Special Hearings — Faith Community Hearings — 1997-11-17

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much. We normally try to observe a moment's silence   at about midday and the ending of that submission leads us into that period   of quiet. [MINUTE'S SILENCE] God bless Africa, guard her children, guide her   leaders and give her peace, Amen. Thank you very much. Bishop Dlamini is there   anything you're wanted to add? Not? Thank you very much. Piet Meiring?
PROF.

P MEIRING: Bishop Michael, it's been a privilege to listen to you. Thank   you for a most moving and inspiring and very comprehensive statement. What you've   said about the Dutch Reformed Church, I gladly take through to them and think   in the spirit of great gratitude and humility they will accept that and it will   give them food for thought, because the apology that you brought to the NG Kerk,   the NG Kerk owes to a number of people all through the country, and churches.   May I thank you from the bottom of our heart, the Anglican Church, for not leaving   the NG Kerk behind, but that you kept challenging the church, talking to the   church all through the years. Thank you ever so much for that. I have one question.   I know that the panel have many questions they would like to put to you. You   said in your submission, you spoke about the majority of congregates who were   victims of apartheid, but then there was also the minority in the Anglican church,   mostly white people, who were the beneficiaries, in some cases even the perpetrators,   of the past. We have had this problem in the TRC in the past months. It seems   by and large that the black section of South Africa owns the process. It's been   difficult to get the white people on board. In some instances, gloriously, white   people, white Christians embraced the process. In m any instances we were disappointed.   Do you have advice for us? How do we get the white Christians, the people of   good faith to really embrace the process of the truth commission, but especially   to get them on board for the road for reconciliation after the life of the TRC?

BISHOP MICHAEL NUTALL: Thanks very much. I'll hazard an answer and perhaps   Bishop Zamabuhle may be able to add something. I think for those who have been   the beneficiaries of the apartheid regime and sometimes even the perpetrators   of the system, it's quite a threatening thing perhaps to come before a body   of this kind. It's certainly a risky process and I guess that is what is encouraging   a lot of white people in this country, including white Christians, to stay away.   Insofar as our own church is concerned, I think the fact that it is chaired   by who it is had encouraged many of us to accept the integrity of the commission   and look at the example that the commission has set over these last two years,   in my view, establishes its integrity in a very real way and one would simply   hope that people will be willing, even at this late stage to set aside their   unnecessary reservations and to recognise that part of their own healing and   their own liberation will involve coming forward out of their own integrity   and participating in the process.

BISHOP ZAMABUHLE: It would also be a good thing, I think, for our church in   this process of healing to be able to meet as Christians and share these problems   that happened during the apartheid era, influencing the healing process, because   I do feel that it cannot be a one day building up towards healing. It's going   to take a long time. But I think it will hasten the process if the church decides   as early as possible to come together, black and white congregates in parishes   and really talk about these problems. Address these problems that happened and   say now we are opening our hearts to one another, accepting one another in   the Lord, forgiving one another. Because I do feel that there is still that   attitude of not accepting one another in a true way and opting to embrace one   another and work together as a church of God. Not to get affiliated groups for   this particular thing and that particular thing, but the church to be together   in one spirit.

BISHOP MICHAEL NUTALL: May I add one thing to that, Chairperson. I refer to   repentance and restitution workshops which we have been having in our part of   the world. Here again, it's quite difficult to encourage people to participate   in what is involved in that, but assisted by the insights and contribution of   Father Michael Lapsly, we have engaged upon a process whereby people across   the parish boundaries, as my brother Bishop was saying, have come together,   normally in fairly small groups so that there can be an interchange of depth,   have come together over a weekend to undertake an experience which involves   actually telling one another stories. And out of that process of listening to   one another, finding a new measure of healing and then gathering all that together   into an act of Eucharistic worship at the end of the weekend. These have been   remarkable successful as a supplement if you like, something complementing our   whole truth and reconciliation process in the nation.
REV.

M XUNDU: Thank you very much Mr. Chairperson. I want to commend Bishop   Michael for the way he presented that submission. It was moving. There are two   areas that I just want to have clarity on. One is that the CPSA in 1970 moved   a resolution which condemned the World Council of Churches for its support for   the program to combat racism and thus by doing so, affirming the policy of the   National Party, and those among our congregations who were against the liberation   movement. How does the church hope to handle that? To make an apology, or make   reparation, because I think inaudible. And the second one is Michael Lapsly   as you just said, on arrival at the airport was told that "your license   has been withdrawn because you have publicly announced your political affiliation"   by a bishop of the CPSA. Has there been an apology made to him for the way he   was handled, which in fact clearly gave the government of South Africa that   churches here were not going to take people who have declared themselves to   be part of the liberation movement. I think that there could be a significant   way that could be done to show that we acknowledge the wrongs we did at the   time.