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Working for true justice
Is the most challenging task for any Parish in Southern Africa
No parish, community or movement should consider itself excused from this task.
We cannot be a Community Serving Humanity,
if we disregard the deepest challenge set before us.
To accept the Gospel means to accept the demands of justice
and to overcome discrimination and inequality.
(SACBC, Community Serving Humanity, no 23 1989)
In the Synod for Justice held in Rome in 1971, the Bishops discussed how the Church should work for Justice and Peace. At the end of the Synod, the Bishops decided to establish a Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace. They also decided that each Bishop’ conference should establish a Justice and Peace commission and that all Bishops work towards establishing Justice and Peace commissions in their Dioceses. The Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace was established in Rome in 1967. The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference was one of the first Bishops’ conferences in the world to establish a Justice and Peace department in 1967.
Since its establishment J&P has played a key role in advocating against injustices and threats to peace. It served as the church’s anti-apartheid advocacy agency during the worst periods of apartheid in South Africa and continues to focus on issues which marginalize the poor and undermine the human rights of all people within the SACBC territory.
In our Vicariate J&P was not organized in groups or commissions but many people are committed to build a just and better society. Last year three members from Star of the Sea and Ubombo attended for the first time the J&P Regional Conference in Durban. Recently (from 19 – 21 February 2010) Bishop Jose Luis, Mr. M. Jele and Sr. Lidia participated of the J&P Annual General Conference in Johannesburg. It was a great success bringing together 61 representatives from 29 dioceses in Southern Africa. The theme was “Strengthening Diocesan Justice and Peace Structures for Effective action”.
It was follow by the Annual Consultation for Mentors of Justice and Peace Trainees held from 22 -24 February 2010 also in Johannesburg. Mentors are people experienced in J&P who can accompany the trainees in their dioceses when they return from the training sessions. 50 participants from 29 dioceses in Southern Africa took part in this follow-up to the training of Mentors. It is hoped that their presence in the dioceses will ensure a greater effectiveness of the J&P training programme.
To start with the work of J&P in the Vicariate, we identified two priority issues to focus on in the following three years. Since our Vicariates has such limited human resources and experience about J&P work. It was decided to harness the energy expertise and support of people in the Church and beyond who are keen to work together with us. We opted for:
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Training J&P animators from our five parishes (at least 2 people from each parishes) about the nature and purpose of J&P, Social Teaching of the Church. To help them to understand the spirituality of Justice and Peace Ministry, and how it can be integrated into the busy daily evangelizing work of Christian life. Our first workshop will be at Mtubatuba on the 27 March 2010
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Raising awareness of the reality of trafficking in Person or human trafficking and to build capacity of concerned people to deal with it. To delivered stickers and posters warming of the danger of human trafficking. Trafficking in Person is generally referred to as ‘Modern Day Slavery’. People are bought and sold, transported all over the world, brought to unfamiliar destinations and their labour exploited. Exploitation includes: sexual exploitation, domestic and farm labour, as well as trafficking for the removal of organs. Trafficking is defined as a process which consists of three phases: recruitment, transportation, and exploitation of a person by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion and deception. South Africa is considered a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked men, women and children. There is a growing fear that trafficking in Person, especially of women and children, will increase significantly around the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The last Synod of Bishops calls on all of us to join hands to address the challenges of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace in Africa. Many are suffering and dying: there is no time to waste.
