only political. It is also a spiritual and moral crisis,” the Catholic Church leaders note, and continue, “We add our voice to those who justly denounce the greed of the few who enrich themselves at the expense of the many. Any form of corruption, nepotism, vandalism or dereliction of duty weakens the fabric of society and works against the common good.”

They denounce the attempt by members of South Africa’s executive to “reward themselves with obscenely high salaries”, and add, “Striving for the common good should motivate everyone.”

“Working for the common good affirms the dignity and equal rights of everyone and promotes equal opportunities for all,” SACBC members say.

They caution against paralysis, saying that there is “no future in paralyzing disillusionment and despair.”

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Disillusionment and despair, SACBC members say, “only leads to more hopelessness, discouraging our youth, in particular, from taking their rightful place in the democratic institutions that are the fabric of our hard-won democracy.” 

“Our faith in God and in the inherent goodness of our fellow citizens urges us to work together in protecting the poor and vulnerable, in giving new hope to so many who have lost hope and in winning the confidence of our youth,” Catholic Bishops of the three-nation Southern African Conference say in their August 29 statement shared with ACI Africa.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.