[JCTR Bulletin 51] - The Catholic Church speakes Out

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SPEAKS OUT

In JCTR Bulletin NO. 49, Third Quarter 2001, we featured an article by Brendan Carmody, S.J. on the historical perspective of the Catholic Church's role in politics. Desmond O’Loghlen, S.J. takes as further in this discussion by highlighting the Church's standpoint on some socio-economic issues.

Professor Brendan Carmody's well researched article on The Voice of the Catholic Church in Zambian Politics (JCTR Bulletin No. 49,Third Quarter, 2001) stirred quite a few reminiscences in this reader. His coverage of the last 50 years coincides with my own 50 years in Northern Rhodesia/Zambia. So, perhaps I may be permitted to think aloud a little.

To begin with, I was happy to read Brendan's well-deserved tribute to Fr. Paddy Walsh S.J. as an example of a priest who gave support and encouragement to the liberation movements in the late 40s and 50s. I would, however, query his description of those days as "an era when the Church perceived itself to be above politics". Presumably he means “above party politics” - in which case I agree. We did not perceive ourselves as above politics in the wider sense of what concerned the good government and the welfare of the people.

Perhaps an encounter at Independence time will illustrate the Church's stand as illustrated in my own case. I was based at the Church in Choma in 1964, and we invited the local Youth leader of the ruling UNIP to our house for a cup of coffee. I remember telling him: "Don’t expect the Fathers to join the Party because we must be friends with all our people, which would not be the case if we were identified with one political group”. (Feelings ran very high at that time between UNIP and ANC with incidents of violence. We stressed the importance of being equally accessible to all our people). We did not perceive ourselves as above politics.

The Northern Rhodesia Bishops' Pastoral of January 1958 on Racial Discrimination, a non-Catholic observer, Rev. Colin Morris, first President of the United Church of Zambia, had this to say: "In January 1958, the Northern Rhodesia Bishops issued a Joint Pastoral which is one of the most important statements on race relations ever to have been made in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.” The letter goes on to define the essential unity of the human race and lays down the basic rights that were given to all by God which neither Government nor Society should withhold or remove.

Morris (not a Catholic, be it remembered) cites this extract from the Bishops' statement: “The Church, speaking as the voice of Almighty God, proclaims that a multi-racial society can exist only where different groups are permitted to live together in harmony, to cooperate in schemes for the common good, and to share in the same political, social, educational and cultural facilities. We reject absolutely the classification of persons on the grounds of colour with the intention of keeping people of one colour in an inferior position, of another in a superior one. We disapprove of any attempt to delay the process of bringing the less developed sector to the level of the more developed. It is the first duty of the community to improve the living conditions of its under-privileged fellow citizens".

Morris concludes in his own words: "Central Africa reverberated to the trumpet-tone of this truly prophetic utterance … It was received with a resounding silence. The government of the day had no comment to make, no politician attempted to confute it. ‘Thus saith the Lord God' had been heard in the land again". (Colin Morris, The Hour After Midnight, Longmans, 1961, p. 155).

The fact that Dr. Kaunda did not recall the Pastoral would not affect its value - he was still a fledgling politician at the time. Besides, the Statement was aimed not so much at the already convinced liberation politicians as at the Federal and Territorial leaders in power at the time, and to remain in power for some years more. They were the ones who needed to be influenced in view of future majority rule, the ones who needed to be disposed to accept it.

With regard to the post-Independence government's readiness (if offered) to take over management of mission Primary Schools, there was no reason for the Church to protest. As then chairperson of the RSCZ, I attended the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) meeting that discussed the handover of Primary Schools.

I would like to point out that the differences then were not so much with the government but rather with differing approaches in different dioceses. It was an internal matter which did not demand recourse to Government. The Dioceses themselves were divided, with a small majority in favour of handing the management of the Primary Schools over to Government. It was agreed that all should take this course.

Father Carmody goes on to suggest that the Church's voice was "less audible" in the matter of the introduction of abortion legislation. Perhaps it may help to explain how events appeared to somebody actually involved on the ground here at the time. The first intimation we had of the Termination of Pregnancy Act was a notice in the Government Gazette (August '72) announcing that the Bill had been read for the second time in Parliament and passed. It now awaited only the President's signature before becoming law.

It was too late for representations to MPs or even to the Minister for Health to be of any avail. So the Catholic Bishops followed the only course open to them and made urgent representations to the President. They put it this way in their Pastoral Declaration of 12^th November, 1972: "We have abstained until now from making this pronouncement and declaration on the Termination of Pregnancy Act (1972) because we had privately and in an unpublished manner made representations in the hope that the legislation would not be enacted".

This Declaration, signed by each of the Bishops, was read from the altar in the Catholic Churches all over Zambia. Far from being muted, the Declaration was sufficient to provoke an entire editorial in the Times of Zambia. I quote from the opinion column, front page of the Times (16^th. November, 1972): "Normally one associates churches with prayers, and last Sunday this was fulfilled with some distinct differences in all the Churches of Zambia. What amounts to a riot was read out against the Government to repeal the Termination of Pregnancy Act of Zambia.”

The present writer (then Parish Priest of St.Ignatius) responded with a letter to the Editor of the Times of Zambia. Receipt of this letter was personally acknowledged by the Editor-in-Chief who gave an assurance that it would be published in the next issue or the one following. After three weeks, the Editor had not honoured his assurance.

So we had 700 copies printed privately and distributed at all Sunday Masses at St. Ignatius. The letter, entitled “Bishops and Abortion” read: “Dear Sir, As Parish Priest of the nearest Catholic Church to your Lusaka Offices, I would like to comment on your opinion column of Thursday 16^th November,1972. Nothing was read out ‘against the Government’ in the Catholic Churches on Sunday 12^th November. What was read consisted of a Declaration by the Catholic Bishops of Zambia on the moral law concerning abortion.

In your article, you state that ‘nothing in the Act can lead any well-intentioned person to think abortion will be performed on demand.’ The writer of your opinion column (Times of Zambia, 16th October) just one month previous, may be given credit for being well-intentioned. He put it this way: ‘Under the new Act, women who plead to end an unwanted pregnancy can be persuaded to undergo an operation, provided their own doctors find two others to agree that the provisions of the Act apply... In Zambia, the stigma of the unwanted child should not fall on the young unmarried girl.’ If this is not abortion on demand, I don’t know what is! There is nothing improper in petitioning Government to have second thoughts, which often are best. I trust you will have the honesty and consistency to publish this reply in full and without undue delay.

The Times of Zambia, despite their undertaking, never published the letter. But the copies distributed from St. Ignatius Church reached Ministers and Parliamentarians alike.

The next crisis was ten years later when an attempt was made to impose Scientific Socialism on the people. School-goers were particularly targeted, but Zambian mothers, Catholics and those of other faiths, showed their sound Christian sense by resisting these moves to indoctrinate their children with Marxist-Leninist philosophy. A refreshing feature of this encounter was the united front presented by the mainline Christian Churches, in particular the United Church of Zambia and Catholics. This helped to bring about the abandonment of the campaign.

I would agree with Brendan Carmody in ranking the Bishops' 1990 Pastoral Economics, Politics, and Justice as another epoch-making document, like the 1958 statement on race relations. Only this time, it sign-posted the way from single-party rule to multi-party democracy.

Writing a year ago, Brendan spoke of the major challenge ahead to ensure that an acceptable level of democracy is maintained. Events have unfolded since then, some positive, some less so. Given the Lord's support and care over the last fifty years, I think we can face the future with trust.