ISonto LamaKatolika E-Afrika
NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! E-ITALY
ISONTO LamaKatolika linabalandeli abangamashumi ezigidi e-Afrika, futhi izinkinga zalo lapho zinkulu. Ekuqaleni kwalonyaka abaholi balelisonto abangaphezu kuka-300 bahlangana eVatican eRome ukuze badingide ezinye zalezizinkinga esigungwini esikhethekile esathatha inyanga.
Evula izingxenye zalesosimiso upapa wathi, njengoba kubikwe kuyi-L’Osservatore Romano: “Ngokokuqala ngqá namuhla kuneSigungu Sabefundisi SeSonto Lase-Afrika esihilela lonke lelizwekazi. . . . I-Afrika ikhona ngothi lwayo namuhla eSt Peter’s Basilica. UMbhishobhi WaseRome ubingelela i-Afrika ngothando olujulile.”
Impi Yezizwe
Njengoba abaningi bazi, izinkinga zeSonto LamaKatolika zinkulu ikakhulukazi emazweni ase-Afrika iBurundi neRwanda, lawo anamaKatolika amaningi. Impi yezizwe lapho yaba undab’ uzekwayo emhlabeni wonke kulekwindla lapho amakhulu ezinkulungwane ebulawa omakhelwane bawo. Omunye ufakazi wokuzibonela wabika: “Sabona abesifazane ababelethe izingane bebulala. Sabona izingane zibulala izingane.”
I-National Catholic Reporter yakhuluma ngosizi lwabaholi bamaKatolika. Yathi upapa “‘wadabuka kakhulu’ ngemibiko yokuqala yengxabano esizweni esincane sase-Afrika [saseBurundi], esinabantu abaningi abangamaKatolika.”
Lokhu kubulawa kwabantu abaningi eRwanda kwakukubi nakakhulu kubaholi bamaKatolika. Isihloko esithile kuleliphephandaba samemezela: “Upapa Uyakulahla Ukuqothulwa Kohlanga Esizweni EsinamaKatolika Angu-70%.” Lesisihloko saphawula: “Ukulwa ezweni lase-Afrika kuhilela ‘ukuqothulwa kohlanga kwangempela lokho, ngeshwa, ngisho namaKatolika anecala ngakho,’ kusho upapa.”
Njengoba izenzo zonya eRwanda zenziwa ngesikhathi esifanayo nesomhlangano wamaKatolika oyingqophamlando owawuseRome, ngokusobala ababhishobhi bagxilisa ukunakekela esimweni saseRwanda. I-National Catholic Reporter yaphawula: “Impi yaseRwanda yembula okuthile okushaqisayo: Ukholo lobuKristu aluzange lugxilise izimpande ngokwanele e-Afrika kangangokuba lunqobe ukucwasana kwezizwe.”
Iphawula ngokukhathazeka kwababhishobhi ababehlangene lapho, i-National Catholic Reporter yaqhubeka yathi: “Lesisihloko [sokucwasana kwezizwe] sasingathwa u-Albert Kanene Obiefuna, umbhishobhi wase-Awka, eNigeria, ekhuluma kulesisigungu sabefundisi.” Enkulumweni yakhe, u-Obiefuna wachaza: “Umuntu ovamile wase-Afrika uphila ukuphila komkhaya kanye nokuphila kwakhe kobuKristu ngokuvumelana nesibopho sakhe esizweni sakubo.”
Khona-ke, ngokungangabazeki ecabanga ngeRwanda, u-Obiefuna waqhubeka enkulumweni yakhe kulomhlangano: “Lesisimo sengqondo sisabalele kangangokuba kubantu base-Afrika kunesisho esithi lapho umuntu efika kwangqingetshe, akuwona umbono wobuKristu wokubheka iSonto njengomkhaya oba namandla kodwa kunalokho kuba isisho esithi ‘igazi lishubile kunamanzi.’ Futhi kulendaba amanzi umuntu mhlawumbe angawahlanganisa namanzi oBhapathizo lawo umuntu azalwa ngawo ukuze abe ilungu lomkhaya weSonto. Ubuhlobo begazi bubaluleke kakhulu ngisho nakumuntu wase-Afrika osephenduke umKristu.”
Ngakho lombhishobhi wavuma ukuthi ukholo lwamaKatolika e-Afrika luhlulekile ukudala ubuzalwane bobuKristu lapho amakholwa ethandana khona ngempela njengoba uJesu Kristu afundisa ukuthi kufanele athandane. (Johane 13:35) Kunalokho, “ubuhlobo begazi bubaluleke kakhulu” kumaKatolika ase-Afrika. Lokhu kuye kwaphumela ekubeni abeke izithakazelo zobuzwe ngaphezu kwazo zonke ezinye. Njengoba upapa avuma, amaKatolika e-Afrika kumelwe athwale icala lezinye izenzo zonya ezimbi kakhulu ezisakhumbuleka.
Ukusinda Kuthiwa Kusengozini
Ababhishobhi base-Afrika kulesisigungu sabefundisi bazwakalisa ukwesaba ngokusinda kobuKatolika e-Afrika. “Uma sifuna ukuba leliSonto liqhubeke likhona ezweni lakithi,” kusho uBonifatius Haushiku, umbhishobhi waseNamibia, “kumelwe siyicabangele ngokungathi sína indaba yokwamukela amasiko.”
Izwakalisa imizwa efanayo, ingosi yezindaba yamaKatolika e-Italy i-Adista yathi: “Ukukhuluma ‘ngokwamukela amasiko’ kweVangeli e-Afrika kusho ukukhuluma ngalokho kanye okubhekene neSonto LamaKatolika kulelizwekazi, ukukhuluma ngamathuba alo okusinda noma okungasindi.”
Basho ukuthini ngempela ababhishobhi ‘ngokwamukela amasiko’?
ISonto ‘Nokwamukela Amasiko’
UJohn M. Waliggo wachaza ukuthi “sekuyisikhathi eside kusetshenziswa amagama athi ukuvumelana nesimo ukuze kuchazwe sona lesenzo esifanayo.” Ngolimi olulula, “ukwamukela amasiko” kusho ukungenisa amasiko nemibono yezinkolo zezizwe emikhosini nasekukhulekeleni kobuKatolika, ukunikeza imidati yasendulo, izinjongo, ukuziphatha, nezindawo igama elisha nencazelo entsha.
Ukwamukela amasiko kuvumela abase-Afrika ukuba babe amaKatolika anokuma okuhle kodwa babe bebambelele emikhubeni, emikhosini, nasezinkolelweni zezinkolo zezizwe zabo. Ingabe kufanele kusolwe lokhu? Ngokwesibonelo, iphephandaba lesiNtaliyane i-Repubblica labuza: “Akulona yini iqiniso ukuthi eYurophu uKhisimusi wawusekelwe emkhosini we-Solis Invicti, owawuba ngo-December 25?”
Ngempela, njengoba ukhadinali Josef Tomko, we-Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples aphawula: “ISonto lezithunywa zevangeli laliwamukela amasiko esikhathini eside ngaphambi kokuba leligama liqale ukusetshenziswa.” Ukugujwa kukaKhisimusi kuyibonisa kahle lendaba, njengoba kuphawula i-Repubblica. Ekuqaleni kwakuwumkhosi wamaqaba. “Usuku luka-December 25 aluhambisani nokuzalwa kukaKristu,” kuvuma i-New Catholic Encyclopedia, “kodwa luhambisana nedili le-Natalis Solis Invicti, umkhosi welanga wamaRoma enhla nenkabazwe.”
UKhisimusi umane ungomunye wemikhuba eminingi yesonto esekelwe ebuqabeni. Kungokufanayo nangezinkolelo ezinjengoZiqu-zintathu, ukungafi komphefumulo, nokuhlushwa phakade kwemiphefumulo yabantu ngemva kokufa. Ukhadinali John Henry Newman wekhulu le-19 wabhala ukuthi “ababusi beSonto kusukela ezikhathini zakuqala babezimisele, uma ithuba livela, ukuba bamukele, noma balingise, noma bagunyaze amasiko nemikhuba yabantu abavamile eyayikhona ngalesosikhathi.” Ebala imikhuba yesonto eminingi namaholide, wathi “konke kwakunomsuka wobuqaba, futhi kwangcweliswa ngokwamukelwa kwakho eSontweni.”
Lapho amaKatolika engena ezindaweni ezingezona ezobuKristu, njengasezingxenyeni ezithile ze-Afrika, ngokuvamile athola ukuthi kakade abantu banemikhuba engokwenkolo nezinkolelo ezifanayo nezalelisonto. Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi phakathi namakhulu eminyaka adlule lelisonto lalemukele imikhuba nezimfundiso kwabantu abangewona amaKristu futhi lakufaka enkolweni yobuKatolika. UKhadinali Newman wathi imikhuba nezimfundiso ezinjalo “kwangcweliswa ngokwamukelwa kwakho eSontweni.”
Ngakho, lapho uPapa John Paul II evakashele abantu base-Afrika abangewona amaKristu ngonyaka odlule, wacashunwa kuyi-L’Osservatore Romano ethi: “ECotonou [eBenin, e-Afrika] ngahlangana nabalumbi, futhi kwakusobala ngendlela ababekhuluma ngayo ukuthi ngandlela-thile engqondweni yabo base benamasiko, izimpawu nokuthambekela okuthile okuyizinto ngezinga elithile iSonto elalifuna ukubanikeza zona. Balindele nje isikhathi lapho othile eyobaweza khona unqenqema bese ngoBhapathizo bephila ngandlela-thile ukuphila ababekuphila ngaphambi kokuBhapathizwa.”
Yini Okufanele Uyenze?
Ukwehluleka kwesonto ukufundisa abantu base-Afrika ubuKristu beqiniso, obungonakalisiwe kuye kwaba nemiphumela eyinhlekelele. Kuye kwaqhubeka ukucwasana kwezizwe, njengoba kuye kwaqhubeka nobuzwe kuzo zonke izindawo, kwaphumela ekubulalaneni kwamaKatolika. Yeka isihlamba okusiletha kuKristu! IBhayibheli lithi ukubulalana okunjalo okungemthetho kubonakalisa abantu ‘njengabantwana bakaDeveli,’ futhi uJesu uthi ngabantu abanjalo: “Sukani kimi nina-benzi bokubi.”—1 Johane 3:10-12; Mathewu 7:23.
Ngakho-ke yini amaKatolika aqotho okumelwe ayenze? IBhayibheli linxusa amaKristu ukuba axwaye ukuzivumelanisa ngokungeyikho nanoma yimiphi imikhuba noma izinkolelo ezingenza ukukhulekela kwawo kube okungcolile phambi kukaNkulunkulu. IBhayibheli lithi: “Maningaboshelwa ejokeni linye nabangakholwayo.” Ukuze ujabulele umusa kaNkulunkulu, kudingeka ‘uzihlukanise [nabo] futhi uyeke ukuthinta okungcolile emehlweni kaNkulunkulu.’—2 Korinte 6:14-17.
[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 20]
‘Impi yaseRwanda iwukuqothulwa kohlanga kwangempela ngisho namaKatolika anecala ngakho,’ kusho upapa
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 18]
Photo: Jerden Bouman/Sipa Press