Vicariate Apostolic of Ingwavuma

The white missionaries respected the lay faithful and we, the local religious and priests, have failed to respect our own people. This lack of respect is in regards in our failure to fulfill our responsibility towards the lay faithful of the Church. It is often heard that a priest has stopped going to distribute the Holy Communion to the sick and the aged at various homes because he does not get enough money from those Christians. Some priests and religious stop going to celebrate Masses to the remote outstations of their parishes with the claim that those places are far and they do not get enough money from there. Some good religious and priests have courage of standing in front of the congregation demanding money to the extent of insulting the people of God. I was told a story by a certain nun whom I met here in Nairobi, she is from one of the dioceses in South Africa; she told me that her parish priest tell the lay faithful that he will not give them sacraments (especially the anointment of the sick and the Holy Communion for those who no longer able to come to Church because of age or sickness) and he will not even bury them if they do not pay ‘isethembiso’. According to this nun, he does not only say this as a threat to people but he does it. What do such things suggest? They simply suggest that the whole idea of religious life and priesthood now rotates around money. I do not suggest that religious and priests should not ask support from the local Churches but the approach matters a lot. Again, what is a use of asking people to pay their money yet one is not accountable for that money? It is undeniable truth that it is the responsibility or a duty of a priest to give people the sacraments and it is the right of the lay faithful to receive the sacraments all the times either they pay or not. Therefore, it is very absurd for priests to refuse people sacraments because they have not paid whatever money is required.